Hiya gang. I’m training some new staff yesterday was my day off and someone put a bag of live mussels in the walk in freezer. I’m wondering if they’re still safe to serve from raw after i defrosted them in cool running water to clean them. I smelled them after no distinct fish smell just clean dead mussels, I defrosted them in cool water in a 22qt cambro. I’m wondering if they are still safe to use for just tonight.

Edit: tossed them the owner can fuck himself

Doing some market research. I’m thinking about becoming a grower. Where do you order your mâche from? Would free, day-of-harvest delivery interest you, or would that already be a given? What would you pay for 5oz and what would attract you to a premium, local mâche product? Thank you :)

I’ve (28F) always dreamt of being a chef, since I was probably 7 or 8 years old and first began cooking. Somehow, life kept unfolding and I went the traditional route of college, career, etc. I’ve loved the various things I’ve tried out, but I’ve struggled to find a real sense of efficacy, belonging, capability and purpose in each job over the years. Out of nowhere, in a casual conversation a few months ago with a chef at a restaurant I enjoy, I was offered a one night stage just to check out the industry. It woke something up in me that I had tried to ignore in favor of a more “normal” life.

After that, they referred me to some local restaurants where I might be able to do a longer term stage. I’m now 2.5 months into a stage at one of those restaurants, where the chefs have taken a chance on me and let me show up, fuck up, learn and grow in so many ways. A couple weeks ago, they offered me a one night a week paid position, and when that day first day finally came last night, I felt like I had finally found my purpose. The adrenaline, the chaos, the feeling like I might need to give up and tell Chef “I can’t do this, I can’t handle it,” to riding that feeling out and making it through the 7-9pm rush with joy and excitement and flow… I can’t describe how I feel.

I love this and feel like I’m living for the next shift, the next rush. I’m so grateful to have found a place full of kind, patient, talented people willing to take a chance on someone with no professional experience. And after 28 years, it’s like I finally know why I’m here. Anyway, I’m grateful to be part of this profession now, because even at the bottom of the ladder, I can finally see a place for me in the world, a place for my passion for food and the drive to be better every shift. Thanks for listening, chefs.

I live in NC. I’ve been working at the same restaurant for about 11 years now. My title is now “Head chef/kitchen manager. It has been 2 years now since I’ve got a raise for 17/hr and I’m still at that rate but I feel I should be making more than this. I was also promised a share of the business many many years ago and still nothing. Is this a fair rate? Should I leave? I need advice

After years working in hospitality as a chef, one thing I kept noticing was how many venues were incredibly busy operationally, yet still quietly leaking revenue in ways that rarely got properly analysed.

A lot of owners focus heavily on getting more customers through the door, but not enough on the systems quietly losing money every single day.

From what I’ve personally seen, some of the biggest issues weren’t always obvious things like food quality or service standards.

A lot of the leaks came from operational inconsistency and customer journey problems, for example:

• food wastage
• poor prep systems
• inconsistent portion control
• overcomplicated menus
• inefficient kitchen flow during service
• weak reservation experience
• poor mobile UX
• weak Google presence
• no repeat customer systems
• inconsistent communication with customers

Sometimes venues don’t actually have a customer acquisition problem , they have a customer experience and operational efficiency problem.

I’ve become really interested in how hospitality businesses can improve both operationally and digitally without adding unnecessary complexity.

From owners/operators/managers here:

What do you think is the most overlooked revenue leak or operational inefficiency in hospitality businesses right now?

Genuinely curious to hear perspectives from people actually in the industry.

Looking at different dishes and plating styles, I realize I could never create something like that myself without copying other people’s ideas. Does creativity come with experience? I’m curious to hear your opinion.

Never had this happen before in all my years and im getting to a loss.

Have always cut Romaine salad lettuce for opening service the night before so no matter where ive worked, we were ready to go ( in a downtown area w a high(ish) rise courthouse immediately down the street, plus a bunch of daytime business foot traffic) and its never ever been an issue... not a single leaf or cut...

More often than id like, I clopen, so when I come in the next morning, now my cut Romaine is getting bruised overnight w red edges.

We've held it every which way, used different knives, held it in citrus water before spinning (and quick wash/ spin, then held w no water) used the paper towel method, even went to the dastardly plastic knife... all to no avail. Anybody have any tips?

