Culinary Cues

MAY 4, 2022

A retired NFL coach would rally his team before a game with the words: “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?” This is a sentence that sums up the life’s work of these athletes, a culmination of talent, hard work, and perseverance. This is where you are right now. Here you go!

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2022 Coaching Education Kitchen Safety 372

Culinary Cues

MARCH 4, 2022

I would assume that many chefs who read this article – at least the ones from my generation have reflected on where they are, what they have done, and what they are still able to do. and quietly think to ourselves: “I could do that again.” Like me, you want to jump in and help that restaurant solve their challenges.

Coaching 472

Coaching Training Fine Dining Article 472

Lady Boss Blogger

MARCH 14, 2023

While it’s only natural to want to do your best at work – we all make mistakes from time to time. In fact, “research suggests that regardless of the activity or task, humans make 3 to 6 errors per hour.”

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Culinary Cues

JUNE 16, 2023

Shawn was 17 years old, an average student in school, no real direction, wanted to have fun, make a difference, do something important, and college was far from his thinking. Not this kid – he wanted a better life and was willing to do what it took. Work in the diner was great. Washing dishes was just a start.

Kitchen Safety 327

Kitchen Safety Back of House Hotels Food Safety 327

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Are you thinking about owning a restaurant? You are not alone if the thought of putting your name on a restaurant awning has crossed your mind. Well, you have all heard the statistics about success and failure when food and beverage are involved, so I won’t repeat them. How hard can it be – right?

Cash Management 366

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 366

Culinary Cues

JULY 14, 2021

You know – the individuals who found their mission as a cook – they have been tucked away since March of 2020 waiting for an opportunity to open that knife roll bag, draw their essential tools across that water stone and hone the edges on a steel and counting the days when they could once again find the rhythm of the line.

Food Order 473

Food Order Café Ordering Inventory 473

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Get it done, no mistakes, and pick up the pace are all directives that help line cooks make it through another day or night. When all is said and done, we can wipe our brows and sigh in relief. Tomorrow there will be a need to do the same. How do you feel about that plate?” We made it! Mission accomplished.

Customer Service 344

Customer Service Customer Experience Uniforms Point of Sale 344

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

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. 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. What are they thinking? I wonder why this is the case. Plain and simple.

Fine Dining 392

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 15, 2024

It’s January in the Northeast – a time when the demands of the kitchen and the excitement of football converge. As the chef of a busy restaurant, I know emotions in the kitchen will be high and the focus on food will be challenged by the anxiety felt by cooks hoping their team will make it to the next round. I respond in kind. “No

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Front of House Food Order Back of House Café 248

Culinary Cues

APRIL 5, 2021

My first real job at the age of 15 (unless you count being a paperboy) was washing dishes and helping out the breakfast cook at a local diner. By the time I graduated from high school I had worked at a few restaurants and found myself holding down a line position dropping fries and fish fillets into 375-degree oil.

Take-out 377

Take-out Small Business Food Order Café 377

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2023

I have worked with so many incredible people who bring a multitude of backgrounds, unique competencies, and yes, in some cases, baggage to the work of a restaurant. In the end, the only things that matter are dependability, how hard they work and how supportive they are of teammates.

Front of House 427

Front of House Back of House Food Order Seasonal Menu 427

Culinary Cues

JUNE 4, 2023

He speaks to all of us in succinct sentences, listing what he believes to be essential words of advice. This is my version and addition to his profound words: EYES ON THE POSITION OF CHEF: So, you want to make a career out of this kitchen work. Once you have proven yourself there will be plenty of opportunities for that.

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Brewery Equipment Book Blog 353

7 Shifts

JULY 8, 2023

And the driving principle behind it was to be the type of place he would work at forever given the opportunity. That's how you were kind of treated in the industry as a server or bartender. You certainly didn't see a future working in the restaurant business per se, but I really wanted to change that. We're just a number.

