Culinary Cues

APRIL 1, 2024

We all have our particular missions that do not include small talk. The past is only insignificant if we let it slip from our minds. I pass housekeeping where the heat from commercial laundry equipment and manglers pressing sheets and towels is palpable. I pay the staff little mind and they never look up as I pass.

Back of House 318

Back of House Kitchen Safety Hotels Front of House 318

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 19, 2022

Over time the challenges and yes – stress of the holiday gathering led many to relax and let someone else deal with the cooking and the details. Those days in restaurants that were once recognized as a time to close and let traditions thrive are now some of the busiest business days of the year. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Hospitality 375

Hospitality Café 2022 Specials 375

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 25, 2023

Let this be your method of operation. [] HAVE EMPATHY People have a life outside of work. Let you cooks put a signature on the menu. Even the best employees have a physical and mental breaking point. Kitchen work may never fall into the category of “normal”, but every employee is best under 50 hours a week and deserve two days off.

Seasonal Menu 353

Seasonal Menu Food Supply Training Presentation 353

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Let everyone know exactly what you expect, get excited, show them how it should be done, and celebrate every act of excellence. [] BE THE EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW. Until then, make it very clear that you expect the best from them and will not tolerate a “good enough” approach. [] LET YOUR COOKS BECOME GUESTS. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Customer Service 344

Customer Service Customer Experience Uniforms Point of Sale 344

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Talk with them and dig deeper. Let them know what your China and glassware costs are so they pay close attention to breakage. What are their dreams and what gets in the way? Now, ask yourself: “What can I do to help them realize these dreams?” Could learning be a key to attracting and retaining the best employees?

Training 367

Training Seasonal Menu Back of House Leadership 367

Culinary Cues

JUNE 7, 2023

You know what I’m talking about – the knot in your stomach, dry throat, beads of forehead sweat even without the addition of kitchen heat, tingling in the fingers, rapid heartbeat, lack of focus, cold fingertips, and a sense of impending doom.

Training 326

Training Article Café Take-out 326

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 6, 2020

We recorded a massive spike in announcement usage throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and because of this, we prioritized many improvements to announcements by making it easier to share critical information with the right people and letting you know who on your team has read them. 7shifts Roster Talk 2.

Communication 370

Communication Information Management Management 370

Embrace the Suck

JANUARY 13, 2021

One night he sat down with me to talk about the future of my business. This talk forever changed my mindset and the trajectory of my business. Honestly, I did take it a little personally, however, I sat back into my chair and let out a deep sigh. I was letting my ego write the checks and they were all starting to bounce.

Coaching 352

Coaching Back of House Front of House Training 352

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Maybe we need to spend more time recognizing people in simple, let bold ways; ways that allow them to feel significant. Maybe restaurants can start by posting who is responsible on prep sheets, organizational charts, in newsletters, or even on menus.

Seminar 355

Seminar Front of House Workshop Back of House 355

Culinary Cues

JULY 18, 2023

If that knife could talk it would have spoken about countless experiences as a prep cook, banquet cook, line cook, eventual sous chef, and my first shot at leading a kitchen team. This knife experienced everything that I experienced in those early days, and it never complained, never resisted, never let me down.

Hotels 347

Hotels Blog Café Management 347

Culinary Cues

MARCH 18, 2022

Chef, can I talk with you for a moment?”. After a long minute he looks me in the eye and begins: “Let me tell you a few things that I think are important. Let me tell you this: cooking is one of the noblest professions on the planet. CAFÉ Talks Podcast. I want you to think about this. You have it.”.

Café 414

Café Training Waste Seating 414

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 24, 2023

Yes, it was definitely poor mise en place – can’t let that happen again.” Ah…mise en place – let’s keep order in the ship. Well, re-read this article and let me know what you think. “If only those side towels had been folded properly. If only the back up supplies had been labeled properly. If only, if only, if only.

Back of House 407

Back of House Front of House Food Order Uniforms 407

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 15, 2023

When you see that UPS or FedEx driver pull up to your driveway for the 15 th time in the past month – walk out and say thanks, give him a tip, a tin of homemade cookies, a cup of coffee, or a bottle of wine and let them know how much you appreciate their work.

