Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2023

There are many reasons why I am so grateful for the decades I spent in front of a range. And, I have witnessed the apologies and hugs between front and back of the house that said: “Sorry I may have been abrupt, it was the heat of the moment, and you know I truly care about you.”

Front of House 468

Front of House Back of House Food Order Small Business 468

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 10, 2021

If you pull a joker, the meal is on the house. For example, you can create a blog to share the inspirations and stories behind your dishes. Promoting your restaurant should start with promoting the food itself. However, too many restaurants fall into the trap of promoting items with a low food cost and high margin.

Marketing 567

Marketing SEO Front of House Website Management 567

Culinary Cues

MARCH 21, 2022

From first-in, first-out in the walk-in cooler to how you fold side towels and where your knives are placed – it is organization that allows a kitchen to run efficiently and keeps the mood and pace of the restaurant in sync. To some, it may seem less significant, but to seasoned professionals – this is the truth of the kitchen.

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Front of House Back of House Point of Sale Food Order 415

Culinary Cues

MAY 28, 2022

These unplanned tattoos are a rite of passage, our report cards that help to define when we have passed the test of time in front of the range. The most important room in a home is the kitchen. This is the hub of activity, the space that portrays unity, defines tradition, nourishes the body and mind, and sets the tone for communication.

Front of House 377

Front of House Back of House Small Business Employee Relations 377

Culinary Cues

JULY 12, 2020

They say we’re back. The kitchen lights are back on, deliveries arrive, the battery of ranges is fired up, and cooks (some of us) are welcomed back. Sure, there are temperature checks at the back door, masks donned upon arrival, and deep hand cleaning constantly throughout the day, but in reality no one knows if this is enough.

Front of House 457

Front of House Back of House Dine-in Food Order 457

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 20, 2021

These are the people who worked their way up, failed countless times along the way, stumbled and picked themselves back up, were humble and grateful, and realized that contrary to the organization of the dictionary – work does come before success. Make sure the mop head is clean and changed frequently. Clean floors are happy floors.

Front of House 476

Front of House Uniforms Back of House Kitchen Safety 476

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 8, 2022

The anxiety building up to a full house in the hotel packed with a series of food events has made it impossible to relax. Well, here we go. I haven’t slept much at all over the past few days and certainly won’t until the weekend is over. The preparation has been mind boggling, now we just have to execute. Things looked good.

Front of House 442

Front of House Back of House Seating Food Truck 442

Culinary Cues

MAY 27, 2023

Employees can always catch up on their phones during breaks but during production and service their focus must be on the job in front of them. [] BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER: One of the “bad and ugly” aspects to technology, especially social media, is that people are pulled into their silos and fail to interact and share with others.

Technology 402

Technology Front of House Social Media Back of House 402

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

The front of the house is typically separated into those who interface with guests directly and walk them through the ordering process to those who set the stage and support the work of the primary server. This includes back waiters, bus personnel, and bartenders. TEN THINGS YOU DIDN”T KNOW ABOUT A RESTAURANT.

Back of House 544

Back of House Seasonal Menu Customer Service Front of House 544

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2023

It’s the fire in the belly waiting to take charge, the anxiety being held in check, cold sweat running down your back even though it’s 120 degrees where you stand, and the nervous chatter of tongs clicking to the beat of a cook’s rhythm. To many cooks, it is the rush of adrenaline that calls them back every day.

Fine Dining 509

Fine Dining Back of House Front of House Food Order 509

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Back in time, I remember a billboard in New York City’s Times Square that asked: “Would You Be Willing To Sign Your Work?” Name tags for front of the house employees work just as well maybe with the name of the town they are from, or the number of years they have worked in an establishment. I did this, this is my work”!

Seminar 416

Seminar Front of House Back of House Workshop 416

7 Shifts

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

What those technologies are completely depends on the role, but here are a few of the more popular examples: Servers and front-of-house roles tend to familiarize themselves with point-of-sale (POS) technology, scheduling software , online ordering integrations, and perhaps even reservation software. Table of Contents. Undercooking.

