Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2023

There are many reasons why I am so grateful for the decades I spent in front of a range. And, I have witnessed the apologies and hugs between front and back of the house that said: “Sorry I may have been abrupt, it was the heat of the moment, and you know I truly care about you.”

Front of House 427

Front of House Back of House Food Order Seasonal Menu 427

Ken Burgin

JULY 25, 2023

Use these enjoyable and instructive games to engage your front-of-house and kitchen staff – they’re designed to prepare and run quickly. 15 Training Games for Front of House Restaurant and Cafe Staff Menu Mastery: Divide staff into teams and have them take turns describing a dish on the menu as enticingly as possible in 30 seconds.

Training 60

Training Kitchen Safety Front of House Dietary Restrictions 60

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 8, 2024

Food Safety Food safety is paramount to any business that involves food and as a result the resources to train and develop food safety at all levels is well-established. This is also well-known in foodservice with the fast-paced work required in back and front of house.

Food 165

Food 2002 Food Safety Kitchen Safety 165

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

With their ability to connect various facets of restaurant operations and provide real-time data and insights, networking solutions present a powerful tool for overcoming these challenges and setting a new standard for efficiency and customer service in the industry.

Operations 171

Operations Front of House Customer Service Kitchen Safety 171

7 Shifts

JANUARY 31, 2024

A better description might be a balancing act that presents new and unique challenges every day. It's up to the restaurant manager to maintain a warm, welcoming atmosphere and train staff to do the same. Managing a restaurant is a delicate routine—if we can even call it a routine.

Management 195

Management Management Kitchen Safety Front of House 195

Ken Burgin

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Are there opportunities for further training, or to attend workshops and events? If the managers or owners doing an interview raise and answer these job applicant questions, they will have a better rapport with applicants. Questions in the Minds of Chefs or Cooks Applying for a Job What is the restaurant’s culinary or food philosophy?

Front of House 78

Front of House Tip Distribution Kitchen Safety Customer Service 78

Culinary Cues

JULY 4, 2021

The quick fix may just be a dramatic change in how we plan and present our menus. This will, of course, make it far more challenging to control quality and consistency, but with a movement towards on-going training and quality assurance – it can be done. The important reality is that we MUST MAKE CHANGES NOW!

2021 495

2021 Food Supply Seasonal Menu Supplies 495

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

I know you remember the first day that you slid your arms into the sleeves of that chef’s jacket with your name embroidered under the title: executive chef. It was that first time in the lead position – the commander of the kitchen brigade. You are now the conductor of the orchestra that is totally in sync, creating beautiful music together.

Kitchen Safety 423

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Seasonal Menu 423

Ken Burgin

JUNE 6, 2023

I love using ChatGPT to develop training activities and materials for restaurant and cafe employees. I’ve used it here to brainstorm ideas for training modules for waiters, managers, cooks, head chefs, and baristas. This will help train staff in customer service skills and problem-solving.

Training 68

Training Kitchen Safety Dietary Restrictions Food Safety 68

7 Shifts

AUGUST 16, 2021

But it's the good shifts, when the front of house and back of house are flowing like a symphony, when customers are delighted, and the restaurant atmosphere feels effortless—that's the best part about restaurants. A bad shift can lead to unhappy customers and disgruntled staff. The pre-shift meeting ensures that doesn't happen.

Front of House 397

Front of House Back of House Coaching Customer Service 397

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 24, 2023

Everything has a place, and everything is in its place, is a mantra that becomes an obsession with cooks and chefs. It is the very act that allows cooks to push through the chaos of a restaurant kitchen day with military precision and awareness of looming uncertainty. Cooks seem to willingly drink the Kool-Aid”.

Back of House 407

Back of House Front of House Food Order Uniforms 407

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

This can be direct (the menu item itself contributes working funds) or indirect (because the item is present on the menu – other items are more likely to sell). How you approach the design of your restaurant in this regard will determine nearly everything else. In both cases it is sales (the top line) that sets the stage for success.

Point of Sale 450

Point of Sale Front of House Back of House Fine Dining 450

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Miso Robotics provides intelligent automation solutions for foodservice that solve some critical back-of-house kitchen operations. Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked Jake Brewer, Miso's Chief Strategy Officer for his views on the present and future of increased robotics and automation use in restaurants.