Hospitality 380

Hospitality Travel 2024 Uniforms 380

7 Shifts

JULY 8, 2023

Let's grow this thing, and it really has potential. And I think that's what when you think about Joe Khan our founder, or Johnny Zela our COO, these are folks that walk into the restaurant and walk the talk. So I mean, talk about aligned good fortune. My partners are behind me. We're just going to keep dumping money into this.

Hiring 273

Hiring Back of House Take-out Training 273

Culinary Cues

MAY 19, 2022

He always made sure to let them rest for a minute or two before adding their signature slice and stack that revealed their perfect color. This is when they decompressed and talked about the evening and what might need to change for tomorrow. Jake smiled and knew exactly what she was talking about. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Seating 374

Seating Dine-in Seasonal Menu Leadership 374

Culinary Cues

MARCH 21, 2022

To the novice it may appear the cooks and chefs are plagued by OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) but let me be clear: a kitchen without this level of organization will revert to chaos and chaos never wins in the long run. CAFÉ Talks Podcast. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Front of House 353

Front of House Back of House Point of Sale Uniforms 353

Food Business

JUNE 17, 2020

Get to know co-hosts Martha Lucius and Dave Seel a bit better as they discuss the support independent restaurants want and need right now as they try to reopen during the pandemic. link] [link]

100

100

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2022

We talk about clean plates coming back from the dining room – a sure sign that we did our job well. It all comes back as we talk, reminisce, laugh, and even shed an occasional tear. CAFÉ Talks Podcast. There are profound memories of exceeding our own expectations and showing our peers what we were made of.

Employee Relations 373

Employee Relations Workshop Events Social Media 373

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 3, 2024

At the beginning of the year, we like talking about trends. Let’s look at some of them: relaxing with a cup of coffee ordering food home strolling with a drink in the park holding a meeting hanging out with friends in the evening going to a concert taking photos for social media. Let’s look at two examples.

2024 204

2024 Social Media Customer Experience Events 204

Embrace the Suck

OCTOBER 28, 2021

I talk to around 50 restaurants a week and the majority of them just have a goal to break even! We talk about standards a lot in this business and yet it is the one challenge most restaurants have trouble enforcing. ” Well, they don’t know so let’s get them to know. Time for a heart-to-heart talk.

Coaching 329

Coaching Training Social Media Hiring 329

Culinary Cues

APRIL 15, 2023

They hang on by the skin of their teeth and do so, oftentimes, because they love what they do, and don’t want to let their employees down. Hell, if it wasn’t for government assistance, many, if not most of those single proprietorship restaurants would have closed for good.

Seasonal Menu 447

Seasonal Menu Café Point of Sale Social Media 447

7 Shifts

AUGUST 5, 2020

Here are some pros and cons to consider: Over the phone - This method lets you have personal interactions with customers, but it takes up your staff’s time and may take them away from other duties if they have multiple roles at the restaurant (such as greeting dine-in customers). Explain how they can order from you.

Delivery 341

Delivery Food Email Marketing Front of House 341

7 Shifts

JUNE 24, 2021

Running one store is hard enough—let alone 100. Once they're talking to each other, you'll be able to get insights like when you need to add or remove shifts based on sales or make sure your schedule matches the time clock data. By letting you see all of your locations in front of you. With that growth comes new challenges.

POS 359

POS Restaurant Law Point of Sale Management 359

Culinary Cues

MAY 24, 2022

If you failed to complete an item on today’s list, then transfer it to tomorrow – DON’T LET IT GET AWAY FROM YOU! Visit local businesses, introduce yourself, talk to the owners about your vision, address the kind of individuals you are looking for and ask if they would help you to get the word out. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Café 383

Café Take-out License Small Business 383

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 10, 2024

So let me clear the fog and give you a starting list of details that are frequently ignored in restaurants that failed to use restaurant eyes. That cobweb didn’t exist because the owner/host failed to place it on a priority list – it existed because no one thought it was a priority. In their eyes, that cobweb didn’t exist.

