Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 23, 2024

It is an important question that some of us wrestle with while others may simply shrug their shoulders. We are in the business of service and in service to the business. To your employer, the financial success of the business is paramount – understandably so. It should not be a zero-sum game where to satisfy one, the other must suffer.

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Café Pricing Hiring Blog 426

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 16, 2024

Here is one excerpt from his journal of observations: Service industry work develops the soft skills recruiters talk about on LinkedIn discipline, promptness, the ability to absorb criticism, and most important, how to read people like a book. Maybe I tend to quote Bourdain too much, but he comes from a real place.

Employee Relations 410

Employee Relations Presentation Small Business Recruiting 410

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

I came across an old quote from Phylicia Rashad (for those my age – the lead actress in the series “Fame” from many years back) that gave me another opportunity to think about the cooks that I know and have known over the past five (nearly six) decades and why I chose to stand in front of a range.

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Food Front of House Back of House Point of Sale 414

Culinary Cues

APRIL 7, 2025

I dont have any secret inside information, only speculation based on decades of observation and working with cooks of all ages and backgrounds. Keep in mind the distinction between professional cook and those who fall into the kitchen work without real intent.

Kitchen Safety 302

Kitchen Safety Food Supply 2030 Healthcare 302

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2025

Looking back on five decades of kitchen life, what provides the greatest memories, and a feeling of fulfillment are the people I met and those with whom I had the pleasure to work alongside. As Bourdain once stated (and I paraphrase here) Everything important that I know I learned washing dishes in a restaurant. Im sure there are many.

Employee Relations 355

Employee Relations Reference Influencer Education 355

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

As cooks and chefs our plate is full, not just in the sense of more work than time will allow, but more importantly in terms of the quality of what we find on that plate. As cooks and chefs our plate is full, not just in the sense of more work than time will allow, but more importantly in terms of the quality of what we find on that plate.

Food Supply 409

Food Supply Uniforms Café Take-out 409

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Picasso, from the age of seven, was trained in copying the work of traditional masters. He carried this training through art school until he found his voice in abstract and interpretive work. Yet, his training was with the most admired masters of classic standards of preparation working with Charlie Trotter and Thomas Keller.

Training 417

Training Coaching Uniforms Café 417

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Theres plenty of fear and loathing going on in the restaurant business. Every restaurant and restaurateur are struggling to figure it out how am I going to make this work? Restaurants would typically rely on high school and college students during the summer months to fill positions during peak season now that is a challenge.

Fine Dining 242

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 242

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Every restaurant and food related business is crying the same blues: “Where are the great employees?” When you have a chance to move forward, to accomplish something worthwhile, to be part of something great – take it! This statement applies to all of us, in every situation, or any career. Yes, of course, there is always some risk.

Coaching 415

Coaching Employee Relations Take-out Training 415

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2025

Of course, if, in this case, too many restaurants open before the marketplace has a chance to catch up, then failure rates will increase regardless of how operators respond. That one restaurant in a crowded field of operations that chooses to make this one simple change towards excellent bread will push others to do the same.

Innovation 352

Innovation Fine Dining Consumer Goods Customer Service 352

Culinary Cues

APRIL 14, 2025

The benchmark song on what was arguably Rod Stewarts most artistic album proclaimed that Every Picture Tells a Story lamenting that there are memories attached to our experiences, mementos, or a work that we invest our time in. As examples, any restaurant can, and so many do, offer Caesar Salad as a menu staple.

Fine Dining 339

Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Travel Presentation 339

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

The simple things of a piece of land to work, a roof over our heads that can move from house to home, food on our table, clothes on our back, a solid education, good health and a job that provides and gives us satisfaction. Well, it begins with awareness of the world we live and work in and the importance of what we do.

Back of House 386

Back of House Travel Government Education 386

Culinary Cues

APRIL 10, 2025

I often reflect back on that first job at 15 years old as a dishwasher in a Buffalo, New York diner and shake my head when I contemplate the opportunities that came my way, the people I have met and with whom I have worked, the places I have been, all that I continue to learn, and the life that a career in food has offered.