2023 168

2023 Front of House Back of House 2022 168

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 6, 2020

Those who are proponents of systemic thinking know that even the smallest decision, especially one made in a vacuum, will domino and cause havoc on numerous fronts. White tower decisions without a grasp on the systemic impact of those decisions is a common flaw of leaders who are out of touch with reality. A short while back the U.S.

Government 244

Government Front of House Small Business Retail 244

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2023

Regardless of your career choice – dependability remains a basic assumption and unless you are fully present: physically, mentally, and emotionally, then success will never happen. A few years back, I posted an article about the UNWRITTEN RULES of the kitchen. Anyway – use as you see fit.

Kitchen Safety 324

Kitchen Safety Back of House Front of House Food Safety 324

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 4, 2022

People do care about value and once the splash of being able to get out of the house wears off, value assessment will be paramount once again. Well then – what will? Try apathy on for size. Maybe it’s me but I have seen a growing number of restaurants (certainly not the majority at this point) who are simply not trying that hard anymore.

Front of House 328

Front of House Coaching Uniforms Back of House 328

Culinary Cues

JULY 12, 2020

It is an uneasy feeling that was pronounced as those cooks who were already at work – looked cautiously at their teammate, nodded, and turned their heads back to the work in front of them. The kitchen lights are back on, deliveries arrive, the battery of ranges is fired up, and cooks (some of us) are welcomed back.

Front of House 403

Front of House Back of House Dine-in Food Truck 403

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

This is a topic I have presented numerous times and it seems as though whenever I travel it rises to the top of my thinking. Ironically, there is always room to be great and there is plenty of room to be mediocre. The choice to be great or not so great is in the hands of the restaurateur and the folks who make a living with food.

Fine Dining 392

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 20, 2021

The kitchen is a place where those who are successful come to the realization that those later aptitudes are enhanced through experience – the more you do, the better you become. Some talented people are not the best cooks and chefs and quite often the most intelligent (using commonly referred to scales of measurement) are lacking in common sense.

Front of House 421

Front of House Uniforms Back of House Kitchen Safety 421

Culinary Cues

JULY 9, 2022

It’s the start of another day in the kitchen. Seven in the morning and aside from the baker and breakfast cook, I am alone with clip board in hand and my roll bag of knives placed strategically at a workstation. Having held the position of chef for nearly 20 years, this routine was very familiar and always enjoyed.

Front of House 366

Front of House Back of House Presentation Café 366

7 Shifts

APRIL 21, 2023

These courses were bite-sized presentations that Bhushan developed from his own experience. With experience in the front and back of the house, Kam Talebi has walked a mile in both shoes. What comes to mind when you think of success in the restaurant industry? A colorful TV personality or a renowned cookbook author?

Leadership 195

Leadership Training Front of House Customer Experience 195

7 Shifts

MAY 10, 2021

If you're hiring, look at how you're presenting yourself to potential employees. On the latest episode of the 7shifts Restaurant Management & Growth Podcast, we had the opportunity to sit down with Jensen Cummings. That's not going to build a foundation. So those uninspired job posts have to go.,” says chef Jensen Cummings. says Cummings.

Hiring 370

Hiring Tip Distribution Back of House Insurance 370

Foodable

NOVEMBER 24, 2021

Listen to "A Classically Trained Chef’s Journey to Making Burgers" on Spreaker. In this episode of Chef AF, I chat with Chef Paul Griffin , chief culinary officer at BurgerFi about his training, his experience of over twenty years, and his road to BurgerFi. We have a five-person team based on the 5 positions that they train.

Training 52

Training Front of House Back of House 2006 52

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2020

General Motors would never build and equip an auto plant, hire the entire staff, and create a marketing strategy until the car they intend to build is designed, prototyped, and presented to various focus groups first. YES – the menu is that important! Why should it be any different for restaurants and their menus?

Menu 388

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Café 388

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

It usually involves an orientation, paperwork collection, and training. Day Two Training: Learning how to do your job with a training manual, in-person classes, online learning, and shadowing. Restaurant technology training, including how to request shifts and what to do during opening and closing shifts.

