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 448

Guest Recovery Uniforms Point of Sale Customer Experience 448

Culinary Cues

MARCH 10, 2022

If you doubt my belief – think about this: If a line cook calls out – we simply spread the work out among those who are present. A server doesn’t show up, we adjust the station chart and maybe change the timing at the door, but we figure it out. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. I rest my case.

Front of House 447

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 447

Culinary Cues

JULY 4, 2021

The quick fix may just be a dramatic change in how we plan and present our menus. Without a clear understanding of where ingredient costs are going tomorrow and next month restaurants cannot afford to be shackled to a menu that is out of control. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. The important reality is that we MUST MAKE CHANGES NOW!

2021 495

2021 Food Supply Seasonal Menu Supplies 495

Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

If you teach in a live restaurant environment on your campus is it operated with five times as many cooks in training as would be possible in a real restaurant? A recipe that takes two pages of dialogue to explain how to braise a veal shank does not make a cook a master of braising. Make sure that it is clear and positive.

Education 538

Education Food Supply Training Communication 538

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Employees must be properly trained and then given the responsibility and authority to make those decisions that fit their position. [] SERVE: Respect means that everyone involved in the restaurant is in the service business. That they are to present themselves as ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen (The Ritz Carlton Credo).

Training 351

Training Customer Service Uniforms Leadership 351

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

So, take a deep breath, kick a few empty five-gallon buckets around the kitchen (make sure they are empty), release a string of expletives if it makes you feel better, and take a few ibuprofens to address that constant headache. We are all ready to own our lives again and enjoy the simple things – like going out for a meal.

Food Supply 416

Food Supply Employee Relations Kitchen Safety Social Media 416

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

When we sign our work, we take full responsibility for it. “I Think about it for a moment – would you be willing to put yourself out there and take ownership for work that is less than stellar, less than the best you can do? Are you proud to present this to your teammates, manager, or guest?” I did this, this is my work”!

Seminar 354

Seminar Front of House Back of House Workshop 354

7 Shifts

JANUARY 31, 2024

A better description might be a balancing act that presents new and unique challenges every day. It's up to the restaurant manager to maintain a warm, welcoming atmosphere and train staff to do the same. General maintenance Restaurant management requires being ever-present and extremely attentive.

Management 397

Management Management Kitchen Safety Front of House 397

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 24, 2023

Without this assurance, gluten-free consumers are likely to take their business elsewhere – or, worse yet, leave negative reviews on popular dining apps. It is also important to train customer-facing staff on the correct etiquette for interacting with guests who disclose that they are gluten-free.

Training 179

Training Front of House Kitchen Safety Allergens 179

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 381

Kitchen Safety Guest Recovery Uniforms Food Safety 381

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 16, 2024

Fifteen minutes early is not just being present its being ready to make a difference. [] IF YOU CAN LEAN YOU CAN CLEAN Yes, time is money, and the original intent of this often-used statement may relate to the cost of labor, but most importantly it relates to how you approach life. When team exists, then trust is present.

Employee Relations 315

Employee Relations Presentation Small Business Recruiting 315

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

I can’t even count the number of times that the union, representing thousands of steel workers, threatened slowdowns, walk outs or strikes on behalf of their membership. It wouldn’t take very long (measured in months) before there was more dissent among the rank and file and the union was back to the table with managers and operators.

Kitchen Safety 80

Kitchen Safety Training Take-out Mobile Ordering 80

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

You take time to sanitize your area, firmly place a cutting board on a damp towel to keep it from slipping, draw your knives across a wet stone while honing their edge, and quickly jotting down a prep list for the next hour. You take a deep breath and smile knowing that this is where you belong, this will be a magical day.

Kitchen Safety 423

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Back of House 423

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Mediocre sucks the lifeblood out of an individual or an organization – it is the dark side of the moon, the harbinger of discomfort and pain, and the salt in the wound that saps your energy and leaves you hardened and embarrassed. This isn’t the French Laundry” so why even invest the time in plate presentation and cooking it properly – WRONG.

Uniforms 449

Uniforms Fine Dining Small Business Customer Service 449

Culinary Cues

JUNE 22, 2020

There are times, possibly many times, when you question your own skill – whether in cooking or presenting food, or even with the operation of a kitchen. It is what is felt and experienced deep down inside that made these individuals stand out as accomplished and authentic. They were one with what they played and sang.

Food 433

Food Presentation Leadership Café 433

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Push it out, how many covers, lock, and load, finish strong, over the hump, wrap it up: this the language of the kitchen during service, these are the timestamps like the number of quarters in a football game or innings in baseball. You set the tone for others to emulate. [] TEACH AND TRAIN. Did they sense that the value was there?

Customer Service 343

Customer Service Customer Experience Point of Sale Presentation 343

7 Shifts

JANUARY 23, 2020

As you plan out your concept, location, menu, staffing, and marketing, take a read through the advice left by hundreds of restaurateurs to ensure you’re set up for success in 2020. Educate yourself on costs, hiring, and the market you are in before taking the leap. Training before opening. Congrats! ?? And good luck.

2020 335

2020 Hiring Cash Management Education 335

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 351

Pricing Consumer Goods Training Customer Experience 351

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. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

7 Shifts

AUGUST 16, 2021

The way to run great shifts is to get out ahead and schedule pre-shift meetings. A pre-shift meeting is, simply, a meeting that occurs before meal service where the manager gathers the team to go over updates, train them, and get the team excited and motivated for the upcoming shift. Call it out here. Use and Take Notes.

