I love engaging with others, my customers, co-workers, staff, bosses, ect., just anyone who wants to talk shop. You know, through this, you can share ideas, understand differences, capture similarities and just learn a great deal about ourselves. I had the pleasure to share some visions of an uncoming event with corporate staff. Each of us came from a different area of the business; myself Food & Beverage, the others were more Marketing and Administration. But the beauty was that we leveled the playing field by discussing what it would take to have the best food and service in the area.
Each of us had an input. Now for a lot of hard headed Chefs with egos, they can't see themselves listening to 'non-food people' because they believe that non-foodies know nothing of the business. Not necessarily true!
Everyone at least knows what they would like out of an event, what would make it great. Thats where great chefing begins, doing what it takes to make it great. There are Chefs that can't see beyond the kitchen rail and believe that they have the greatest food and service in their kitchen. And that may be true; they have the greatest food and service in their kitchens-ONLY IN THEIR KITCHEN-and no place else. You see unless the word gets out then it goes no where. Like the old saying that you may have the world's greatest idea but unless you do something with it, then all you got is the world greatest idea to yourself. Nothing.
Then you have the Chef who can see beyond their four walls, can see out into the parking lot and beyond. This is where great food and service begins-outside from beyond your parking lots on into your building, into your restaurant and finally into your kitchen. This is where you have the worlds greatest food and service begining in "The Area". Follow me now on this; I am solid on F&B and feel solid on my surroundings but I need solid expert input on what's further out there and need to consolidate all the great input to produce the "Best Food & Service" in "the area" by knowing my area. Makes sense?
This is how it made sense to me: I listened to what my collegues wanted in the event and how they saw it, both from a customer and a staff member's view point. Everything was discussed from decorations, seating, entry, organization, menu, special requests, venue, ect., and ect. You see it doesn't help I have the world's best but can't share that with the outside world. My collegues informed me, educated me, inspired me, and complemented me. As a whole, we can then produce the 'Best Food & Service' in 'The Area'.
What I am saying is as a group, we feed off one another to exchange ideas, listen, share, and work as a team on a winning plan. This is just we did as a team to be able to have the best in the best. So remember that
great food doesn't start in the kitchen, it starts outside in and finishes in the kitchen. Live outside your four walls and beyond.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Crossing the Finish Line
Many things that I quote or even paraphrase are great thoughts from great mentors that I have had in the past and even present. I am always amazed at the wealth of knowledge that I accumulate and still be in awe at how much more there is to learn. I was once commenting to a senior commander about the intensity and drive at which I like to approach things and get them secured. He listened and commented that it all boils down to life itself in the fact its not how fast you can sprint but finishing the marathon that counts. It took me awhile to really digest this and comprehend what it really can mean. It wasn't to say you shouldn't have a drive or be diligent in your actions; no, but to keep your perspective on the big picture and make everything work out in the end. It means winning the war although you may lose a few battles. Now I take both to heart,the intensity and the endurance. The two work hand in hand and in balance.
So this enlightment in thought can bring relief in many ways in our daily struggle in life. Often, I can feel discouraged over something but when I think of how hard I am striving for something and realize that it is only a matter of time before it all comes to be, then I feel great. I remember where I am at and where I need to go and it all works out. And this is great medicine to those of us who have endured in the same profession since the get go. I mean I recall in my apprentice days at some of the 'hot shots' or at least they thought themselves to be and now in my master days of the profession; I look around and I don't see none of those
people. I guess their fuses burnt too fast and too short. I am greatful to God that he has given me the inspiration and longevity to be grateful at my present day accomplishment in life. It could have been better, of course, but it could have been worse but it isn't and I am still going forward. My best days are ahead of me. Thats what our late great President Ronald Regan said, "Our best days are ahead of us!"
So now I feel and so should all of you-seasoned veterans in your chosen passion career-that I still remain goal, result driven and focused on accomplishing the task and not bothered or intimidated by drive by night
people, places or things that try to make me feel otherwise. Conquer all!
Everything is life itself, so cross the finish line and win the marathon.
So this enlightment in thought can bring relief in many ways in our daily struggle in life. Often, I can feel discouraged over something but when I think of how hard I am striving for something and realize that it is only a matter of time before it all comes to be, then I feel great. I remember where I am at and where I need to go and it all works out. And this is great medicine to those of us who have endured in the same profession since the get go. I mean I recall in my apprentice days at some of the 'hot shots' or at least they thought themselves to be and now in my master days of the profession; I look around and I don't see none of those
people. I guess their fuses burnt too fast and too short. I am greatful to God that he has given me the inspiration and longevity to be grateful at my present day accomplishment in life. It could have been better, of course, but it could have been worse but it isn't and I am still going forward. My best days are ahead of me. Thats what our late great President Ronald Regan said, "Our best days are ahead of us!"
So now I feel and so should all of you-seasoned veterans in your chosen passion career-that I still remain goal, result driven and focused on accomplishing the task and not bothered or intimidated by drive by night
people, places or things that try to make me feel otherwise. Conquer all!
Everything is life itself, so cross the finish line and win the marathon.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
To 'Status Quo' or not to be...is the question I ask to me!
Status Quo or the state of being the same, as is, as was and as will be is the unchanged, unchallenged, un-nothing in which nothing changes until it
changes; same ol and same ol, so on and so forth. You see, for many people this is fine. Clock punching mentality, just a job, a paycheck, don't rock the boat type and go with the flow (only dead fish go with the flow) type of people are everywhere. Often they are not easily identified as they may be disguished as long time, senior employees in high positions where their direct contribution to business success are not easily seen and therefore,
subsequently, likewise their lack of contribution. They seem unaware and unethused of great changes that enhance the work environment but are quick to point out any negative aspects, failures or shortcomings. Often their complaints center around any change that may cause them to have to re-think, re-evaluate, re-do, or re-arrange something in their lives like having to do some work. You see when things are status quo it means nothing changes so no need to do any work. Its like I have status quo on doing yard work until my wife says its time to clean up the back and tidy up the yard. Then I have to work-no more status quo.
I am not saying all change is needed or good. But change is inevitable and as Obama said lets embrace change, change is good. Where am I heading with all this. Simple. I believe in several things very clearly:
I believe in mutual respect with one another where I can acknowledge their
contributions and differences and be ok with it all. We can 'agree to disagree' and work things out. Its the blanket statement 'can't do that' kind of approach that turns me off. I believe everything is negotiable. That doesn't mean do-able, it means we can at least discuss everything.
I believe in professional integrity. Be part of it. Get involved. Engage your people. Find solutions. Make it happen. Why not. It is 2011. By upholding your integrity and getting past status quo you are holding yourself accountable for results, success, and failure- it all goes together.
I believe in being of service. I have served directly in the most 'service' industries of the service industries-Food Service. No other, bar-none- can come close to the extreme service aspect of Hospitality Food Service. I have waited on people 'hand and foot'. Anyone who knows service will agree that Hospitality is the ultimate in service.
As such, I am here to serve my employees, supervisors,community and most importantly my customers, my clients. For them I shall advocate and strive to service them to the highest standard in the workplace. To them goes all the rewards of my efforts and labors of the job. They must benefit.