Hiring 273

Hiring Back of House Take-out Training 273

7 Shifts

AUGUST 18, 2021

You may serve the best food on the block, but if your restaurant doesn't match its dishes with plausible customer service, your customers may never come back. Keep reading to learn how to do just that, as we cover what to do pre, during, and post dining service. So, how can you do this? Table of Contents.

Customer Service 369

Customer Service Customer Experience Online Ordering Loyalty Program 369

7 Shifts

AUGUST 7, 2020

What’s the most impactful decision a restaurateur has to make? Who you hire to execute your vision can make or break your business. Restaurant staff members who are engaged in their work are better able to create memorable experiences for guests — even if they don’t interact with them directly.

2020 312

2020 Kitchen Safety FOH BOH 312

7 Shifts

JULY 28, 2021

You would think something as second nature to people as communication would be easy to manage in the workplace. To understand how restaurant communication drives productivity and results, you have to develop a familiarity with the risks of poor communication. What to Communicate and When. Table of Contents.

Communication 430

Communication Management Management Front of House 430

Culinary Cues

APRIL 7, 2022

Decades of working in or focusing on kitchens and kitchen life have led me to wonder, and sometimes question what I really know. A resume may reflect on where you have spent time, the title that you have been given, and the scope of the business, but what do I (you) really know after all this time and all of those positions?

Training 371

Training Social Media Presentation Café 371

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 26, 2024

Customers now want to see what’s in their food and have the option to adjust meals to fit their dietary needs. Restaurants can meet this expectation with modern POS systems that show detailed menu information, including what allergens dishes may contain. When customers pay and note their dietary needs, the kitchen gets an alert.

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Dietary Restrictions Allergens Point of Sale Customer Experience 88

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Doing calculations and triple-checking numbers isn’t your idea of a fun afternoon. But if running payroll fills you with dread and anxiety, something is wrong. If you find yourself putting off payroll because the process is too painful, don’t beat yourself up for procrastinating. You don’t need clunky software to weigh you down.

Customer Service 221

Customer Service Information Pricing Insurance 221

Culinary Cues

MAY 28, 2022

Preparing for school or work, welcoming friends, and relatives, solving challenges, celebrating the end of the day, and listening to those reflections on life that everyone needs to share – this is the role of the kitchen and the family table. In both cases, there is a high level of stress in restaurant work.

Front of House 319

Front of House Back of House Employee Relations Small Business 319

7 Shifts

DECEMBER 6, 2023

Colorado isn’t making life easy on restaurateurs. Tip laws differ from national standards in some areas, and staying on top of potential changes as bills make their way through the legislative process takes time and energy. What is the minimum wage in Colorado? The non-tipped duties must also “directly support” the tipped work.

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Tip Distribution Restaurant Law Employee Relations 2024 221

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 29, 2022

It always upsets me to run into a cook with a bleak attitude towards working in a kitchen. When the house is operated in the way it should, the way it was meant to be; when the property is committed to doing things right, when the standards are high and the expectations even higher, then a serious cook can find a home to celebrate.

Uniforms 427

Uniforms Café Training Operations 427

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 19, 2024

As a restaurant manager or owner, you are aware of the dangers fire presents to your business. Restaurants are prone to fires due to several reasons including grease build up, gas leaks, electrical fires, and cooking mistakes. Here are some of the easiest practices you can follow to reduce the potential for fires in your restaurant.

Kitchen Safety 185

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Training Equipment 185

7 Shifts

APRIL 30, 2021

This occurs when employees are paid for the time they weren't scheduled or didn't actually work, and can come in a variety of forms. It's also more common than you may think. Thankfully, there a number of tools that can help you identify and prevent employees from stealing time—intentional or not. What Is Time Theft?

Restaurant Law 370

Restaurant Law White Paper Cash Management Small Business 370

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 28, 2020

History is only kind to those who put one foot in front of the other and face each day with a “can do” attitude. You can do this! The first step is to open up that time-tested playbook and remind you how important the basics are. This means that you are a beacon of strength and dependability. COMMUNICATION.

