Overheard a line cook say 'we just need to get it out' about a late order

I was grabbing a late lunch at a spot on Melrose yesterday and heard the kitchen call out. The expeditor told a cook to push a ticket that was sitting for 22 minutes, and the cook just shrugged and said, 'It's fine, we just need to get it out.' The food looked rough when it went to the pass. It made me think about how often that pressure to turn tables wins over quality. That's a quick way to lose repeat customers. Has anyone else seen this kind of corner-cutting become normal in their kitchens?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa17711d ago

Yeah that "just get it out" line is a red flag. I've seen it happen when the rush hits and everyone gets stuck in that short term mindset. The problem is once you let that slide, it becomes the new normal and your whole kitchen's standards drop. You gotta shut that talk down hard, make it clear that sending out bad food is worse than a ticket taking a few extra minutes. It's a tough balance but letting quality go is how you end up with empty tables.

skylerc8611d ago

Is it really that big a deal though? Sometimes you just have to move the food and a late ticket can mess up the whole flow.