I believe in professional excellence where I have a shared vision of success and continued improvement in every aspect of the work environment where it betters the welfare, morale, and lives of those I serve-my customers, my clients. My ideas, my progress, my newest 'thing' are just that-anything to make the work life of my people a little easier. Anything else are just details. Just details.
So what does all this mean??? It means if you are someone who empowers
and betters the workplace life of your people-More Power to You! Well done!
However, if you are one who finds change to be a monkey wrench or a problem or work for you then you need to really evaluate why you are even there doing what you think you're doing for whatever reason you're doing it. In other words, 'Get a Life', literally.
I know I got one. And it is good because I see it go beyond me and into the lives of others. Top that.
changes; same ol and same ol, so on and so forth. You see, for many people this is fine. Clock punching mentality, just a job, a paycheck, don't rock the boat type and go with the flow (only dead fish go with the flow) type of people are everywhere. Often they are not easily identified as they may be disguished as long time, senior employees in high positions where their direct contribution to business success are not easily seen and therefore,
subsequently, likewise their lack of contribution. They seem unaware and unethused of great changes that enhance the work environment but are quick to point out any negative aspects, failures or shortcomings. Often their complaints center around any change that may cause them to have to re-think, re-evaluate, re-do, or re-arrange something in their lives like having to do some work. You see when things are status quo it means nothing changes so no need to do any work. Its like I have status quo on doing yard work until my wife says its time to clean up the back and tidy up the yard. Then I have to work-no more status quo.
I am not saying all change is needed or good. But change is inevitable and as Obama said lets embrace change, change is good. Where am I heading with all this. Simple. I believe in several things very clearly:
I believe in mutual respect with one another where I can acknowledge their
contributions and differences and be ok with it all. We can 'agree to disagree' and work things out. Its the blanket statement 'can't do that' kind of approach that turns me off. I believe everything is negotiable. That doesn't mean do-able, it means we can at least discuss everything.
I believe in professional integrity. Be part of it. Get involved. Engage your people. Find solutions. Make it happen. Why not. It is 2011. By upholding your integrity and getting past status quo you are holding yourself accountable for results, success, and failure- it all goes together.
I believe in being of service. I have served directly in the most 'service' industries of the service industries-Food Service. No other, bar-none- can come close to the extreme service aspect of Hospitality Food Service. I have waited on people 'hand and foot'. Anyone who knows service will agree that Hospitality is the ultimate in service.
As such, I am here to serve my employees, supervisors,community and most importantly my customers, my clients. For them I shall advocate and strive to service them to the highest standard in the workplace. To them goes all the rewards of my efforts and labors of the job. They must benefit.
I believe in professional excellence where I have a shared vision of success and continued improvement in every aspect of the work environment where it betters the welfare, morale, and lives of those I serve-my customers, my clients. My ideas, my progress, my newest 'thing' are just that-anything to make the work life of my people a little easier. Anything else are just details. Just details.
So what does all this mean??? It means if you are someone who empowers
and betters the workplace life of your people-More Power to You! Well done!
However, if you are one who finds change to be a monkey wrench or a problem or work for you then you need to really evaluate why you are even there doing what you think you're doing for whatever reason you're doing it. In other words, 'Get a Life', literally.
I know I got one. And it is good because I see it go beyond me and into the lives of others. Top that.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Chef! "Give me a great recipe for Turkey!"
I get this all time and I wish I could respond to everybody's request. Preparing and cooking a delicious turkey is just taking the time to buy a nice size that will "fit into your oven" and cook it up nice and slow. Buy a oven therometer to gauge the correct temperature. I highly recommend a cooking temperature of 325. Now this is the final even temperature of the oven AFTER the turkey is in and has been cooking in a preheated oven for at least 40 minutes. This is when you can get the true temperature of the oven. Any sooner you are gauging a 'cold oven' or a temperature that will change once the oven AND its contents come to a heated equilibrium (temperature balances out to a constant temp.)
So get your oven and the turkey and whatever else you have in there worked out to be a smooth 325. OK, now lets go back a bit. You got the
turkey fresh or frozen. Either way, make sure it is throughly defrosted (Properly-read the packaging labels!!!) and wash it off with cold running water. Get the blood smell and the factory grime off it. Don't be patting it dry with towels and stuff-just going to cross contaminate things. Drip off, shake off loose water and put it on a cutting board. Any residue water is good-keep things hydrated. Season that puppy up by either rubbing it down with butter (old school), with magarine (diet conscience) or with olive oil (healthier) or no oils at all (perfectly fine). Now we are going to give it a rub of spices and herbs(don't get hung up on how much of this or that-go gently and to your taste).
When you season up a turkey, pour the seasonings in your hand first and then sprinkle it over the turkey so you don't glob it over in seasonings.
Easy, very easily, sprinkle salt over the turkey inside and out. Go very light because after everything else is done-the savory flavor will be just right. You can even skip the salt. Sprinkle a medium grain black pepper over all. Then the following, (again go by feel-how much do you like the seasoning and how strong it is, ie.: salt is strong go easy, garlic is strong go easy, ect.) add dry granulated garlic, whole thyme, crushed rosemary, whole oregano, onion powder, paprika (very little). Rest the turkey in a roasting pan or a large pan that has a bottom lift-something that keeps the turkey from laying entirely flat flush with the bottom. Ideally you should have one inch off the pan bottom. Ladle hot turkey/chicken stock into the pan bottom just covering up to the bottom of the turkey like a shallow bath. Feel free to drop in nice oversized vegetable cuts of carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, parsley, bay leaves-just like the Bugs Bunny cartoons where he was getting cooked up. Find a lid or a cover for you turkey. If you cover use plastic wrap first and then foil. You must get a super snug tight seal on the roast. We are doing a modified pressure cooker so things cook up evenly and thoroughly.
So put it all it your oven. Now lets do some paperwork. Assuming you have a 20 pound roast then you can count on 20 minutes per pound cooking time (generally speaking). So about 1 hour to cook 3 pounds. Multiply that by the number needed to equal total pounds and we get 7- it takes 7 hours to cook 21 pounds (7 x 3 = 21) and end time should be 3:00 pm. Write your time down-it sounds dumb but write start time down. (Now this is assuming you gauge your oven like we discussed above-325.) I usually start my turkey at 8 am so I can enjoy my 20 ish pounder roast around 2-3 pm. But I start gauging my oven at 7 am to make my start time accurate and I regauge that with the loaded turkey again at 8:40 to see that I can a true 325 constant. So assuming you have a 20 pound turkey that went in at 8:00 prepared as above, let it cook until 8:40 and check your oven temperture to insure a 325 constant.
