Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 14, 2019

I vividly remember flying out of Buffalo, New York in 1971 for Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson. In a nutshell – this training helped me to understand discipline, chain of command, dependability, teamwork, effort, and taking responsibility for your actions. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Training 419

Training Take-out Blog Management 419

Culinary Cues

APRIL 14, 2025

Giving this salad a stage presence through great storytelling can engage a guest and push the item to celebrity status and a calling card for your operation. Ah, but the story goes further when other restaurants like Delmonicos and a handful of destination operations from New Orleans to New York City interjected showmanship.

Fine Dining 337

Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Travel Presentation 337

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 26, 2025

Many of the line cook teams that efficiently and consistently prepare those items listed on the menu, and those persons responsible to clean the operation throughout the day, are oftentimes from countries like Mexico, Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Ethiopia, Somalia, or Asian countries. this is the American Dream.

Food 446

Food Hotels Fine Dining Agriculture 446

Culinary Cues

MARCH 31, 2025

In a kitchen, cooks and chefs understand that they may be interchangeable, but the role of the dishwasher is so important that in their absence the operation falls apart. [] Know your stakes in the ground and dont sacrifice them. No one is above another persons job. What do you believe in? How important are these beliefs? Make more music.

Consumer Goods 447

Consumer Goods Transportation Small Business Take-out 447

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

If you visit the Union Oyster House in Boston (still in operation today) you can belly up to the original oyster bar where some of America’s most prominent early settlers and political leaders enjoyed a pint and a dozen bivalves. The Tun Tavern in Philadelphia is the supposed site where The Free Masons and The U.S.

Front of House 432

Front of House Back of House Sourcing Travel 432

Culinary Cues

JULY 15, 2024

A training investment in your people is an investment in the success of the business. A training investment in your people is an investment in the success of the business. Make these operations your benchmark and measure your progress. [] CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE You can’t be everywhere, all the time. This is your role as a leader.

Leadership 474

Leadership Food Truck Employee Relations Training 474

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

I have always made sure that these smells are part of the grand design of how a kitchen must operate. The smells of the kitchen are individually unique, yet somehow blend to make sense. I think, even if these items weren’t on a menu, I would find a way to bring them into the fold. These are my memories of cooking for the soul.

Food 413

Food Front of House Point of Sale Back of House 413

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Well, at least operators should be able to rely on alcoholic beverage sales to make up the difference but waitthere is a trend among the 21-35 demographic to live alcohol free and the movement is gaining traction. Whats going on, how do restaurants overcome this problem? Where theres a will there is a way.

Fine Dining 241

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 241

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

It is the team behind the chef that makes a successful restaurant; it is the team that executes the chef’s vision; and it is the team’s focus that allows the chef’s cost consciousness to result in a financially successful operation. TRAIN people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”.

Loyalty Program 582

Loyalty Program Communication Training Coaching 582

Culinary Cues

MAY 5, 2021

TRAINING AND DELEGATION: Yes, the hospitality industry has plenty of responsibility for this situation that can only be resolved through teaching and training managers and chefs to be more efficient with their time, able to discover how to prioritize their tasks and learn when and how some of this work can trickle down to other staff members.

Hotels 475

Hotels Employee Relations Coaching Training 475

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2023

In a restaurant centric operation, it is the management team, including marketing, who determines the expressed needs of the market, what specific dishes would draw the most guest support, and how to manage all to ensure maximization of profit. Emotional connections are a significant driver in these operations. This menu is who I am.”

Hiring 450

Hiring Training Pricing Presentation 450

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

This requires a complex organization of independent operations that are still required to communicate, share, and fall in line with the mission of the property. Each of those “departments” will require some level of unique kitchen management (sous chef) and specialists to support the uniqueness of function.

Hotels 506

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 506

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 3, 2020

Passion is not blind forever. [] THE RESTAURANT BUSINESS IS EVEN HARDER THAN WE THOUGHT: The pandemic has demonstrated to owners/operators just how very fragile their business is. This is a challenging combination for restaurant operators to compete with. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Government 495

Government Training Small Business Consumer Goods 495

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. The article struck a nerve with its focus on A Cook’s Kitchen Laws. Since then, more than 100,000 people have read and shared that article. All for one and one for all must be the motto.

Coaching 447

Coaching Restaurant Law Training Article 447

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 17, 2020

In the kitchen – work responsibilities are divided into oversight and action positions – the number depending on the scope of the restaurant menu and the size of the operation, but basically there are chefs, cooks, and support staff. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Back of House 547

Back of House Seasonal Menu Customer Service Front of House 547

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

I see it through the eyes of the operator, the chef, the cook, server, and customer – it is a virus that continues to spread and grow exponentially. Every day should be an opportunity for each employee to grow, learn, and improve through teaching and training.

Training 442

Training Customer Service Uniforms Leadership 442

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

The tasks of the chef are fairly universal: planning menus, putting your signature on each dish, hiring and training staff, ordering product and building vendor relationships, controlling costs and adhering to budgets, maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment, etc. Sometimes the difference is the shear scale of the operation.

Beverage 522

Beverage Events Food Order Website Management 522

Culinary Cues

JUNE 29, 2020

To all chefs and operators – know that it is important to promote and support the environment where differences are celebrated and the unifying factor remains: can you do the job, are you willing to do the job, are you willing to learn how to improve, and will you strive for excellence in executing that job. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Training 448

Training Blog Café Customer Experience 448

Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

Sure, I know how much the restaurant/foodservice industry is suffering and how many operations are shutting their doors as a result of avoiding decades of challenges brought to a head by the pandemic, but believe me when I say that this will change. Restaurants are businesses that operate on profit measured in pennies. LACK OF REALISM.

