[AndreaKulbaba]

I was working in a 72-room hotel, with two function rooms (seating 100ish and 175-200). We started off with 8 people working the kitchen. Head chef only did prep sometimes if we were in the sh!t, so make that 7. One chef walks out. One chef's wife has a stroke and passes away so he goes on sick leave for about six weeks. One chef heads to college. Wedding season starts. Suddenly I become the pastry chef, the pastry chef is on breakfast, and my split shift (10-2 and back for 5-10) turns into a 12-hour shift. I'm the lucky one; one of the guys does breakfast some days straight through til the end of service. No one new is hired. If anyone gets a break it's usually to run down to the shops to get soft drinks for everyone. Yes, you take a break when you can, but sometimes it's better to just work through it instead of only having 3 brulees and no petit fours left for service on a friday night. Then I left the hotel (visa expired, not much I could do). The kid who left for college comes back for a couple months, but the only person that they've hired in this entire time was a 16-year old apprentice going for his svq2, and he went on holidays for 2 weeks on the same week that I left.

When wedding season really started up we had to get agency chefs to come in every weekend to help out. That alleviated the problem a bit, but with some of them you really had to keep an eye on what they were doing, and with others they'd become the chef's pet and you'd be stuck doing the work anyway!

Most people who were working in that kitchen (in fact, everyone who wasn't working breakfast) were supposed to be on split shifts, but it would be rare to find anyone leaving for more than an hour unless we had everyone on.

[ljokjel]

Nothing is like the wind down time after service... Nothing.
If I can take a break and want to, I do it. I dont have my **** together, unprepped and so on, I dont. Being unprepared costs me so much more than not taking the break.
Bu prepping vedgetables and etc is kind of a chill down time for me. When you can disconnect and do the no-brainer prepping. Or baking bread or something. Those kinds of jobs are relaxing to me in a way.
I dont know how the laws are here in Norway, but I dont think I can sue my workplace if I dont take my breaks. Seems pretty harsh.
But again, its you guys. The land of lawsuits.

[KitchenChef]

If the kitchen station is running well, take a break, if you are under pressure don't.

Nobody can stop you going to the "toilet", and no chef will stand for 16 hours straight

[horton79]

Originally Posted by Gnosh

I've been in the industry for years (started out as dishwasher and have worked my way up to lead saute), and have never once gotten more then 1 or 2 breaks over 5-10 minutes per shift (alot of times not any break at all, even on 16 hour long shifts). Is it normal for line cooks to not get the "standard" alloted break times that other people in the working world get? (And I realize that the restaurant world is completely different then the rest of the working world, but after realizing this the other day, it would certainly make working the line a little more doable at the end of the day I think).

I met Thomas Keller about twelve years ago during a special event. Later that night when he saw me walking past when all the chefs were outside on the pateo he stopped me and invited me to join him with a glass of wine.

How often does Thomas Keller sit a young chef in training to give him advise? I think the conversation went on for a few hours. He told me of a time when he was in France working in a restaurant 16 hours a day and there was lull in the afternoon so he sat down on the counter for a moment. He was reprimanded by the chef and was told that a chef never sits down.

That's right. According to Thomas Keller, "A chef never sits down." Don't forget it.

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by Dillbert

it is neither normal or legal.

how to handle that situation depends on . . . .

If time doesn't allow for a break, a break can't be taken. How is this not normal? In the middle of service your head chef will stop and say "table 28 can wait, the fry cook has been on his feet for 5 hours straight!"?

[natividad]

In the past, during banquet season in a nice hotel I will often work 16 hour shifts 5 or 6 times a week, with just quick smoke breaks and quick meals in , part of the dues you pay as a chef. If there was a big breakfast to be done I was the one to be there to open up at 5 am and still work my lunch and dinner shifts. I say suck it up or someone hungrier than you will be there to take your place, in my career I have often been that "someone" I worked longer and did better work than everyone else and it has paid off in a big time way. Now I call my own shots and I look for that next hungry young chef. I realize there are labor laws and such but the culinary career is a whole different world. This is a marathon and if you don't have the stamina, as well as the talent, you will be left behind in the dust. Thomas Keller was right.

