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Tag Archives: Restaurant workers

OUR DAILY BREATH:  COOKS ARE SALT OF THE EARTH

11 Monday May 2020

Posted by harvestamericacues.com in Uncategorized

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chefs, cooks, hard work in the kitchen, Restaurant workers, salt of the earth

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There is a world of difference in how we view people whether from the outside looking in or the inside looking out. We walk on dangerous ground when we rely on first impressions or unverified perceptions (outside looking in) to assess others and stand a much better chance of understanding the type of person they are when we stand beside them, experience their daily interactions, inquire about their background and influences, feel their pain and share in their joy.

I have enjoyed the privilege of working with, standing beside, listening to the stories, and building an understanding of the people who work in kitchens. These people, once a baseline level of trust is realized, tend to bare their souls to each other. To build an effective kitchen team is to learn what is in each individuals heart, what has brought them to this point in time, how they feel about their own position in time, and their feeling of self-worth. Once you share this information with another person you are suddenly in a position to appreciate who they are and how you might connect in work and in life. It is a wonderful feeling to reach that point and have that experience, an experience that would be hard to replicate anywhere else but in a kitchen.

This is what I have found once you put aside the thick layers of crust, once you dig past the exterior and move away from any preconceived ideas about who a person is, then the real person rises to the surface. Let’s face it, many cooks have loads of layers of crust that seem impenetrable at times, layers that have taken decades to create and will take time to break through. I have found that the vast majority of cooks, chefs, bakers, and dishwashers are salt of the earth individuals. They may come from different socio-economic backgrounds: some have college degrees, while others never made it through high school; some come from strong family backgrounds while others have non-existent or even tragic relationships with their families; some are well read while others never pick up a book; some have an untarnished relationship with the law while many others have a rap sheet of offenses that will stay with them for life; and some have strong relationships with others while many are loners who find no-one to share their life with outside of work. I have invested time with kitchen workers from Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Poland, Greece, Portugal, France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, China, Japan, Ecuador, Africa, Russia, Jamaica, and Italy; from the poorest communities of the U.S. South, to affluent urban centers on both coasts – in their heart they are almost always the same – they are the salt of the earth.

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I frequently reflect on the lyrics from the Rolling Stones “Salt of the Earth”:

Let’s drink to the hard working people
Let’s drink to the lowly of birth
Raise your glass to the good and the evil
Let’s drink to the salt of the earth

Say a prayer for the common foot soldier
Spare a thought for his backbreaking work
Say a prayer for his wife and his children
Who burn the fires and who still till the earth

These cooks, chefs, bakers, and dishwashers that I have shared space with in kitchens are all foot soldiers for the craft – members of a community that work physically, mentally, and emotionally hard – every day. They put aside their differences, push away from the outside challenges in their lives, and embrace this common bond – “do the work, do it well, do it with passion, and always support the person working next to you.”

It is the work that helps to bridge all of those differences, it is the work that pulls them in and gives them purpose, it is the work that helps to define them as special.

LINE COOKS ARE THE ENGINE THAT DRIVE A RESTAURANT

As I continue to struggle with the impact that our current crisis has on nearly everything in our lives, I can’t help but wonder how detrimental this time is to these “salt of the earth” foot soldiers. If it is the work that gives them purpose, that unifies their spirit, and that allows them to look past the challenges in their lives – what happens as that work is taken away?

I felt a pain of disappointment the other day when I read articles that chastised some foodservice workers who seemed reluctant to go back to work because they were making more on enhanced unemployment than they would if they were to sweat over a blazing range. The inference was that they must be lazy and that the government was a soft parent for rewarding their laziness. I think that we are missing the point – these are my salt of the earth people, these are the same people who would rather work when they were in pain than disappoint their co-workers, these are the individuals who would consistently spend 10-12 hours a day on their feet in a very challenging, and sometimes dangerous work environment because it was the right thing to do. Maybe, just maybe, it is finally time for us to realize that these employees are worth more and that what they are paid is far too often insufficient for them to survive. Make no mistake – the vast majority would rather work, but for this brief period of time they are able to pay their bills. Let’s start to reflect on value and fair treatment as we transition back into business.

