I quit. Having self doubts.

Was there for 5 weeks as "lead jerk, head chef, w/e"

(have a problem with calling myself a chef, but there are other threads for that subject).

I'm questioning my abilities versus what was being asked of me.

They want to run 25% food cost.

14% labor for BoH (13% FoH).

The weekly budget for food is based off of the sales for the last three weeks.

Labor % is checked daily.  One hour over on any shift is throwing percentage off kilter.

I just spent 30 minutes typing out a huge vent, and then deleted it to save space.  It contained many expletives.

I can sit here and bitch about stuff, but basically I'm wondering if those numbers are attainable.

I'm sure there are variables depending on location and menu.

Thanks guys.

Your opinions mean a lot to me.

I appreciate your candor.

I don't want to vent too much; you never know who is reading this (things I've typed have come back to haunt me TWICE on this board).

I don't think the owners are crazy for asking what they're asking, I'd just have to fire almost everyone and start again.

Wall of text/thought incoming:

______________________

I can't work the line (learn the line, really), reprice the menu, re-write the production manual, come up with weekly specials, battle with the owners and FoH about dumbing-down menus, come up with a new happy hour menu, meet the weekly food budget, raise the $$$ amount per head requested, do deep cleaning, re-work monthly inventory (I mean, holy hell...  the inventory guide I was given had prices on it from 2 months ago from suppliers that I don't even use and is missing probably $1000 worth of product), oh wait the baker production has never been priced out  ok and we're selling croissants at probably mmmm... 60% FC, meanwhile someone brought the clam chowder I made last night to a full rolling boil to re-heat it are you f***ing kidding me you f-ing amateur? and doesn't realize the mistake????? and puts it in the warmer and thinks that it's okay to serve? do you take NO pride in your work?  holy ...  can't you see the inch of oil on the top? so I'm 86'd soup on a Saturday night? "just throw an egg yolk in it" he says... it's clam chowder... (I fixed it by straining it, making a roux, adding strained liquid, then solids, but it's not like I had a ton of extra time to play around with it and now it tastes floury and I don't have time/energy/$$$ to f*** with it anymore), oh and yeah that pork shoulder that we need for dinner service? yeah you can't just throw the whole f-ing thing in the oven you idiot  trim the fat off and cut it into 5" cubes because that s*** you threw in the oven is F-ING RAW after 4 hours but I should have checked that when I walked in today knowing how inept you are at cooking, burnt croutons by the sheet tray full because no one can figure out how to set a f-ing timer, buckets full of burnt french fries in the garbage, NO NO NOOOooo concern for waste, just walk in and try to get through your shift so you can go home f*** all attitude but play it off like you really care about the place, and you've been working here for 3 months and you don't know the dinner menu to the point where you can be left alone for a few hours???  a 5 top ticket confuses you? A SINGLE TICKET   WITH 5 ITEMS ON IT   AND YOU'RE BAFFLED??? it's f-ing hot sandwiches and pasta not Alinea fare FFS!!! And I show up to help you cover lunch rush and your line is set up to cook...  nothing?! I have to run off line to re-fill the towel dispenser so I can wash my hands before I "cook" that stupid caesar wrap but there's no tortilla shells on the line or romaine cut... but at least you're making time with the baker on your smoke break even though you have a GF with baby otw.  classy. 

And the owner walks in with a "to do" list for me.

Because I don't have enough to do.

Meanwhile, the owner has had a conference with the FoH managers about what we should serve for happy hour...  Like, what am I, chopped liver?!

No, I cannot come up with new menu items at this point because I'm stretched too far, but where have you worked where the FoH came up with the f-ing menus?

I'm not an a**hole cook, but there are lines that should never be crossed.  I'm open to opinions, but it's MY kitchen, MY menu.

I don't think the owners have grasped that idea (I blame the last chef for letting it get to this point) that the menu is created by the chef.

Not farted out in a meeting,

CREATED.

And here I must fault myself for not having menus in my portfolio.  I should.  I should write down what I do.  I should have menu ideas to last forever at this point, but I don't.

But there's food getting freezer burned in the freezer that needs to be used...

_____________________

Okay, done for now.

Taking deep breaths.

But, yeah, it's pretty much like that every day and I'm pissed off every day.  I dread going to work.

I've been unhappy every day for 2 1/2 weeks.  Know myself well enough to know that it is time to go.

Feel bad for the owners, but I got to what's best for me.  Ultimately what's best for them too.

Originally Posted by panini 

Ouch!

It sounded like your were doing well.

I put up a good front. ;)

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by thetincook 

Aw man. I'm sorry to hear that. Venting here is good, feel free.

 

Look on the bright side, no more crazy avocado!

No sorry,  feelsgoodman. 

