# Your Family Meals



## rdm_magic (Jul 22, 2013)

What do you guys like to cook for your family meals? 
What do your staff like you to cook? 
Do you stick to the same things recycled, or keep trying new things?


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Jul 22, 2013)

This is a pretty broad question Magic but this is what my seven and eight YO daughters had tonight. I should have bought more.


----------



## greasedbullet (Jul 22, 2013)

Do you mean family meal a in meals for your family or do you mean family meal as in what a line cook eats at work? 
Where I work they always prepare left overs per-se and they are very repetitive and very bad. Ribs, NC bbq, beans, finger sandwiches that never got sent out, etc. And it is all over cooked and poorly seasoned. But hey it's free food and I'm starving.


----------



## rdm_magic (Jul 22, 2013)

I should have been more clear, I was talking about the stuff you cook for staff meals when you're working


----------



## Von blewitt (Jul 22, 2013)

I used to work at a place that served staff meal for 50 people, the budget was $500 per day for staff meal, we ate very well (although only once in 14 hour shift) it was run on a roster so each chef had to cook once every 3 weeks ( with a dedicated staff cook) there was a broad mix of cultures ( Japanese, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Aussies & Kiwis) so there was usually plenty of variety. 
Now it's just 4 of us, we eat pretty well, usually made up of what's floating around on the "staff shelf"


----------



## SpikeC (Jul 22, 2013)

There is a thread on this around here somewhere. Try a search.


----------



## GlassEye (Jul 22, 2013)

SpikeC said:


> There is a thread on this around here somewhere. Try a search.



I tried to find that one, but didn't succeed.

EDIT: 1000th post!:doublethumbsup:


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 22, 2013)

I made Guatamalan chicken and rice soup today. The servers wheren't to happy about eating soup in 95 degree weather but screw em. Me and the latinos liked it.


----------



## greasedbullet (Jul 22, 2013)

ChuckTheButcher said:


> I made Guatamalan chicken and rice soup today. The servers wheren't to happy about eating soup in 95 degree weather but screw em. Me and the latinos liked it.



I like your style.


----------



## EdipisReks (Jul 23, 2013)

I hate soup. Good thing I work in IT/Instructional Design, not restaurants.


----------



## brainsausage (Jul 23, 2013)

ChuckTheButcher said:


> I made Guatamalan chicken and rice soup today. The servers wheren't to happy about eating soup in 95 degree weather but screw em. Me and the latinos liked it.





Our trough usually varies pretty heavily, especially depending on the general mood of the line. Hell- one ridiculously busy night, the GM went to McDonald's and bought about $100 worth of burgers, fries, and nuggets. We try to have a good time I guess.


----------



## franzb69 (Jul 23, 2013)

i'm surprised with all the knives we have that we don't talk enough about the food we cook and grow.


----------



## ThEoRy (Jul 24, 2013)

Not. This. Again..


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 24, 2013)

Denzel said:


> Its a nice thread about family meal. I am a vegetarian so my whole family like to eat vegetables. I think vegetables are best and natural food for health. I will share some pictures of my family meal soon.



Family meal is another term for staff meal in a restaurant. I'm not going to bite on the vegetarian thing.


----------



## hambone.johnson (Jul 24, 2013)

It varies. at one place we cooked whatever was available and everyone pitched in. I was usually the organizer of the staff meal, that way I knew it was going to get done, and it would be decent. when I staged at Alinea they had a recipe book and it all rotated through a 3 month system I think I was told, the morning crew was responsible for cooking and ordering for each days meal. it was very regimented so they had variety and the proper amount of food and didn't run out


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 24, 2013)

hambone.johnson said:


> It varies. at one place we cooked whatever was available and everyone pitched in. I was usually the organizer of the staff meal, that way I knew it was going to get done, and it would be decent. when I staged at Alinea they had a recipe book and it all rotated through a 3 month system I think I was told, the morning crew was responsible for cooking and ordering for each days meal. it was very regimented so they had variety and the proper amount of food and didn't run out


Three months of family planned out. That's pretty awesome.


----------



## Mrmnms (Jul 24, 2013)

My family knows my favorite saying about all vegetable dishes (although sometimes in jest) "It's pretty good. just one thing... AINT GOT NO MEAT!" I hung out with a bunch off vegetarians in college who mocked my eating habits. At Saturdays family communal vegetarian dinner, I would wait til everybody was situated before calmly unwrapping my butcher paper , leaning over and putting a large raw chunk of beef in my mouth. They would freak! I would just growl at them and flare my nostrils. Got called all sorts of names that fit. Later on, there was nothing like the feeling of busting a self proclaimed vegetarian eating some of my home made bratwurst and bockwurst. Those were the days!


