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You didn't watch him do it?
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Oct 3, 2017 23:36
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 00:30 |
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You know, back at my first restaurant job I used to think I wanted to keep working through instead of taking a break. The sous would always offer and I'd always say no because it felt wrong to go sit and do nothing while there was still a lot of stuff that needed to be done. Eventually corporate started cracking down and I was forced to start taking my breaks no matter what. At the very start it stressed me out but soon enough I realized that I was feeling a lot better and my attitude was improving and I really started to cherish my breaks. It can be so tempting to just keep the blinders on, stay in go-go-go mode, and work yourself to death, whether out of a sense of responsibility to your team, being competitive, or just plain addicted to losing yourself in the rush. But the reality is I was worse at my job and had a shittier attitude when I wasn't well rested. Being able to take 30 minutes to decompress, recover and practice a little patience made all the difference. And wouldn't you know it, the restaurant didn't fall apart while I was gone for a half hour and we still managed to get all our work done. So please do take your breaks if you have the option and allow yourself to enjoy them - you're worth it 
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Nov 9, 2017 19:52
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:I'm in Seattle for 2 days, where should I eat/drink/get high? What do you like and where are you staying? Chinatown's got some solid eats for cheap. Kedai Makan on Capitol Hill has fantastic Malaysian. Junebaby is getting some great press right now, haven't been myself. Bar del Corso is always great for fancier pizza and Italian small plates. Uncle Ike's is a fun weed shop. Carkeek Park is really beautiful with tons of trails through wooded sections and a big beach with a great view of Puget Sound. You could take a ride on a ferry, maybe to Bainbridge Island where you could eat at Hitchcock.
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Jan 10, 2018 05:14
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Well, you know her and the situation better than we do. Just remember you have to keep working with this person and stewing over it won't make that any easier.
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Mar 8, 2018 18:31
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Nah, you didn't do anything wrong. It doesn't happen very often in my own experience but it's definitely not unheard of and it sounds like you made their night special. Good on ya 
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Mar 9, 2018 18:38
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Babylon Astronaut posted:All menu changes should be concerned with profitability, first and foremost. Well that's certainly one way to look at it.
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Mar 12, 2018 18:06
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Babylon Astronaut posted:If you want to have any room for culinary creativity, you really need to. You aren't helping anything if you aren't sustainable. You don't have to sacrifice every menu choice to profit to be sustainable. I can tell you that from experience.
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Mar 13, 2018 05:51
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Babylon Astronaut posted:Of course you don't. I think I'm talking over your head. Above all, you need to have whatever it is be profitable. You can even account for good will as an asset, that's perfectly reasonable, but if it's losing you value, it is a non-starter. At the same time, concrete financial information will win any arguement. If you can't even tell me the amount of sales that would cover the cost, there's no there there. Your uncompromising craft cocktail needs to be costed out, and priced appropriately, then, you get the longer leash. profit covers all sins and people loving love to see the numbers. How much value do you get from your ice choice, and how much does it cost? Does it increase volume, ticket average or both? Simple, understandable answers to these questions , backed by data should let you get away with anything you dream of to improve the operation. I'm not disputing that costing is very important and that profitability is always something you have to be mindful of. I was merely taking a shot at your comment that "All menu changes should be concerned with profitability, first and foremost" which I think is really overstating your point.
