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hey there (not) new industry thread. I feel bad for the guy with the stick blender, I took the end of my finger off about a month ago and its still coming back  also how the hell do I find decent line cooks
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| # ¿ Nov 4, 2011 03:44 |
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| # ¿ May 20, 2013 04:57 |
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pile of brown posted:I've done this, they fly out the door so fast I ran out of ranch powder Why is this not a special or on your menu, the manager in me is screaming opportunity. There are some things you should charge for, like additions that are not on the menu (putting avocado on sandwich x, I want bacon on this veggie burger, etc...) but trying to get $.25 per ranch cup is just going to piss them off. Adjust your pricing to account for it and move on.
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| # ¿ Nov 13, 2011 04:42 |
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For me it all starts with hiring. It isn't hard to pick out who is going to be trouble in one way or another, stealing included. I had stuff start disappearing a couple months ago, and when I went through recent hires I found my kitchen manager had hired some dude who got fired from Wendy's for stealing. Magically after I fired him the next day things stopped being missing. Ended up firing the Kitchen Manager as well. It sucks, but at the end of the day you just cannot have an environment of paranoia no one wants to work in that.
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| # ¿ Nov 20, 2011 03:48 |
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Hah i hope it isnt illegal i have cod on my menu as "pacific butterfish" people go crazy for it. Also why would you possibly stay there vs any other minimum wage job that will likely make you hate your life a little less?
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| # ¿ Nov 28, 2011 15:44 |
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I am told it's what they call cod in Hawaii. I actually took a second to google it and can't really find much info, but I may have been misinformed. I would not outright lie about the product (a la crab/fake crab) but a little embellishment doesn't hurt. I've learned that how you word things on menus makes a huge difference. Dumb question, what temp do you guys keep your flattops at? Mine is acting crazy after we deep cleaned Saturday with the gas off. We usually keep it at 350 but its getting really black really fast, I am wondering if I had a pilot out and its been struggling or if I have a t-stat problem.
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| # ¿ Nov 28, 2011 23:20 |
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hah good save
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| # ¿ Nov 29, 2011 00:22 |
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Haha you are bored Also I have discovered that pierogies are a huge pain in the rear end to actually make regardless of what goes into them. I am thinking of switching to blinis
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| # ¿ Nov 29, 2011 03:56 |
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I must be bad at google i cant find olive rabbit can someone enlighten me? Also we make pretty standard pierogies, just from scratch. The dough i use must need some work because it just is not standing up to even boiling much less getting crisped in he pan.
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| # ¿ Nov 29, 2011 17:47 |
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Pierogies 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup water 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt pierogie filling Form a well with the flour and into the well put the egg, water, oil, and salt. Mix liquid ingredients with a fork without disturbing flour at first. Slowly incorporate the flour using a large spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough until soft and even, about 8 minutes. Cover with the bowl and let sit for 1 hour. Halve dough and roll out into 18 inch round. Using a pint glass cut out round sections, re rolling dough as necessary. Use a 1 oz scoop to place filling on dough rounds. Fold over the rounds and pinch to seal shut. Place in boiling water and cook for 5 minutes after they begin to float. Drain and place on sheet tray. Label, date, refrigerate. Is my current recipe. We saute in butter - sorry when I said crispy I meant crisping up the sides in a pan - but its a loving pain in the rear end to keep them from sticking. Luckily I put a rosemary creme sauce and homemade sausage on top so it covers a lot of fuckups. In other news, I have made some awesome stuff lately: my own bacon en masse, duck breast prosciutto, and a chocolate bacon cupcake. Now I just need a decent shift supervisor so I can keep doing this stuff and not get stuck on the line all goddamn day. I have a question, I have an idea for a great dish but it would require roasting a chicken quarter, but I wouldn't know how to execute it. Do I need to par cook it? I don't have convection ovens so the best I can do is ~450 from the oven under my 6 burner.
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| # ¿ Dec 2, 2011 03:32 |
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How anyone in the restaurant industry has a problem getting laid for free is beyond me. The rules of hot or not don't even apply. That's with me a in a fourth rate city I cannot imagine the tail in nyc. Also Worldmaker do you mind terribly if I gratuitously steal your Pork Florentine concept and put it on my menu?
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| # ¿ Dec 2, 2011 04:20 |
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Worldmaker posted:Not at all. If you want the recipe, sous vide temp/times, etc, just ask. I will probably skip the lavender rice, Richmond people wouldn't appreciate it anyways. I did think it could have been better executed, but it certainly wasn't done poorly and I did like the concept a lot so overall I was happy. I am going to have to dumb it down a bit, I don't even have a meat slicer much less a sous vide (fun story, the only restaurant in town that does have one had to wait 8 months to get it approved for use) so it will probably just be decent boneless chops brined and done in a pan. I also figured out the chicken quarters thanks to a sous chef friend of mine at the restaurant a block up, turned out pretty awesome. FOH is definitely more dynamic than BOH. In a kitchen everyone knows what is supposed to happen, and managing people is just making sure they do it and do it correctly. FOH you have to deal with the X factor of customers. Busy night, things happening all around, and you have to go talk to angry rear end in a top hat X or VIP Y.