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Travel 2025 Blog Food Order 350

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 2, 2024

There is a love hate relationship that we all share when it comes to the work we do. You look around the kitchen and marvel at the amount of work that takes place each day on stainless tables, in 5 00-degree ovens, on open flames, and in dozens of pots and pans washed and rewashed countless times. This is not one of those moments.

Coaching 409

Coaching Take-out Food Order Inventory 409

Culinary Cues

MAY 22, 2025

How you approach life is typically evident in everything you do from caring for your health, to relationships, to your work, and even your purpose. For decades I have listened to cooks, service staff, and even restaurant managers complain about the business that provides their weekly paycheck. Do you seek sunshine or darkness?

Food Truck 296

Food Truck Sports Education Influencer 296

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Nowadays, running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and good service. With 90% of diners checking a restaurant online before visiting, you also need a strong online presence to attract and boost reservations. Let’s explore 26 proven online marketing strategies to help your restaurant thrive.

Book 195

Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 19, 2025

This morning, I found myself deep in thought about a lifetime in the kitchen, the people with whom I have worked, and those who I simply had the pleasure to meet. I was wrestling with what we contribute during our careers and what it meant to be good, or even great, not just competent at what we do.

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Uniforms Education Waste Blog 344

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2025

Plain and simple the process works. I simply find it counterproductive to balk at a process that works and that, in the end, will give the cook or chef the skills and the freedom to become that rebel. As in the case with many professions, there is a process, sometimes built around tradition and often, proven effective over time.

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Uniforms Coaching Restaurant Law Customer Experience 223

Culinary Cues

MAY 22, 2025

I started Harvest America Cues Blog in 2013 at the encouragement of Chef Curtiss Hemm. The blog was meant to parallel the start-up of Harvest America Ventures Consulting. You are the salt of the earth! So, its time to take a break. I remain incredibly proud to have been a cook, a chef, educator, and a consultant.

2025 238

2025 Food 2013 Education 238

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Whether you’re handling marketing for a chain restaurant, or just trying to heighten the visibility of your own local mom and pop diner, here are seven pro tips for restaurant marketing that will give your eating establishment a much-needed boost. This is true for any type of business, but especially for restaurants.

Marketing 474

Marketing Loyalty Program Social Media Online Ordering 474

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 19, 2022

In a sector as vast as the restaurant industry, digital marketing becomes a critical tool to standing out among the crowd, especially as Q4 inches closer. Read on to learn more about SEO versus Local SEO, and – most importantly – how to determine what works best for your restaurant brand.

SEO 474

SEO Social Media Website Management Online Ordering 474

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 28, 2022

The development of robotics in the post pandemic scenario has changed the overall scenario for the industries, especially the restaurants industry. The prominence of food delivery and service robots has increased in the overall restaurant industry. This is owed to the uncertainties faced by the restaurants at the global level.

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Delivery Food Customer Service Front of House 575

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

” Jack Welch Welch, the visionary past CEO of General Electric points to the most important role of a leader (chef, manager, restaurant owner) which is to develop their staff, to mentor them, to teach and train, and feed their passion until they match or even surpass your own abilities. .” Inspiration comes in many forms.

Consumer Goods 290

Consumer Goods Presentation Leadership Dine-in 290

Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

Sure, I know how much the restaurant/foodservice industry is suffering and how many operations are shutting their doors as a result of avoiding decades of challenges brought to a head by the pandemic, but believe me when I say that this will change. Just as the restaurant industry evolves, so too must the industry of education.

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Education Food Supply Training Communication 587

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

TEN THINGS YOU DIDN”T KNOW ABOUT A RESTAURANT. There is a long history of how kitchens and restaurants are structured. Although executed at different levels – this structure is something that all those whom work in restaurants can depend and lean on. An organizational structure that attempts to keep things under control.

