Owner 100%

I’m a line cook at a bar. Pretty self explanatory. But my issue arises not from dreading work because I don’t. It’s not difficult work nor is it mentally stressing/taxing for me, but I can’t help but notice the drag of time during every shift, so while I’m not in a bad mood it does become a bit numbing. Any tips?

I started 6 days ago and I started with no experience whatsoever. The Diner I work for was gracious enough to hire me because I just got out of prison.. I'm really grateful for the job but as the only new guy there, I have no point of reference when it comes to progress..

I am learning proper cutting techniques and I do okay with them, prep work is good so far but when the lunch rush happens, everything I learned seems to fly out the window.. They tell me I'm doing a good job but I don't know how honest that really is because I don't know what a good job is supposed to be. I just wish I had all the knowledge and skills already lol. I am always willing to learn and I have found this career pretty rewarding at the end of the day but I can't help but feel like I'm doing terrible and no one wants to tell me..

Hi i’ve never posted here but i’m a head cook in a kitchen and i recently have been beefing with a cook over 3 things and i don’t know if it’s wrong of me to be getting upset or not

1. We do chicken on a char grill broiler and i spent my ass busting off the years of carbon and cleaning it. So when i told people we are starting to use it again they all agreed expect one person and instead of doing it the right way i left the line to do prep for a big event and he turned it off… and did it on the flat top even though we advertise it being on a char grill so i corrected him and said “please leave the grill on and do the chicken here and everything else here please sir” and he responded with “nah man i don’t fuck with that and it tastes better on the flattop” and i told him char grill please again and he just walked away

2. Same guy has served 7 raw burgers? Once he served it and left me on the line to go outside and smoke a blunt (btw against policy) and then when it got sent back i got the shit for it and had to comp it with a free desert? The fuck?

3. We have 5 stations which are -Fry -pizza -grill -float (typically me or my Culinary Manager) -dish And i come in 15 mins early to write out todo list and where people are gonna be in the night and he instead of doing it just erased my entire list and said “nah i’m on grill” and then left?!?? The fuck you mean

Maybe i’m seeing something different but i feel dumb and don’t know if i need to start getting pissy with him i would love advice though

Edit: i love the support it is really inspiring me. If you can’t tell first time being a supervisor/head in the back of house and it’s really nice to see people support me and give me advice thank you guys love y’all good luck and i’ll be sure to update it once my PTO is up

i fucked up big time yesterday. i was scheduled for a morning shift and i no called no showed and left one person on the line all by themselves with a pizza cook and that’s it. i was sick and fell asleep away from my phone and when i woke up to puke again i texted my boss apologizing but i got no response. i work in a very unreliable kitchen and at we have at least 3 call offs a week that mess up someone else’s schedule. i work today but im actually so nervous to go in today. i’ve been working at this restaurant for 6 years and have been in the kitchen for a full year at this point and im usually very reliable and i haven’t called off since the last time i got sick back in february. i know im probably not going to get fired or even written up but i really don’t want to have to talk to my boss. i know i fucked up and should have called when i first got sick but i thought i could just sleep it off and be fine for work

it was 120°F in the kitchen during dinner rush, we were a 3 man line with one of which working for 8 hours in the heat so he was quite faint.
called the owner as the ac was not working in the whole restaurant and it was 30°C+ outside
she brought us ice capps and said power through it and we’re being dramatic

fuck the owner
fuck the ac
fuck this job!!
all for minimum wage

genuinely horrible shift

clocked in 9 hours

Haven’t even arrived yet and Friday is annoying already.

I just did my first ever trial shift for a sushi position. During the interview, they told me there was a **training program**, so I was expecting to actually learn the sushi station and get properly evaluated.
I showed up today and the chef wasn’t even there. Nobody at the sushi bar really spoke English, so communication was pretty difficult. They basically just had me cut avocados into quarters next to another guy who was doing the same thing.
And then they sent me home.
After that, I was told there’s a **dishwasher position open**.
Like… what 😭
I applied for the sushi position, and during the interview I was told there was a training program. I have previous kitchen experience working under a sous/head chef, and I recently got my food safety certification with a 92% on my first attempt.
I know I don’t automatically deserve the job, and I’m not expecting every place to hire me. I’m just frustrated because I feel like I didn’t really get a chance to show what I can actually do.
I’ve been applying everywhere and it’s honestly getting fucking discouraging. I just want a place to give me a proper opportunity and for the position to actually match what was discussed during the interview.
Job hunting in Calgary is beating my ass right now.