So we got the turkey heating well, oven is fine, everything seasoned up and covered, pan has stock liquid in it with garnish vegetables. Good. Now lets get a pot of simmering turkey/chicken stock going so we can baste (keep moist) our turkey every hour on the hour. You baste by ladling hot stock over the breast allowing it to flow over all and remaining in the pan. This rich savory stock can be a gravy alternative or used to add to your gravy. Our start time was 8:00 am and we have 7 hours to cook with a end time of 3:00 pm. But we are going to set our initial alarm at the 5 hour mark being 1:00 and closely monitor internal temp and make any last adjustments then. Time everything else-trimmings-to be done at 2:00 and guest seated at 2:00. Our method here will cut cooking time by 1 plus hour still giving us a turkey cooked to 165 degrees internally in the deepest part for food safety-test your own turkey with a meat therometer-digital is best-don't rely on idiot sticks-those red pop ups. So at the 5 hour mark after basting the turkey every hour on the hour-temp. the turkey and you should have an internal temp close to 140. If so, uncover the roast and if it is cooking a tad too fast, adjust your oven down to 300. We want to get a 'controlled' browning on the turkey giving it a light golden brown shade and a crispness not dryness so keep basting every 15 minutes. Now don't flood your pan with basting. If you need to-draw up the liquid in the pan bottom and re-baste it over the turkey. Keep the liquid in depth up to one inch covering the turkey. (turkey is one inch off pan bottom and the liquid in its final state will cover i inch of the turkey so liquid is only 2 inches in final depth from the pan's flattest bottom.
Just keep things moist not drowning.
Feel free to drop in apple slices and orange slices over the turkey breast and pan bottom during the last hour of browning. Watch your time and speed at which the turkey is being done and being browned. I can't tell you enough that the flavor is all in cooking time and monitoring. Cook, baste, cook & baste, brown, check internal temp., check oven tem., and baste. Get the picture.
So if done right on a 20 pound turkey, you can plan to be seated and eating at 2:00 pm. Plan your trimmings accordingly-yams, mashed potatoes, peas/carrots/pearl onions, gravy, stuffing dressing, cranberry sauce, hot rolls. Remember that you will probably use the oven for some of the trimming preparation, keep monitoring your oven temperature.
Enjoy! And feel free to do a small turkey and perhaps a salmon roast combo. Even roast duck and roast beef is a great combo. Roast cornish game hens and a ham roast is great. Roast pork loin and salmon is great. It doesn't have to always be turkey like years ago. We are in a different time and age. Do your favorite culural foods. Thankgiving time is a time to come together, celebrate it as a family and give thanks for our blessings. Do what makes you happy. One year my family went out to a restaurant, it was empty, we ate well, we were happy and went back to a clean home and relaxed. No mess, no fuss and a true vacation day. Do what makes you happy!
So get your oven and the turkey and whatever else you have in there worked out to be a smooth 325. OK, now lets go back a bit. You got the
turkey fresh or frozen. Either way, make sure it is throughly defrosted (Properly-read the packaging labels!!!) and wash it off with cold running water. Get the blood smell and the factory grime off it. Don't be patting it dry with towels and stuff-just going to cross contaminate things. Drip off, shake off loose water and put it on a cutting board. Any residue water is good-keep things hydrated. Season that puppy up by either rubbing it down with butter (old school), with magarine (diet conscience) or with olive oil (healthier) or no oils at all (perfectly fine). Now we are going to give it a rub of spices and herbs(don't get hung up on how much of this or that-go gently and to your taste).
When you season up a turkey, pour the seasonings in your hand first and then sprinkle it over the turkey so you don't glob it over in seasonings.
Easy, very easily, sprinkle salt over the turkey inside and out. Go very light because after everything else is done-the savory flavor will be just right. You can even skip the salt. Sprinkle a medium grain black pepper over all. Then the following, (again go by feel-how much do you like the seasoning and how strong it is, ie.: salt is strong go easy, garlic is strong go easy, ect.) add dry granulated garlic, whole thyme, crushed rosemary, whole oregano, onion powder, paprika (very little). Rest the turkey in a roasting pan or a large pan that has a bottom lift-something that keeps the turkey from laying entirely flat flush with the bottom. Ideally you should have one inch off the pan bottom. Ladle hot turkey/chicken stock into the pan bottom just covering up to the bottom of the turkey like a shallow bath. Feel free to drop in nice oversized vegetable cuts of carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, parsley, bay leaves-just like the Bugs Bunny cartoons where he was getting cooked up. Find a lid or a cover for you turkey. If you cover use plastic wrap first and then foil. You must get a super snug tight seal on the roast. We are doing a modified pressure cooker so things cook up evenly and thoroughly.
So put it all it your oven. Now lets do some paperwork. Assuming you have a 20 pound roast then you can count on 20 minutes per pound cooking time (generally speaking). So about 1 hour to cook 3 pounds. Multiply that by the number needed to equal total pounds and we get 7- it takes 7 hours to cook 21 pounds (7 x 3 = 21) and end time should be 3:00 pm. Write your time down-it sounds dumb but write start time down. (Now this is assuming you gauge your oven like we discussed above-325.) I usually start my turkey at 8 am so I can enjoy my 20 ish pounder roast around 2-3 pm. But I start gauging my oven at 7 am to make my start time accurate and I regauge that with the loaded turkey again at 8:40 to see that I can a true 325 constant. So assuming you have a 20 pound turkey that went in at 8:00 prepared as above, let it cook until 8:40 and check your oven temperture to insure a 325 constant.
So we got the turkey heating well, oven is fine, everything seasoned up and covered, pan has stock liquid in it with garnish vegetables. Good. Now lets get a pot of simmering turkey/chicken stock going so we can baste (keep moist) our turkey every hour on the hour. You baste by ladling hot stock over the breast allowing it to flow over all and remaining in the pan. This rich savory stock can be a gravy alternative or used to add to your gravy. Our start time was 8:00 am and we have 7 hours to cook with a end time of 3:00 pm. But we are going to set our initial alarm at the 5 hour mark being 1:00 and closely monitor internal temp and make any last adjustments then. Time everything else-trimmings-to be done at 2:00 and guest seated at 2:00. Our method here will cut cooking time by 1 plus hour still giving us a turkey cooked to 165 degrees internally in the deepest part for food safety-test your own turkey with a meat therometer-digital is best-don't rely on idiot sticks-those red pop ups. So at the 5 hour mark after basting the turkey every hour on the hour-temp. the turkey and you should have an internal temp close to 140. If so, uncover the roast and if it is cooking a tad too fast, adjust your oven down to 300. We want to get a 'controlled' browning on the turkey giving it a light golden brown shade and a crispness not dryness so keep basting every 15 minutes. Now don't flood your pan with basting. If you need to-draw up the liquid in the pan bottom and re-baste it over the turkey. Keep the liquid in depth up to one inch covering the turkey. (turkey is one inch off pan bottom and the liquid in its final state will cover i inch of the turkey so liquid is only 2 inches in final depth from the pan's flattest bottom.
Just keep things moist not drowning.
Feel free to drop in apple slices and orange slices over the turkey breast and pan bottom during the last hour of browning. Watch your time and speed at which the turkey is being done and being browned. I can't tell you enough that the flavor is all in cooking time and monitoring. Cook, baste, cook & baste, brown, check internal temp., check oven tem., and baste. Get the picture.
So if done right on a 20 pound turkey, you can plan to be seated and eating at 2:00 pm. Plan your trimmings accordingly-yams, mashed potatoes, peas/carrots/pearl onions, gravy, stuffing dressing, cranberry sauce, hot rolls. Remember that you will probably use the oven for some of the trimming preparation, keep monitoring your oven temperature.
