Hot Schedules

MAY 10, 2021

Seasonal Staff Playbook: Hiring, Training & Retaining Great Teams. The first challenge for seasonal venues is stacking the bench when there just doesn’t seem to be enough people out there to hire. When the clock is running out and you’re low on options, there are a few resources that can help you achieve just that.

Hiring 147

Hiring Training Mobile Ordering Coaching 147

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Ah…” when opportunity knocks, you can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket, in basketball or hockey you’ll miss every shot you don’t take, if you aren’t going all the way, why go at all,” …there are plenty of quotes that point to the same reality. This statement applies to all of us, in every situation, or any career. You might fail.

Coaching 339

Coaching Employee Relations Take-out Training 339

Culinary Cues

JULY 19, 2024

The attention to detail at every workstation is a perfect indication of the training and unity of purpose that every cook shares, and the sense of calm that this organization brings is a strong indicator of how the unit works towards plate perfection and a great customer experience. Mise en place is a way of life.

Front of House 267

Front of House Food Order Customer Service Customer Experience 267

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

If you are part of a working couple, managing a budget, paying for a mortgage, supporting two cars, and probably still paying off your student loans, then does going out to dinner make sense? If you are going to invest in “dinner out” then this is where you would prefer to spend your money. You want to support them.

Pricing 314

Pricing Marketing Insurance Seasonal Menu 314

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Maybe the driver is distracted with a cell phone, engaged in a discussion with a passenger, or simply spacing out – but regardless of the reason, you see the impact before it happens, and you are unable to move out of the way. So, if this sounds like you, then take a deep breath, shake it off, stand tall and listen.

Coaching 304

Coaching Take-out Café Management 304

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

One thing stood out from what was the likely mood in public houses during the days of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson – people, in general, seemed to be enjoying themselves. So, take your moments to reflect. The noise level was high and I’m sure among those present there was some discussion about the election results.

Front of House 309

Front of House Back of House Sourcing Travel 309

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Those of us who fit this description should take the time to think about those who are not so fortunate. When you see a doctor or nurse walking towards your local hospital for another 12-hour shift, stop and say: “thanks for taking care of all who are in need”, it costs you nothing and means a great deal.

Hospitality 388

Hospitality Travel Uniforms 2024 388

Culinary Cues

JULY 29, 2024

The good times, the challenges that we overcame, the team building that took place, and the joy of putting out countless delicious plates of food?” We no longer repair worn shoes- we throw them out and get new ones. If it makes you smile, even though it seems a bit corny, then take the next step – EMBRACE THE POSSIBILITIES!

Back of House 363

Back of House Take-out Café Blog 363

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2024

You were either part of this or feeling left out because you weren’t. Can you tough it out? We even boast an informal initiation period where new employees are given conflicting directions, inaccurate details on the work to be done, or even sent on wild goose-chases just to embarrass them and see if they can take it.

Leadership 376

Leadership Restaurant Law Social Media Sports 376

Culinary Cues

JUNE 9, 2024

I know, I know, you can’t find the help and those who do sign on are not professionally trained cooks, and you must pay them more than you can afford. I know that ingredient costs never go down, they always rise; that your rent keeps going up, utilities are out of sight, and you pay a fortune just for the privilege of accepting credit cards.

Customer Experience 346

Customer Experience Café Training Customer Service 346

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

SUDDEN LACK OF DEPENDABILITY: When an employee who had always been a rock of dependability – always on time, ready to work, interested in taking on more responsibility, always able to complete tasks as expected, suddenly fails to meet those expectations – then it’s time to pay attention. You see a little out of sorts, what can I do to help?”

Employee Relations 390

Employee Relations Training Fine Dining Take-out 390

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 2, 2024

You look around the kitchen and marvel at the amount of work that takes place each day on stainless tables, in 5 00-degree ovens, on open flames, and in dozens of pots and pans washed and rewashed countless times. You decide to walk through the kitchen during these last moments and take it all in. This is not one of those moments.

