Kitchen pros: why does brunch suck so much

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Of course. But I prefer to deal with not being on time (and honestly most staff issues) more directly and bluntly, while still being calm.
 
I once scheduled a girl out of existence. She needed to see me on an issue, but kept dodging me. So I cut her shifts.

Every week she didn’t come while I was present in store, I cut a day. She went unscheduled for a month.

She finally came and saw me, then got fired for a second violation of not carding for cigs.
 
BillHanna said:
I once scheduled a girl out of existence. She needed to see me on an issue, but kept dodging me. So I cut her shifts.

Every week she didn’t come while I was present in store, I cut a day. She went unscheduled for a month.

She finally came and saw me, then got fired for a second violation of not carding for cigs.
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I have never fired anyone. People only fire themselves.

EDIT: take that back. I've fired myself a time or two. 😂
 
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I’ve been writing people up lately. Sometimes the shame of a write up along with “this is a 3 strikes your out” is enough to get them to go away.
People often know their on their last leg once the write ups begin and they make the decision to part ways without the sit down talk ending in a dismissal.
 
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(I'm not in the industry, but personnel **** is universal.)

I've always been the guy who comes in and does the difficult personnel work that the last person was too lazy or chickenshit to do.

Luckily, sometimes that's promoting people, but mostly it's giving toxic or incompetent people a clean slate, clear expectations, and a fair shot, and then doing the inevitable, kindly, when they fail to change.

One of the most important lessons I learned from the best boss I ever had was that it is possible - and it is your obligation - to be kind even when doing things that will hurt someone, even when - especially when - the person has done nothing to warrant and will not perceive the kindness.

I don't enjoy it, but I enjoy the effect of NOT doing it even less.
 
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Light’em up Chef.

I volunteered to run a brunch program. I’m the ace egg guy. We have a new chef, owner lets me re do the menu type situation, good clean fun. Service pumps. Ingredients are solid. I’m stoked.

Menu is great once we gut my dumb flourishes, but the Chef steals my only other, real cook. (*******.)

I train up the girl that’s been there the longest, the one that all the other chef’s used to ride (give a hard time to, usually for shortcuts). I show her how to cook, how to think, how to make better shortcuts and better use of her time, (PLEASE DON’T EAT CANDY FOR BREAKFAST REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED LAST TIME?”) She works really hard, does great. AND she LOUD.

my brand new “egg cook” has never cooked eggs in his life, and as a bonus he’s slow. Stays slow. At least he’s nice.

The host staggers seating and we survive for a bit. Barely. The owner hears about this, and has a fit.

“***”

In a moment of inspiration: i shuffle roles. I jump from expo back on to egg station, train loud girl on expo, move slow guy to grill, and the owners son comes in to work garm.

It clicks. We can jam. Homeboy on grill just has to not miss his calls and we golden. Salad station stays simple, I go back to hanging on for dear life Friday-Sunday mornings, and I swear to God, Loud Girl is twice the man that i am at expediting.

The end.

Postscript: brunch gripes! brunch can get messy. I am loathe to work stations that are incredibly difficult to work and keep clean. So I don’t. I’ll just work somewhere else.
 
Today I will pay partial penance for my youthful indiscretions by trying to teach a bunch of 16 year olds to make omelets on Friday afternoon right before school gets out.

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stringer said:
I teach them French style. With a flip of course.
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But of course.

One of my absolute favorite meals is a French omelet with goat cheese in the middle. It's also one of the only things I use a nonstick skillet for.
 
HolyDiverScallop said:
One of the most important lessons I learned from the best boss I ever had was that it is possible - and it is your obligation - to be kind even when doing things that will hurt someone, even when - especially when - the person has done nothing to warrant and will not perceive the kindness.
Click to expand...
If you have to be cruel to be kind, you also have to be kind to be cruel.
 
I've never had kids, so I may well be full of ****, but I have long believed that supervisory work is pretty much parenting.

You try to guide and shape people, give them the tools they need to succeed, correct them when they screw up, recognize them when they excel, and when they do something so unbelievably stupid that you want to destroy them where they stand, you take a deep breath, give it a day, and then react.

Done well, you can have a profound effect on people's lives. Well, I suppose that done poorly, that is also true, but the effect is inverted.

My best and worst days at work were all directly concerned with other people's successes or failures.
 