Enjoy! And feel free to do a small turkey and perhaps a salmon roast combo. Even roast duck and roast beef is a great combo. Roast cornish game hens and a ham roast is great. Roast pork loin and salmon is great. It doesn't have to always be turkey like years ago. We are in a different time and age. Do your favorite culural foods. Thankgiving time is a time to come together, celebrate it as a family and give thanks for our blessings. Do what makes you happy. One year my family went out to a restaurant, it was empty, we ate well, we were happy and went back to a clean home and relaxed. No mess, no fuss and a true vacation day. Do what makes you happy!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
SO WHY DO WE DO IT ALL? AND FOR WHAT?
Just recently I was reminded as to just why we do all this for and for what.
What I mean is why do we choose to work in food service doing what we doing,
going through what we have to and putting up with all the BS and dealing with the stress and nonsense that comes with it.
Is it because it's 'our job' or that 'we need to work' or 'it's a paycheck' or 'what else would I be doing' and so on and on. I really don't believe that any of these are the answers. They may be true superficially to a degree. And they certaintly shouldn't be your definitive answers and if they are; then I am truly sorry that you are emotionally and mentally locked into a deadend job with no personal intergrity and pride to be doing what you should be doing. You shouldn't have to be plowing through the dumpster of life with your head down because you can only justify it by thinking you need the money and can't go anywhere else. Once you get that
way, it is probably time for you to get out of the game. I am sorry but if you are truly doing what you love to do, then you will be excellent, you will be marketable, you will work in pride with your head up and not even
have to feel like any of the above.
Where am I heading with all of this? Well, again, I was recently reminded by an ex-co worker as to why we (I) enjoy working in foodservice
hospitality. And believe me it not for the money, ect., ect. Because I know I can find that anywhere, anytime, anyhow. I do not deal with a locked in mentality. I do what I do because I love it. I love it. Simple!
And my ex-co worker reminded me of this. We recently had a holiday celebration at my work turning out a wonderful holiday fest for all employees and invited guests. Well, many people came and amongst them not to my surprise were several ex-co workers who came to volunteer to help out.
They wanted to just help out in the day's festivities by actually working
up a sweat in the kitchen. They all helped out so extensively as if they
were still on the clock getting paid. They came merely to volunteer asking for nothing in return. Of course as they were under my kitchen domain, I asked nothing less of them that I would have asked of a regular employee. They worked and they worked hard.
What they brought to me was a breath of fresh air from the outside beyond my four walls. They reminded me why I do what I do. They reasurred me of my confidence. They smiled and worked and laughed and sweated all through the festival rigors of putting out a holiday meal to 500 people.
And it wasn't for pay-they were not getting paid. It wasn't for a job-they certaintly were not rehired or given a job. It was beyond that. They
just wanted to do something they enjoyed doing-hospitality. I can't think ofany other profession where people might come out of the blue to volunteer.
You think anyone in construction would volunteer to work on their day off like my volunteers did-think not! How about those of your average cubicle workers-no! Just who would? My people, the fine people in hospitality food service.
As one fine young man said, "Chef, you don't have to give me anything, I'll even eat later and I don't want anything in return." "I am just here because I like it, I miss my co-workers, and I love doing what I do!"
Enough said.
What I mean is why do we choose to work in food service doing what we doing,
going through what we have to and putting up with all the BS and dealing with the stress and nonsense that comes with it.
Is it because it's 'our job' or that 'we need to work' or 'it's a paycheck' or 'what else would I be doing' and so on and on. I really don't believe that any of these are the answers. They may be true superficially to a degree. And they certaintly shouldn't be your definitive answers and if they are; then I am truly sorry that you are emotionally and mentally locked into a deadend job with no personal intergrity and pride to be doing what you should be doing. You shouldn't have to be plowing through the dumpster of life with your head down because you can only justify it by thinking you need the money and can't go anywhere else. Once you get that
way, it is probably time for you to get out of the game. I am sorry but if you are truly doing what you love to do, then you will be excellent, you will be marketable, you will work in pride with your head up and not even
have to feel like any of the above.
Where am I heading with all of this? Well, again, I was recently reminded by an ex-co worker as to why we (I) enjoy working in foodservice
hospitality. And believe me it not for the money, ect., ect. Because I know I can find that anywhere, anytime, anyhow. I do not deal with a locked in mentality. I do what I do because I love it. I love it. Simple!
And my ex-co worker reminded me of this. We recently had a holiday celebration at my work turning out a wonderful holiday fest for all employees and invited guests. Well, many people came and amongst them not to my surprise were several ex-co workers who came to volunteer to help out.
They wanted to just help out in the day's festivities by actually working
up a sweat in the kitchen. They all helped out so extensively as if they
were still on the clock getting paid. They came merely to volunteer asking for nothing in return. Of course as they were under my kitchen domain, I asked nothing less of them that I would have asked of a regular employee. They worked and they worked hard.
What they brought to me was a breath of fresh air from the outside beyond my four walls. They reminded me why I do what I do. They reasurred me of my confidence. They smiled and worked and laughed and sweated all through the festival rigors of putting out a holiday meal to 500 people.
And it wasn't for pay-they were not getting paid. It wasn't for a job-they certaintly were not rehired or given a job. It was beyond that. They
just wanted to do something they enjoyed doing-hospitality. I can't think ofany other profession where people might come out of the blue to volunteer.
You think anyone in construction would volunteer to work on their day off like my volunteers did-think not! How about those of your average cubicle workers-no! Just who would? My people, the fine people in hospitality food service.
As one fine young man said, "Chef, you don't have to give me anything, I'll even eat later and I don't want anything in return." "I am just here because I like it, I miss my co-workers, and I love doing what I do!"
Enough said.
Monday, August 16, 2010
OK. So You Wanna Be A Chef...
Simple as it may seem, being a Chef, at least a professional chef is alot more than most people realize. You are ultimately a business accountant who lives in a practical, hands on real world environment. What does that mean. It means you are the bottom liner, the top liner, and do what it takes to keep both in line. You got to listen to what is needed and think of how to achieve this.
So lets discuss what makes a great Chef. Is it the cooking? Is it being creative spirit? Is it being a kitchen leader? Just what is it? Well, it
is all of the above. And simply put, it is the ability to lead and direct in such a way as to obtain the willing cooperation, respect, loyalty and execution of your team players technical and tactical skills to effectively run a smooth flowing, food service operation. A mouthful, right? Right!
This is it. Simple as that. Great cooks are a dime a dozen. Great leaders are maybe a little more scarce and even great managers are certainly not lacking. It is the ability to put it all together and get the team to do it. Simple as that-TEAM WORK. If you don't get it, you will probably never get it. Every great Chef has a team following. Almost reminds me of a great saying; It is not how much that you love others that count, but how much you are loved by others that matters....
So lets discuss what makes a great Chef. Is it the cooking? Is it being creative spirit? Is it being a kitchen leader? Just what is it? Well, it
is all of the above. And simply put, it is the ability to lead and direct in such a way as to obtain the willing cooperation, respect, loyalty and execution of your team players technical and tactical skills to effectively run a smooth flowing, food service operation. A mouthful, right? Right!
This is it. Simple as that. Great cooks are a dime a dozen. Great leaders are maybe a little more scarce and even great managers are certainly not lacking. It is the ability to put it all together and get the team to do it. Simple as that-TEAM WORK. If you don't get it, you will probably never get it. Every great Chef has a team following. Almost reminds me of a great saying; It is not how much that you love others that count, but how much you are loved by others that matters....
