What is the most important job in a restaurant?

The food chain of a restaurant could be long--especially if you're talking about the typical corporate restaurant.. A corporate restaurant is one run more like a government agency.. Strict controls over food, controls over workers.. the proper belts and socks are necessary.

But in the small town small time food joints, what matters most? The manager? Managers may say so..
The server? Servers think so ..
The chef?
Chefs know so.

I argue that, despite my history as a server, that the chef is the ultimate end all with a restaurant.. The food will make or break the entire establishment..

Servers need to know their job and serve in proper ways.. Make sure things in the front of the house look classy. Management.. well.. Needs to simply stay out of the way.

A family member of mine recently began working for a certain unnamed corporate establishment. It's a process. The customer is simply a number. Get them in, get them out.. Bring the check quickly to discourage dessert. Tables have to be turned..
But the management within this type of a corporate structure appears more eager to recite the things they learned at college business classes as opposed to real life restaurants..

Regardless of the management and food service, the food itself will determine whether someone comes back. A bad experience may result from a shoddy server, but a case of food poisoning will forever close a company..

Servers, I am one of you. But I argue we in the end are replaceable. The management is too.. The chefs could, if they are good be too good to lose.

At least we all agree that management can botch up more than fix..

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The most expensive diarrhea and vomiting you'll ever have

A little while since updates took place.. my apologies..

The intriguing story of the Fat Duck restaurant in England must be read.

The top restaurant in the UK features bacon and egg ice cream .. snails.. many courses frozen in liquid nitrogen.. And according to reporting by Reuters, it's about $185 a head to eat there for its 17-course tasting menu!

And now there are 400 cases of diarrhea and vomiting ! The most expensive excrement on earth!

While no restaurant anywhere in the world would enjoy such coverage at the Fat Duck, it must be noted that the eatery headed by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal is cooperating with the investigation into why people are getting sick..

Customers to the Fat Duck have to wait months before they can get a table.. But it most likely takes just hours to get a toilet--no reservations required.

The official Fat Duck website hasn't been updated, apparently, as it says, "This has been an exceptional year for us and we aim to keep you up to date with all our news and developments" ..

The Fat Duck is also still taking reservations ..

Just two years ago, British media gave heavy praise to Heston Blumenthal .. The toilet paper industry will praise him now..

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The VD day from hell...

Why? Because simply put it was your typical Valentine's Day of lovers in love, a kitchen filled with hate, and a server filled with the anxiety of a bad dream that never ends, only extended further with the entrance of every incoming table.

As typical, the night started off fine. Everything was going according to plan--how can it not when you have only about 4 or 5 tables.. When it turns into 15 to 20, things get hectic.. when you have fellow co-workers that don't necessarily pull their own weight it gets a lot worse.

Kitchen was short-staffed but the one cook pulled it off.. at one point she had over 5 lobster tails in one oven along with 15 steaks, 4 flounder dinners, and at least a dozen appetizers. For one person, a few burned crab cakes wasn't a big deal in my mind..

The worst part of the night was the fact that a 100-person wedding was taking place at the same time Valentine's Day dinners were coming out of the kitchen slow and curious..

And just when I felt the night had run its course and the worst was over.. the mashed potato incident took place.

A customer said his potatoes were cold.. which there was a good chance they were due to me not getting them out as quick as I should have.. I brought more out, this time they were steaming.. He said.. "Nope, still cold" as he stuck his finger directly into the middle of the plate..
Ok..
Back to the kitchen, back out again.. This time, he told me, "They're hot, but there's gravy on them." .. Keep in mind there was gravy on them each other time I brought them out..
Ok..
Back to the kitchen, back out.. (About now is when other servers began talking and whispering about ME for not cleaning my table tops off!)
This time when the potatoes came out, he told me he didn't want them .."Done with dinner, don't want them."

I said to him, "You realize, sir, you're doing this whole thing about mashed potatoes, right?" No response.. I felt like beheading him with my serving tray..

But that incident topped off the already hectic night.. The timing was impeccable.

A few nice tables.. and all in all, just another night. Shared by thousands of servers throughout America.

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NOOOO!!!!! THEY'RE COMING IN IN TWOS!

Here we are again.. Valentine's Day dinners for two coming your way tonight.

Busy restaurants even during recession.. snobby couples that want their turf medium rare and their surf juicy with a side of hot butter..

You can always spot the different types of couples in the crowd on Valentine's Day. The newer ones are dressed nice, want the classy and elegant bottle of wine.. the older ones want chicken wings, pizza, or beer and margaritas.

There have been legendary 'bastard' tables in my recollection, and I am sure you're no different.. Valentine's Day is one of the busier nights for restaurants throughout the nation, and there are most likely horror stories that come from all over. . If you want, Email me your horror stories and I will put them here--minus your name and personal details of course.. And if I have any horror stories from later, I will share accordingly.

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Peanut butter jelly time -- just hold the peanut butter

Full list of the ever expanding peanut butter recall.

Another note: There is now a criminal investigation into the Georgia plant where the peanut butter products originated from ..

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Where are all the restaurant layoffs at?

Where are all the restaurant victims of the economic disaster hitting the United States and world?

Why isn't Red Lobster announcing layoffs.. Servers at Olive Garden still appear to be safe.. People still going out to eat? You'd think if they weren't shopping or buying cars, they would not be buying food either..

That OR the lives of servers just don't matter as much.. The small restaurants scaling back hours and pay in exchange for survivable business profits don't make news. But it's happening.. There are eateries with a hell of a lot less business than there would have been a year or two ago..

As the drumbeat of bad news continues, a word to the wise: Restaurants will soon start taking a major hit.. Who will be safe?

For some reason I bet drive-by coffee sales trucks and sidewalk hot dog vendors.. Only the cheap survive depressions..

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January slowdown...

It's slower at all restaurants in January, that we know.. But is it even slower this year because of the economic turmoil facing the nation? Are people going to stop eating?? I think that's a complicated question..

For one, people will eat. They may not go to restaurants as much, but they will eat. Catering will still continue--funerals and weddings don't end because of a recession.

But in my mind we may see a turn back to local homegrown and home cooked food. Goodbye to the chains---besides of course the fast food that will never die in America..

Ii think there will be a realignment in people's minds of what's important and what matters...

There will be a cutback.. Smaller places will thrive if they price their food right.. I think food truck will do good, too.

I may be talking nonsense.. but the economy makes that happen. Things are pretty bad.

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Green steaks.............

Had a pretty bad experience tonight at a local grocery store. It started great though! Steaks were on sale, I bought a few and thought, 'hey this will make a great dinner' .. How wrong I was.

The steaks were green! Green!! I tell you! Green!

But really, who else out there experienced a situation where, *cough*, the restaurant you work at would have STILL served those steaks? I mean.. they weren't all green, and after all when the steak gets grilled you'd have a pretty tough time seeing the discoloration. Right?

I'm leaving the store unnamed for a few reasons--but mainly because as soon as I took my discolored meat back they allowed me to have a choice between new meat or new money. I chose the meat, only because I was hungry for some bloody iron tonight..

But.. if I went to a restaurant and that steak was green.. how would I have known? And, don't tell me it doesn't happen............................

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We've all been here before..

True and funny tale of lunch with the blue-haired ladies.. Who doesn't have a story similar...

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Bad wings and breasts: Hooters does the unthinkable..

In an age of business closings and restaurants failing? Hooters make s a profit..

Sex sells. And they mix it with alcohol. Apparently, in 2008, a winning combination..

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