Front of House 370

Front of House Back of House Kitchen Safety Food Safety 370

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

From the moment you walk through that back entrance you are captivated by the dynamics of the environment, the structure of the operation, and the sensation of being enveloped by its alluring magic. You know exactly what to do, how to keep the rhythm, when to pull back or push forward, and how to keep the cooks, your cooks, calm and focused.

Kitchen Safety 466

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Back of House 466

Culinary Cues

JULY 16, 2022

I want people to say this about me some day: “He always worked hard, strove for excellence, expected nothing less of others, was willing to give back, and treated those with whom he associated, with kindness.” Dick Cattani was a monumental figure in the business of food hospitality.

Front of House 425

Front of House Back of House Education Leadership 425

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 14, 2020

” The experts at Parts Town authored a blog post for independent restaurants about how to transition toward delivery. .” ” The experts at Parts Town authored a blog post for independent restaurants about how to transition toward delivery. "Cox Media has been very supportive to us during this difficult time. . "In

Online Ordering 530

Online Ordering Back of House Customer Service Small Business 530

Culinary Cues

JUNE 23, 2024

Those operations that resemble the caldrons of hell filled with arrogance, bullying, unprofessional behavior, and a lack of respect for people, product, and process is the same as categorizing musicians, athletes, business leaders, and politicians under a unified profile. Not all kitchens are alike. Not all chefs are the same.

Uniforms 430

Uniforms Front of House Back of House Food Supply 430

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

Guests will return when the effort expended to create memorable complete dining experiences is front and center. The goal of every restaurant and every chef is to create memorable experiences for the guest. Somewhere in our internal job description is a desire, and even a need to build an environment of WOW!

Front of House 474

Front of House Customer Experience Dine-in Training 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

There are numerous multi-billion dollar chains along with countless mom and pop operations that do a great job on this front. This was (is) the design of classic coffee houses, speakeasys, and corner cafes for generations. I know what you are thinking – WHAT!!!! At least the real bad news is out of the way.

2022 432

2022 Food Truck Point of Sale Front of House 432

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2020

Far too many times the menu takes a back seat to all other planning that will lead to serious miscalculations along the way. Consider this – the menu is the most important component of a successful restaurant and once designed it can, and should, impact every other aspect of the business. YES – the menu is that important!

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Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Café 450

Culinary Cues

APRIL 1, 2024

Looking back can provide us with context and content for making future decisions – lessons learned and all that, or it can also help us to relish what worked and hold on to that for inspiration. SOME TIME IN THE LATE 1960’S: Walking through the back entrance to the Statler Hilton Hotel was like stepping into a totally different world.

Back of House 376

Back of House Kitchen Safety Hotels Front of House 376

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

WHAT THEY KNOW: [] Your employees know that the essential challenge is TRUST. [] Your employees know that preparing and serving food is only a part of what has kept customers coming back on a regular basis. We all know the challenges facing restaurants right now – there is little benefit in reiterating the problems.

Kitchen Safety 392

Kitchen Safety Back of House Front of House Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 18, 2023

Whenever we (chefs) look back on our time in the kitchen, we’re able to categorize experiences in one of three silos: a learning experience, mission accomplished, or inspiration. The rhythm between front and back of the house is seamless, tempers are in check, and the night ends with everyone sharing fist bumps and high fives.

Back of House 440

Back of House Front of House Education Café 440

QSR Automations

JANUARY 16, 2025

Provide s multiple ways for guests to book a reservation: In house On your website Via a third-party partner Using a browser widget Create s custom availability plans for events (concerts, ball games, parades , etc. ) Reporting and Analytics Data is king; ConnectSmart Host helps you make the most of your front-and-back-of-house data.

Front of House 52

Front of House Operations Back of House Reservations 52

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

In the restaurant business there are really only two ways to view profit: a very small amount of profit balanced by very significant volume, or a significant amount of profit on far less volume. How you approach the design of your restaurant in this regard will determine nearly everything else. So what is contribution margin? SP = $43.33.

Point of Sale 450

Point of Sale Front of House Back of House Customer Experience 450

Culinary Cues

MAY 23, 2021

At the same time, many of those restaurant employees – front and back of the house, were taking their time trying to decide if it made sense to return to an industry that was unpredictable, low paying, void of reasonable benefit plans, and now a target for customer anger and angst as servers suddenly became covid policemen.