Friday, August 6, 2010
It's Showtime-Putting on the Smile!
You know the hospitality food service industry is very into 'putting on the
smile'. This means when you're entering the doors ready to go to work, you leave behind all your worries of the moment. And you put on that happy face and play the part. Customers are expecting a cheerful, outgoing and friendly person to help them. Nobody wants a grumpy person around.
So this is what we do in this business. After awhile, for some of us lucky enough, it becomes natural and we really are sincerely happy and all that about being there to give the best service possible. So whats my point?
I guess that there are times that I think of other things, and people that mean alot to me pop into my mind now and then. I have met some really great people doing what I do for a living. Some people have become a special, permanent part of my life in a meaniful way. I have had my share of triumphs in the spotligh as well as failures. Thank God, I have managed to get back up, dust myself off and move on. So I do think most of all of the very special people who have touched my life. I carry them in my heart. I try not to think about life's challenges outside the door nor do I make my life too busy. I check in everything at the door and go to work.
Should you feel so lucky and blessed to truly enjoy what you are doing and find peace and happiness in your endeavors.
smile'. This means when you're entering the doors ready to go to work, you leave behind all your worries of the moment. And you put on that happy face and play the part. Customers are expecting a cheerful, outgoing and friendly person to help them. Nobody wants a grumpy person around.
So this is what we do in this business. After awhile, for some of us lucky enough, it becomes natural and we really are sincerely happy and all that about being there to give the best service possible. So whats my point?
I guess that there are times that I think of other things, and people that mean alot to me pop into my mind now and then. I have met some really great people doing what I do for a living. Some people have become a special, permanent part of my life in a meaniful way. I have had my share of triumphs in the spotligh as well as failures. Thank God, I have managed to get back up, dust myself off and move on. So I do think most of all of the very special people who have touched my life. I carry them in my heart. I try not to think about life's challenges outside the door nor do I make my life too busy. I check in everything at the door and go to work.
Should you feel so lucky and blessed to truly enjoy what you are doing and find peace and happiness in your endeavors.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em, Tell 'em. Tell 'em what you told 'em...
...Just like your high school thesis-Introduction, Body and Summary;
the basics of training and training issues. Great training is great teaching which means a walking and talking lesson plan. You got to explain whats you going to train, train it and then review what you have trained.
It may seem simple in concept but it just doesn't happen even with the best of 'trainers'. I believe throughly that a high degree of real world experience coupled with leadership teaching skills will make the successful
trainer. He/she will train the skills, monitor the training, evaluate the training, get feedback, counsel and make decisions and adjust whatever is needed to obtain the strategic goal at hand. It means being on top of the training at all times. It also means one must be a master of what is being trained in order to successfully train it. It means getting the skills, learning the skills and doing whatever it takes to be the one with the answers.
Follow up! Follow up! Follow up! A key part of training that so often is neglected. We may give out the task, observe it being done and move on and never go back to see that it was done successfully. By following up, I mean be there,physically and mentally, be there to see and give praise and
constructive critique on the training tasks. Be involved- it shows that you care, that you are a active participant with the trainee. It doesn't mean you are doing the job for them. It means you are there to give instruction, guidance, answer question, and build best practices. Be there.
Engage your people. I learned this from a mild manner, well experienced GM at a restaurant. He often went to company training seminars and came back toshare what he had learned with his unit managers. I liked this. Share the wealth. Information is to be shared. The only way to keep it is to give it away. Think about that one. He said "engage your employees!"-
get in there with them, ask the questions, answer the questions, demostrate the skills, offer resources to make them successful, create a job friendly place.
Define your Destiny. This is kind of something I put together from all my training and great past mentors. Take what you know and set the standard=
go forth and define your mission within the scope of the company's higher mission. Be inovative, take iniative, be original, think and rethink, make it happen.
If you're in it for a job-Get the hell out. If you're there because its a job and a paycheck-get out, go somewhere else. There are plenty of jobs out there that are happy with people who just want to 'do their job' and
get a check. If this is you, find a job that really doesn't ask nothing of you except to drag your ass into work and do something and go home. In the kitchen, at least in my kitchens, you have got to want to make a difference.
It shows real fast if you are just a clock puncher and nothing else. I love to surround myself with people who are in it for a higher standard. People who make me think, keep me competitive, take it to the next level, want to make a difference and who give a hoot about their work. I realize everyone is not the same and there are levels of ability in everyone. I expect the best someone can do and nothing more. I will take a hard working sincere heart over a slacker any day. I have seen better work in an inexperienced, lower end worker than a experienced, highly skilled, higher level worker. It was the heart, dedication, failures and successful progression of the eagar inexperienced worker to excell versus the smooth sailing 'don't rock the boat' experienced worker who could deliver more but
won't. I look for that internal incentive. It is not based on fat salaries, bonuses, rewards, ect. It is one's one personal satisfaction from kicking ass at work-doing a great job. I really feel satisfied.
"Do you love cooking?" This was a question asked to me by a great Chef, one of my early mentors at CSULB faculty dining when I was a lead line cook. He let me do all the daily specials, use what I wanted to use and pretty much gave me free rein of the place. I accepted it a gift of confidence and a skills building opportunity. One day, he called me into the office and sat down with me. We went over some recipe ideas, cookbooks, magazines and stuff. I was really excited. He looked at me and asked me "Do you love cooking?" I was a little shocked because his tone was almost depressing and he didn't have that light in his eye like you get when you really enjoy somethi;ng. I said that I did, I did love cooking.
He said that he really doesn't like it, that he has been doing it for many years. He was probably in his late 50's or so. I was about 26. So after I left his office, I thought that well he was way older and worked so long in his field that maybe he just is in it for the job paycheck. I really couldn't fault him. He paid his dues. I began to think and hoped that I would never get that way, that I would forever love what I do. I would love my work, live it, breathe it, and walk it like I talk it. Up to that point I had only 5 years in the kitchen and so I thought hard about all of this. Now, with 25 years in the field, with just about 20 of them as management-Exec Chef/Sous/Chef/Dietary Supervisor/Kitchen Manager/Manager/General Manager- I can thank God that I still love what I do. I enjoy going to work. I do keep a balance nowadays of work and life. In the past, I was a workaholic-not very good thing with a family. Now, I deliver for work, I am there for all at any time, but I also manage my personal life as well. I can now work hard and see my kids grow up healthy all at the same time. So I guess you can give work your all and still enjoy life in the real world. That would be my message to all the 'punch a clock and get a paycheck' type of people out there. Live life to the fullest during work and after work.
the basics of training and training issues. Great training is great teaching which means a walking and talking lesson plan. You got to explain whats you going to train, train it and then review what you have trained.
It may seem simple in concept but it just doesn't happen even with the best of 'trainers'. I believe throughly that a high degree of real world experience coupled with leadership teaching skills will make the successful
trainer. He/she will train the skills, monitor the training, evaluate the training, get feedback, counsel and make decisions and adjust whatever is needed to obtain the strategic goal at hand. It means being on top of the training at all times. It also means one must be a master of what is being trained in order to successfully train it. It means getting the skills, learning the skills and doing whatever it takes to be the one with the answers.