I continue to think about these fantastic people with whom I have spent my entire career and know that as we bring life back to our kitchens we will have a considerable amount of acclimation to deal with. Skills can atrophy when not in use and this period of months when our warrior kitchen staff has been idle, when those bonds that were built among their team members, and when those life stories were shared and accepted, there will be much that has atrophied. They won’t be as trusting when they return, they won’t share as much as they had when their life was entwined with others, and many of those technical skills that were once fine tuned will suffer from idle rust. It will be like a favorite sauté pan that has lost its season – it just won’t work well until is has been fired, rubbed with salt, used and abused until it is slick and polished – that point where it never fails the cook and nothing sticks. All of those “salt of the earth” employees will need some time to polish their skills, to let down their barriers, and to remove a few layers of that crust.

This time of idleness is dangerous for a cook, it is a time when there is too little to do and not enough release for those environmental factors that make them interesting yet vulnerable. Chefs and operators need to keep this in mind as they struggle with the when and how to bring their operations back on line. Communicate with those team members and give them something to chew on so that when the time arrives they will be able to fire up their engines, brush off the dust from their shoulders, and perform their magic once again.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Stay Connected to Your Team

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

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LOOK INTO A RESTAURANT WORKER’S EYES

07 Saturday Sep 2019

Posted by harvestamericacues.com in Uncategorized

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Tags

chefs, cooks, demons within, Restaurant Eyes, Restaurant workers

cook

I can’t remember where I first saw this picture, but regardless – I found it so telling of the soul of a restaurant worker. Far too often, we assess people based on face value – our first impressions that are sometimes true, but oftentimes – misleading. How often do we take the time to truly look people in the eye, get to know them, get to understand them, and allow ourselves to feel their condition? Behind that façade of cook, chef, owner, server, bartender, or dishwasher is a person with deep feelings, life challenges, missed opportunities, great aspirations, interesting talent, and a heart that may be strong, broken, or on the mend.

I find that restaurant employees represent a portal into the human condition – a sampling of a cross section of America – it’s challenges and its opportunities. They are my portal, the people whom I know best – my friends, co-workers, source of dismay, and source of inspiration – these are the people with whom I am most connected. For those familiar with the business – the following assessment will likely ring true, but for those outside of the restaurant field it may prove to be confusing and enlightening at the same time. This is an attempt at viewing the people behind that plate of food through a magnifying glass. This is an opportunity to humanize the restaurant business and provide a perspective that will give life to that plate of food and the experience that these individuals collectively create.

A server arrives at the table with a smile and warm greeting ready to guide you through the process of ordering, becoming the liaison between the kitchen and the dining room, and hoping to build your experience while increasing that check average at the same time. As much as he or she rehearses the approach, and as much as the server might enjoy the company of other restaurant employees, for the majority of service staff – this is not a life-long ambition. There is a good chance that a server may have a degree in a different field that was, at some level – their passion. It might be in psychology, anthropology, and business marketing, or journalism- but odds are it was not in restaurant management. The server may very well be a teacher who can’t make ends meet on the meager salary offered those in the field of education – this is a second job. Maybe, the server is a single parent who finds that the restaurant schedule aligns with that of the baby sitter, or it might just be that transition job in-between careers (you can always fall back on the restaurant business). The stories of struggling actors taking a job as a waiter are still prevalent, as are those of the transient traveler who picks up a server position as he or she treks across the country. There are many skiers or surfers who simply look for that restaurant job that allows them the time to pursue their passion during the day. On rare occasions there might be a server who actually wants to do this work because he or she loves it and wants to make service – a career.

Behind those eyes is a person, who in many cases, would rather be doing something else, but struggles internally to make it work, to do a good job, to try and make customers happy, and who wants to be in a happy place while they figure out what to do next.

