Harvest America CUES BLOG

Yes, I have been preaching the need for change in restaurants. Changing how we view our concepts, menus, pricing structure, our staff, marketing, and the list goes on has never been more critical. Change, however, does not infer that we need to abandon the core principles of our profession and how we view the process of cooking for others. Far too often, in recent years, I have shaken my head and sighed with despair as I watched a haphazard approach to the proud profession that I have been part of for more than five decades.

What I have witnessed is a lack of RESPECT, or maybe even more significantly, a lack of understanding about the reason for paying respect. What may appear to be blatant, could very well stem from a lack of understanding and a declining number of role models. Don’t get me wrong, there is still an abundance of restaurants that do it right and build respect into their core beliefs, but just like a virus – what begins as insignificant can grow to become a systemic problem if left unchecked.

There are subtle signs in the beginning, but then it grows quickly – lack of consistent, clean, pressed uniforms; no standards of grooming; a drift away from the foundational cooking methods; pushing aside the chain of command; employees not showing up for work on time or not showing up at all; no control over the language used in the kitchen; lack of a service mentality; employers treating staff like pawns on a chessboard, and the list grows by the minute. I see it through the eyes of the operator, the chef, the cook, server, and customer – it is a virus that continues to spread and grow exponentially. We see and feel the results in restaurant closures, limited hours due to a lack of staff, streamlined menus and an increase in the amount of convenience items used, customer complaints on social media, and depressing retention rates of both employees and guests. A lack of respect is a problem.

So, allow me to point to the elements of respect that even through the process of change are desperately needed. They must remain front and center.

[]     RECOGNIZE:

Respect means that we recognize the contributions of each member of the kitchen team, celebrate their differences, know they are people first and employees second – that they have issues and challenges outside of work and we should have empathy in the way we treat them. It also means the employee recognizes the restaurant, the chef, and the owner have a difficult job in leadership and deserve the employee’s best effort in performing the work assigned.

[]     EMPOWER:

Respect means the chef, manager and owner understand they cannot be in all places at every moment and thus must trust that the employees they hired are best positioned to make certain decisions. Employees must be properly trained and then given the responsibility and authority to make those decisions that fit their position.

[]     SERVE:

Respect means that everyone involved in the restaurant is in the service business. This means they are all positioned to either provide exceptional service directly to the guest or if that is not their role, then to serve someone who is.

[]     PROFESSIONALISM/PRIDE:

Respect means everyone is expected to look, act, and interact with the highest level of professionalism. That they are to present themselves as ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen (The Ritz Carlton Credo). This professionalism through image and action, builds pride in the work done and the organization they work for.

[]     EXCELLENCE:

Respect means that every task a person is assigned to complete should be approached as if it were the most important job in that moment. Anything worth doing is worth doing world-class whether washing dishes, organizing a cooler or workstation, dicing vegetables, finishing a plate of Kobe beef, taking inventory, or mopping a floor – it’s all important.

[]     CREATIVITY:

Respect means everyone (cooks in particular) has a desire to create something worthy of carrying their signature. Restaurant kitchens show respect for team members when they help to nurture creativity and provide an outlet for staff members to express themselves.

[]     TRAIN/TRUST:

Respect means the restaurant owner and the chef have a responsibility to constantly teach and train. Every day should be an opportunity for each employee to grow, learn, and improve through teaching and training. In the same light, the employee has a personal responsibility to constantly improve and learn about product, process, creativity, people, and service. The property should invest, and the employee should seek out the opportunities to learn.

I may be part of the “old guard”, but I believe in this and trust that through our process of change we (the industry and individual restaurants) don’t lose sight of why we are in this business and the joy that comes from RESPECT.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER – BE RESPECTFUL

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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