Follow up! Follow up! Follow up! A key part of training that so often is neglected. We may give out the task, observe it being done and move on and never go back to see that it was done successfully. By following up, I mean be there,physically and mentally, be there to see and give praise and
constructive critique on the training tasks. Be involved- it shows that you care, that you are a active participant with the trainee. It doesn't mean you are doing the job for them. It means you are there to give instruction, guidance, answer question, and build best practices. Be there.
Engage your people. I learned this from a mild manner, well experienced GM at a restaurant. He often went to company training seminars and came back toshare what he had learned with his unit managers. I liked this. Share the wealth. Information is to be shared. The only way to keep it is to give it away. Think about that one. He said "engage your employees!"-
get in there with them, ask the questions, answer the questions, demostrate the skills, offer resources to make them successful, create a job friendly place.
Define your Destiny. This is kind of something I put together from all my training and great past mentors. Take what you know and set the standard=
go forth and define your mission within the scope of the company's higher mission. Be inovative, take iniative, be original, think and rethink, make it happen.
If you're in it for a job-Get the hell out. If you're there because its a job and a paycheck-get out, go somewhere else. There are plenty of jobs out there that are happy with people who just want to 'do their job' and
get a check. If this is you, find a job that really doesn't ask nothing of you except to drag your ass into work and do something and go home. In the kitchen, at least in my kitchens, you have got to want to make a difference.
It shows real fast if you are just a clock puncher and nothing else. I love to surround myself with people who are in it for a higher standard. People who make me think, keep me competitive, take it to the next level, want to make a difference and who give a hoot about their work. I realize everyone is not the same and there are levels of ability in everyone. I expect the best someone can do and nothing more. I will take a hard working sincere heart over a slacker any day. I have seen better work in an inexperienced, lower end worker than a experienced, highly skilled, higher level worker. It was the heart, dedication, failures and successful progression of the eagar inexperienced worker to excell versus the smooth sailing 'don't rock the boat' experienced worker who could deliver more but
won't. I look for that internal incentive. It is not based on fat salaries, bonuses, rewards, ect. It is one's one personal satisfaction from kicking ass at work-doing a great job. I really feel satisfied.
"Do you love cooking?" This was a question asked to me by a great Chef, one of my early mentors at CSULB faculty dining when I was a lead line cook. He let me do all the daily specials, use what I wanted to use and pretty much gave me free rein of the place. I accepted it a gift of confidence and a skills building opportunity. One day, he called me into the office and sat down with me. We went over some recipe ideas, cookbooks, magazines and stuff. I was really excited. He looked at me and asked me "Do you love cooking?" I was a little shocked because his tone was almost depressing and he didn't have that light in his eye like you get when you really enjoy somethi;ng. I said that I did, I did love cooking.
He said that he really doesn't like it, that he has been doing it for many years. He was probably in his late 50's or so. I was about 26. So after I left his office, I thought that well he was way older and worked so long in his field that maybe he just is in it for the job paycheck. I really couldn't fault him. He paid his dues. I began to think and hoped that I would never get that way, that I would forever love what I do. I would love my work, live it, breathe it, and walk it like I talk it. Up to that point I had only 5 years in the kitchen and so I thought hard about all of this. Now, with 25 years in the field, with just about 20 of them as management-Exec Chef/Sous/Chef/Dietary Supervisor/Kitchen Manager/Manager/General Manager- I can thank God that I still love what I do. I enjoy going to work. I do keep a balance nowadays of work and life. In the past, I was a workaholic-not very good thing with a family. Now, I deliver for work, I am there for all at any time, but I also manage my personal life as well. I can now work hard and see my kids grow up healthy all at the same time. So I guess you can give work your all and still enjoy life in the real world. That would be my message to all the 'punch a clock and get a paycheck' type of people out there. Live life to the fullest during work and after work.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Give me back my cookies!
People are creatures of habit. I have always believed that the pickiest, most particular parts of people's lives are what they eat, how they dress and how they wear their hair. It gots to be the big 3 consistent-don't mess with areas of our lives. Which is why being in the food business is challenging. So I recently lost my cookie vendor of some awesome batter.
(ok, let me put out a disclaimer: Yes, We chefs can make cookies and make them great but why not capitalize on a Brand that makes them perfect & thats all they do. We outsource this stuff otherwise we are rolling out dough at 4 in the morning. Do that once and you'll be flipping through the order guides searching for a vendor.)
So I used a replacement cookie batter, somewhat generic from another vendor.
I know, I know...You don't mess with the cookies-I found out real fast.
You see, cookies are part of the waking up in the morning routine. Got to have the same coffee, same cup, same snack in the same way. Change one part and it is impossible to handle for most people. You see this when you can look at the sleepless masses 'zombeeing' for their morning coffee and cookie. I will get the original batter back. English Bay Batter.
http://www.englishbaycookies.com/
Good thing is that I can feel confident about my English Bay Cookies. They must be good. Now I can really merchandise the product more than ever.
So then, "How do you change a product in the restaurant without all this fuss?". Very good question, very basic but believe it or not, so many chefs have no clue on how to do this. They walk in and start changing things just to change things because its how they did it before, or in school, or they just think it should be like this or that and so forth. Well, all is great for intuitiveness and iniative but in balance with the reality of a profit driven business. We'll tone down the ego, manage our pride, be humble and step back and look at the big picture on down to details. So what if we wanted to change cookies.
#1. Keep the current cookies going. Same way. Same price. Same stuff.
#2 Introduce a special, or whatever you want to call it-New Cookie!
#3 Walk & Talk it out with your customers, your guest. Listen to your
staff. Get feedback.
#4 What do you hope to achieve out of a cookie change or is there an
alternative, option or other consideration you haven't thought of.
What is the general practice in the area. "What are they doing?"
#5 So maybe you decide to keep the regular cookie, add a new one thus
increasing variety/selection and maybe even going a step further to
capture other demographics such as offering a sugar free cookie, a
'no nuts (alergy)' cookie, or even gluten free.
#6 Best case scenario, you keep your customers, build more customers,
strenghten your product line, increase profitability. It just takes
organized, thought out execution. The best changes that I have made ]
were changes that no one was aware of. Think about that.....
(ok, let me put out a disclaimer: Yes, We chefs can make cookies and make them great but why not capitalize on a Brand that makes them perfect & thats all they do. We outsource this stuff otherwise we are rolling out dough at 4 in the morning. Do that once and you'll be flipping through the order guides searching for a vendor.)
So I used a replacement cookie batter, somewhat generic from another vendor.
I know, I know...You don't mess with the cookies-I found out real fast.
You see, cookies are part of the waking up in the morning routine. Got to have the same coffee, same cup, same snack in the same way. Change one part and it is impossible to handle for most people. You see this when you can look at the sleepless masses 'zombeeing' for their morning coffee and cookie. I will get the original batter back. English Bay Batter.
http://www.englishbaycookies.com/
Good thing is that I can feel confident about my English Bay Cookies. They must be good. Now I can really merchandise the product more than ever.