[Line_Grunt]

well said Natividad. Agreed bud

[Drekington]

While I do agree that breaks should only be taken when at all possible, as a sous chef running my line back in Toronto, I had to be aware of my staff. I have seen guys who will refuse to take a break while hovering over the grill for 12+ hours. It can be very bad, I have seen a guy almost pass out on the grill. I will try to shift people around my line to either give the guy a break or at the very least get him/her into a lower key station, such as salads to at least cool off.

[leeniek]

Originally Posted by Schuster

As an additional question, for those who are paid hourly, do you still get paid for your breaks?

At the restaurant I work at we are paid for our breaks and are entitled to a half an hour break as well. That just said I think I have only taken a full half hour break a handful of times. Most of the time I take enough time to gobble something up and then I'm washing my hands and I'm back online.

[leeniek]

Originally Posted by 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. .

On Mondays and Tuesdays we have two of us on the line and one on the lunch so breaks are a little hard to come by at times. I'm the opener so I usually get a break and most times it's just enough time to eat and then I get right back at it. I'll take it at 9am when the lunch person comes in so that the other line cook has someone he can look to for help. The fruiter we have in on that day does know the line as well (we're corporate) and the location he came to us from trained them on all the stations so he can help as well. Our place can be pretty unpredictable too.. Tuesdays are usually deader than dead but not this past Tuesday and we got clobbered... and that was the day I worked from open to close because I couldn't leave them with so much prep to do.

[leeniek]

I worked at a small cafe before the place I'm at now and there I was the cook and by the cook I mean the ONLY cook, so I had to take my breaks on my feet and I agree with what's been said here... sitting down is bad! Sometimes you have to sit down ... I have just started opening and because I don't drive (I can but I hate it) I have a fifteen minute walk uptown to the GO station and then a twenty minute walk when I get off the GO bus in Burlington, so it's taken some getting used to. I made the mistake of sitting down yesterday to eat and it was even harder to get back up onto my feet again!

[Jmw5283]

Every restaurant I have ever worked in, whether it be as a Pantry Cook or a Line Cook, I have always been told to use my own judgment. I don't smoke, so I don't go outside before or after each rush. I generally eat my staff meal on my station, while getting prep done for the shift. So when it comes down to it, I am ok with not getting a 2- 15 minute breaks and 1- 30 minute for lunch, like a normal Monday-Friday 9-5.

[ChefBillyB]

Originally Posted by horton79

I met Thomas Keller about twelve years ago during a special event. Later that night when he saw me walking past when all the chefs were outside on the pateo he stopped me and invited me to join him with a glass of wine.

How often does Thomas Keller sit a young chef in training to give him advise? I think the conversation went on for a few hours. He told me of a time when he was in France working in a restaurant 16 hours a day and there was lull in the afternoon so he sat down on the counter for a moment. He was reprimanded by the chef and was told that a chef never sits down.

That's right. According to Thomas Keller, "A chef never sits down." Don't forget it.

Wasn't Thomas Keller sitting down when he told you that story.................So much for advice from Thomas Keller.............................As for line cooks getting breaks....A line cook is hired to manage his/her station. That also includes breaks...............A Chef worth anything will make sure their cooks get a break. Going back years ago all cooks smoked, I'll tell you one thing they made sure they got their smoke break every hour....Bill

[foodpump]

"A Chef never sits down".

This was brainwashed into me as well.

I completed a 3yr cook's apprenticeship in Luzern, Switzerland waaay back in the '80's. We were reprimanded if we ever sat down, if we stood on one leg during long mundane vegetable peeling sesions, the other leg was kicked out by the chef de partie or Sous.

Later, during my Swiss army bootcamp, I was detailed to the kitchen--same attitude prevailed, a cook never sits down.

25 years later, I can not-so-proudly state that I suffer from flat feet, plantar facsicitis, and must wear custom orthotics--but I still find it hard to sit down......

[ChefBillyB]

Originally Posted by foodpump

"A Chef never sits down".

This was brainwashed into me as well.

I completed a 3yr cook's apprenticeship in Luzern, Switzerland waaay back in the '80's. We were reprimanded if we ever sat down, if we stood on one leg during long mundane vegetable peeling sesions, the other leg was kicked out by the chef de partie or Sous.

Later, during my Swiss army bootcamp, I was detailed to the kitchen--same attitude prevailed, a cook never sits down.

25 years later, I can not-so-proudly state that I suffer from flat feet, plantar facsicitis, and must wear custom orthotics--but I still find it hard to sit down......

Hey Foodpump, Sitting down isn't the problem, its getting up........Bill