Guest Recovery 450

Guest Recovery Front of House Employee Relations Back of House 450

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 5, 2023

In all cases I would encourage you to take a step back, breathe deep, put down your knife, and check your enthusiasm for right now. Patience, knowing that you probably don’t know what you don’t know, and fall back on perfecting what you do know first, and realize that when you are ready, you will be ready. You want more!

Kitchen Safety 425

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Back of House Front of House 425

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Training ALWAYS pays back in dividends. You are not alone if the thought of putting your name on a restaurant awning has crossed your mind. One of the most tempting forays into entrepreneurship is the restaurant business. How hard can it be – right? Spoiler alert – nothing could be further from the truth.

Cash Management 428

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 428

TastyIgniter

MAY 12, 2024

This blog post provides valuable insights on how to improve restaurant excellence by focusing on both front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) operations.

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Front of House Back of House FOH BOH 67

Culinary Cues

JULY 9, 2022

I run my fingers down the spine, or the blunt back of the blade. It’s the start of another day in the kitchen. Seven in the morning and aside from the baker and breakfast cook, I am alone with clip board in hand and my roll bag of knives placed strategically at a workstation. I like to ‘brighten” the edge before I start.

Front of House 425

Front of House Back of House Presentation Café 425

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 24, 2023

Everything has a place, and everything is in its place, is a mantra that becomes an obsession with cooks and chefs. It is the very act that allows cooks to push through the chaos of a restaurant kitchen day with military precision and awareness of looming uncertainty. Cooks seem to willingly drink the Kool-Aid”.

Back of House 419

Back of House Front of House Food Order Definition 419

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 4, 2022

Thinking that the way to recover from the financial pains of a once in a century pandemic is to cut back on quality product and service and push the ceiling on pricing is short-sighted and ill-conceived as a strategy. Well then – what will? Try apathy on for size. It infects others who are easily convinced that it is the way it needs to be.

Front of House 389

Front of House Back of House Coaching Customer Service 389

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2021

Our business model requires too much labor: At the same time as we step back it becomes vividly apparent that our method of operation and the menus that we provide require too many hands. The restaurant industry continues to be devastated – not just as a result of the pandemic but because the pandemic brought underlying issues to the surface.

Customer Experience 437

Customer Experience Cash Management Customer Service Front of House 437

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 3, 2022

I can feel the knot in that muscle move slowly from the top of my ankle to the back of my knee. By 7am I am walking through the back door of the kitchen. Before I can turn on the computer, Emmett has my usual breakfast in front of me: eggs over easy, bacon, home fries, and a side of salsa. I nod and give him a thumbs up.

Back of House 398

Back of House Hotels Front of House Book 398

Culinary Cues

MAY 20, 2024

It’s been 89 years since Escoffier stood in front of a range for the last time, yet his presence is still felt by professional cooks and chefs. Looking back, Escoffier would probably admit, to some degree, that this was not the best approach and would encourage chefs and operators to build in this balance.

Hotels 319

Hotels Front of House Fine Dining Back of House 319

Culinary Cues

APRIL 29, 2024

And the industry accepts that there will be polarized relationships between the front and back of the house, a lack of mutual respect, and sometimes gut-wrenching relationships between the two. I’m sure it’s true in many industries, but let’s just focus on the business of restaurants.

Front of House 282

Front of House Back of House Training Customer Service 282

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2023

A few years back, I posted an article about the UNWRITTEN RULES of the kitchen. It was an attempt to outline those universal guidelines for success in a kitchen, those attributes, and expectations of anyone who ties on an apron. My hope is that these are worthy enough of a space on your kitchen bulletin board or the chef’s office door.

Kitchen Safety 385

Kitchen Safety Back of House Front of House Food Safety 385

Culinary Cues

MAY 16, 2022

As a cook or chef there are many days that go well and a few that challenge the best. There are times when a service kind of clicks and the night ends without any problems – these are nights that allow you to feel good about what you do and the level of skill that you have built. Your dictionary. Sabrina worked the sauté station.

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Café Front of House Point of Sale Back of House 407