Harvest America CUES BLOG

Ahh…the quote we all remember from Charles Dicken’s – A Tale of Two Cities. We may not remember too much from the rest of the story, but we do remember that line. It is, as our English Literature teacher would have said – a tale of two conflicting realities: light and darkness, hope and despair, good and evil, winning and losing, etc. Why do we remember this line and what significance might it imply in relation to work in a kitchen? We remember it because it represents most experiences in life – for every good there lies bad, for joy there is sorrow, for accomplishment there is likely some level of failure. We all experience this throughout our time on this planet – so that one line is relatable – it represents each of us. The question is how will we approach this truth? Will we relish the good and use it to overcome the bad? Or will we succumb to that which is wrong with the world or our situation?

One reality that I see and have experienced as a cook and later a chef is that there are ample best times and a fair share of worst – in fact they may both occur in the same day. How we approach this determines our assessment of what we have chosen to do for a career. 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. I have found, throughout my career – whenever I was faced with an opportunity to change jobs, I would always list the pros and cons. I might eventually just go with my gut feeling, but listing the good, the bad, and the ugly was a help. So, here goes:

THE PROS ABOUT WORKING IN RESTAURANTS:

• CREATIVITY

Cooks are technicians and accomplished craftspeople, but they are also artists with the ultimate vehicle of expression – the plate. Even with the need for consistency there is always room for a cook or chef to develop their “signature” on the plate.

• TACTILE WORK

Working with your hands and body is gratifying. Knowing that at the end of each task there is a tangible product that can be admired is quite fulfilling.

• VISIBLE OUTCOMES

These tangible outcomes can be seen by all – the cook, teammates, the chef, owner, and guest – so like any other visible form of expression there is plenty of opportunity to “feel good” about the work a cook does.

• APPEAL TO ALL THE SENSES

No other form of expression deals with all five human senses. Cooks express themselves through sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste – the ultimate form of art.

• EXCITING

Multitasking, pushing one’s skills to the limit, timing, a sense of urgency, the flow of the line, the cadence of the expeditor’s commands, the clang of pots and pans, clicking of tongs, sound of searing meats and bubbling fat in the fryer, and the compendium of aromas that abound creates an incredibly exciting environment to work in – quite stimulating on all levels.

• TEAM ENVIRONMENT

Depending on others and they on you, picking up the slack when others falter, communicating with those who share a mission, working off each other like musicians in a band, and winning or losing as a unit makes for a truly dynamic environment like professional sport teams. They combine to create the “game” of cooking.

• PROUD HISTORY

Knowing that cooking is one of the oldest professions known to mankind, that every great achievement in history has been accompanied by progress in how we grow, process, cook, and eat food and reflecting on a cadre of incredible chefs who came before and set the tone for a proud profession is invigorating.

• INSTANT FEEDBACK

It may not come from the chef or the owner as much as cooks would like but an empty plate returning from the dining room is all that is needed to signal a job well done.

• STRUCTURE

Many of us secretly enjoy the structure of a kitchen, the chain of command, the organization that is so critical (mise en place) and the reference to time tested cooking methods. Structure is critical to success and comforting to those engaged in it.

• OPPORTUNITY IF YOU INVEST

Although some may not see it because they fail to commit – anyone beginning in this field can reach for the stars. You can become a chef, an executive chef, restaurateur, food and beverage director, culinary teacher, or consultant. If you set your mind to it and do the work – the opportunities are only limited by the roadblocks, you place in the way.

THE CONS ABOUT WORKING IN RESTAURANTS:

• PAY SCALES AND BENEFITS

Yep – pay scales and benefits need to improve significantly if people are to feel comfortable making a career out of the kitchen. But at the same time – restaurants must become more efficient and profitable if they are to be able to provide the right pay and benefit package. Wholesale change is needed in this area.

• UNPREDICTABLE SCHEDULES

It is difficult to envision how this can change dramatically since our guests are fickle and not as concerned with the schedules we would like to keep. It might mean staggered shifts or even different menus and crews at different times if cooks hope to ever find consistency in scheduling. No real answer here without changing the service model that makes a restaurant experience special.

• PHYSICALLY DEMANDING

Simply put – the work is hard. You use every muscle, you stand for an entire shift; you lift constantly, stretch, pivot, and reach – it’s physical so the answer begins with taking care of yourself, getting exercise, eating right, and being aware. Cooks own part of the solution but employers might consider ways to help such as offering gym memberships to employees (or partial payment), yoga classes, stretch time before and after a shift, etc. Just like athletes – cooks need conditioning.

• MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING

Too many things to do, too much on your mind, multitasking every minute, a crazy pace during service, too much on the line – every plate must be perfect, curve balls thrown when a dish comes back, or a special request hits a busy kitchen – it is draining.

• HEAT

Wow – if you don’t work in a kitchen, you have no idea how hot it gets, how much you sweat, how easy it is to become dehydrated, and how dangerous the environment is at times.

• FRAGILE PROFIT STRUCTURE

Cooks want the pay they deserve but right now the profit margins are too slim in restaurants. This needs to change through a different approach to menu planning and pricing and tighter controls on waste and portioning.

• TEAM DEPENDANT

I know, this is listed as a “pro” as well. When it works – life is beautiful when it doesn’t everything turns to crap. When we depend on people who are dependable and well trained then the kitchen is like a fine-tuned orchestra and the expeditor is the conductor. When there are weak links of those who simply don’t care as much as you do and lack the right training to do the job correctly then it’s like watching an old building start to crumble and collapse – painful to watch and awful to be around.

• INSTANT FEEDBACK

Same with feedback as a “pro”. When there is a lack of communication from the chef, or the owner and plates return with product still in view and no indication why – it is like a dagger to the cook’s heart. Very painful to sense that you may have failed.

• STRUCTURE

The structure that many love can also be a roadblock for some who would prefer to improvise or be the driver rather than a passenger in the kitchen.

There are others, but this is a good primer list to assess. Where do you sit – more with the positive or stuck in the negative? Before you let a curve ball throw you off your game or decide in the moment that cooking is not a great profession – look at this list and find out where you sit overall.

From my perspective – these are always the best of times, and I can learn to work through the worst.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

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