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Mar 13, 2018 17:07
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pile of brown posted:It kind of isn't though, there's really no justification for making unprofitable menu changes or decisions when running a business for profit. No matter how good perfect or delicious something is, and no matter how much you want to sell it, if it's not generating profits it will slowly and surely kill your business. It's honestly worse if it's popular and unprofitable. I totally understand where you're coming from, and Babylon Astronaut too. A business above all needs to be profitable at the end of the day, I'm really just pushing back on the attitude that every choice you make with your food needs to be profit-driven to be able to reach that point (which, to be fair, maybe I'm reading too much into your wording Babylon). I work at a small chef-driven creative restaurant where our menu can change weekly or even daily depending on what's available from the farmers we source from. The chef-owner, who is a good friend of mine, could be making more money if he so chose. Sure, the produce we get is pretty fantastic but we could definitely get away with using cheaper stuff and I believe the majority of our customers wouldn't know the difference. But the chef likes being able to support these folks we're working with. We make enough money from tasting menus and wine pairings that we can afford to do so. He loves what he does, as do the rest of us, and if he wants to run a dish for a short time that's not making us much money but he's just excited about it then we can do so because at the end of the day we'll still be in the black. If he were looking to maximize profit, then yes, many of the decisions he makes would be wrong. He didn't open this restaurant to be a money machine. He's spent a lot of time in places like that before and knows how to play that game well. He opened the restaurant to be a place he could be excited and satisfied to come in to every day and make a lot of people's nights special while still being able to pay his bills and so far we're doing well in spite of those decisions. Thoht fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Mar 13, 2018 |
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Mar 13, 2018 21:26
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Babylon Astronaut posted:If your change isn't bringing in more people or more money, you're just masturbating with people's livelihoods. If your poo poo is worth it, go out and get what it's worth. But if you think something isn't good enough to be sold at a sustainable price then you're again, whacking off with people's futures. Yea no, it's the number one concern, above all else. quote:If you have to use less expensive ingredients to stay profitable, then you either do it, or go under. quote:"Uncompromising chef-owner with tenuous understanding of business going belly up because of stupid pride" is a tale as old as time. A chef should be a leader above all else, and if you are not insuring the continued existence of your operation, you are failing those who put their trust in you. quote:I had a chef-owner tell me "I don't cook for other people. I cook what I know to be correct." Ok, then stay the gently caress home and stop getting other people wrapped up in it. Cook your food at home, and spare us. quote:Spending money for no measurable competitive advantage is OK if you're just trying to slowly bleed a trust fund or something, but if you have bills to pay, "sorry, we can't afford to keep you, but the ice is clear" is.... cold comfort.
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Mar 13, 2018 23:47
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Holy poo poo I missed that. Nice one lol
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Mar 14, 2018 01:48
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In Washington you can get in deep poo poo for not carding.
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Jul 3, 2018 04:06
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Sounds like you're doing the right thing. Good on you for keeping track of those hours and I think it's a good sign that they retro-payed you for them. I think October and your 1 year anniversary would be a good time to bring it up to someone in management you trust and let them know how you feel about the situation. If they can't or won't give you an all-around raise, well then it might be time to start shopping around for some place that will value you more. We're rooting for you, JD!
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Aug 20, 2018 17:28
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JacquelineDempsey posted:I want to start a bar that serves nothing but malt liquor. Steelies, Mike's, Earthquake, Colt 45, maybe try to find some vintage Crazy Horse and Private Stock, get some those posh spiked seltzers... We make malt vinegar out of Olde English at the restaurant I work at. The chef definitely got some looks when he was buying a shitload of 40s at the corner store.
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Oct 28, 2018 07:06
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pile of brown posted:Can you explain why it makes sense to do this? Do you mean like from a profit/labor perspective? It doesn't. We do it for fun, because it's interesting, because it makes a good story for guests. We age it in oak and it gets really wonderful. We only use the malt vinegar on one dish so it's not like we run through a lot of it.
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Oct 28, 2018 22:34
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I'm in, PM me a link as well.
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Nov 12, 2018 17:53
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virinvictus posted:Please tell me the pain is worth it with Birkenstock’s. They do get comfortable eventually. Mine took a long time though and I honestly don't know if I'd do it again.
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Nov 23, 2018 03:55
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A great attitude can make up for a whole lot of inexperience, in my opinion. I was listening to Dominique Crenn on the radio the other day (one of her restaurants just got 3 Michelin stars). She was saying she hardly pays any attention to where people she's interviewing for the kitchen have worked previously. What she looks for is a thirst for learning, a real desire to be at that restaurant, a great work ethic. I think if you ask most chefs, they'd much rather have someone with all that who maybe needs extra mentoring than some CIA grad who thinks they know everything already.