----------



## Jmadams13 (Jul 24, 2013)

We don't do a family meal here. It's scraps for the kitchen staff, lol. Heels of bread, beef scraps cooked how ever we have time for and we do it for ourselves. We do a "family shot" of bourbon to jäger after Friday and Saturday dinner service though, lol. 

I have worked at places that do a staff meal, but we still never had time to eat it hot, or at all, so it fell to te wayside. I've always preferred smaller places with a small kitchen staff, so maybe that why we pass on it. To be honest, I'd rather take that time sitting in the alley with a smoke and scarf down a peice of bread and butter than actually sit and have a meal. When I eat to much when its busy, I loose my steam and its harder to get in the groove again.


----------



## Brad Gibson (Jul 24, 2013)

hold on hold on. did we all just skip over the stage at alinea?:hungry:


----------



## Lucretia (Jul 24, 2013)

Mrmnms said:


> My family knows my favorite saying about all vegetable dishes (although sometimes in jest) "It's pretty good. just one thing... AINT GOT NO MEAT!" I hung out with a bunch off vegetarians in college who mocked my eating habits. At Saturdays family communal vegetarian dinner, I would wait til everybody was situated before calmly unwrapping my butcher paper , leaning over and putting a large raw chunk of beef in my mouth. They would freak! I would just growl at them and flare my nostrils. Got called all sorts of names that fit. Later on, there was nothing like the feeling of busting a self proclaimed vegetarian eating some of my home made bratwurst and bockwurst. Those were the days!



:rofl2:


----------



## rdm_magic (Jul 24, 2013)

ThEoRy said:


> Not. This. Again..



Is that in regards to the topic or how your staff meals usually go?


----------



## ThEoRy (Jul 25, 2013)

rdm_magic said:


> Is that in regards to the topic or how your staff meals usually go?



Yes.


----------



## panda (Jul 25, 2013)

no more staff meals! majority of wait/bar staff don't appreciate, some even have the gall to complain about free food... drives me nuts. i have no problem sharing kitchen staff grub thrown together from scraps(when time allows) with dishwashers though.


----------



## brainsausage (Jul 25, 2013)

panda said:


> no more staff meals! majority of wait/bar staff don't appreciate, some even have the gall to complain about free food... drives me nuts. i have no problem sharing kitchen staff grub thrown together from scraps(when time allows) with dishwashers though.



Staff meals are a good barometer. If you complain when I make you free food, that tells me you don't give two effs about the time me and mine put in to support the restaurant that is making not just you, but all of us some kind of money. LITERALLY: Don't slap the hand that feeds you. 

In other news... we had fried potato skins with tons of cheese and stuff, and gyro/flatbread stuffed with deliciousness for staff meal tonight.


----------



## panda (Jul 25, 2013)

right? you would think they would realize it's in their best interest to be good to kitchen staff as the better the mood cooks/chefs are in, the better service/quality of food goes hence potential to earn more money. and b*tching about family meal is taking one giant step in the wrong direction.


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 28, 2013)

panda said:


> no more staff meals! majority of wait/bar staff don't appreciate, some even have the gall to complain about free food... drives me nuts. i have no problem sharing kitchen staff grub thrown together from scraps(when time allows) with dishwashers though.



Yesterday I blew up on the whole front of house. They come in at 4:25 to eat family at 4:30. Then they swarm like vultures before the kitchen crew has a chance to finish whatever task is at hand. Taking as much as they can fit on their plate. Then have the nerve to complain when it's not what they want. It's free f#%#ing good. What pisses me off the most though is that not one server has ever thanked us for making them food. It is just expected. The 18 yr old dish washer who doesn't speak English seems to manage thanking whoever made family. I really can't stand servers sometimes. They average a 23 percent tip at my restaurant and still all they do is complain.


----------



## Mrmnms (Jul 28, 2013)

My boss served us "mystery meat" loaf for shift meals. I wouldn't eat it. They're not being mean, just thoughtless , not thinking , kinda like kids. In my places, the servers could help themselves to homemade bread and soup. They could also order off a considerable portion of the menu for 1/2 price if we were ready. We'd also often portion samples of new specials for the staff to try.


----------



## Miles (Jul 28, 2013)

We just work with whatever we have left over from service. If people don't show up, we have extra ingredients to play with for family meal the next day. Sometimes it's a cornucopia other times it's lean. Had some beautiful sushi grade ahi loin this week. Saved the trim and made some poke for the guys.


----------



## ThEoRy (Jul 28, 2013)

ChuckTheButcher said:


> Yesterday I blew up on the whole front of house. They come in at 4:25 to eat family at 4:30. Then they swarm like vultures before the kitchen crew has a chance to finish whatever task is at hand. Taking as much as they can fit on their plate. Then have the nerve to complain when it's not what they want. It's free f#%#ing good. What pisses me off the most though is that not one server has ever thanked us for making them food. It is just expected. The 18 yr old dish washer who doesn't speak English seems to manage thanking whoever made family. I really can't stand servers sometimes. They average a 23 percent tip at my restaurant and still all they do is complain.