The cook is a complex person who shows a persona on the outside that is likely very different than the one inside. That crusty line cook who seems to always carry a burden on his or her shoulders might spend free time writing contemporary poetry or insightful articles on a blog (yes, I have seen both). That quiet, methodical prep cook may live in a sparsely furnished apartment, but glow over that vintage Stratocaster guitar and double stack Marshall amplifier stuck in the corner. It is this instrument that gives the cook real pleasure and astounds his or her close friends when given the opportunity to hear this hidden talent masterfully shred a few solos. Or you might just find a dozen or so sketch pads with incredible charcoal drawings or even an easel with a current watercolor that the cook has been working on.

There is a chance, just as is the case with service staff, that the cook has a degree in an unrelated field, or maybe was a few courses short of completion when he or she lost hope of pursuing that career in programming, music, or graphic art. Cooking is the safe haven for these cooks – a place that they can fall back on, feel comfortable, work physically and mentally hard, and push aside those feelings of being incomplete – at least during that 10-12 hour shift.

Many cooks are lonely people, not to be confused with loners. They may put on a façade of enjoying their independence, but in their heart they are looking for real companionship and unable to find it. The kitchen is a place where they feel as if they have connections and a purpose.

Of course, I have seen the hopelessness in the eyes of some cooks who suffer from a variety of addictions from alcohol to drugs, and from self-doubt to uncontrolled anger. All of these destructive behaviors seem to find solace in a kitchen where no one judges and where there is always a support mechanism that can either comfort those in pain, or feed the pain with common misery. In all cases – deep within those eyes is a story, one that can be either listened to or ignored.

second cook

Don’t underestimate the dishwasher. Look into the dishwasher’s eyes – why is he or she here? What makes this person tick, what dreams are swirling around in his or her head, heart, and soul? Sometimes it is simply that transition job, a steppingstone to something different or bigger. Sometimes it is an escape from something else – stress, life challenges, job uncertainty, or disappointment. Oftentimes it is a second job that simply means a paycheck, but you might be surprised to find a few who are perfectly content to take on a job that provides steady work, doesn’t require constant skill improvement, and is very predictable. I have seen dishwashers who do the work without complaint and take a scheduled break while reading a complex novel or page through the Wall Street Journal (yes, I have seen both). Never judge or wire your thought process to think that the person diving for pearls is in any way less complex than any other employee. Look into their eyes.

The chef is maybe the most intriguing figure in a kitchen. It is easy to list the many difficult aspects of the job that would, and maybe should, scare people away from the lead position in the kitchen. Yet, there is never a shortage of individuals who think that it is the right track for them. Most, but not all, chefs suffer from obsessive/compulsive behavior patterns, a bit of attention deficit, sleep deprivation, occasional attacks of anxiety, lower than normal patience levels, and difficulty accepting any slip in quality from themselves or others. Look into a chef’s eyes and you will see adrenaline wrestling with self-doubt, untapped entrepreneurial energy, an awareness of uncontrolled work ethic, and that uncomfortable feeling that everything could fall apart in an instant.

Far too many chefs have incredible talent and far too little self-control of their emotions. This results in lashing out and unprofessional behavior that puts a kitchen on edge. The answer for them is to either admit that they need to change and put the effort in or hop from property to property until they step over the line once again. Look into their eyes and view a complex person who must constantly work at the balance that it takes to navigate the ship. They may be happy to state their love of the profession, but they also know how tenuous the position is. Look into their eyes and you will see a person who will always treat the position as if they owned it, their entrepreneurial spirit is always present. Chefs are creative individuals with the organizational skills of a librarian – a combination that is sometimes difficult to understand and deal with.

Look into a restaurant employees eyes and try to understand what is inside, what makes them tick, and what demons they work hard to keep in check.