Also I only oder 2 cases a week, (if that sometimes) If I dont, I run out. If I order 2, I MIGHT have a pinch left over going into Monday when I get the delivery. I try to keep as fresh as possible with minimum order requirements or suffer higher delivery costs for a couple items.

Halp! 🤣🤦‍♂️ Please dont roast me lol I'm getting stressed enough over Romaine fuckin lettuce ya'll and about to turn myself into a heavy Christmas ornament in our basement lmfao any ideas would be wonderous! Thank you! 🫶

Hi everyone, I don’t know if this is the right group but it had the most people in it so we’ll see what happens!

Has anyone had to change their career from the kitchen because they developed some kind of issue with feet/legs that meant they couldn’t stand for long periods of time?

I’ve been in this job for about 17yrs now and earlier on there was an employer I was with for 5 yrs that weren’t too strict on shift length & taking breaks, unfortunately I was young n dumb and thought that’s just how it was and pushed through every week. This has been a big contributing factor to issues with my knees and feet and nowadays I can’t walk properly.

I’m wondering if there will come a time where I have to leave the kitchen behind in favour of a role that I’m not standing as much, cos I sure as hell don’t want to end up on Centrelink.

Has anyone had to do anything similar? What did you choose that was a more ideal fit?

For context, I've lived and worked in the UK for 15 or so years (London ,briz) in the restaurant industry. I've moved abroad years ago, and this will be my first time back in London since then. I'm after taking my girlfriend and myself out to a nice lunch on a Friday coming up. Now I've no idea what's good or not anymore, so I'd like some recommendations from you gents please!

No budget so to speak of ( not thousands, but willing ti spend a fair bit for the right meal). In terms of cuisine, I'd like to stay away from American/french/Italian ( we live in the states, have access to those)

Thanks in advance!

Currently in the 2nd round of interviews for a sous chef position at a beach resort. I have spent all of my career in restaurants, but never to the magnitude of a resort. I would be overseeing two restaurants, as well as assisting with special dinners and banquets. For those of you who have made the switch, how was your experience and if, at all, what adjustments did you have to make? Any tips are appreciated.

So, I have a Smithfield Applewood Bacon Pork Loin Fillet. Every time I cook them according to directions, they come out kinda dry, and the last one was tough. I was able to eat it fine, but my dad has very few teeth and he wasn't able to eat it.

How can I cook this so it's as tender as possible? The directions say 375 F for 30/35 minutes per lb, and it's 1.44 lb.

Keep in mind this is a pre seasoned piece of meat, it's covered in bacon and BBQ sauce.

Do you know people who entered the industry later in life and still managed to reach a high level? In my country, Romania, one of the best chefs started cooking at 24 and by the age of 37 he was nominated for the Best Chef Awards. Do you think it’s possible to start later in this field and still build a good future from this profession?

i just got hired at cooper hawk and they have a strict leather shoe policy cuz too many dips dropped knives and oil on there feat but i really hate non mesh shoes cuz im a bigger guy and my feat sweat and become itchy hot and end up stinking and id rather just avoid that but i need this job so any good leather covered kitchen shoes that are breathable anyone recommends?

Edit- i forgot to mention they don’t mess with Birkenstock style shoes apparently. I might just use there in house thing and have them get em for me but I’m really picky about my shoes

So I just had an interview for line cook at a nice Italian place, it went well and I'm going to stage! I'm staging at a few other places but I think this is my first choice. The chef said I could eat there with my girlfriend and he would cover it. Obviously I'm not going to get the $200 tomahawk but what's the norm with this? Can I get an appetizer and a pasta and a not super expensive steak? Or should I just keep it to an entree? Is it polite to ask him or would that be weird?

Greetings to all chefs and culinary enthusiasts! In short, I was so inspired by the idea of ​​a pop-up restaurant that I found a cafe and went to negotiate with the owner about holding the event for literally one evening-dinner-event after closing, and he agreed. The idea is to serve three or four dishes, with reservations and a restaurant atmosphere for one evening. The venue seats 32 people, but I wouldn't want to bet on exactly that many people, and I wouldn't want to think about maximizing profits; rather, the goal is to either break even or not break even, just see how it can went.

Chefs, cooks, and anyone with any expertise in this field, how would u do it?