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borris

post #1 of 8
3/18/09 at 1:12pm
Thread Starter 
Hi everone,new to this:crazy:
I have just moved from working in smallish resturants to working in a large hotel as a sous chef. I thought this would be a good experiance for my career,but i have found that a few of the chef's that have been there for a long while are more about speed than anything to do with taste.The new head chef want's to raise the standerd but we are finding it hard to get the long time chefs to change the way they cook.We don't want to go in with all gun's blazing as this can be counter active.Just wonderd if anyone had come across this and how they managed to get your message across? thanks b
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post #2 of 8
3/18/09 at 2:28pm
I notice you use the term WE when refering to chef and yourself. Are you the Sous chef? if not dont get involved with these guys, let the chef handle it. As you stated it is he that wants to upgrade.:D
CHEFED
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post #3 of 8
3/18/09 at 2:45pm
Thread Starter 
I understand what you are saying just trying to get my mindset so I know how to push forward.
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post #4 of 8
3/18/09 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
Sorry i did not say that i am the sous chef:lips:
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post #5 of 8
3/18/09 at 5:17pm
I've been there. We tried to work with people on a one by one basis to sway them to a new way of doing things, and in a lot of cases people were happy to adopt a new way of doing things which actually gave them a chance to learn and produce quality food. But in the end, my chef and I had to take a hard line and make it clear with some people that you had to be on board or go elsewhere. I don't think it can work to try to turn a restaurant around, work as a team, and raise quality, if everyone doesn't take personal responsibility for it and *own* their work. There may not be any easy way to deal with it.
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post #6 of 8
3/19/09 at 2:20am
It's hard to break old habits. I have one cook that picked up bad habits from the previous manager. To change his ways would have meant nagging him all the time. I had two new cooks come on that we both trained. I would tell them that this guy did things a certain way because that was how he was taught, however, I want it done this way. The result was the experienced cook changed through them, and actually thinks that he's the one who taught them to do it that way. I don't care as long as it gets done.
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post #7 of 8
3/19/09 at 3:13am
Thread Starter 
Thanks that is the way i was thinking about the problem.
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post #8 of 8
3/19/09 at 2:58pm
It's important to get the old school people bought into the new deal.
Changing bad habits is one of the hardest things to do.
You have a sales job in front of you...sell them on why the changes are being made.
Let them taste old vs new in a blind review setting...as a group...the whole staff together...it can be fun.

Explain the numbers to them as well (assuming you've got those figured out). Often, the old scoolers don't really understand the economics of change. Get their buy-in by making sure they understand how this will affect them (and the restaurant) financially.

Train the new deal...be consistent and persistent with your followup...and in a couple weeks, the new school becomes the new old school
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