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| # ¿ Dec 8, 2011 18:28 |
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Haha no problem. Want to come run my kitchen? You could be woefully underpaid in a city no better than Cleveland!
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| # ¿ Dec 9, 2011 01:04 |
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aklhasklj I can't take this staff anymore. If there's anyone who wants a job in Richmond, VA let me know.
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| # ¿ Dec 13, 2011 00:56 |
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How could you possibly be slow anytime in the month of December? Heh just found out my owner and his entire family will be here Dec. 23rd for a sit down dinner. Weeeeeeeeeeeee Also every time I replace something cheap with something expensive my numbers get better. Seriously, taking PBR off draft and putting in $9 a pint pumpkin beers caused almost a 5% jump in beer sales alone.
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| # ¿ Dec 13, 2011 19:40 |
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Arnold of Soissons posted:Definitely. If it's not a special occasion my wife and I will pick the place with a better tap list and decent food over the place with the better food and less good taps every time. Yeah, I am changing the menu next week to get a little more parity. The beers are good but the food was lagging big time, chicken tenders and fries was on as an appetizer, etc...
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| # ¿ Dec 13, 2011 22:27 |
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Fuzzy Pipe Wrench posted:What's the cost of living like there and how many hours would be available? Mid level, 40
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| # ¿ Dec 15, 2011 17:52 |
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Wroughtirony posted:Funny you should mention that... ;-) I dont know many industry people in dc but I will ask around. My current bar manager just left dc and was well connected
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| # ¿ Dec 15, 2011 17:53 |
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Hah, sublet that poo poo and talk the gf into coming here. It is the weirdest thing, everyone is either a dishwasher at Wendy's here or loving Wolfgang Puck looking for 60k+ to be a shift manager. If you haven't lived here your whole life it is a pretty cool city, certainly for families. Got a fun story to let you guys know what I deal with: my prep guy yesterday put pasta in to cold water, turned the burner on, and *then* let it boil. I saved the end result just to make him eat it for staff meal. I have a question, too... I just changed over to grinding my own burgers (from choice brisket) and the result is loving amazing, with the exception that it has a hard time staying together on the grill. Any binding advice? Garregus fucked around with this message at Dec 16, 2011 around 05:41 |
| # ¿ Dec 16, 2011 05:37 |
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Talent rises to the top. I am already thinking about how I am going to get one of my dishwashers to move into supervising the line.
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| # ¿ Dec 20, 2011 00:06 |
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I doubt i would ever use a japanese knife in the kitchen again, too damned fragile. I have a 12" victorinox that is pretty much my go to now, but we dont do anything that requires crazy knife skills/cutting. Also I wore out my mozos in about four months, now i back to knee/ foot pain, can i expect danskos to go longer or am i just going tobe buying shoes once a quarter?
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| # ¿ Dec 27, 2011 16:32 |
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http://www.wokshop.com/HTML/product...el-cleaver.html Link for reference, you can get them at any asian market for like $8. Holds up really well, but when it gets dull you throw it out (at the cook who burned the wings earlier) and get a new one. Anyone here work in a restaurant/bar type of place? I am wondering what I should be paying nighttime entertainment.
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| # ¿ Dec 28, 2011 15:25 |
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Zadmaster posted:So I've been away from the forums for a couple months, and had been following the "Want a job that will suck the life out of you" thread, and just saw that it hasn't had any new posts since September. Yes
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| # ¿ Jan 2, 2012 22:22 |
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E: I am dumb
Garregus fucked around with this message at Jan 6, 2012 around 02:56 |
| # ¿ Jan 6, 2012 02:46 |
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denereal visease posted:
I think this has been covered, but the general consensus was pretty much <insert mind-altering substance here> I don't really get stressed out by work though, so I cannot speak to it personally. Though I do drink pretty frequently, but that was long before I became a GM.
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| # ¿ Jan 6, 2012 02:55 |
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I just hit the 5 month mark cooking fulltime, 4pm-2am shifts
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slimskinny posted:
I dont see hownthat could possibly be the cae, and even if it is you could be crushing them. If anyone intelligent or responsible notices this higher up its not going to be fun.
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| # ¿ Jan 12, 2012 17:14 |
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He tells you hes getting a huge bonus (already unprofessional) right after telling you your not getting a raise to normal levels for your position? Dude, the guy is a douche and nothing is going to get better. Fuzzy Pipe Wrench posted:How important would you guys rate the resume for lower level kitchen jobs? Where I work is in the middle of downgrading food quality, portions, and wages. So despite management's efforts to keep me around I'm starting to think its time to restart the search. It doesn't have to be perfect or amazing, just make sure the spelling and grammar are correct. For low level kitchen jobs your personal appearance, punctuality, and attitude are far more important to actually getting the job. But I easily disqualify ~%85 of all applicants from even being considered for an interview because they cant get their resume even spelled correctly or don't include what I have asked for.
