If the food comes out slow

It’s not always the kitchens fault...

There seems to be a lot of blogs lately about poor service and how to deal with it.

 Andrew Knowilton posted recently with “5 tips for handling a Bad Waiter.”  

I want to address one statement that was made.  “The long wait for food is most likely the kitchens responsibility”....  

Now don't get me wrong there are times when the kitchen is at fault and when I am running the line I take full responsibility for the error and or mistake and my Sous Chefs do the same.  I only wish the the waiter (server ) would  explain rather then play the blame game. (But if that were to happen it might result in a smaller tip.  I feel that honesty is the best policy and who knows being honest might even enhance the tip)  But just to assume and automatically find and place fault with the kitchen is just not fair.

There are so many things that can slow down your food coming out in a quick manner,  Lets start with the server and their many mistakes on the ticket.  How about they told us the wrong temp for the steak, or how about don’t put the mushrooms on that dish the person is allergic... of course this information gets to the kitchen just as the table is about to be plated, now we have to star over.  Does that information get to the table... probably not and if it does  the blame is placed on the kitchen.

Andrew brings up another point, but only in regards to getting drinks.. how about the “cute” (after all is that not the reason she was hired) little hostess who just triple sat about six servers and for some reason ALL the orders come to the kitchen at the EXCAT same time. (I know servers never hold tickets...) now the kitchen is buried  (fucked) and they are doing everything they can to get themselves un-fucked.  Because we know that when the kitchen is fucked it will definitely spill out into the table.  And trust me ( someone who has spent a  few nights fucked in the kitchen) I as well as the rest of the kitchen staff don’t want you the customer to be fucked. Yes the kitchen staff cares about your dinning experience.

You know most of the time all the cogs work together nicely and the whole experience is a pleasant one for all involved.  But just remember in the rare times when it does not, the kitchen should not be the first place you look to as the cause of the problem. 

Things to ponder:

• A line cook barely makes enough money to stock his/her fridge, but will have in their possession about $1000 dollars or more worth of knives..

• The average temperature on  the grill station is about 120 degrees on a slow night...

• There is nothing more beautiful then a fully synced line on busy Saturday night...let the good times roll..

• Local and Organic is truly better...

• Water rationing can’t be a good thing...

• Wow over five hundred words...

Veal Stock....