So then, "How do you change a product in the restaurant without all this fuss?". Very good question, very basic but believe it or not, so many chefs have no clue on how to do this. They walk in and start changing things just to change things because its how they did it before, or in school, or they just think it should be like this or that and so forth. Well, all is great for intuitiveness and iniative but in balance with the reality of a profit driven business. We'll tone down the ego, manage our pride, be humble and step back and look at the big picture on down to details. So what if we wanted to change cookies.
#1. Keep the current cookies going. Same way. Same price. Same stuff.
#2 Introduce a special, or whatever you want to call it-New Cookie!
#3 Walk & Talk it out with your customers, your guest. Listen to your
staff. Get feedback.
#4 What do you hope to achieve out of a cookie change or is there an
alternative, option or other consideration you haven't thought of.
What is the general practice in the area. "What are they doing?"
#5 So maybe you decide to keep the regular cookie, add a new one thus
increasing variety/selection and maybe even going a step further to
capture other demographics such as offering a sugar free cookie, a
'no nuts (alergy)' cookie, or even gluten free.
#6 Best case scenario, you keep your customers, build more customers,
strenghten your product line, increase profitability. It just takes
organized, thought out execution. The best changes that I have made ]
were changes that no one was aware of. Think about that.....
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Managing Creative Types can be Difficult
I have been blessed as well as cursed for many things. I think one of my most treasured blessing has got to be my young spirited, ever wondering creativity. It has taken through childhood art classes, teen age work as a local paper cartoonist, editorial illustrator for a college newspaper, having the best college biology drawing book and free lance work as signs & graphics. But all of this has really came together in my work as a chef. I mean the ability to envision something and put it together. But with any great gift comes a price, even a cursing. I am creative, but bore easily.
I love to be in control but not controlling. I respect my superiors but do
not feel inferior. Money really never came into the picture unless it was an issue. And I freely with deliver successful results after results and will do so on my own initiative. I am richly rewarded when my staff is appreciated and thanked and I feel comfortable in the job. I really can do without the praise. I like to find the kinks, get in and fix it.
I think alot people may think they are creative but I think the truly creative ones are easily missed and dismissed by the general public because they don't know how to recognize and more importantly work with a creative spirit. Many with see a creative person maybe as a rebel or indifferent. They may even see my type as rude and downright disrespectful. I mean we tend to lay it out-straight forward and honest as possible. I always maintained that at least during work for that period I will do my job with a halo. After work, to each his own. So I have no problem recognizing bull@#!* in other people and will point it out.
That is probably why not too many creative types zoom to the top in business. It seems that as you head to the top, it resembles a pyramid and mirrors the depth and width of people as well. Lots of people at the top but 1 thick and 1 wide because they are usually all the same. That is fine in many respects. The Company, the team, the mission all has to be on the same page. But I am sure no forward thinking, self starting CEO would want his executive team to be a clone cookie cut outs. He wants to hear, see some opinion, thought and indifferences. Obama said it best during his campaign, "We can all agree to disagree".
I love to be in control but not controlling. I respect my superiors but do
not feel inferior. Money really never came into the picture unless it was an issue. And I freely with deliver successful results after results and will do so on my own initiative. I am richly rewarded when my staff is appreciated and thanked and I feel comfortable in the job. I really can do without the praise. I like to find the kinks, get in and fix it.
I think alot people may think they are creative but I think the truly creative ones are easily missed and dismissed by the general public because they don't know how to recognize and more importantly work with a creative spirit. Many with see a creative person maybe as a rebel or indifferent. They may even see my type as rude and downright disrespectful. I mean we tend to lay it out-straight forward and honest as possible. I always maintained that at least during work for that period I will do my job with a halo. After work, to each his own. So I have no problem recognizing bull@#!* in other people and will point it out.
That is probably why not too many creative types zoom to the top in business. It seems that as you head to the top, it resembles a pyramid and mirrors the depth and width of people as well. Lots of people at the top but 1 thick and 1 wide because they are usually all the same. That is fine in many respects. The Company, the team, the mission all has to be on the same page. But I am sure no forward thinking, self starting CEO would want his executive team to be a clone cookie cut outs. He wants to hear, see some opinion, thought and indifferences. Obama said it best during his campaign, "We can all agree to disagree".
Thursday, July 1, 2010
What is the 'Restaurant in a Briefcase'?
I termed a belief long ago that if I was open up a restaurant of my own or for someone else or even a company from scratch to a fully operational, profitable business; that I would need to have the entire business concept fit literally in a briefcase.
Too many people run with something, open up a restaurant and play hit and miss thinking eventually they will get it right. I guess some will and most will go out of business not knowing why they have failed. So lets back up and see just what is packed in our briefcase.
The Briefcase
1. Business Plan: Basic of the basics.
2. Business Statement: Just who are you and what do you do? Really define this one well. Everyone has to buy off on it.
3. Mission Statemen: What purpose do you serve and how do plan to do it.
This is the most single way to prevent heartache between leader by making
sure are really aboard with this one. Every step forward is wasted if we
all leave from different starting points and head to different destination points.
4. Menu Engineering. This is the tough one where everyone thinks they got the right secret.
-Basic components are a core menu that represents the niche of the market that you intend to capture. Keep in mind demographics, location, local
market, existing concepts, and long term feasibility of the concept. Also how adaptable will your concept be. Fine dining sounds great but is that really a money maker now, in this area, at this time? Maybe the crowd wants it relatively just delicious, cheap and fast. Ok, so you go with that one but include a few products and brands that can entice finer taste and yet go in sync with the core menu.
-Product Branding. This is most crucial when running a restaurant. Having solid, consistent product that can be defined down to the source, manufacturer is crucial. Take a simple steak. Are we running Angus steaks out of Kansas, grain fed, aged, sized, and portioned. Are we just ordering a steak at whatever price we can get it. This is so important that larger firms have gone to the extent of even owning their own processing plants to insure exact product branding. Some steak houses even have their own ranches just to be sure they are delivering the beef they want. Control from nuturing calves up to the slaughter houses to distribution and eventually merchandising. All this for one single product.
-Ingredients. This is even more mind boggling. If product standarization is so crucial, how about all the ingredients that might make up a certain product. You write a recipe for specialty BBQ sauce and it includes 20 plus ingredients. Are the tomatoes always from the same rancher in Mexico that grows it the same way, with the same fertilizer, the same care to insure the same flavor, color, and texture. Trying to monitor this is probably next to impossible, but it is done and it is possible. Maybe your ingredients call for items prepared such as 'Tabasco' 'Heinz Ketchup'
'Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce' and you hope they they don't change a single thing otherwise it will affect your end product. We call this a flavor profile. Everything is controlled to obtain the exact flavor you want. Not only are you watching your end, but your ingredient makers have to watch their end, and the supplier to them likewise, and so on and so on. This is why certain marketed trademark brands used to make commercial recipes such as the products mentioned above have never, never, never altered a single thing in their recipes over the last 25 years. Tabasco has tasted the same since I was a kid. Maybe new flavors but it is the same. Take Coca Cola for example, same taste after nearly a century. It is used as the base in recipes such as Cola BBQ Sauce.
