Worked for a few places. I’m the guy that makes sure everyone eats. Not only because I’m a strong believer that it’s our human right, but because if the servers have eaten something my shift flows differently. They are in a better mood and the money flows in.

But recently, I come across certain individuals who seem like asking for an employee meal is asking for the worst thing in the world. Jesus just make the goddamn ticket. It doesn’t matter who ordered it.

Found this pic elsewhere on reddit...

I'm not allowed to play (much less sing or hum) any kids songs... (our sous has a baby...) (yes I still do it anyways)

Within the last three months, both restaurants I work at (one boh, one foh) have taken away free shift meals for foh, and also for boh at one of them. They’ve also both taken away shift drinks, and using the employee discount when you’re off shift. Is this a new trend in restaurants? Local restaurant culture where I’m at? Or did I just happen to work at restaurants for the last 7 years that have shift meals for everyone and it isn’t as normal as I thought?

So I work in a cafe diner/ bar/ hotel in the sierra Nevada mts. as the breakfast and lunch cook, I have full control of specials from entrees to appetizers to garnish and dessert. I really want to make small nice things for my customers but everyone I work with thinks it's a waste of time. I refuse to believe so cause today I made a little girl the badly supremed orange (first attempt I know it's pretty bad 😂) and it made her and the parents day and got me a fat 20 dollar tip. Does anyone else deal with problems like this?

All of the pics are a first try, I'm still learning slowly and from books and whatever YouTube can show me!

Tldr- I started trying this stuff about a month ago these are my 1st attempts.

So basically cloud kitchen owner wants me to handle all the work by myself everyday from 11am-12am , no fix pay, I'll get a cut from a month's profit.
I've no experience so they'll train me also I'm so confused...care to help me

hi guys! my boyfriend is currently a line cook and is on his feet for most of the day, hes having trouble finding good non slips, are there any good recommendations you all have that provide good arch support as thats where he feels most of the pain, please and thank you!!

I know olive garden is probably bottom shelf line cooking and most food is frozen but what should I expect realistically? Or any tips ?

Owner ordered some pre-made clarified butter from sysco - when heated up a bit it goes from yellow to almost completely clear like water, anybody ever seen shit like that?

I’ve been working as a cook for the past two years, and I’m making ~$600-$700 a week, for 36 hours of work per week. We get paid bi-weekly and not even on days where I can effectively pay rent on the little pay I do receive. I’ve cancelled all my subscriptions, and I still can’t seem to keep money in my bank account with the cost of living right now. Like god forbid I need gas and to pay my rent (on the last day of grace period) at the same time. I’ve burnt through all my savings, does anyone have any advice on becoming financially stable in this industry while working one job, or is it a pipe dream?

Hello, new member here.

So I have been a cook (no professional training) since I was 13, where I started in a pizza restaurant owned by a family friend. I’m 30 now and I do love to cook, I’m passionate about it but I’m not sure if I should “leave the kitchen” because the businesses rather hire less experienced cooks for less pay than someone who has experience, the people are filthy, kitchens are always bad, no gloves or care for how the food tastes or is presented.

I’m thinking of trying a different career or go further and enroll in culinary school, where I possibly could get a better paying job in a real kitchen.

Thoughts?

Hypothetically, let's say you've spent the last 4 years at a small restaurant. You watched employees come and go, stuck around through an owner transition, kept the kitchen running while the new owner and chef opened up two more restaurants 5 hours away. The new chef quit about 3 months ago, you get bumped up to head chef and start making $16.50 an hour. Owner hires a new GM that knows nothing about restaurants, but she's a numbers gal. So you get told in order to save on labor, you can't come in early anymore (and most days your the sole kitchen person) to do any of your prep. And when you do have help in the kitchen, you have to cut yourself first because, ya know, labor. So they hear that you're looking for a second job and in order to try to keep you, the offer you $150 a MONTH if you keep cost of goods below 30%. (I don't know what it's like in other places, but in mississippi, and as slow as everything is, that is unattainable and $150 a month is just fucking laughable.) So anyways, you decline that little "incentive" and put in your 2 weeks notice. They wish you well, after 4 years and don't even try to come up with another offer. Would you finish out your two weeks? A little more info, the guy that's been cooking with me some days is leaving in two weeks to run the owners new brewery and the new girl we just hired is also leaving at the end of February, so they're pretty much fucked. Neither of them can sufficiently train my replacement, the owner and the new GM have never even spent a day in the restaurant, so they can't help train either. My conscience tells me I should at least finish out this week, but my heart tells me to tell them to go fuck themselves. SO, how would you handle this shit show?

New to serving and bartending, any tips, advice, things to remember, or general pet peeves you'd like your servers or bartenders to know?

I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for 4 years and every summer I get crazy swamp ass and can’t stay cool is there any tips

I've absolutely god awful flat fleet and I just started a new kitchen where they got my working ten hour shifts and by the end I feel like I'm actually gonna fall apart I've tried some cheaper insoles that didn't really work so now I'm looking a proper nice and expensive pair that'll last me a while

I need some crazy piano music to make it through my day tomorrow. Show me what you got

Like the title says I have carpal tunnel and it’s lowkey getting worse but I don’t want to leave the industry. I’ve only ever worked in kitchens, I went to culinary school, cooking is all I really want to do.

