restaurants
-
COOKS – GETTING BACK INTO THE ZONE
Take a deep breath as you walk through those back doors, back into the kitchen that was so familiar, back to a place that you have missed for the past three months. Somehow you are nervous – why is that?… Continue reading
-
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE IN SHORT SUPPLY
I am a concerned spectator at a time when everything seems to be in question and every one of us lives on the edge. We fear, we adjust, we cope, and then there comes a time when our coping mechanism… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: OPENING RESTAURANTS – WHERE’S THE PLAN, STAN?
Let’s assume, for a moment, that we actually are all in this together. Let’s put on our restaurant hat and take responsibility for doing what is right for both the health and wellbeing of our families, staff, and customers, and… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: CHANGE FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
There is so much angst and uncertainty among the restaurant community right now. Should we reopen when the green light is given? What precautions need to be in place to protect our staff and customers? How will we survive if… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: PROBLEMS WITH THE CENTRALIZED FOOD SYSTEM
Every day there are lessons to be learned. At this level of crisis there are bound to be ancillary challenges that arise – challenges that were not obvious until the domino theory took hold. The farm to table movement of… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH – OUR DAILY BREATHE: A CHEF’S RESOLVE
Breathe in – breathe out. Fill your lungs and then slowly exhale. To breathe is to engage in a process unlike a breath – which is a short moment in time. We breathe to cleanse our soul and to refresh… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: A PHASED IN APPROACH TOWARD RESURRECTING RESTAURANTS
A cautious approach towards opening is the most prudent rule as we begin to see signs of a virus that might be controlled in the future. There are few certainties at this time except an understanding that this is not… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: CHEFS – REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF “WOW”
There is so much to think about, so many decisions to make, and so much angst about what the future holds. Building a well thought out strategy for starting up the restaurant engine after we move forward is paramount and… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: HEY AMERICA – THIS IS WHY RESTAURANTS ARE IMPORTANT
It seems that we have reached a point where acceptable casualties is a consideration in so many decisions. Whether it is the environment, the postal service, senior citizens, global partnerships, healthcare, or restaurants – there is a tendency to set… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: POST COVID KITCHENS – GET READY
Restaurants will get the green light at some point. When the data demonstrates that the virus is somewhat under control – whether that is the end of May or later, we all know in our hearts and minds that things… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: HOW WILL WE RE-CREATE THE CULTURE OF DINING OUT?
There are few things in life that vividly define the culture associated with a group of people more than dining out. Food is connected to nearly every aspect of life, family, and the art of living. A culture is a… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: A CHEF’S WINDOW TO THE WORLD
It’s day 14 of a Covid-19 voluntary lockdown. Aside from a trip to the grocery store and an isolated morning walk now and again, I have been a prisoner of my home. The same is true for my family in… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
There has never been a more important time for leadership – not the job title – the act of leadership and the positive actions of those who rise to the occasion. It is human nature for the vast majority of… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: AS OUR KITCHENS SLEEP
There is no one to turn on the lights, fire up the ovens, start the groan of hood exhausts, and no one to fill the dish machine tank and three bay sink. Vendor deliveries have ceased, floors remain clean and… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: IS THE AMERICAN DREAM IN JEOPARDY?
To me, there is nothing more soul crushing than to see a restaurant closed and for sale. Behind the sign on the front window is a story of a person’s dream, an all out life change to become an entrepreneur,… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: TAKING THE KITCHEN OUT OF THE COOK IS PROBLEMATIC
We have all heard the phrase: “You can take the cook out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the cook.” While there is certainly some merit to this statement, the current isolation is pushing the… Continue reading
-
OUR DAILY BREATH: FOOD, SHELTER, CLOTHING, HEALTH, FAMILY, COMMUNICATION, and TRUST
This is where we are today. If we push aside much of the chatter and get down to the necessities in life that are food, shelter, clothing, health, family, communication and trust that rise to the top of the priority… Continue reading
-
RESTAURANT SURVIVAL MOVING FORWARD
We have never seen anything like this. Everyone in the restaurant industry is petrified beyond today – they immediately think about how impossible it might be to dig themselves out of the hole being created. I have communicated with many… Continue reading
-
THINK GLOBALLY – ACT LOCALLY
We find ourselves in very troubling times. A time when we are asked to socially isolate, to work remotely, to trust the words of those who have been untrustworthy in the past, and to simply wait and see. We are… Continue reading
-
CHEFS – THIS VIRUS IS A WAKE-UP CALL
As I find myself glued to the news that attacks everyone’s central nervous system, I am beginning to envision the chaos that the corona virus pandemic is about to inflict on the restaurant business. This is not the aftermath of… Continue reading
-
ARE RESTAURANTS FACING EVOLUTION OR REVOLUTION?
Is it just another one of those cycles with a few new challenges or is it something else? It seems to me, once you start to connect the dots, you will note that the times they are a changing, and… Continue reading
-
WHY RUNNING A CLUB KITCHEN MIGHT BE THE TOUGHEST AND MOST SATISFYING CHEF POSITION OUT THERE
The tasks of the chef are fairly universal: planning menus, putting your signature on each dish, hiring and training staff, ordering product and building vendor relationships, controlling costs and adhering to budgets, maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment, etc.… Continue reading
-
CHEFS: BUILD A TEAM – KEEP A TEAM
There is no issue more pressing, and no task more important than building a kitchen team and establishing a culture of retention. Yes, I do mean a culture of retention. A chef may be talented, have a great resume, be… Continue reading
-
COOKS – THE COMFORT OF HEAT, SWEAT, AND HARD-WORK
Staring at the POS printer, waiting for those orders to start their tap dance building to a crescendo in an hour or so, clicking a pair of tongs by your side, shifting weight from one foot to the other, and… Continue reading
-
IT’S ONLY MY POINT OF VIEW
I always try to see things through other people’s eyes and not just my own. There are always multiple sides to every issue, and numerous factors that sway a person’s perspective one-way or the other. When it comes to work… Continue reading
-
A CHEF WHO GETS THE MESSAGE RIGHT
Two of the most significant issues facing businesses today are RETAINING good employees who are so difficult to find and MAXIMIZING the productivity and efficiency of those same employees. Ample research has been done pointing to the most significant culprit… Continue reading
-
STOP THE 100% TARIFF ON EUROPEAN GOODS
White tower decisions without a grasp on the systemic impact of those decisions is a common flaw of leaders who are out of touch with reality. It happens in business, it happens in education, and it happens most often in… Continue reading
-
A COOK’S NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS
Yep – another year, another moment in time to reflect on where you are and where you might be going. To many people a resolution is a futile attempt at changing poor behavior, lost opportunity, broken promises, and failed attempts… Continue reading
-
TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
There are aspects of the restaurant business that have always made me feel whole. The opportunity to hone ones craft, to create something tangible with your hands, to have the privilege of working with Nature’s ingredients and pay respect to… Continue reading
Harvest America CUES BLOG 