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Dec 5, 2018 08:47
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Test Pattern posted:I have never understood people whose political stance includes "I, personally, should get murdered." JacquelineDempsey posted:a whole lot of internalized homophobia and self-loathing
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Dec 8, 2018 19:13
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Most cooks I've known are goofballs/weirdos to varying degrees (I include myself here) so I think you'll do fine.
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Dec 17, 2018 08:49
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For something close-ish to the Fairmont that isn't too expensive I'd be looking in Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, or maybe Queen Anne. Let me know if you want any restaurant recs when you get here! Oh, I also heard The Reef pot shop on Capitol Hill is offering a 40% industry discount if you bring a pay stub.
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Jan 22, 2019 01:30
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Chef De Cuisinart posted:Nah man, they're terrible because ragu. Don't know if it's the same company but we have Central Market here (and Town & Country). They're pretty dope.
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Feb 10, 2019 21:56
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Republicans posted:Dog Update: He figured out how to get past the empty cardboard box so more drastic steps had to be taken to keep him out of the kitchen. He looks so defeated 
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Mar 14, 2019 15:46
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Science WHORE posted:Help, the imposter syndrome has set in. All my other coworkers have been to culinary school or have been professionally trained in french pastry and I'm just like "yooooooooooooooooooooo I made some macarons once, I've whipped an egg white". I'm sure it's all in my head, because everybody is super kind and professional as gently caress, but we are working on a menu for opening and I feel like every suggestion I make is stupid as hell (except I will defend to the death candied orange peel on top of earl grey ganache) . I doubt anyone there thinks less of you for not being as formally educated and if they do they can go gently caress themselves. Some of the worst people I've had to work with were people who went to C.I.A. and thought they already knew everything. Just try to always keep learning and growing and you'll be golden. Get in the habit of reading cookbooks and sites like Serious Eats. When people at work say something should be done a certain way, ask them why. Stuff like that. Thoht fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Nov 30, 2019 |
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Nov 30, 2019 05:15
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Google Docs has some decent resume templates.
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Dec 6, 2019 17:12
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Doom Rooster posted:The only thing I can think of that y'all didn't prep me for is an attitude thing super specific to me/the industry I came from, so wouldn't have expected you to cover it. From the tech industry, process is process. Except in startups, literally everything, every detail, has an EXACT way it is supposed to be done. I kept asking stuff like "After I have portioned these bags of brisket, what should I put them in?, and where on the wok shelf should they go?" thinking like "Half hotel pan, far right side of the shelf" and the answer was actually "Whatever pan they fit nicely in, and anywhere there is room on the shelf". I kept/keep looking for ultra-precise directions, when to some extent I should be figuring it out and making something work. To be fair, this can vary a lot depending on the kitchen. I'm sure they appreciate that you want to do it the right way and it sounds like you're picking up on their culture pretty quickly.
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Jan 26, 2020 01:52
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Speaking of kitchen music, does this take anyone else back?
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Nov 23, 2020 04:09
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Animal-Mother posted:[...]but I do occasionally wake up in the middle of the night thinking I'm late for work and I start to get dressed before my brain comprehends the numbers on the clock and what they mean.[...] One time I did this and got halfway through breakfast before my partner stumbled out of bed and said "What the hell are you doing?" Annoyed because I thought it was pretty darn obvious, I replied "Getting ready for work." They then said "It's 3AM!" I looked at the clock, heaved a big sigh, and went back to bed for a couple hours.
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Mar 18, 2021 16:54
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fizzymercury posted:I ripped a fingernail half-off with this horrible poo poo. I slid my hand under it to pick up a box and my ring finger caught it right at the edge and sliced under the nail like butter. It was brutally painful in a way that still makes my knees weak to think about. Oh man, this made me reflexively wince so hard.
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May 20, 2021 05:21
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w4ddl3d33 posted:what should i wear to a trial shift as a prep cook? are there any blog posts/sites/exposés i should read beforehand? Anything but chef whites, lol. I'd say work pants, non-slip shoes, a clean t-shirt, and an apron. You can always just ask them, too. If nothing else, it shows that you care and you're proactive about doing things right.
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Nov 1, 2022 05:05
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