Hello, Robert. I have worked at several restaurants in two different capacities - production, where I am in the kitchen before the restaurant opens for service, spending my day making all of the components needed for dinner service. Then I have worked service plating the food as orders come in. The two jobs have quite a different feel to them and I would be hard pressed to say which I prefer. I have found my experience from both to be invaluable.
Working in production is a great way to get all of the basic skills down and to gather from different restaurants a catalog of great recipes. I do work in pastry, but I am going to assume the same applies to all aspects of the kitchen.
When I worked service in a Michelin starred restaurant, I would say there is a certain energy in the kitchen when you are getting ready for service. When the cooks show up on a Saturday night and we are told that the restaurant is fully booked, everyone knows absolutely that we have to be focused to pull off such a busy night and still maintain excellent food and service. There is no way you can be competitive at that level without a great deal of teamwork. If one station is getting buried, it is up to everyone else to step in and help, so that the whole operation doesn't get into the weeds.
Even if some of the tasks are simple, every aspect has to be just right and when it is busy, if you lose focus for just a moment and are so caught up in completing one ticket to the next, you lose sight of the big picture and can be caught unaware by running out of an item or something else that could have been prevented.
Working in a restaurant can be great to increase your speed and efficiency, but some people do not enjoy the pressure. Unlike other jobs I have had, you are working in very close proximity with others and personality issues can be magnified. Chefs aren't always (or often) fair. They can play favorites or hire people that can't hold their own on a busy night. You can't easily take a break when things are busy and the hours can be very tough on your social life unless all of your friends happen to be in the business, too. There isn't much job security and sometimes getting ahead can be as simple as being in the right place at the right time.
Good luck on whatever you choose to do.  |