Social Media 436

Social Media Communication Loyalty Program Training 436

7 Shifts

APRIL 23, 2021

If you're having trouble finding great people to work in your restaurant, you're not alone. Imagine if you were furloughed from your job then offered it back with more responsibility and less pay; you probably wouldn't be in a hurry to return to that job either.”. Determining what roles you actually need to fill.

Hiring 370

Hiring Front of House Back of House Food Safety 370

7 Shifts

DECEMBER 6, 2023

Colorado isn’t making life easy on restaurateurs. Tip laws differ from national standards in some areas, and staying on top of potential changes as bills make their way through the legislative process takes time and energy. What is the minimum wage in Colorado? The non-tipped duties must also “directly support” the tipped work.

Tip Distribution 195

Tip Distribution Restaurant Law Employee Relations 2024 195

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Mediocre sucks the lifeblood out of an individual or an organization – it is the dark side of the moon, the harbinger of discomfort and pain, and the salt in the wound that saps your energy and leaves you hardened and embarrassed. Is this where you want to be? The big misconception is: “You get what you pay for”.

Uniforms 449

Uniforms Fine Dining Small Business Customer Service 449

7 Shifts

MAY 28, 2021

To make the schedule there, she would “make it up on my iPad with my Apple pencil and kind of fill it out that way every day,” says Megges. Are [store managers] even concerned about what their labor is? And it really became a way to watch everybody and see what they were doing and if they needed help,” says Megges.

Communication 370

Communication 2010 Management Management 370

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

It seems, at times, written in stone that those who work in kitchens will be quick to point out other’s mistakes, easily angered, inflexible, excessive drinkers, lacking in balance, and outside of their job in the kitchen – somewhat irresponsible. Is this the person you want to be? Why is this?

Take-out 379

Take-out Customer Experience Blog Training 379

Culinary Cues

MAY 23, 2021

I am going to make a bold statement and profess that there has never been a better time to be an open-minded chef, cook, server, or restaurateur. That’s right, you heard me correctly – this may be one of the best times to take the leap into restaurant work and stake your claim to a career.

Guest Recovery 444

Guest Recovery Front of House Employee Relations Food Truck 444

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 20, 2022

But one can't deny that tips make up a majority of restaurant workers' take-home pay. As an employer, it's essential to get right, lest you upset employees with the wrong tips or find yourself on the wrong end of a Department of Labor violation. But when you get it right, tip pooling ensures fair compensation for everyone involved.

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Tip Distribution Restaurant Law 2023 Cash Management 195

Culinary Cues

MAY 2, 2020

When we struggle for that breath we open the door for fear to override everything else. When panic strikes around that next breath then nothing else matters. When we breathe we become at ease for we are in control, to a degree, of all processes. Fill your lungs and then slowly exhale.

Training 296

Training Take-out Transportation Customer Experience 296

7 Shifts

AUGUST 19, 2020

But as restaurants reopen, many unemployed and furloughed restaurant workers will be eager to start working as soon as possible. As you ramp up hiring again, there’ll be a huge influx of applications, so it’s essential you get your post-COVID recruitment right. The restaurant industry has a reputation for high staff turnover.

Training 370

Training Kitchen Safety Customer Service Food Safety 370

7 Shifts

JULY 13, 2023

While this is convenient for customers, what are the implications for restaurants—and is this good for employees? Americans who leave their tips digitally tip nearly 15% more than when they tip with cash. For those considering making the switch from cash to digital tip payment solution, there are many factors to consider.

Cash Management 195

Cash Management Back of House Training Insurance 195

Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

Here’s an important – but often overlooked – truth for the restaurant industry: To make your customers to feel valued and appreciated, you must get their orders right! Customers expect to get what they ordered when they visit (or get take-out from) restaurants. Doing that repeatedly will add up quickly.

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Ordering Employee Relations Online Ordering Customer Service 222

Culinary Cues

MAY 5, 2020

What is very clear, as restaurants in certain states sense a desire to lift stay at home restrictions and return to business is that guests will remain leery of any interaction with others in public places. Re-opening businesses when the virus is still clawing towards its peak is very risky, of that we are sure. unknown author.

Kitchen Safety 284

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Food Truck Communication 284