open kitchen or closed kitchen - Page 2

That takes some brass

You would have to be very well recognized, or just very confident to do that in most places I've worked. Walk into a kitchen, interupt an expo/chef and ask what's good tonite? Hmmm. You are lucky you are published.

I liked the open kitchen I worked in because one time afterlunch service this total MILF came up to the pass the after her meal and asked for the recipie for my roasted tomato and basil soup.

I told her it was against company policy to give away recipie secrets (it wasn't). She then asked if i'd give her a few pointers if she took me out for dinner (she was about 45-50 i was 28.) I got her number and took her up on the offer.

Long story short we had a great meal and I ended up banging her senceless and giving her some roasted tomato and basil soup making tips.

Best thing was I never even made the soup she ate in the first place.

I love our open kitchen. I can easily chat with friends and visitors while cooking. I can never do that in a closed kitchen.

I went to an interesting place in Melbourne where the plating was all in full view of the dining room, but the kitchen itself was out of view.  Kind of a hybrid.  Myself, in an open kitchen, I wouldn't want customers to see me bleeding all over the place, or hear me cussing every five minutes.  The open kitchens in the mom and pop izakayas in Japan were nice, except when mama decides she wants to give you a huge platter of greasy fried chicken livers.

As a guest:  Open.

 

As a cook/chef:  Open.

 

BDL

Closed, I came out to dinner to eat and enjoy my friends, not watch of a bunch front line cooks banging things around....................ChefBillyB

As a patron, I love open kitchens.

 

As a short-order cook I didn't have a whole lot of choice. It was an open kitchen, long before the term got popular.  Maybe because of that, or maybe for other reasons, but I don't mind cooking in front of an audience.

 

Anybody else remember the Tad's chain? These were all-you-can-eat steak joints. Their big claim to fame (which certainly was not the quality of the meat) was that the grills were inside the windows, and the cooks flipped the steaks in front of passers-by out on the street, as well as being open to the patrons. Again, the term "open kitchen" wasn't used much. This was just a stunt designed to entice you in.

 

Years ago, in Chicago, there was a high-end Chinese restaurant with a nice hybrid version. It had an open kitchen behind a glass (more likely plexiglas) wall. So patrons could see what was going on, but not disturb the cooks with idle chatter.

 

In front of the wall was a demonstration station, where cooks would, from time to time, show-off some of their techniques. That's the first time I ever saw noodles made by folding, for instance, instead of cutting.

 

Unfortunately, the place is long gone.

I prefer an open Kitchen, but not completely open.  At the restaurant I'm currently at, we have counter to ceiling glass, which is nice, it allows you to observe and holds you accountable for almost every thing you do.

Cooking is about flexibility so whether it be an open or closed kitchen, success is still in the hands of the great cook. Though in my case, open kitchen makes me comfortable, cause you can work freely with a huge space. (well as long as everything you need is there) 

I would go with open kitchen for most people votes on that already. lol.

The reason behind it actually is it's not enclosed completely by 4 walls, bigger and more spacious. It's better for entertaining for the cook can still interact with guests.

TamTam and Cookpiper, you might be confused about what the term "open kitchen" means in this context. It has little to do with the size of the kitchen, or how you configure it at home.

 

In a professional setting kitchens are either closed (i.e., behind closed doors, with only staff allowed to enter), or open (i.e., the kitchen---in whole or in part---is visually, and sometimes physically, accessible to the paying customers).

 

The professional working in closed kitchen only has to worry about doing his/her job. One in an open kitchen, on the other hand, is not just a cook. He or she is an actor on a stage, and must be aware of that at all times.

Given the choice I prefer closed....but the one in my shop is open.

 

I love working in open kitchens. As was mentioned above the rapport you establish with customers is really enjoyable. Actually seeing the expressions on people's faces as they enjoy their food is ridiculously satisfying as well. When I was working in one place we had a regular who would come and sit at the kitchen bar, usually in front of my station. He would always engage in conversation with me provided it wasn't busy and would always compliment us on the food. There is no other feeling like hearing "this is the best (insert dish ordered) I have ever had!" directly from the customer. Also it gives the customer a sense of the amount of skill and care it takes to prepare a meal in a restaurant.

I've worked in both and currently I'm in an open kitchen.  Customers are separated from us by the pass but when they come in to the restaurant the first thing they see is the kitchen.  Alot of them watch us as we work and seem fascinated by the fruit plates etc that they see whey they come in.  Sometimes when I'm calling board I'll call for a waffle and I've seen some of the customers actually look up to see where that voice came from.  We rarely have contact with customers... some of the regulars talk to us and if we see someone in line we know we can say hello but that's as far as it goes for the most part.  If someone has an allergy and has questions, the KM or I will go out and speak to them instead of doing it via a server.