[Bluesmkr63]

Well I have to say Breaks are what the Walkin is for. If your station is running and you take a break, who is going to fill in for you, The Sous Chef? I don't know maybe its a personal pride issue but if im at a station On the line it would be a cold day in **** before someone would replace me.

For a second opinion I just asked my son who is working his first Line Station at a High end restaurant in San Diego. (Away from my kitchen, Sniff). He tell me the only break he gets is when he resets the line or his shift is over.

[Headless Chicken]

Originally Posted by ChefBillyB

Hey Chef, I don't know about your kitchen but, The cooks that can manage their time and station are the ones that get their breaks.

My station is usually operated by 2-3 people regularly. I'm operating it by myself this summer. Though less business, the amount of work remains meaning 12 different vegetables needs to be cut 12 different ways, 5 different meats needs preping, all the equipment needs to be tend to, opening plus closing, cooking and serving, plus the paper work (hot food temperature logs, cold storage temperature logs, ordering, etc) add to this my regular responsibilities like inventory. My scheduled hours are 7am - 3pm but I obviously take more time.

My service goes from 10am - 1-1:30pm. I prep between 7am - 8:30am, I cook between 8:30am - 10:30am plus cooking between service times to refresh. I stop all cooking at 12:30pm and try to do additional prep. Around this time, others take their breaks, I usually cover. Dishes and clean up from 1pm - 3pm. If I can get help, I can start inventory at 1pm and regularly takes me 2hours to complete cover to cover. Ideally, this is what should happen.

I only get help maybe 1-2 per week. I can't say no to covering breaks (in the past, I've said no but the manager ends up with complaints about it so I now HAVE to cover). Some of the equipment are damaged and needs to be handled delicately, I've put in for a repair request a month ago to the manager. I also have no one to rely on who can run my station for me to walk away even for 5mins, the place was literally closed for the 2 weeks I was away on vacation.

Now is this bad time management or am I be inundated with too much to do with my limited time?

[rat]

Originally Posted by Just Jim

I don't get why a couple have chosen to liken this behavior to "machismo", when no one has come across in that manner, and especially when considering that this isn't a solely male occupation.

I mean machismo in the sense of "poor me, I have to work a double again and cover 2 stations because of poor staffing/mismanagement/preparation" If working your but off everyday 12 hours straight is job satisfaction then it is time for a new job IMO. There is nothing wrong with sitting down between service when you are ready, grabbing something to eat. Again I assume we are talking about taking breaks while service is not occurring. As a chef I insist all my crew get something to eat, and rest a bit every day, I see the payoff. Like a previous poster said the law of diminishing returns applies here.

The only time when you should be working like that is if you own the place-- period. Not that a kitchen is 9-5 in any sense but this outdated work ethos is what keeps our industry lagging behind in terms of pay, professionalism and sanity. How many chefs do you know who have missed their kids birthdays, their first steps or have destroyed marriages because they "have to work again, sorry honey". It is really sad this industry is still in this state. Cooking is not a matter of life or death but it will kill you if you let it.
It reminds me of a cook I once knew who was a meth addict, he would come in so high and tear up service all day and night long, the owner loved it and even condoned it because he was doing the work of 2 cooks while at the same time he was also destroying his life and body. He eventually burnt out and crashed, lost his wife, family and was fired because he couldn't perform like he did, a very sad situation. Otherwise he was a very talented creative person and a helluva guy.

PS I also know some women who can run circles around a lot of men and still have time to take a break.

PSS I still work on average 55+ so hours a week, take breaks and have time to see my kid everyday so don't tell me it cannot be done.

[Sultan]

I laugh as I read this forum because in reality, no one is really complaining about not taking breaks. It is just sort of an accepted practice in this industry. However, most of us DO take breaks. Just not the traditional "one hour" lunch break that most other professions have. Now granted I do not work the line, but I know what its like standing on your feet for hours on a stretch without sitting down, but as many people in this profession already know, sometimes sitting down is actually the worst thing you can do. Why? Well, because if you have to work a long shift, your body becomes accustomed to standing on your feet. Once you sit down, your body thinks, "OK, its rest time." But what your body doesnt know is that in 10-15 minutes (or less) it's time to get back up again and start working. And once you stand back up again, you feel more pain than if you didnt sit down at all. If you take a look at people who work in professions where they are on their feet all day (nurses, doctors, assembly line workers), most of them do NOT sit down when they take a break. If they want to go out for a smoke or read the newspaper, they will do it standing up so as not to throw their body out of balance. Its the same thing in the kitchen. DON'T SIT DOWN!!

However, that said, if anyone who has to work a 16-hour shift is not allowed a break (and I don't care WHAT the circumstance is), then as someone has already suggested, find a different job. Not only is that illegal, but it is cruel. Since when has the food service industry turned into the modern-day slave trade? I understand the economy is bad and people need jobs, but if you are forced to work under these conditions, then this is a sad day for this profession. Even though I am a trained chef, the first job I had was working in a deli for Target Corporation in one of their SuperTargets. Like many on here, I had a dedication to getting the job done at all costs, even if it meant skipping breaks. Most of the time none of the managers noticed, until one day the deli manager said to me, "ok, you've been working for 7 hours now, and you have not taken your break yet." I replied, "sorry, I still have a lot of work to do". He informed me that what I was doing is illegal and against company policy, so he wrote me up. He told me the next time he caught me skipping breaks I would be fired. I was fired the following week. I thought by skipping breaks I was provong my dedication to the company and would get rewarded with a corporate chef job. Instead, I got fired.

For the individual who stated that "these chefs who skip breaks are the ones who go up the ranks in the kitchen", I have to respectfully disagree. These are the people who will be taken advantage of and be kept at the line cook level with perhaps if they are lucky, a $1 an hour raise.