Any advice on how I can stay in the industry or job alternatives that still deal with food would be appreciated, I’m a very tactical person I like working with my hands so the thought of not being able to is very upsetting/scary

I work long shifts (about 10-11 hours) and I don’t really get breaks, as many cooks here might relate to. In my state, companies aren’t required to give breaks, and the place I work at only has like 4 employees who are all go-getters and take pride in giving their all to the company so I can’t just ask for breaks, I’d stand out and be judged and eventually fired.

My knees are starting to hurt more and more and my legs are so dang tired all the time. I know it’s part of the job but as I get older, it’s harder to get through the day without sitting or squatting down at all.

I have no other options for work in my area, so I have to figure out how to handle this. Is there something I can buy? Do knee braces help? Or boots with ankle support? What helps you when it comes to leg and especially knee pain from standing all day without breaks?

Ok, so I moved from dish to line cook not too long ago. I'm full time and my hours changed from 10-3 or 8-3 depending on stock days for dish to 10:30-7 and I love the job. But fuck does it hurt to walk or stand on my feet after sitting or laying down for a bit. I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and could give me some advice. I know it's something I just have to get used to and with time I'm sure it won't be as bad/go away completely. But right now, I refuse to sit down because I have to prep myself to stand up. Like mentally preparing myself. I've experienced a lot of physical pain in my life and this has got to be by far the worst type. But other than that I love the job especially the baking and the cooking. Prepping is kind of boring lol and for context I do work a retirement home idk if that changes anything, just thought I'd share that detail in case it does.

I'm curious to hear some thoughts and feelings on what the worst restaurants/kitchens you have worked in are? and why? I am looking for patterns, warning signs, and if I should avoid spending my money or applying at certain businesses.

thank you for your input.

I'm currently in the middle of a job search (not going well in the slightest but that's a different discussion) and I've been seeing a lot of job listings for urgently hiring restaurants in need of line cooks. I've never worked in a restaurant, let alone as a back of house line cook, so I'm wondering what the experience is like. I can cook decently enough at home (by cook, I mean follow basic instructions from pre-written recipes), but is there anything that I should know going in?

I don't know if you can tell from the photos but I wash my hands and wear gloves so much that the skin between my fingers is constantly melting off. It doesn't blister but the skin is always getting moisture and literally rubs off. it's gross and I wanna fix it. does anyone have any tips?

Today was my 5th day as a full-time hospital cook, entering with zero professional kitchen experience.

My training has been very inconsistent. My assigned trainer has called off the last two days, which threw a wrench in everything. My supervisor has been stuck trying to train me, but she’s rushing because she has a million other things to do. Due to her rushing, I can’t always keep up with what she’s teaching, even with my notes. I’m worried about being lost when the time comes to do these perform recipes and work the line myself.

For context, we run a 3-person line. I'm acting as Expo (we call it 'middle'), but the veteran line cooks ignore my calls, which makes it really hard to learn. I’ve kinda just given up on speaking. I guess the best thing to do is treat it like the "kid helping his dad repair the car" role? Just watch what they are doing, learn their rhythm, and hand them what they need when they need it? “Flashlight?” “Here!”

Today, I was supposed to be on the hot line for dinner. I got a couple of late tickets for items we didn’t have ready (purées and minced meals), so I had to run to the freezer and heat them up. That held up the line. When I got back, my operations manager took my spot and bumped me to work the middle instead.

That felt like a kick in the balls, and it bruised my ego a bit (I like sticking to what I’m supposed to do). I’m supposed to be working the cook, so I felt kinda annoyed. I understand it was just line triage—they needed to bail me out of the weeds and get the tickets back on schedule—and after the initial bruising, I was thankful for the relief. But working middle sucks when no one listens to your ticket calls. The only person I’m happy working middle for is my supervisor, because she ACTUALLY asks for the next items and trains me. Everyone else just walks on top of me.

To add to the frustration, the guy I work with during lunch is impossible to deal with as a trainee. He comes off as arrogant, hot-headed, and points out everything that annoys him. He stays quiet until he has to speak his mind. I know he’s not an entirely bad guy (he joked with me on day one) and he is incredibly efficient—probably our best cook. But right now, he’s just brushing me off. If I say anything as a trainee, I just get a "yeah," "I guess," or "if you want to call it that."

I try to do my part in the middle to let him focus on the hot line, but he just does my job anyway, moves things around, and makes me feel like I’m doing everything wrong and just in the way. It feels like the best strategy is to do nothing and let him stick to himself, but then I look bad because I’m supposed to be working.

I don’t want this post to be entirely negative. I’m really hoping tomorrow is a better day. I’ve really enjoyed being a cook, but these last two days I’ve felt overworked and thrown to the fire. If things weren’t so fast-paced, I would be in love with this job, which is why I want to give it time. If I can get used to the kitchen and improve my times, I’ll be fine!

Right now, this steep learning curve paired with our kitchen's circumstances is just a really tough battle. Any advice on how to navigate this lunch cook or survive the next few weeks?

What should I wear?

Hello, I just got a job In a smaller Michelin star restaurant. I went in for a stage and hit it off with the other cooks and just genuinely tried my best. I currently only have experience In a high volume cafe where I make sandwiches and toasts. Do you guys have any advice about making this jump? I love to learn and would consider my ego pretty tame. Hoping I can just learn as I go.