You forgot the part where they load up 2 to go boxes to take home for later before people on the floor actually working can get any but then they just forget about it and leave it in the service fridge overnight only to be thrown out the next day.


----------



## brainsausage (Jul 28, 2013)

ThEoRy said:


> You forgot the part where they load up 2 to go boxes to take home for later before people on the floor actually working can get any but then they just forget about it and leave it in the service fridge overnight only to be thrown out the next day.



Thissssss!!!!!


----------



## pumbaa (Jul 28, 2013)

panda said:


> no more staff meals! majority of wait/bar staff don't appreciate, some even have the gall to complain about free food... drives me nuts. i have no problem sharing kitchen staff grub thrown together from scraps(when time allows) with dishwashers though.



holy **** is this spot on! seriously then they come to me or another line cook and ask for this or that.


----------



## brainsausage (Jul 28, 2013)

So for about a year straight, Sunday nights were burger nights. It's just the way it was. There was always a surplus from brunch. Fresh ground Hanger, house made buns, and I or somebody else would take advantage of the slow business and really go balls to the wall with condiments. Guys from other restaurants started to hear about it, and ask what we'd done for sides that week. The kitchen crew would come in on their nights off to join in. We'd wait all week just to finish service, have a beer, and enjoy THE BURGER. It became legendary. The waitstaff loved it.

Except for one highly annoying server. They started complaining about how every Sunday they had to eat the same thing. And her crap started to poison some of the new front of house hires. And all of sudden the fun was gone. Just like that. No more burger nights.

No more burger nights...


----------



## ThEoRy (Jul 28, 2013)

brainsausage said:


> So for about a year straight, Sunday nights were burger nights. It's just the way it was. There was always a surplus from brunch. Fresh ground Hanger, house made buns, and I or somebody else would take advantage of the slow business and really go balls to the wall with condiments. Guys from other restaurants started to hear about it, and ask what we'd done for sides that week. The kitchen crew would come in on their nights off to join in. We'd wait all week just to finish service, have a beer, and enjoy THE BURGER. It became legendary. The waitstaff loved it.
> 
> Except for one highly annoying server. They started complaining about how every Sunday they had to eat the same thing. And her crap started to poison some of the new front of house hires. And all of sudden the fun was gone. Just like that. No more burger nights.
> 
> No more burger nights...




**** man! ******* burger night man!


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 29, 2013)

ThEoRy said:


> You forgot the part where they load up 2 to go boxes to take home for later before people on the floor actually working can get any but then they just forget about it and leave it in the service fridge overnight only to be thrown out the next day.



Yep they just act like it's theirs for the taking


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 29, 2013)

brainsausage said:


> So for about a year straight, Sunday nights were burger nights. It's just the way it was. There was always a surplus from brunch. Fresh ground Hanger, house made buns, and I or somebody else would take advantage of the slow business and really go balls to the wall with condiments. Guys from other restaurants started to hear about it, and ask what we'd done for sides that week. The kitchen crew would come in on their nights off to join in. We'd wait all week just to finish service, have a beer, and enjoy THE BURGER. It became legendary. The waitstaff loved it.
> 
> Except for one highly annoying server. They started complaining about how every Sunday they had to eat the same thing. And her crap started to poison some of the new front of house hires. And all of sudden the fun was gone. Just like that. No more burger nights.
> 
> No more burger nights...


Why would you grind hanger steak for burgers.


----------



## ChuckTheButcher (Jul 29, 2013)

pumbaa said:


> holy **** is this spot on! seriously then they come to me or another line cook and ask for this or that.



Yes. It is the same every where. I've heard of restaurants charging waiters $5 a day for family. I am thinking of instituting this. I had one complain tonight that she only made $300 on her double today. A waiters double is only ten hours. I haven't worked less then ten hours in years and I have never made that much in a day.


----------



## brainsausage (Jul 29, 2013)

ChuckTheButcher said:


> Why would you grind hanger steak for burgers.



Because it's cheap and friggin delicious. Why wouldn't you?


----------



## brainsausage (Jul 29, 2013)

Btw- we don't grind the useable steaks, just the the cuts that are under 8 oz. Which with hanger is usually a considerable amount.


----------



## panda (Jul 29, 2013)

ground hanger steak, wow that sounds delicious, how about mixing it with some ground short rib too? btw the one time i ate at the grill room in old port, ordered the hanger steak, NOT impressed. the roasted beets side however were fantastic!


----------