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HolyDiverScallop said:
I've never had kids, so I may well be full of ****, but I have long believed that supervisory work is pretty much parenting.

You try to guide and shape people, give them the tools they need to succeed, correct them when they screw up, recognize them when they excel, and when they do something so unbelievably stupid that you want to destroy them where they stand, you take a deep breath, give it a day, and then react.

Done well, you can have a profound effect on people's lives. Well, I suppose that done poorly, that is also true, but in the effect is inverted.

My best and worst days at work were all directly concerned with other people's successes or failures.
Click to expand...

There's a reason I call it Adult Daycare. Especially in manufacturing.
 
HolyDiverScallop said:
I've never had kids, so I may well be full of ****, but I have long believed that supervisory work is pretty much parenting.

You try to guide and shape people, give them the tools they need to succeed, correct them when they screw up, recognize them when they excel, and when they do something so unbelievably stupid that you want to destroy them where they stand, you take a deep breath, give it a day, and then react.

Done well, you can have a profound effect on people's lives. Well, I suppose that done poorly, that is also true, but in the effect is inverted.

My best and worst days at work were all directly concerned with other people's successes or failures.
Click to expand...
M1k3 said:
Babysitter/Arbitrator.

Also called a Sous Chef at a big union hotel.
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HolyDiverScallop said:
I've never had kids, so I may well be full of ****, but I have long believed that supervisory work is pretty much parenting.

You try to guide and shape people, give them the tools they need to succeed, correct them when they screw up, recognize them when they excel, and when they do something so unbelievably stupid that you want to destroy them where they stand, you take a deep breath, give it a day, and then react.

Done well, you can have a profound effect on people's lives. Well, I suppose that done poorly, that is also true, but the effect is inverted.

My best and worst days at work were all directly concerned with other people's successes or failures.
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Question. What do you do when they’re on their earphones all day every day talking to their friends on a group chat, and when you’re talking to them directly, they’re still on the line and won’t hang up?
 
mengwong said:
Question. What do you do when they’re on their earphones all day every day talking to their friends on a group chat, and when you’re talking to them directly, they’re still on the line and won’t hang up?
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I guess for me, I'd start with whether that was acceptable workplace behavior, given their position, responsibilities, performance, and the effect on the rest of the team. If the behavior ran afoul of any of those, I'd address the behavior directly, articulating my concerns and setting very clear expectations for what I expected of them. Then, I'd set about to assess and provide feedback, both verbal and written, as well as keep documentation of all of this.

If it was acceptable, and I just didn't like it, I'd think about why that is, whether I would do anything about it, and what I should do, and frame any conversations appropriately.

Some people just want to come to work, do what they are asked to do, and go home, and that's ok, as long as they're getting it done. Some people aren't interested in being developed, mentored, etc, and that's also ok.
 
An example of how this might be a problem in terms of effect on the team would be if they're supposed to be collaborating with others on the team.

Being in a group verbal chat with third parties is 100% a barrier to collaboration with their in-person colleagues. Other people are reluctant to interrupt someone who is engaged with another person, and the chatting person is not present and attentive to the interactions happening with others in the room.

I'd be happy to chat real-time if you want to talk any of this out.
 
M1k3 said:
"menu modifications politely declined"

🫶
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As one who has never seen the inside of a pro kitchen, I’d like clarification on this policy.

I saw a dish that looked very good until the last ingredient: cilantro.

Would requesting “please no cilantro!” be a violation? Is not ordering that dish the only respectful course of action?
 
aporigine said:
As one who has never seen the inside of a pro kitchen, I’d like clarification on this policy.

I saw a dish that looked very good until the last ingredient: cilantro.

Would requesting “please no cilantro!” be a violation? Is not ordering that dish the only respectful course of action?
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It might not matter. It might be an enormous pain in the butt. Either way it's a lose lose for the kitchen.

First scenario: it really is a pain in the butt. The ceviche has been marinated in cilantro oil and the fish has only been fed cilantro and their is cilantro in the pico de gallo and the lime granitè, and the simple syrup for the agave mezcal shooter. By the time you eliminate the cilantro there is nothing left.

Second scenario: it doesn't matter the cilantro is just a garnish at the end that can be omitted. Seems like no big deal, but now you have emboldened every other person at the table to "Have it their way."
 
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