Kitchen vs. Front of the House.. so stupid!!

My first question is why? There is so much useless, negative energy that moves in and out of those swinging doors. Endless amounts of he said, she said. Why does this battle continue in hundreds of thousands of restaurants across the country? I am going to be brutally honest. I think jealousy is a huge part of it! Cooks years ago were looked at as  blue-collar, rough, uneducated guys who worked hard, but didn’t know much of anything else (not always true, but this was how they were perceived). Many cooks were jealous of the smooth, slick servers and captains who rolled in at 4:00 p.m and sat down for staff meal and then complained about it. After the shift while the cooks were wiping down their stations, servers would come in and start emptying their pockets with their nights tips. God forbid if they complained about only making $150 on a Saturday night. Can you see where some frustration begins? The cooks on the other side of the story, would be chomping at the bit to publically embarrass any servers who didn’t know the menu. So then for payback the servers would fire all their tables at the same exact time and watch the cooks go down in flames. Back and forth, back and forth but who suffers, the guest!! Poor quality of food and poor service. I have working in several top 50 restaurants in the country, this happens significantly less in these restaurants. The cooks in these restaurants are highly trained and many have put in numerous years building their craft. There is defiantly a “don’t mess with a cook  mentality” in these restaurants, which is supported by the upper management. Nowadays many cooks have college degrees from amazing cooking schools like The Culinary Institute of America and Johnson and Wales. They are highly educated and passionate, most could have picked any white-collar CPA job but instead followed their heart into the kitchen.

I have been in the restaurant business for over 15 years now. It doesn’t seem like that long ago when I was waiting on tables six nights a week in high school. I am very lucky that the first ten years in the restaurant business, I worked as a server, bartender and an assistant manager. It brings an entirely different perspective, that is “PRICELESS.” Seriously, how many chefs can you picture who would feel just as comfortable at a table in the dining room explaining the difference between the Cote Rotie and the Crozes Hermitage?  Are all you “front of the house” still with me? I know I lost of few of you. I speak your language too! I can also then turn around and explain to a young cook how to make “light as a pillow” gnocchi. Don’t under-estimate us hard-working cooks, some of us have serious chops. Please, can we put away this stupid bickering and give the guest the most enjoyable dining experience. That should be the kitchen staffs and front of the house staffs number one goal. If it isn’t you will never be successful.  Please tell me how you feel! I love reading the comments!

Thanks,

Bill

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