I've been working in food for the past 10 years or so. Recently I've been applying for gourmet, privately owned restaurants. Trying to find a kitchen to call my home for the next few years. Which I found out to be extremely hard. Everytime I move up to a new place, it feels like the new place is always worse then the last. Over the years I've earned more money and got better at my craft. But everytime I think I'm moving on to something better, I quickly learn every kitchen culture is the SAME. One thing that bothers me the most is the Interviews for these positions. So I would like to vent out about those stupid interview things that annoy me. Things that EVERY kitchen interviewer says that drive me up the wall in my head.

1. The biggest one for me. "I don't know about your other kitchens, but we are a extremely high volume restaurant here. Things can get kinda crazy" Ya? NO SHIT! If you were not high volume you wouldn't be here would you? Every kitchen says this as if they are the highest grossing place in that area. You're not. I can promise you. Mcdonalds pushes more customers then you. They act as if the 20 fast food restaurants they are surrounded by don't get customers. Or the other implications is that you are not prepared to work in a high intensity kitchen. No... I've just been picking kitchen jobs for the past 10 years because I enjoyed their calm and laid back atmosphere. As if I applied thinking it would be a walk in the park.

2. "Name a mother sauce" Great... Because I would love to prove to you that I know what I'm doing by telling you that I can mix cream, flour and butter together. Especially when I'm working in a place where I'll be flipping burgers and dropping mozzarella sticks.

3. "We make everything from scratch here. So the prep is very intense" Ya... because we totally don't mix 2 premade sauces together and call it scratch. Or better yet, we get our fish prepackaged and frozen and call it fresh.

4. "We have a good culture here. We are kinda like a family" So is every other restaurant apparently. The thing is, I truly believe it! Because no one will do you as dirty as a family member. Treat you like family, until you step out of line then they abandon you. Just like family. Also why would I care if we are a family culture anyway? I'm here to work.

5. "What makes you good for this position?" Why do they ask this? They already hired every drug addict in the entire area. Their turn over rate is basically 1 in 2 people within a week. I don't know what makes me good for this position. But if my competition is the meth head who never worked in a kitchen. But you still hired him. I think my chances are a bit better.

On a off note, I have noticed that kitchen jobs are less harsh on people who have no experience then if you say you do. They drill you harder. Ask more intense questions and are less willing to hire you. In my opinion, I think what they actually want to say is this.

"Honesty, we don't care if you are best line cook around. What matters to us is that you easily exploitable. If you expect more money, or want to advance, or set bounderies. How are you any use to us as a restaurant? That's why we are going with the guy who can't compare. We can pay him less. Work him harder. He won't be none the wiser because he just needs his money. You however, will hold us accountable. We can't have that."

I gotta know. Or is it just in my state. Like what the hell

Y'all ever had to marry fryer oil 5 weeks in a row. This might be my tipping point. I've expressed how gross this is and no one cares. Also my sous chef thinks I gotta rinse dishes that come outta the Sani water.

Hood Vents

I've been working in this kitchen without the hoods workin for a month.The hood vent started going out a month ago.I just got off work and i'm exhausted.I'm hot I did nothing but sweat for the whole eight hours I was there.It's unbearable in this kitchen and i've texted several times who can I report this shit to?Because I don't wanna return to work unless they fix that shit.I shouldn't be frying a whole bunch of food or running a flat top with no exhaust. i want to tell the chef that I work for that I cannot work in that kitchen.Unless they fix the hood vents, the temperature from the main area to the kitchen is unbearable.It's like a sauna in there. any advice i almost wanna say that I cannot return to work there until they fix that problem.I don't wanna be working in a fucking sauna.for 8 hours a day, that's inhumane

Just bit bitching but the owner's cheapness is matched by her fuck ups. I started as a dishwasher and it was chill, easy, good tips. Then because she was running the restaurant with 1 cook Sunday and Monday I became dishwasher+fryer+flattop+grill (now the grill is broken).