Education 587

Education Food Supply Communication Training 587

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 12, 2021

Finding the right concept, building in the right location, finding, and training the best staff, nurturing the team, and creating a menu that reflects the needs of the guest and the passion of the cook is only the beginning. To owners and operators, the cook for all ages must be both.

Restaurant Law 471

Restaurant Law Education Definition Social Media 471

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

The answer is obvious – if those involved directly or indirectly with your team feel the magic of your operation, feel it in the same way that the guest does, then they will perform better, look forward to their work, engage better with others on the team, and feel part of something special. They can’t sell a product that they don’t know.

Front of House 476

Front of House Customer Experience Dine-in Training 476

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2020

The menu comes first and should reflect the philosophy of the owners and chef and how the operators expect to be perceived by the public. Building a neighborhood restaurant where support for the operation is considered a responsibility of residents becomes a reality when that operation truly connects. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Menu 483

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Café 483

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2024

When properly developed and integrated into your operation, the mission statement will impact who you hire, how you train, the products you develop and sell, the way you lead and manage, how employees interact, the way that guests are approached, and how the world perceives you (the business) to be. Choose wisely.

Customer Service 412

Customer Service Social Media Customer Experience Reference 412

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

It is very rare that any owner/operator demands a chef work that much, we just feel responsible and hate to ask our staff to work as hard as they do and not find the chef present to help, encourage, critique, and celebrate. To a degree, we work those hours because it is our job to do so.

Kitchen Safety 493

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 493

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. Am I wagging a finger at those operations that perpetuate the negative?

Uniforms 448

Uniforms Front of House Back of House Food Supply 448

Culinary Cues

MAY 18, 2020

Whatever your end goal might be: Executive Chef in a fine dining operation, Corporate Chef, Sous Chef, Restaurant Manager, Entrepreneur, Research Chef, or Consultant – where ever you hope to land in the future – put that goal in writing. EVERY POSITION IN THE FOOD BUSINESS WILL HELP WITH YOUR CAREER – IF YOU BUILD IT INTO YOUR PLAN.

White Paper 522

White Paper Certification Food Safety Food Supply 522

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

It seems to me that this is where we are with our decisions about restaurant operation. We have debated this issue for the past two years and the only solutions that most restaurant operators have come up with are to cut services and keep raising wages. Work on becoming efficient through systems and training.

Kitchen Safety 94

Kitchen Safety Training Take-out Mobile Ordering 94

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 26, 2024

This is a plea to those who work tirelessly in restaurant kitchens, the chefs who are paid to lead those operations, and the owners who depend on raving fans and some semblance of profitability. Please, please, look at what you are doing and dig deeper in quest of a reason to do what you do. Ugh, frustration is setting in.

Dine-in 443

Dine-in Training Seasonal Menu Sports 443

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2021

With the increasing relevance of social media as the primary method of getting a restaurants message out – chefs who are social media savvy (astute at using Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Twitter) will be at the top of the “hire” list for prominent restaurants. [] TEACHING/TRAINING. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

2021 476

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 476

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

What changes might occur in your operation if everyone was required to sign their work and take public responsibility for it? Why not highlight them on your social media pages or in your restaurant blog. What if each line cook, prep cook, baker, dishwasher, server, and bartender were required to do the same as any student in school?

Seminar 443

Seminar Front of House Back of House Workshop 443

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2020

This is what brings a team together and firing on all cylinders. [] LACK OF TRAINING. When you hire a person you own the responsibility to inform, train, teach, and improve their abilities. Training will create a business brand that attracts the very best. [] POOR DELEGATION. “I PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Leadership 473

Leadership Point of Sale Training Coaching 473

Culinary Cues

JUNE 9, 2024

There is a deeper price to pay when looming issues like the labor shortage, rising costs of operation, an eroding passion for careers in the kitchen, and diminishing profits haunt our everyday operations. Is our profession becoming a victim of circumstances? So, their expectations remain high, and their patience is low.

Customer Experience 436

Customer Experience Café Customer Service Training 436

Culinary Cues

JULY 19, 2024

You can assess the quality of an operation and the effectiveness of a chef to lead a team within the first minutes of walking into a kitchen. Assessment is vividly apparent by simply viewing the integration of mise en place throughout the operation. Those first few steps into the kitchen will reveal the operation’s attention to detail.

Front of House 350

Front of House Food Order Customer Service Customer Experience 350

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2022

The cost of raw materials seems to always go up, most ingredients that restaurants use are highly perishable, customer volume is less predictable than we would like, seasonal differences in quality are quite significant, the supply chain is out of step with demand, and waste seems to be a real problem in many operations. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Food 449

Food Seasonal Menu Waste Point of Sale 449

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2023

As if that weren’t enough, the menu and each morsel of food presented represents the chef’s life of experiences, his or her family history, the cuisine of their forefathers, every chef who contributed to their training, and everything that they believe in – as it pertains to food. It is a juxtaposition that is nearly impossible to manage.

Guest Recovery 419

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 419

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 11, 2022

Successful operators are able to bob and weave, problem solve, and always adjust to the unpredictable climate that surrounds the restaurant business. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. If you do not fit into this profile of natural hospitality, then this is absolutely the wrong business for you.

Customer Experience 462

Customer Experience Café Hospitality Customer Service 462

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2022

From my perspective the answer lies in menu planning, training, and labor efficiency. Smaller portions lead to lower price tags, broader acceptance, and enhanced value from a well-designed, balanced meal. [] TRAINING: We all know the drill – it’s a business of pennies, but without everyone’s buy-in, those pennies will quickly evaporate.

Pricing 442

Pricing Consumer Goods Training Small Business 442