Coaching 320

Coaching Take-out Food Order Inventory 320

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

Those who are serious about holding the chef title some day; the ones who are “in it, to win it”, are always wondering what’s the best path to take. Remember that being “the chef” will take you away from much of the day-to-day cooking, the adrenaline rush, and the team excitement that drew you to the kitchen in the first place.

Hotels 435

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 435

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 29, 2024

It is human nature to try and push those out of our minds, but given a moments pause, it’s easy to remember them. It takes time for people to push aside tradition, habits, and yes – fear, that accompanies change. Change will happen, in fact it already is, but as we all known – change is not something that is embraced with open arms.

Kitchen Safety 389

Kitchen Safety Guest Recovery Uniforms Food Safety 389

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 10, 2024

The tables are full, and he is having a difficult time keeping up but makes a mental note to address that once the dining room clears out. Suddenly, he remembers the cobwebs and thinks: “I’ll take care of that in the morning”. Seek out the details and then prioritize corrective action. It’s never too small to worry about.

Uniforms 368

Uniforms Small Business Dine-in Training 368

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 20, 2024

There’s a reactionary movement that I keep seeing in restaurants; a movement that assumes the answer to the restaurant bottom line is to take more and give less or give too much to justify raising prices. This is compounded when a restaurant doesn’t even take bread seriously. Help them out. Do it right!

Fine Dining 397

Fine Dining Food Truck Back of House Pricing 397

Culinary Cues

JUNE 3, 2024

It may not look the same and they may have never written it down, but this is their method of operation. [] LOOK THE PART Take pride in your appearance and the sharpness of your uniform. Becoming GREAT takes serious dedication and lots of repetition. Seek out every opportunity to learn something new every day.

Uniforms 342

Uniforms Point of Sale Coaching Small Business 342

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

We may complain about the guest who is taking loads of pictures of their food and posting them on Instagram, but deep inside we get a bit of a rush when it happens. These team members will go out of their way for the guest because you do so for them. Let them kick the tires and take the menu for a spin.

Front of House 475

Front of House Customer Experience Dine-in Training 475

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 simply points to what may be behind it.

Guest Recovery 408

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 408

Culinary Cues

JULY 22, 2021

Restaurants are open, and customers who have been prisoners of the pandemic are anxiously coming out of their shells and flooding to restaurants that are ill equipped to deal with the surge. As challenged as restaurants are right now, there must be an all-out effort to demonstrate value and to provide a positive experience.

Guest Recovery 450

Guest Recovery Uniforms Point of Sale Customer Experience 450

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

The stores were empty, and restaurant service staff were staring out windows from the vantage of unfilled seats. The look of the service staff, cooks on the back loading docks grabbing a smoke break, salesclerks with arms folded, starring out shop windows, and nervous shop owners checking their bank accounts on cellphones was disconcerting.

Customer Experience 370

Customer Experience Customer Service Food Safety Hospitality 370

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2022

Of course, there is a handful of masterful chefs and restaurateurs who can charge crazy prices to sold out audiences. It takes so much effort, time, and money to pull customers in for that first visit – we want to make them feel good about their investment and book another reservation soon. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Pricing 359

Pricing Training Consumer Goods Customer Experience 359

Culinary Cues

APRIL 29, 2024

At a time when the desire and need for dining out has returned to 2019 levels, this seems like a counter-productive formula. While all of this “reaction” is taking place, the root cause continues to be ignored. In the end, restaurants become less and less appealing to customers, employees, and owners. Let’s open our eyes.

Front of House 244

Front of House Back of House Training Customer Service 244

Culinary Cues

MAY 3, 2023

They are out there. People will pay for quality – are you willing to invest the time to find out? It takes time, effort, knowledge, passion, hard work, great raw materials, and total commitment to make outstanding bread – respect this. What will it take to get the message across? Bread is the same way.

Food Truck 471

Food Truck Customer Experience Food Supply Take-out 471

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 7, 2021

If we see the challenge as something that has an answer if we take the time to really push our problem-solving skills, then a solution will eventually present itself. Let’s take one possible cause that is not on everyone’s radar: nurturing real interest in a restaurant career early on. So, first step – let’s refer to it as a challenge.

