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12-12-2005, 09:45 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Mexico city
Posts: 74
| |  Why working more than 8 hours?
I have read on this forum that many chefs stay, for example, 10-14 hours in the workplace.
Why not only labor 8 hours? It is not more healthy?  |
12-12-2005, 10:07 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 86
| |
Though I haven't been in the business as long as many others on the board, I beleive I've been in long enough to get a few of the basics down. I beleive the reasoning for the extended hours is 8 hours isn't enough. Between food orders being placed, put away, preping, menu work, employee issues, dealing with sales reps, doing food orders, repeating yourself to make sure you didn't forget anything... And suddenly, you've been working since 6:00 am and its now 5:00 pm. It just kind of happens, or that's what I've seen.
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12-12-2005, 11:42 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Sous Chef | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 68
| |
hahahahaha
i work 8 hours a day.
Twice.
every day.
given the choice, i would only work 6 hours a day.
twice.
every day.
i guess life's not perfect.
Erik. |
12-13-2005, 07:56 AM
|  | ChefTalk Moderator Culinary Experience: Professional Caterer | | Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: St. Louis Mo
Posts: 5,664
| |
There are many options in the food world than owning a restaurant. There just seems to be more of a comradeship amoungst kitchen crews. Long hours typically low pay are par for the course....owning and operating your own business generally means you put more than 40 hours a week into it. If you have a restaurant you are probably open for business 6 days a week with customers at least 30+ hours a week.....
As a caterer I have business days that will run 16+ hours and others that have very little going on....As a farmer's market owner/ pr/marketing I work all week for 6 long hours on Sat. morning. And when there are events there are no days off for awhile. When I was personal cheffing it was 8-3 Mon-Thurs typically (shopping, cooking in someone's kitchen, menu planning)....
Teaching and consulting take alot of time/energy most don't see....the planning, prep, recipe writing, review of projects, advertising, etc....
*8 hour days 5 days a week are generally when you're punching a time clock.
I was married to a corporate atty. for the first 10 years of our marriage he worked 80+ hours a week. So it doesn't matter what profession you're working...if it's a profession and not "just a job" you're self motivated to learn more about what your doing.... |
12-13-2005, 09:18 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 1,255
| |
I hate to say it, boblovefood, your zipper may be pulled up, but your ambition is showing...
If you have a steady 9-5 job and want to do some cooking on the weekends and evenings, 8 hrs a day is feasible. Owning a business as your sole source of income, no matter how small, is alot of responsibility. You're not guaranteed a paycheck every two weeks, matter of fact the only thing you're guaranteed is uncertainy. From your business you will have to pay overhead, fees, permits, and other expenses (transportation/delivery mode?), as well as inventory for the business itself. THEN you have to have some kind of a cash flow to keep on working even if no cash comes in for 3-4 weeks. This is no joke Then there's the rent for your home, living expenses, and if you have family, the kids and thier expenses. A lawyer could achieve this by working 8 hrs a day @ $200/hr, but sadly, very few cooking professionals can charge this kind of a rate.
Like the others in this thread who own a business, I work alot more than 8 hrs a day. In the first two years of my business, when things were hanging by a thread, 14 hr days were the norm--7 days a week. Mental and physical health were put through the obstacle course, as well as our marriage. If I didn't give everything I had, none of the above would have made it, and that wasn't acomplished with a 40 hr work week. After the third year, when things balanced out a little, we were able to take "holidays": two whole days off every time a long weekend came around! It was only in the 7th and 8th years that we could afford to take more than 4 days off and actually go somewhere with the kids.
I think the only thing harder than the food business is farming...  |
12-13-2005, 02:21 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 12
| | it be nice
Wow i normaly spend 12 14 hours in the kitchen at 6 to 5 days a week. even in chain resturants it was 11 10 hours. the jobs got to get done |
12-13-2005, 09:31 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Maryville, TN
Posts: 151
| | working half days....
I loved Erik's statement...it reminded me of a plaque that I used to have in my office...it contained a quote from Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's (or longtime CEO or something like that) it read:
"The secret to success in this business is in working half days,
I don't care if it is the first half or the second half...."
As far as homecookingx.com or whatever in heck it was....this is a board to promote our passion for our industry and learn from other individuals that sweat and bleed in the kitchen....not to listen to commercials about your website...
Don't tell me your website and I won't tell you mine...
Cheffy
__________________ Trying to make a difference one palate at a time...
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12-14-2005, 09:13 AM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 1,255
| |
....Amen!......... |
12-14-2005, 10:32 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Denver
Posts: 105
| | On being driven
If you really want to accomplish something, setting a time limit to it is silly. I worked a couple of 8 hours days last week, I called them my days off.
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If no one will follow you, you can't be the leader. |
12-14-2005, 11:12 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 1
| |
What would the Mona Lisa Look Like if Leonardo worked in shifts with his Apprentices? If Alexander Gram Bell only worked 8 hours a day we may have a network of fishing string and tin cans to communicate. If Doctors only worked 8 hours a day the average life span would not be into the mid 70's like it is now.
I am not comparing myself to any of these great men and women who don't punch a clock but simply stating that things happen 24/7 and if you only put effort into 8/5 you are 128 hours a week behind.
Being a Chef is a passion not a job!!!! |
12-14-2005, 11:25 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Denver
Posts: 105
| | Nice 1st post bud
I couldn't agree more.
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If no one will follow you, you can't be the leader. |
12-23-2005, 12:54 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Philadelphia, Pa
Posts: 225
| |
I've done the sixteen hour day routine for many years on and off.
The problem is not with expecting less from yourself. But thinking of the effects of that on the somewhat less all out career oriented cooks in your staff.
Even with my passion, working those long long hours seven days a week, ended burning me up. Make everything about the place aggravating. The echo in the walkin the smell in the pantry. Soon getting into fights with owners, servers and lamb racks.
Many places i've seen lately, keep the cooks on twelve hour, four day shifts.
you get the efficiency of good long work days. With the added bonus of refreshed cooks who don't leave after three months. Not every restaurant can do that but it looks like a good plan to me.
Over to you. |
12-26-2005, 02:04 PM
| | Registered User Culinary Experience: Culinary Student | | Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 9
| |
shahar...bang on
thats why id love to work for ramsey at claridges, theyre closed saturday and sundays. |
12-26-2005, 03:10 PM
|  | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2003 Location: NJ
Posts: 577
| |
On my externship I did 14 hour shifts.
Then at my first paying gig, I was fortunate that the restaurant owner wished to be efficient with the staff's hours. My longest shifts was on the weekend when I did 9 hours. Once in a while 10 when we had a party or special occasion.
Mark
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Salad is the kind of food that real food eats. |
12-26-2005, 04:08 PM
|  | Registered User Culinary Experience: Professional Chef | | Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mn. From Wisconsin
Posts: 348
| |
Quote: |
Originally Posted by TPIChef What would the Mona Lisa Look Like if Leonardo worked in shifts with his Apprentices? If Alexander Gram Bell only worked 8 hours a day we may have a network of fishing string and tin cans to communicate. If Doctors only worked 8 hours a day the average life span would not be into the mid 70's like it is now.
I am not comparing myself to any of these great men and women who don't punch a clock but simply stating that things happen 24/7 and if you only put effort into 8/5 you are 128 hours a week behind.
Being a Chef is a passion not a job!!!! | Here Here, Completing the daily goal and being ready for the next one is a shift. 
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