Working hard does not pay off in this industry. ***-kissing does. It's sad but true. Which is why I pity the poor young Culinary students of today who have NO clue what they are getting themselves into: long hours, hard work, and crappy pay, with little or no benefits. Bottom Line: If you choose to work in this industry: either open up your own restaurant/food service operation or if you want to work for someone else, go corporate. No, you wont be able to showcase your culinary skills in a corporate environment, instead you will be following a strict business model with no room for creativity. But at least you'll earn a decent "livable" wage and have benefits to boot. Plus, you'll get to take breaks.

[Sultan]

Wow! That sounds like a nice place to work!! Are you hiring?

[foodpump]

Originally Posted by Sultan

Working hard does not pay off in this industry. ***-kissing does. .

Those people are usually called shop stewards or upper management.......

[treehugger057]

I budget in 2 breaks of about 5 mins. a day. I typically get one before service and one after service. I never know when it will be, but I certainly know when it is time to step out for 5 mins to collect myself.

[SizlChest]

I work for a large hotel chain, and we have to force our cooks to take a break. It's a pain in the ***, because, as a corporation, we are short on hours as it is, but then, they force the employees to take a 30 min break. Say a guy has a 6.5 hour shift scheduled(I know, ridiculous,huh?) and they get done in 6 hours and 10 min, they habe to clock out for 1/2 an hour, then clock back in, then out again to be the way the executive comittee wants it. Some of my guys smoke, and they'll clock out for half an hour and work during that time, because they know they'll eventually take 30 min worth of smoke breaks during the shift. This is something that frustrates me. I would rather work the shift non-stop if I choose.

[foodpump]

Originally Posted by SizlChest

I work for a large hotel chain, and we have to force our cooks to take a break. It's a pain in the ***, because, as a corporation, we are short on hours as it is, but then, they force the employees to take a 30 min break. Say a guy has a 6.5 hour shift scheduled(I know, ridiculous,huh?) and they get done in 6 hours and 10 min, they habe to clock out for 1/2 an hour, then clock back in, then out again to be the way the executive comittee wants it. Some of my guys smoke, and they'll clock out for half an hour and work during that time, because they know they'll eventually take 30 min worth of smoke breaks during the shift. This is something that frustrates me. I would rather work the shift non-stop if I choose.

This may have a lot to do with labour law in your State, don't know what State you're in, or what the laws are like.

That being said, in my part of the country (B.C.Canada) an employee can take the employer to the labour board and win compensation for breaks not taken. The employee may be a a scumbag looking for a buck, but as the the Labour Board here declares: "The onus is on the employer", in other other words, it is up to the employer to prove the allegations false. I believe California has similiar laws.

Say what you will about the executive comittee, and it's more than likely true, but the one thing they do know is how to cover their butts should a situation like I described above should happen. Hence the time clock, proof of break taken.

[R HIll]

Originally Posted by Rivver

All my years of cooking I have never had a "real" break, nor have I seen another kitchen member take a break. Our breaks are completely different. My break along with others are "hey watch my station for 5 mins while I go get a smoke, then you can go get one" We do that about every hour, slammed or not.

Bing go this is how it was when was on the line

[RAS1187]

Break? Maybe once every three or four days I will step outside for a quick breath of fresh air if time permits.

I know yes technically I am entitled to one, but I don't really care. If I am the only cook on the line, do I tell my customers they can't eat because I am on break? I'd rather work it all the way through and leave 30 minutes earlier.

[SizlChest]

Originally Posted by RAS1187

Break? Maybe once every three or four days I will step outside for a quick breath of fresh air if time permits.

I know yes technically I am entitled to one, but I don't really care. If I am the only cook on the line, do I tell my customers they can't eat because I am on break? I'd rather work it all the way through and leave 30 minutes earlier.

Most cooks I know feel this way, it's tough enforcing something you don't believe in.....

[GreaseTrap]

i work in a truck stop, and it's by far the most unpredictable place i've ever worked. i'm normally the only line cook on duty during my shift, so i often don't get an official break. when the opportunity presents itself, i scamper off to the break room and suck down a cigarette, but that's only when there's nothing else to do. if i have something that needs prepped or a ticket in the window, my nicotine fix must wait. when someone on my crew starts whining about their break, i giggle. there's rarely more than three people in my kitchen at a time...line cook, prep cook and dishwasher. so if one's missing and we get hit, the whole machine gets outta whack. most days, it's not a problem getting my crew's breaks in. but there have been many days where we're balls out from clock in to clock out. i personally believe breaks to be discretionary.

[chefbigdog]

By law we have to give breaks two 15 min and one 30 minutes for shifts over six hours. My cooks and myself do not take a straight 15 min or 30 min but through the course of a day everyone takes 5 min here 15 min there that all add up at the end of the day. Your not straight out for the full shift if you want to spread out the time 5 min for a smoke 10 min to run to the store so be it. We are all grown people take your time as it fits into your work day

[Line_Grunt]

Personally, I find breaks are more of an interrupution than anything else. I rarely take my breaks that I am entitled too. I'd rather spend that time getting my head into gear for the oncoming service and making sure my mise en place is set up the way I want it. I just don't feel that spending 30 minutes outside or somehere else is the best way to relieve stress or prep myself, I'd be more stressed if I were outside constantly thining, "I've gotta do this then that then this...."

I gotta admit it is a little bit of a macho thing aswell, but only because I am proving to myself that I can tough it out. I love the long hours uninterrupted in the kitchen. I'm addicted to it and feel at home in the kitchen, so why would I want to leave.

But ****, when close is finally done I love that first smoke of a marlboro red and a glass of red or white wine, wind down time