[kakibush@chef]

The chef industry is hard and usually paired with long hours. I am curious to see hours other chefs put in arround the globe.. I myself work seven days a week, and work least twelve and a half hours a day to sometimes 18hours a day. Just out of interest?

[eds77k5]

60 to 70 hours a week here

[Salliem]

It depends on what is going on...but sometimes I will work about 12 to 13 hours a day, but usually it is 10..but that is the nature of the beast.

[Nicko]

Typically 6 days a week 65-75 hours a week in the US. When I was in France it was closer to 80 hours or more a week.

[chefdawg56]

I have never worked outside the US but I've never worked in any lead position less than 65 hours and have worked over 100. Nicko is right, typically the average is 65 hours

[Fledgling]

The restaurant I work at is closed on Sunday (THANK GOD), so I keep myself around full-time. I'd work more, but I go to school 24 hours a week. The most i have worked is 100 hours in one week. 16-18 hour days

[Breton Beats]

I own my own business where I am both chef and owner I start my day at 9am and go home about 2am. Of course I take an hour or two off to play with my son. We are closed Sun and Mon but being a bakery we need to prepare the day before that leaves just Sunday to well ... wash the uniform, menu plan, buy equipment, and eat.

I have to say, I have always loved working long hours on my feet especially in a physical position. ESPECIALLY when it is slammed. I have always worked 10-12 hours a day. And now that 1/2 my day is consummed with "business" I miss the long hours of "work".

Originally Posted by Nicko

Typically 6 days a week 65-75 hours a week in the US. When I was in France it was closer to 80 hours or more a week.

Non! C'est pas possible.... I thought the french work week was capped at 35 hrs@week. (Actually I was recently reading an article, in a French trade journal, that was talking about the problem French culinary world is having finding people who want to work in the profession, when so many young people would rather just go get a 35hours@week job with all the holidays. I worked casually in France, and the one thing that earned the most points with the chef was simply my expectation of long hourse with no breaks or holidays.)

[even stephen]

60 average and up to 140 on special event weeks. 140 is a real
killer though. Every year it gets harder and harder. At forty years
old I did a major event this last week and I was Jello by Monday night.

[tsblo]

I usually pull about 10 hours a night, 7 days a week.

[thedessertdiva]

I spent 2004-2005 working 16-20 hour days with only 6 days off for the entire year (opening my second Restaurant, which killed me!!) Prior to that I had just the Cafe' and Catering co., and I averaged 6 days a week 10 plus hours daily, except in high cater season when it wasn't unusual to sleep in my van in between caters.
And I wouldn't trade this Profession for anything!

[RAS1187]

Wow... and I thought I was entitled to complain about 30 hours of school and 40 hours of work (70 combined) per week.

If I put in a 100 hour week... my chef would have a heart attack from the 60 hours of OT I just grabbed from his labor cost. I would assume, though, that most Chef positions are salaried.

[even stephen]

Your assumption is right, correctamundo! Remember if you
are good at what you do, you are compensated to a certain
level. Its a blue and white collar job. Its rare you'll have the
financial stability of a doctor, lawyer, or banker, but, on the
other hand, your body and mind will slowly wear out, hearing loss
from years of listening to hoods, arthritis in your hands, feet, and
back, possible substance abuse and marital problems, a pretty
sick unacceptable sense of humor.......wait a minute, not a whole
lot of money, the possiblility of having some of these problems,
what the heck am I doing.........excuse me, I have to walk upstairs
and hand in my resignation. I must be crazy!!

[AprilB]

Oddly enough the only places I've worked complained that I "worked too long". Jeez. Clock in...clock out... (reminds me of the commercial about 'the clapper')

Another thing is when I work I forget about my body. I can feel like total c**p but I start in the kitchen and it's all gone. I would forget about breaks, lunch...work through. It was just fun...

When the shift is over reality really bites though. Until the next shift...

I would LOVE a position where I could create until I was done.

April

[oldschool1982]

Here's a thought about hours. Although I don't suggest ever doing this since it's kinda like figuring out your hourly wage....

I started in the restaurant business in 1977 and worked until 2003 when I was forced to take a leave because of physical issues. During my 26 active years in the restaurant industry, between all the OT as an hourly (and yes there used to be a ton of it), working two jobs to make ends meet (when the OT dissappeared),opening/re-opening restaurants (16 total) and the running of operations (as the Exec or Sous Chef, F&B Director, GM, KM, Floor or Bar Manager) I worked approximately 87,880 hrs.

I actually kept a log for most of my career outta curiosity. The number was based on an average of 65 hrs a week for 26 years. There were weeks that I far surpassed 65 hrs and didn't take a day off for well over a year. I even took into account vacations (phhht! like they happened) and the occasional bout with unemployment (otherwise known as a vacation)

To put this in perspective, a person that works a 40 hr work week for the same number of years would have worked on 54,080hrs. For a difference of 33,800hrs. Or, to make it even more depressing.... It's like working 42.25 yrs. So considering I'm in my middle 40's.....

I'm sure most of my family would think I'm nuts and would probably try and have me committed, but given the chance I would do it all over again (with a couple of variations) in a NY minute.

An old boss and friend by the name of Dave Burghaus used to say....

Ya gotta love it!!!!

[even stephen]

Old School,
Dave Burghaus. That name sounds familiar?
What city?