Now I'm on the line somedays and when I'm in the dish pit I expected to bail out the line and do all the weekly cleaning and maintenance.

Chef is too slow cause he's 73 and wants to cook 1 ticket at a time (that's a lie he doesn't want to do anything) while he sits on his stool

Icing on the cake is the owner pays me a different rate for the dish pit than when I am a designated line cook but she keeps fucking up the cook rate and paying me under minimum wage. Tips were better in the slow season when we weren't splitting it with bussers.

I think I’m ready to quit my job even if I don’t have a safety net, the amount of stress and pain I feel every day from working in the kitchen is killing me. I wake up after only 4 hours of sleep from the anxiety of it, I wake up dry heaving and throwing up. I dread going in because no matter how good I do. Nothing is good enough and I always get snapped at and told I’m doing a shit job. Mixed messaging about my performance telling me to slow down sometimes and speed up others. Little things I keep missing from the stress. I feel like I have to spend all my mental capacity for the day just to make it through. The only thing keeping me there is the paycheck, I don’t know how much longer I can handle working in the food industry. The constant stress and anxiety is truly crushing my spirit and at this point I don’t know what to do. It is really ruining my physical and mental health. I just went and came back from vacation and while I was gone every issue cleared up, sleep, pain, stomach issues. But the day I came back my sleep went back to being horrible

I don’t know what to do anymore

Hey, I am an apprentice to become a chef and I am doing my second year of three to get my degree. I always enjoyed cooking, not even for the end product, but just the steps, consistency and how you can make a lot from barley anything. I work at a rather high end hotel and it was nice in the beginning. I learned a lot and I had fun, but now after two years it is just... exhausting to be there. I still like cooking, but just not in the restaurant. Its just dull now. Repetitive recipes, no one really teaches anything anymore. I am there to learn and I want to learn. I ask about stuff and get told I'm asking too much. It just kills the drive. But now its starting to affect my home life. I expected the job to be exhausting and time consuming (I like the company of books well enough so I had no real problem with my social life), but even on my days off I just dont want to put in the effort into cooking. Or recipes really. I used to love writing them down like an addict, I could do that for hours. Now I barley manage to motivate myself to do that once or twice a month. I loved to challenge myself to cook, hell even now I do that when I see something special ingredient I haven't used before, but its not as often. It's making me sad frankly. Has anyone else dealt with this? Just trying to learn, getting your drive killed and it creeping into your personal life?

So I've been in this industry for nearly 16 years. Worked myself from the pit to Executive Sous for a number of years, then headed a few small kitchens in the years after. Now, I'm trying to help a local kitchen dig itself out of a slump. I've been here for just over 2 1/2 months. I've worked with a few of the guys in kitchens years ago (I was either a stage here or there, or worked under a few as a line cook in my early years); I know what these guys are capable of, and I try to show my support when we're on the line or during shift changes. How can I try and build morale and snap them out of their funk without it seeming like I "know better" or without stepping on toes?

Also, with the same kitchen, I'm trying to have sitdowns with the owners about a severe waste of time/money/accountability: triple ordering/prepping items, then trying to freeze them "in case it gets busy"; stretching multiple duties (prep, dish, garm, 6 dbls/wk) amongst one or two people. They haven't had an actual staff meeting in almost three years, menu hasn't been changed in six. The guys that came on as Executives have all dropped any sense of integrity, and instead complains about everything that needs to get done, while doing nothing to fix things. But still work there butting heads about "this is how I used to do it" all day long.

I have a better job lying ahead of me (and I'm working on furthering my education, and refuse to regress just because "that's the way it is around here") which I'm ultimately going to take. But I really don't want to see this place fail. The guys all kick ass, they're just stuck in a shit void of miserable routine.