Front of House 397

Front of House Back of House Customer Service Coaching 397

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

This can be direct (the menu item itself contributes working funds) or indirect (because the item is present on the menu – other items are more likely to sell). BEAUTIFUL FOOD PRESENTATIONS. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Check out CAFÉ Talks Podcast. TRUST IN CONSISTENCY. REAL SERVICE. Create Value Experiences.

Point of Sale 450

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

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. General Motors would never build and equip an auto plant, hire the entire staff, and create a marketing strategy until the car they intend to build is designed, prototyped, and presented to various focus groups first.

Menu 388

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Reference 388

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

They fear the look of disappointment or an abrasive comment; they fear the plate of untouched food, the half-eaten entrée they wrestled through heat and intensity of the kitchen to prepare and present, and they fear the role they may play in the success or failure of the restaurant. You see a little out of sorts, what can I do to help?”

Employee Relations 382

Employee Relations Training Fine Dining Take-out 382

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

It was a job and a paycheck, a signal that I wanted to take on some responsibility, and the beginning of a six-decade work ethic, but there were no pats on the back for a choice of careers. Decision-making is ever present and comes at the cook in an instant. Cooks (for the most part) are blind to differences.

Back of House 420

Back of House Reference Presentation Mobile Ordering 420

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

This is a topic I have presented numerous times and it seems as though whenever I travel it rises to the top of my thinking. Unfortunately, dining out and finding the right place to work is oftentimes a wishful roll of the dice. Find out everything you can about your guests and potential guests. I wonder why this is the case.

Fine Dining 392

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 18, 2022

Everyone needs to take responsibility for setting the stage. I cringe when I think of those moments when things slipped out of control but know that each moment when that occurred gave me more resolve to avoid it in the future. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Nurture the hustle! Harvest America Ventures, LLC. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Food Order 411

Food Order Customer Experience Hiring Café 411

7 Shifts

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

In addition to scheduling, 7shifts handles staff payroll, tip management, hiring and application management, employee training, and much more. The app also lets employees take their scheduling changes into their own hands by making approved shift swaps and securely communicating with each other. Get a Demo 6. Apple | Android 9.

Management 367

Management Management Operations Mobile Ordering 367

Culinary Cues

JULY 12, 2020

Sure, the restaurant has been offering take-out options for the past six weeks, but it’s not the same experience for the cook. They are pointed to their table and reminded to wear their mask until fully seated, told that the menu is on line (no more physical menus here), and that the server will take their order shortly.

Front of House 403

Front of House Back of House Dine-in Food Truck 403

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. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Food Supply 392

Food Supply Training Supplies Café 392

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

Unlike other line positions where there is a time allowance for preparation, pacing of courses, and the detail work that equates to a meticulously aligned plate presentation – the breakfast cook must be efficient and fast. call from the restaurant stating that the breakfast cook called out or didn’t show. and start all over again.

Back of House 518

Back of House Dine-in Restaurant Law Ordering 518

7 Shifts

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

When that isn't present, it can drive employees away—24 percent of them listed a “lack of opportunities” as a reason they've left a restaurant job. Creating viable career paths through training, upskilling, and promotions can enable operators to keep top talent around—while growing their business with them.

Loyalty Program 329

Loyalty Program Download Hospitality Leadership 329

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 381

Leadership Fine Dining Workshop Training 381

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2021

If the stakeholders in this important industry do not take the opportunity to learn from the lessons encountered, then a return to those exciting decades of growth and media glory will be difficult to envision. It also means that more significant time must be spent training service staff how to upsell and create enhanced customer value.

Customer Experience 386

Customer Experience Cash Management Customer Service Front of House 386

Culinary Cues

JULY 19, 2024

It can be done without tasting food or even seeing a single plate presented in the pass and it is visible without asking a guest for comments on a meal. So, here’s the thing – when mise en place permeates everything you do, how you work, act, and present yourself, then competence finds a home and confidence leads the charge.

Front of House 263

Front of House Food Order Customer Service Customer Experience 263

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 26, 2020

So, as we close out on 2020 – here are some reflections and outcomes in the past that we might learn from. [] A DRAMATIC EVENT, BEYOND OUR CONTROL HAS SHUT THE DOOR ON RESTAURANT BUSINESS. Our purpose, and our passion have been devastated over the past 9-months and we know that it will still take time before things truly begin to improve.

Fine Dining 474

Fine Dining 2008 Kitchen Safety Customer Experience 474

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 3, 2021

Since restaurants often store and hold so much guest information, or work with so many integrated pieces of technology to run their day-to-day operations, they present a juicy target for criminals looking to exploit it for their purposes. To start, check out this guide from the National Restaurant Association on cybersecurity preparedness.

Audits 370

Audits POS Loyalty Program Information 370

7 Shifts

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

In addition to scheduling, 7shifts handles staff payroll, tip management, hiring and application management, employee training, and much more. The app also lets employees take their scheduling changes into their own hands by making approved shift swaps and securely communicating with each other. Get a Demo 6. Apple | Android 9.

Management 352

Management Management Operations Mobile Ordering 352