Getting Out Of The Weeds
Just another Thursday at Johnny’s Bar and Grill. You’ve got 3 burgers, 2 Steaks, and a grilled Shishito appetizer working. Saute Sammy has a few pastas and a fried rice, nothing crazy. Garmo Garfield still hasn't quite figured out how much dressing to put on the Caesar. All of a sudden, you get 5 tickets at the same time, all with burgers. You realize you have to run and grab some more, and accidently bump into Sammy while he is plating, causing the pasta to hit the floor. Two more tables come in, and you realize you only have 8 burgers left all day…
Boom! Now everyone is scrambling. Welcome to the weeds! How did it come to this? Tonight was not supposed to be that busy. Why didn’t chef order enough burgers? Why didn’t I say “behind”. Too late to play the blame game, now it's time for us to dig ourselves out.
Step 1 - Slow down and reassess
The worst thing you can do when you find yourself in the weeds is to start rushing. You will often make simple mistakes, like forgetting to skip the onions on that salad. Take a breath and figure out what item or items are the most time sensitive, and work on those. Don’t worry about the newer tickets just yet. Trying to do everything at once will cause everything to take longer and cause food to sit in the window too long.
Step 2 - Communicate with your team
Hopefully, you have a strong Expo that can help guide everyone out of the tall grass. If you don’t, it is imperative that you communicate with your fellow cooks. What tickets are we working on? Who can slide down and help Garmo Garfield? These are the moments to let your leadership qualities shine if no one is stepping up. Also, it's not a bad idea to alert the FOH management that the kitchen is getting backed up.
Step 3 - Work smarter, not harder
An experienced cook will give meaning to every movement, and not waste a second. New cooks will often make many movements rapidly in an effort to keep up with business, not realizing they are actually wasting time. Take the extra second to figure out the most efficient way to complete the tickets in front of you. How many orders can you make at once while still maintaining quality? What order of operation makes the most sense? Honing these skills takes time and repetition.
Sometimes, things get out of control behind the line. No matter how much you prepare, everyone eventually has a bad night. What you can do is keep your cool, work as a team, and live to cook another day.