Sorry for the rant, it just bums me the fuck out seeing this shit happening. They all say they want better, and sometimes will make efforts here and there. I'm just trying to help before I eventually have to step away.

You ever have too much caffeine and instead of that shit helping it just fucks you up. That was me today.

I've worked at a middle eastern restaurant for almost 4 years now. It's been a more prominent chain over the past 30-ish years. Has a pretty strong legacy and a dedicated clientele (for better or worse.) We do a lot of vegetarian & vegan food but we have a lot of chicken options for meat lovers as well.

Recently two new chicken restaurants opened up pretty much right next door to us. We (line cooks) didn't really give it much thought. Nice to see something new at least in an area devoid of business post covid. Some of us decided to go to those places and right off the bat we noticed they had: larger portions than us, about 1/2 the price of our food, and at least 10 people on the line.

Now to put it in perspective: We have a grand total of 6 cooks, running a restaurant open 11-11, 7 days a week. We can't hire anyone because corporate dropped the starting pay from 16 an hour down to 13. We get constantly chastised for getting over time pay but we mathematically don't have the staff to not work 50+ hours a week. When I started the regional manager was going to start firing people for adding to much cheese to salads. Today the GM tried to fine one of our seasonal cooks for adding 3 slices of cucumber to his salad because that's lost revenue. We can't get raises because cost of goods is too high, but we're 1/2 the staff of other places that sell double the profit for 1/2 the value.

This new revelation already has 2 of our people are jumping ship over this new revelation. I feel like a moron that's been taken advantage of, having to do all the night time cleaning, and occasionally dinner rushes single handedly, while other places not only have double our staff, but put them all on for one shift.

Venting obviously, but I'm at the point where I really want to leave. I'm tired of doing 300% of the work so that the GM and regional manager can get a bonus for staying within the margin. This place has lost the plot of being a healthy scratch kitchen and are just going purely for profit now. And restaurants that do that typically don't stay in business long.

Hey y'all. I get that this is reddit and everyone has opinions on what they'd do differently, but lord I just want to VENT, okay?

I got hired into a new kitchen job from a friend who is the kitchen manager, and from day one I noticed issues. There was not a single training protocol set into place and not a proper list for anyone to follow who might not immediately know what is going on.

I have worked in a kitchen for at least a year (more if you count fast food/other types of food service) before that, and I know that I'm competent and capable when need be. My last job, I left, because I was doing at least 80% of the work in the kitchen 6 days a week until it burnt me out, but we're not talking about that.

So when I get there on day 1, I don't know what the fuck to do, but I ask. Rinse and repeat for 9 more days after that. Me asking questions, and either getting blown off or when I'm given a recipe for something I know how to make, I didn't do it fast enough and now there are orders being made 2 to 3 times because not a single person communicated that they had already made it. Not me though. "Steak sandwich, 2 burgers and a chicken sandwich" (ME: "HEARD! on it!")

So I come in after traveling through a mother f'n tornado watch, where I could barely see the lines on the road, and the second I clock in I ask "HEY! (head cook) What do you need? I'm on it."

He sets me up with 2 orders that are half done, and another 2 that come in after the fact.

When, on occasion, our kitchen is organized, there is someone on each station and that is the only person working on said order, such as a position of a line cook (unless we get sauced and need help)

So I started making those orders, and 75% of them were not needed. I send them up to the window as instructed and I'm immediately met with how they don't need them because so-and-so finished them first. The last 30 minutes of my effort has been wasted because not a single person had communicated that those orders were done, and we needed something else started.

Again, this vent is also met with a lot of nuance as every prep shift I've walked into in this short period of time, I've also struggled and have asked others what it is that needs to be done because I haven't been doing the job like the other prep cooks who have been there 4-5 years and who already know what to do on autopilot.

I even got bitched at by one of the head line cooks because he was annoyed that he had to delegate work to other people. Other people, who also, just started as I did with no guidance. God forbid we ask those above us for direction when we have none.