Back of House 547

Back of House Seasonal Menu Customer Service Front of House 547

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Back in time, I remember a billboard in New York City’s Times Square that asked: “Would You Be Willing To Sign Your Work?” When we sign our work, we take full responsibility for it. “I I did this, this is my work”! I’m not sure who sponsored the ad, but it left a profound impression on me over the past 50 years.

Seminar 443

Seminar Front of House Back of House Workshop 443

Culinary Cues

MARCH 21, 2025

Are we giving enough time to the process of dreaming or are we so wrapped up in the day-to-day challenges and crisis of the moment that we leave too little time to just let our minds and imaginations work? My first reaction was to chuckle at something that seemed a bit nave. I mean how large is the audience for this service?

Hotels 267

Hotels Back of House Customer Service Entertainment 267

Culinary Cues

MARCH 16, 2025

Restaurants didnt know how to react. Eventually we figured it out (to some degree) but in the process lost an enormous number of restaurants from 2020 2023. Every day brings new challenges to face, unexpected curve balls that throw you off balance. But you might want to stop now and again and reflect on a time, not too long ago.

Food Supply 232

Food Supply Customer Service Delivery Recruiting 232

Culinary Cues

JULY 15, 2024

It is a disease that permeates a society and drags everything down as it works its way through every aspect of life. It is apparent in the classroom, the local grocery store, your doctor’s office, the gym where you work out, car dealerships, airports, subways, hotels, and yes – restaurants.

Leadership 472

Leadership Food Truck Employee Relations Training 472

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 11, 2021

You set yourself up for success by finding the right niche for your restaurant. Whether you’re serving gourmet food in a fine dining establishment or flipping burgers next to the local university, there’s going to be an audience that works best for your business. Are you in a populated area, surrounded by other restaurants?

Marketing 492

Marketing Food Truck Fine Dining Fast Casual 492

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

This may seem like a strange topic for a blog focused on the restaurant industry and the world of food but hear me out. How will we be able to pay our bills if we can’t go in to work? How will we be able to pay our bills if we can’t go in to work? How will we work if we can’t interact?” How can we function?

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Social Media Food Safety Small Business Retail 441

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. What rules or laws are most significant for them and how might their commitment to them impact on those workhorse cooks, dishwashers, restaurant servers, and the like?

Coaching 447

Coaching Restaurant Law Training Article 447

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

Of course, I’m sure many other professionals, in a variety of disciplines, have had their share of those challenging days at work, but I sense not many have worked through the steady flow of consecutive back and mind breaking moments like a chef. A 34-hour work week is unthinkable, a 60 – 80-hour workweek is more like it.

Kitchen Safety 492

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 492

Culinary Cues

JUNE 23, 2024

When restaurants cry the blues about a lack of staff and even more significant – a lack of committed staff, then it is time for those who “do it right” to actively work at changing perceptions. To those young cooks working in a less than professional kitchen, I say this: “It doesn’t need to be that way!”

Uniforms 448

Uniforms Front of House Back of House Food Supply 448

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2023

The chef must be able to speak the language, build the palate, and understand how this relationship works. Have you worked through this process hundreds of times before? [] CHECK YOUR LEADERSHIP: Do you know the difference between leadership and management. If you think the answer is YES, then you are not ready to be the chef.

Seasonal Menu 520

Seasonal Menu Leadership Training Fine Dining 520

Culinary Cues

JULY 29, 2024

So, when others invest so much time in bashing the field, restaurant life, owners and even customers, I get incredibly irritated. So, when others invest so much time in bashing the field, restaurant life, owners and even customers, I get incredibly irritated. Who wants the family heirlooms?” “Who

Back of House 456

Back of House Take-out Café Blog 456

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

Is it culinary school, working in well-known restaurants, finding an established chef to mentor them, or is it something else entirely? It is the decision of where to work, who to work for, and how you will invest in the opportunities that come your way that is most critical at this juncture.

Hotels 505

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 505