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| # ¿ Jan 13, 2012 02:30 |
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Psychobabble posted:I'm kind of confused. While I understand that posting them on a board may have certain connotations, why wouldn't everyone on the floor know what everyone else's percentages are? It's kind of standard practice for people working certain jobs to get a certain percentage. If you're working from a points system then servers get x number of points, bus boys get x number, hosts get x number, etc. Im pretty sure he means they are posting ehat people are making, i.e. Bobby makes an average of 19% from his tables but suzie always wears turtlenecks and only makes 16%
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| # ¿ Jan 14, 2012 17:31 |
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What do you guys do for sore feet? Every massager/foot bath I find has reviews that read along the lines of "built like crap but might help." Is there a magical solution I am missing somewhere?
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| # ¿ Jan 16, 2012 18:12 |
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Just got in Danskos, the ones from Mozo lasted all of three months. Mats are tough, we don't use them on the line and even if we did as a GM I am all over the place. I found some cheap roller things that seem like they might be helpful, might try those. I got the whiskey covered.
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| # ¿ Jan 16, 2012 20:35 |
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Runnnnnnn
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| # ¿ Jan 19, 2012 03:37 |
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Goon posted:gently caress january. Was supposed to be my slow season, get caught up on paperwork, redo the recipe book, optimize ordering. Nope, it's as busy as November was. Except for this week because Seattle has its knickers in a twist over a little snow, but I'm still doing 12 hour days. gently caress. Same here. The best part is that means I get to promote someone to actually be the kitchen manager so I can actually do those things.
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| # ¿ Jan 21, 2012 17:21 |
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This will make good material for your book 20 years from now. Try to keep a camera with you since you won't remember anything.
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| # ¿ Jan 26, 2012 15:48 |
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my best line cook just moved his two drat kids in with him from New York and immediately went to poo poo. Now hes always cranky, generally late, and has been doing a poo poo job of closing. I like the guy but I cannot keep him, and pulling him aside and trying to help him get his poo poo together isn't helping. I did get six new taps installed though, I now have 18 mostly local/all good taps. At this point I am worried that craft beers are becoming too prolific and the whole market will implode on itself.
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| # ¿ Feb 3, 2012 15:57 |
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Wroughtirony posted:Please give him the dignity of a heads-up and counseling. I have had two or three meetings with him, asking him what he needs. I tried adjusting his schedule, giving him less responsibilities, nothing worked. He ended up taking the decision away from me and walking out on my busiest Friday of the month a couple days ago.
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| # ¿ Feb 6, 2012 16:31 |
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Agh since the first of the year no less than 8 restaurants have opened around me. It is killing me. The worst part is they are all the same mediocre crap people go nuts about in this city. Everyone tries to be super fancy with weird ingredients and they never execute it. But the so-called foodie bloggers go nuts over it.
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| # ¿ Feb 11, 2012 06:19 |
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Skinny King Pimp posted:Crashed and burned on Saturday night, we had to stop seating people two hours before the kitchen usually closes. Was busy for lunch, no more than 5 minutes with a clear board between lunch and dinner, and was absolutely batshit retarded for dinner. It felt like 9 hours of running at full sprint. You are likely right that there is a problem, but there is no way that is the solution. If you have room I'd say have a dedicated prep guy/staff that isn't anywhere near the line. On busy nights I will also keep someone around just to get stuff that the line guys run out of; I have a fairly small line for how many seats I have they just can't store it all where it is easily available.
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| # ¿ Feb 13, 2012 23:18 |
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Wroughtirony posted:sarcasm Can't tell if this was directed at me or the foodies that are ok with those things?
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| # ¿ Feb 13, 2012 23:19 |
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Wroughtirony posted:No, I'm assuming you do great work and are suffering from stupid people with bad taste who don't get it but manage to command an audience. I was just trying to make you laugh! Heh you should commute with my Kitchen manager when he comes down from Fredricksburg.
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| # ¿ Feb 15, 2012 04:42 |
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Why would upper management be mad if nothing was wasted? If that is the case then your ending inventory should correct your food cost... Also that's a separate issue from labor cost which is what they are supposedly more concerned about? Voting goon run restaurant, it seems pretty clear that there are like maybe 50 people in the world that aren't incompetent or outright worthless. I had a tirade for this but I just got the numbers back and we are up almost 10% against previous year and my boss said he had some of the best food ever here Saturday so I just don't have the heart for it. What are people thinking for spring menus? I am starting to put mine together, but I haven't come up with anything profoundly seasonal. Just beer cheese which came out like american queso and way more awesome.
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| # ¿ Feb 15, 2012 04:48 |
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| # ¿ May 20, 2013 04:57 |
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Hah one of the new places that just opened with a "local celebrity chef" is now in trouble because they were putting bull testes onto pizza but not listing it as an ingredient. This is/was one of the "Best New Restaurants" in the local paper.
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| # ¿ Feb 18, 2012 00:46 |
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