Social Media 475

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 475

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 5, 2023

In other words – patience and persistence – it takes time to build the skills and knowledge necessary to get to your destination. 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. This is where real cooking CAN take place.

Kitchen Safety 374

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Back of House Front of House 374

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2021

Sometimes the change curve can be mapped out allowing ample time to gear up with new skills, new products, new methods of production, and a laser focused marketing strategy, while on occasion, something environmental takes place that forces a more immediate response. Think about the technology sector as a prime example.

2021 466

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 466

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 11, 2022

We can always find things to disagree with and people who frustrate us, but very little good ever comes out of this approach. Don’t wait for someone else to build your skills and knowledge – take charge of your own growth. Share, teach, and train others – this is the fuel that drives your own leadership engine.

Leadership 389

Leadership Fine Dining Workshop Training 389

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 30, 2023

There is a lesson here for cooks, chefs, and restaurateurs – a simple message that stands out from every other “road to success” Prophet: Whatever you do, do it well. It will take super-human effort, ample amounts of time, arduous training, and boat loads of cash. What will it take for you to become part of that club?

Fine Dining 361

Fine Dining Front of House Dine-in 2016 361

Culinary Cues

MARCH 22, 2023

When offered, it quickly sells out because people are always drawn to perfection. It is that carrot just a bit too far out of reach that it can’t be grabbed, but in the process of pursuit we push ourselves as far as possible with that goal in mind. You know it, when you see it, feel it, smell it, or taste it.

Coaching 376

Coaching Fine Dining Café Training 376

Culinary Cues

APRIL 15, 2023

My town leaders, bless their hearts, try to figure out ways to strum up cash flow for small businesses. In small private entrepreneurships it is common for owner/operators to not take a steady salary so they might meet payroll or pay a vendor for recent deliveries. Please don’t ask us to take it on the chin. We would love that.

Seasonal Menu 455

Seasonal Menu Café Point of Sale Social Media 455

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2022

For the Restaurateur: Are you willing to take a hard look at your business model and change how you attract, train, invest in, compensate, and evaluate your staff? Are you willing to take a hard look at your pricing model and how you approach profitability? PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Food Supply 400

Food Supply Training Supplies Café 400

7 Shifts

JANUARY 31, 2024

It's up to the restaurant manager to maintain a warm, welcoming atmosphere and train staff to do the same. The best restaurant managers take customer service a step further, recognizing regulars and personalizing service for a more memorable guest experience.

Management 397

Management Management Kitchen Safety Front of House 397

Culinary Cues

JULY 25, 2023

I remember returning to my office, closing the door, and taking the time to collect my thoughts before calling him in. Now, I want you to listen closely, I want you to take this in and store it in a place that can be easily accessed in the future. Sit down, I want to have a serious chat with you. I wondered if I could live up to that.

Food Truck 349

Food Truck Reference Café Take-out 349

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 21, 2023

This the time of year to pause and reflect, to push past the challenges, the less than stellar moments, the times we would just as soon forget, and the scars from an industry that passes them out freely and give thanks for what we have. Those days and nights when our mise en place wasn’t where it should have been made us stronger.

Kitchen Safety 423

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Inventory Take-out 423

Culinary Cues

JUNE 7, 2023

So, here are some thoughts (nothing new here, but always worth reinforcing): [] TRAIN AND DELEGATE “When will I find the time to teach anyone to be as thorough as me?” Train your staff and then trust them. [] PRIORITIZE What really needs to be done right now and what must wind up on your plate.

Training 333

Training Article Take-out Café 333

Culinary Cues

APRIL 18, 2023

Here are some thoughts. [] IT’S STILL ABOUT THE FOOD: People go out to eat for a variety of reasons – convenience, social interaction, a change of pace, business travel, vacations, celebration, or habit. Plan, equip, train, evaluate, educate, and celebrate each and every employee. Plan better – train harder, takes on new meaning.

Food Truck 326

Food Truck Back of House Education Training 326