Folks who grew up in the 1970s will likely remember the Burger King ad-campaign jingle that went “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce — special orders don’t upset us! All we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way, have it your way …” Continue reading Have it your way?
All posts by INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch
Bring a Pen
With the current dearth of applicants for the many good restaurant jobs in our Metro, you’d think a job-seeker could walk into almost any restaurant and get a job on the spot. And they just about could, but there are a few behaviors a hiring manager just can’t overlook in a potential employee no matter how desperate times are. Continue reading Bring a Pen
Shift Wars
A recent internet meme made me giggle. A lot.
The photo was forgettable, but the text said “When I die I want AM shift to lower my casket, so they can let me down one last time.”
One could easily swap “AM shift” for “PM shift” in the meme, and it would still be just as funny. Shift wars. It’s a real thing in the restaurant industry. Continue reading Shift Wars
Humble
I started a new job a couple of weeks ago. The kitchen there is populated with young cooks, many much younger than me. I’m the oldest person working in the back of the house. At this point in my life, that’s not notable. Restaurant cooking is a young person’s game. Continue reading Humble
Having standards
I applied for a job this week. I’m out of work right now, and things are getting pretty lean. I decided to swallow my pride and see about working at a corporate place, a place I knew would have job security and union protection and proximity to home and predictable hours to trade for a pretty crappy hourly wage. Continue reading Having standards
Spot the difference: Cook or chef?
At some point, every enthusiastic home or restaurant cook has heard the following from friends or family members: Oh, this is so good! You should really open your own restaurant. Continue reading Spot the difference: Cook or chef?
In my hand
Expediting the pass at a busy restaurant takes special skill. The expediter has to be precise, has to speak to everyone on the line, has to bring everything together like an orchestra conductor to ensure that every table’s food goes out on time and in concert.
Continue reading In my hand
Product wrangling
I’m a morning person. Not that I greet the day by springing from bed singing songs with cartoon woodland animals like Snow White, all cheerful and such. But I am the morning person at a restaurant. I’ve always enjoyed being the first one in, greeted by a clean, cool, quiet commercial kitchen, with plenty of space and sparkling equipment to start the day’s prep.
Continue reading Product wrangling
Family meal
Did you know that many professional cooks have poor eating habits? We taste dishes over and over all day while we tweak and verify for consistency. We nibble at our mise-en-place: a few roasted pine nuts here, a few slices of prosciutto there. A plastic tasting spoon shoved in your face with a “Taste this and tell me what you think!” when you have no idea what you’re tasting. Continue reading Family meal
What Happens When a Restaurant Closes?
We all know what happens when a restaurant is getting ready to open. Projected opening dates get pushed back due to construction or licensing/permit delays. There’s a predictable shuffle of executive chefs, sous chefs, line cooks, general managers, bartenders and servers culled from other establishments in town. There are lots of bills for interior decorating and the first flush of new stemware, china and flatware. Finally, when the liquor license is granted at last: a “soft opening” or friends and family night. Kudos all around. Back-slapping. Rounds of beer bought for new staff at a local bar.
But what happens when a restaurant closes?
Continue reading What Happens When a Restaurant Closes?