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER

Harvest America Ventures, LLC

Restaurant Consulting

www.harvestamericaventures.com

www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG

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SETTING THE HOLIDAY TABLE – A New Role for Restaurants

21 Thursday Nov 2013

Tags

chefs, cooks, Holiday Season, Holidays at Restaurants, Restaurant workers, restaurants, servers, Thanksgiving, waiters

SETTING THE HOLIDAY TABLE - A New Role for Restaurants

Good, bad or indifferent, the reality for the holidays is that they mark some of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. To our guests it may simply reflect their desire to truly relax and avoid the hustle of pulling together their largest family meal of the year, it might reflect (another whole topic) their lack of skill or desire to cook, or it might simply be a interest in the local restaurant’s interpretation of a special meal. To the restaurant employee it becomes “another day” in a busy operation and one more instance where they are unable to spend time with their family. On the business side, this might be one of the few opportunities over the next two months to generate some sales since aside from those areas that are a shopping destination, people are somewhat reluctant to spend their discretionary income on dining out when there is a struggle to find the money to buy gifts.

The question is “how do we make something very positive out of this restaurant reality”? Restaurants live in a different climate today. Our role has sped past simply providing nourishment. We are now in the business of providing appropriate nutrition, looking out for guest health, accommodation of special dietary needs, a source of entertainment, a center for food education, a resource for rewarding guests when others outside the restaurant ignore their contributions to society, a place where individuals celebrate each other, and now a substitute for the family table. This is not a burden, it is a much broader role that allows restaurants to play an integral part in people’s lives and in turn create the chance for us to survive and occasionally thrive as a business. It behooves us to add this reality to the training that we offer employees – they need to be on-board and we need to create a reward system that recognizes their efforts and sacrifices.

It is now the role of restaurants to re-create that family table that was depicted in the Norman Rockwell painting of this American tradition. This cannot be simply another dinner out – it must be special and memorable. It must be our pleasure to provide this for every guest who chooses to share his or her family time with us. This may be cliché and seemingly unrealistic, but this is our role. So – how can we create this experience and feeling in our restaurants and do so with a real sense of caring?

A quote by: Sarah Henry in her novel: “A Cold and Lonely Place” sums up the answer to this question: “Sometimes home is where you’re at, and family is who you’re with.” Restaurant people, as I have previously mentioned, are some of the most thoughtful and caring people that I know – yet when asked what distresses them most about working in the business, the answer is almost always universal. What upsets them most goes beyond the hard physical work, beyond the hours that they must commit, even beyond the 5% of guests served who can be rude; the primary stressor is an employees inability to spend quality time with his or her family – especially during the holidays. As restaurateurs and chefs we cannot ignore this fact. The employee may be physically present but their hearts are miles away with their spouse, children, parents, siblings and friends. This feeling cannot be put aside, it is there and will, without a doubt, impact on the employees’ ability to put on a smiling face and provide that exceptional guest experience. So how can we take advantage of the wisdom in Sarah Henry’s quote?

The answer should be a focus of those in our human resource worlds, a topic of discussion and planning in manager meetings, and a commitment on the part of owners. We are, after all, in the service business. James Heskett from the Harvard Business School once said: “if you are not serving the guest directly you must serve those you are”. To provide that level of guest experience that fulfills our new business reality we must insure that our employees feel good about their role and feel that their time away from family is taken into account.

There are some excellent examples of ways that restaurants can, and in many cases have built on the premise of Sarah Henry’s quote. Re-creating opportunities for the “restaurant family” to break bread and celebrate each other with great food, comfortable family meal environments with all the trimmings, toasts to this and their biological families can go a long way. This should be built into the holiday schedule and focused on with the same enthusiasm and attention to detail that we put into the guest experience. Employee turkey’s and other products as a bonus for their families to enjoy at home is a small price to pay with a big return. Thank you cards from owners and managers and even in-kind donations to local charities and people in need that carry the names of your staff members will help them to sense the spirit of the season. Scheduling staff for shorter shifts on holidays so that they can spend time with their families is a considerate approach, especially for those with young children. I am sure that with a concerted effort, each restaurant can come up with their own ideas on how to turn lemons into lemonade.

On the guest side, building that environment of celebration will become real when an appreciated staff exudes the warmth of the holidays and a sincere approach towards service. Give it some thought this holiday season as we set the table for guests in our busy restaurants.

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Posted by harvestamericacues.com | Filed under Uncategorized

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