Uniforms 360

Uniforms Small Business Dine-in Training 360

7 Shifts

MARCH 23, 2022

Managers are saving countless hours, and now have access to their sales and labor data right from 7shifts free mobile app —helping to manage labor costs more effectively: “So they can look at [the] 7shifts app and see where they're at and say, 'Okay, I'll let you go early because we're slow, and I need to cut some labor off.'”

Front of House 369

Front of House Back of House Communication Employee Relations 369

Embrace the Suck

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

Let’s turn that sentence upside down and ask a few questions: A. Talk about a recipe for failure. Yes, this means you have to talk to people face-to-face. Sidenote: If you don't like to talk to people face-to-face, then perhaps it's time to think about a career beyond leadership in the hospitality industry.

Coaching 330

Coaching Email Marketing Communication Workshop 330

Culinary Cues

JULY 16, 2022

I am tired of those who would prefer to let others do the work while they receive the benefits of that work. CAFÉ Talk Podcast. I am tired of those who seek to discount or demean others, tired of those who feel a sense of superiority and are full of their own sense of importance. The world will miss you, Dick. Rest in Peace.

Front of House 366

Front of House Back of House Education Leadership 366

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 20, 2024

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER Harvest America Ventures, LLC Restaurant Consulting www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG (Over 800 articles about the business and people of food) CAFÉ Talks Podcast [link] More than 80 interviews with the most influential people in food Do it right!

Fine Dining 389

Fine Dining Food Truck Back of House Pricing 389

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 3, 2023

Let me explain: A few years ago, (50 years ago) I had a conversation with a wonderful woman who owned and operated a successful neighborhood restaurant. CAFÉ Talks Podcast. I have long embraced this philosophy when it comes to restaurants, but it also can apply to any business. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Hospitality 375

Hospitality Customer Experience Customer Service Small Business 375

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 14, 2022

” I can sit here all day and talk about using the right ingredients or cutting back on unnecessary purchases. And with a labor shortage continuing to loom over the industry, let technology work for you. Let technology be the consistent employee you can rely on. Let technology guide you to profitability.

Technology 212

Technology Information Inventory Customer Service 212

Embrace the Suck

JUNE 13, 2022

The topic for this talk was how Restaurant Culture is in Crisis. And we'll talk about it a little bit later. Donald Burns: Let's just jump right into them. Brian Duncan: We have a lot of people right now, right on the edge of, we talk about the straw that broke the camel's back. Any questions anybody want to ask?"

Retail 221

Retail Social Media Events Take-out 221

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 17, 2021

Talk with those who command busy kitchens, talk with Jose Andres, Stephanie Izard, Daniel Boulud, Sean Brock, Danny Meyer, and Dan Barber about their start and their vision for making a dent in the universe and they will likely reflect on their time in the dish pit – that first open door. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Café 372

Café Take-out Training Small Business 372

7 Shifts

AUGUST 15, 2022

We talk about ourselves all the time, but when someone asks , it's awkward. If applicable, talk about what happened after. Talk about what you learned from the interaction and how it made you a better employee. Talk about what you learned from the interaction and how it made you a better employee. Download now.

Customer Experience 397

Customer Experience Website Management Hiring Back of House 397

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

Let’s face it – ours is not the only business with highs and lows – talk with anyone and they will gladly relay their feelings about this. So, let’s take inventory. How we approach this determines our assessment of what we have chosen to do for a career. There are others, but this is a good primer list to assess.

Employee Relations 385

Employee Relations Fine Dining Training Communication 385

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Let's break down the various steps where restaurant technology can dramatically improve would-be employees' experience. Knowing who you are gives you the foundation to talk to your potential new team members about more than just a job. How to Attract the right people for your culture.

Recruiting 370

Recruiting Technology Hiring Consumer Goods 370

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

For all the talk of data-driven decisions in restaurant technology, that data needs to be easy to collect, easy to access and easy to understand to be actionable. Ensure the tech stack talks to each other and the data is going into a centralized data warehouse. Build Schedules on More than a Gut Feeling.

Inventory 176

Inventory Waste Food Supply Technology 176