-Redundancy. Build the menu around items readily available, easily controlled, easy to obtain throughout the year. I once had an owner who wanted to market specifically a exotic pear salad. Great dish when the season was right. Otherwise it was hard to get the product and if we did, it literally cost more to buy it wholesale than we could sell it for. So we came up with a couple of solutions, renaming the salad 'Seasonal Fruit Salad' and taking advantage of the pear in season and rolling with the best option in off season. We tried omitting the price and using the catch all, cover all phrase 'At Market Prices' but that kind of turns people off thinking they are getting overcharged. Making the menu specific but non specific is an art.
Too many people run with something, open up a restaurant and play hit and miss thinking eventually they will get it right. I guess some will and most will go out of business not knowing why they have failed. So lets back up and see just what is packed in our briefcase.
The Briefcase
1. Business Plan: Basic of the basics.
2. Business Statement: Just who are you and what do you do? Really define this one well. Everyone has to buy off on it.
3. Mission Statemen: What purpose do you serve and how do plan to do it.
This is the most single way to prevent heartache between leader by making
sure are really aboard with this one. Every step forward is wasted if we
all leave from different starting points and head to different destination points.
4. Menu Engineering. This is the tough one where everyone thinks they got the right secret.
-Basic components are a core menu that represents the niche of the market that you intend to capture. Keep in mind demographics, location, local
market, existing concepts, and long term feasibility of the concept. Also how adaptable will your concept be. Fine dining sounds great but is that really a money maker now, in this area, at this time? Maybe the crowd wants it relatively just delicious, cheap and fast. Ok, so you go with that one but include a few products and brands that can entice finer taste and yet go in sync with the core menu.
-Product Branding. This is most crucial when running a restaurant. Having solid, consistent product that can be defined down to the source, manufacturer is crucial. Take a simple steak. Are we running Angus steaks out of Kansas, grain fed, aged, sized, and portioned. Are we just ordering a steak at whatever price we can get it. This is so important that larger firms have gone to the extent of even owning their own processing plants to insure exact product branding. Some steak houses even have their own ranches just to be sure they are delivering the beef they want. Control from nuturing calves up to the slaughter houses to distribution and eventually merchandising. All this for one single product.
-Ingredients. This is even more mind boggling. If product standarization is so crucial, how about all the ingredients that might make up a certain product. You write a recipe for specialty BBQ sauce and it includes 20 plus ingredients. Are the tomatoes always from the same rancher in Mexico that grows it the same way, with the same fertilizer, the same care to insure the same flavor, color, and texture. Trying to monitor this is probably next to impossible, but it is done and it is possible. Maybe your ingredients call for items prepared such as 'Tabasco' 'Heinz Ketchup'
'Lea & Perrins Worchestershire Sauce' and you hope they they don't change a single thing otherwise it will affect your end product. We call this a flavor profile. Everything is controlled to obtain the exact flavor you want. Not only are you watching your end, but your ingredient makers have to watch their end, and the supplier to them likewise, and so on and so on. This is why certain marketed trademark brands used to make commercial recipes such as the products mentioned above have never, never, never altered a single thing in their recipes over the last 25 years. Tabasco has tasted the same since I was a kid. Maybe new flavors but it is the same. Take Coca Cola for example, same taste after nearly a century. It is used as the base in recipes such as Cola BBQ Sauce.
-Redundancy. Build the menu around items readily available, easily controlled, easy to obtain throughout the year. I once had an owner who wanted to market specifically a exotic pear salad. Great dish when the season was right. Otherwise it was hard to get the product and if we did, it literally cost more to buy it wholesale than we could sell it for. So we came up with a couple of solutions, renaming the salad 'Seasonal Fruit Salad' and taking advantage of the pear in season and rolling with the best option in off season. We tried omitting the price and using the catch all, cover all phrase 'At Market Prices' but that kind of turns people off thinking they are getting overcharged. Making the menu specific but non specific is an art.
The grass is always greener on the other side...Not!
So many times, I believe, we tend to think 'they' got it right or 'they' are doing it correct, ect. ect. Well, nothing wrong with being open to
new ideas, suggestions and all. Sometimes we look so hard outwards that
we can't see the nose on our own faces. Where am I going with this?
This where: You want a good operation, then you run a good operation.
Simple. Done. Don't make it too hard. No amounts of books, logs, records, files, cross indexes, software, and rabbits out of the hat are going to
replace skilled managed leadership. All of these tools are just that, tools to assist one in the effective managing of an establishment. Make no doubt about that. I have worked in many companies. One such was so anal retentive to have a book policy on every thing dreamable in the food business. These books literally costs hundreds of thousands to maintain, distribute, update, and eventually have go to wasted, yellowed trash.
And almost always they were headed up by people who had no idea about the food business. Now I believe firmly in established standards, procedures and all else to format a successful concept. There is a happy harmony between fly on the hip management and training, literature doctrine. Both work together. So now what we see in modern successful food establishments is not the clutter of needless paper work but the collaboration of operational programs. Food Safety program, Work Safety program, New hire training program, food cost analysis, food specifications, menu design and concept, product branding and standarization, ect. ect. These are most concrete, tangible training
tools than philosophical garbage. I had a boss who once said, "Paperwork is something you do when you're not making money". Think about it.
So we define the Mission Statement, Business Statement and the main objective of our very existence. We then write, train and work everything into this.
new ideas, suggestions and all. Sometimes we look so hard outwards that
we can't see the nose on our own faces. Where am I going with this?
This where: You want a good operation, then you run a good operation.
Simple. Done. Don't make it too hard. No amounts of books, logs, records, files, cross indexes, software, and rabbits out of the hat are going to
replace skilled managed leadership. All of these tools are just that, tools to assist one in the effective managing of an establishment. Make no doubt about that. I have worked in many companies. One such was so anal retentive to have a book policy on every thing dreamable in the food business. These books literally costs hundreds of thousands to maintain, distribute, update, and eventually have go to wasted, yellowed trash.
And almost always they were headed up by people who had no idea about the food business. Now I believe firmly in established standards, procedures and all else to format a successful concept. There is a happy harmony between fly on the hip management and training, literature doctrine. Both work together. So now what we see in modern successful food establishments is not the clutter of needless paper work but the collaboration of operational programs. Food Safety program, Work Safety program, New hire training program, food cost analysis, food specifications, menu design and concept, product branding and standarization, ect. ect. These are most concrete, tangible training
tools than philosophical garbage. I had a boss who once said, "Paperwork is something you do when you're not making money". Think about it.
So we define the Mission Statement, Business Statement and the main objective of our very existence. We then write, train and work everything into this.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
You set the bar, keep the standards and do not compromise your culinary intergrity. Smile, speak softly and carry a big stick...
It is amazing and rewarding to see your crew,teamplayers, students, and
customer base rise to the level of service expectations that you set.
It works. You set the example, teach, train, and follow up-you turn your back and then re-face your work-to see that the mission set is being carried out smoothly by your team. It has to be the ultimate joy of any
manager to see his team perform as well or even better without his direct
presence. Its a fine tunning line to walk. The rewards of a teacher.
customer base rise to the level of service expectations that you set.
It works. You set the example, teach, train, and follow up-you turn your back and then re-face your work-to see that the mission set is being carried out smoothly by your team. It has to be the ultimate joy of any
manager to see his team perform as well or even better without his direct
presence. Its a fine tunning line to walk. The rewards of a teacher.
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