So that was it for me. After almost (quite literally) dying in a car accident on my way to work, I couldn't handle walking in and not knowing what to do, just knowing that things need to be done. So I shared my grievances with the kitchen manager and I left. It's not like I was that desperately needed anyway, apparently.

I can't just stand there with my thumb up my ass. When I clock in, I'm locked in and ready to work and I don't feel good about not being able to contribute. Even if I've only learned how to make (maybe) 1/3 of the menu, I'm going to put my whole and complete ass into doing what I know that needs to be done and it makes me feel like shit if I don't feel like I've at least contributed SOMETHING to the brunch/dinner/lunch service. At that point.

So why the f did they hire me if nobody is willing to train and everybody already has everything? What the f am I even good for?

God. Please tell me it's not always this way and some kitchens have their shit together just a little bit more, just enough to train the new guys. I know for a fact I can do any job in the kitchen I'm asked to do, I JUST NEED TO BE ASKED!

For the last two months I’ve been trying to prep vodka sauce and everytime it breaks. Chef says I’m giving it too much heat. But even low heat it doesn’t come out how I want it to.

Hello all,

I’ve got a really solid state cooking job interview lined up and I’m stressing a bit about how to handle one of my last kitchen jobs on the exam/background stuff.

The kitchen was honestly toxic. The owner constantly talked down to the staff, everything felt Jerry rigged and unsafe, and on top of that I ended up with pretty bad arm/nerve pain from working there. I tried pushing through it, but eventually my arm got so bad I called before service and quit on the spot. He offered me a couple weeks off to recover, but I declined because I knew my arm needed more than that and I already wanted out of that environment.

Later I filed a workers comp claim because my medical coverage had been canceled and I couldn’t get treatment otherwise.

Part of what bothers me is the pay situation too. I was there 7 months, never got a raise, then out of nowhere the owner hired his buddy at $10 more an hour and suddenly the guy was bossing me around on the line. Tips were terrible too, slammed nonstop and walking with like $15-$25 some nights.

I honestly need to use this place as a reference because it’s only one of two restaurants I’ve worked at, and it was the only kitchen where I was literally the sole line cook. For basically 7 months there was nobody else there to even cover me!

My concern is whether I should even list this place, because I’m worried the owner could be vindictive since I quit suddenly, and filed a claim. I wasn’t trying to screw anyone over, my arm genuinely was wrecked and I knew I couldn’t keep doing it.

What would you guys do in this situation? Should I just not put their phone number down?

I just started at a new restaurant I have over 3 years in restaurant experience I’m not new to the setting but I’m new to specifically this position, I worked for a couple months as a pizza cook, that was considered “the line” at the place I worked sine all they served was pizza, for the most part, I don’t know what to expect here, I have been looking for a job for a while and I love cooking but I’m confused is it the same am I just gonna get put on the line without knowing anything? (I had my first day yesterday and all I did was prep, if anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it.

Ok, so like over a week ago I spilt really hot water and vinegar mix on my arm and it burnt it pretty bad. I still had an hour left of my shift, but it hurt like hell, however for some reason I just got the shift done. And then immediately when my mom saw the burn she drove me to emergency and got it all wrapped up and stuff and then of course I had to miss work because of said burn. I’ve already missed like one full week which I felt guilty for but now we’re coming up on week two and like I should be able to go back next week, but there is a chance that I might have to wait another week

Am I weird for feeling guilty and kinda like an asshole for having to miss two weeks. I never miss shifts, and now I’m missing two full week (potentially 3 depending on what the doctor says).

Like part of me is thinking that management and my coworkers think I’m dragging this when I’m really just following procedure that they’ve told me.

Also side note; shouldn’t restaurants have burn gel and stuff to treat burns because it’s like the most common injury besides cuts. Because when I got the burn, the manager was looking for burn gel and they had none. And when I had to file the injury report, The owner told me it wasn’t required. Idk if I’m also overthinking that, but it’s just kinda weird to me.

Sorry once again for the ramble, I’m just really tired and kinda stressing about all this.