FOH 307

FOH BOH Food Safety Customer Service 307

7 Shifts

DECEMBER 27, 2019

When you hire someone who doesn’t share your team’s values , no amount of training or tips will make them engaged in their work. Orientation and training ($820.96): Onboarding are training are costly and time consuming. The average restaurant employee, however, change jobs every 56 days ! Here’s how.

Hiring 360

Hiring Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 360

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2021

To attract and retain quality staff you must train well, treat them with respect, pay them a respectable wage, offer reasonable benefits, and provide them with the tools to be successful. The restaurant industry continues to be devastated – not just as a result of the pandemic but because the pandemic brought underlying issues to the surface.

Customer Experience 387

Customer Experience Cash Management Customer Service Front of House 387

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 24, 2023

For example, the host stand was custom-built to allow for multiple people to operate the front of house simultaneously and the 3,000-bottle wine cellar rises two stories high and serves as the backdrop for the school’s wine appreciation class. We also prepared a formal Schematic Design presentation for approval.

Design 167

Design Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Front of House 167

Culinary Cues

MAY 21, 2023

I just listened to a podcast from Dr. Sanjay Gupta, whom I think we all know of, as he wrestled with the impact that technology has on his own three daughters and society as a whole. It was enlightening even though much of what he pointed to is well-known. In all cases, we remain in control of the technology that serves as an effective tool.

Technology 335

Technology Social Media Back of House Front of House 335

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

For the past six months I have been committed to an exercise regimen thanks to my Apple Watch. Closing the rings of movement, exercise, and standing has been a goal since I first strapped on the watch, a goal that consumes my attention and cannot be broken for fear that I will simply fall off the pattern if the rings fail to close for one day.

Fine Dining 315

Fine Dining Dine-in Front of House Design 315

7 Shifts

DECEMBER 8, 2020

The benefits of employee contests can impact all areas of your business and employee lifecycle—from sales to engagement to training. Engaged employees are also less likely to turnover. With an average cost of $3,500 when an employee leaves, it’s something restaurateurs can’t afford. for some of their favorites.

Front of House 370

Front of House Social Media Employee Relations Back of House 370

Culinary Digital

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Staff Training With a smaller menu, it becomes easier to train kitchen staff to prepare each dish to perfection. Training can be more in-depth, and staff can become experts at making a limited number of items, ensuring a higher level of quality. This refined expertise translates into heightened efficiency within the kitchen.

Dietary Restrictions 52

Dietary Restrictions Front of House Customer Experience Back of House 52

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 31, 2022

To get a pulse on QSR trends in 2022, Modern Restaurant Management magazine reached out to David Vance, Vice President of QSR at Mood Media, an on-premise media solutions company dedicated to elevating the customer experience. Joining Mood in 2018, he currently oversees the QSR team, focused on North America Account Management efforts. Every minute!

Employee Relations 184

Employee Relations Back of House Front of House Customer Experience 184

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 15, 2020

It requires businesses to overhaul cleaning procedures, conduct thorough training and implement new employee-centric policies. One of the most effective ways that restaurants can make a positive cultural shift is by investing in employee training. Training topics should include infection prevention, food safety and personal hygiene.

FOH 168

FOH BOH Food Safety Front of House 168

Lavu

OCTOBER 13, 2023

What is Restaurant Table Turnover Rate? Table turnover rate measures of how often a table is occupied by a new group of guests during a specific period of time. It is calculated by dividing the number of guests served by the number of tables available during that time period. The ideal turnover rate changes based on type of restaurant.

Seating 173

Seating Mobile Ordering Customer Service Cash Management 173

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

I know how much time, energy, money, and heart goes into that first day when a proud operator and/or chef looks up at the front door sign that proclaims they are open for business. Every year, a significant number of new restaurants open and almost as many close their doors for good.

Fine Dining 433

Fine Dining Employee Relations Front of House Small Business 433

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

They say that hindsight is 2020 – that being so, there is plenty for us to reflect on and determine how we might have done things differently. The fact is, we can’t go back, but we can look forward. At this point we are all hoping that 2020 will just fade from our memories. It’s history, as they say, but history is important.

2020 303

2020 Back of House Front of House Food Order 303