Why do I hate that item so?  My crazy parents beat me with avocados.  And goat chz. 
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by foodpump 

After a couple of weeks, you'll start to question if what was asked of you was indeed attainable.

...Don't beat yourself up on this.  Use it as resume reference, they are good numbers.

I agree, and I look forward to the hindsight.

I won't beat myself up about this too much.
 

But I just gotta kick myself a little bit, otherwise I'll never learn. 

Thanks Leeniek.

I was a bit harsh in that rant.  Sorry for all the swears (Greg). :P  Almost got me fired from cheftalk (suspended w/out pay?).

I mean, everyone makes mistakes, and a couple days later I went in and there were 22 quarts of bread that I cubed up for croutons that had... fermented and were garbage.

I should have left a note to cook them off.

Someone needs to go into that place and TELL the owners how it's going to be done. I just didn't have the time to teach them how it's done.

I wish them the best and am going to do the ordering for them for a week for free because I feel bad for leaving.

I told them that I'll pass on my info to the next chef without any smack talking about the gripes.

They want it all done at once, and I can't really blame them too much.  They're just in over their heads at this point regarding BoH.  No restaurant experience.

Maybe if I would have walked into a kitchen where all of the BoH employees would have been there for more than 2-3 weeks it'd be different.

Or if they would have been better trained.  Blame the cooks, blame the guy who hired/trained them, blame the situation... hard to pinpoint.

The line cooks should be able to run circles around me, but most run into walls instead.

I never learned the line there start to finish, but I can hang and pretend, cook a dish by reading the menu.  It's not rocket surgery.

And while I'm typing this out and having a SMS session with the sous, he says that the last chef hired poor line cooks on purpose, as a final "screw you" to the place...

HAHA  APRIL FOOLS!!!  What a jerk.

Sorry for being long winded.  I don't really expect responses. 

I just need to get it out, and this community I live in is too small to trash talk among fellow chefs and restaurateurs, so I type it all out here.

On the UP side, I'm walking back into my previous position at my former employment.

Went in today to grab a growler of beer and was accosted by a couple servers, prep cooks, line cooks, a brewer, and even a PR chick about how they're stoked that I'm coming back.

x 10

My heart is full.

Wallet is gonna be a bit lighter, though.

Well, maybe a little the same, Leeniek, but I think you were dealing with some different problems than I was/am (tomorrow is last day (on the schedule)).

I followed your thread, so I understand a bit of what you were going through.

Sounds like you were dealing with a jerk.  The owners I work for are nice enough, and would never lower themselves to "only people who will eat what I make are the ones who don't have to pay for it" comments.  They wouldn't even THINK that.  That's just...  it's so asinine... That's a suicidal remark.  And those remarks just snowball. 

No, they wanted me to stay, but... 

Not like you need me to tell you this, but that place you worked for will suffer for their petty hatred.  They already have. 

You're doing respectable work, something you can take pride in. 

Sounds like you're still hanging on to it because of their harsh words. 

Maybe a little...?

Either way, you've won.  By being a better person.

OMG I sound like a hippie.  Gotta go.

Quote:

Originally Posted by panini 

Left4bread

OK,

"I wish them the best and am going to do the ordering for them for a week for free because I feel bad for leaving. """  "

 Please tell me you did not do this!!!. 

What are you thinking??? Go back and read your rant again. Then, tell me you're comfortable with doing this to the

                                             people you left behind. C'mon Nancy! If the owners are in over their heads, they either get more

                                             involved or get out. You think they are going to work for free. Hey, it's sounds like it would be a better

                                             world if the owners learned the ordering.

 

I'm done.

 

I'm not involved in restaurants anymore, but is it normal to run the same labor cost for FOH as BOH?

                                            

 

It isn't that big of a deal for me.  It's two blocks away from my home.  I can blow through an order in 15 minutes if I don't have to deal with anything else at the same time.

So, that's like 30-45 minutes worth of work for one week with the other smaller ordering.

I could just cut anchor and run, but I don't want the next guy to walk into the same situation that I walked into.

I got almost all the menus priced out and a monthly inventory guide finalized today.

I'm not interested in "teaching them a lesson".  There's no malice in me (regarding this particular subject).

I want to walk away from it knowing that I can come back there as a customer, and maybe they need a favor from me, and maybe someday I need a favor from them.  The lion and the mouse type of thing.

Know what I mean? 

She's in the realty business, I'm looking at buying a place.

I like having connections.

That doesn't make me a Nancy, does it? (BTW I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants at that ).

As far as labor goes, yeah it was 13% for both front and back.  They gave me an extra percentage half way through (whoopee!).

I honestly don't know.  I was too spoiled at my last job.  No budget.  No labor percentages to follow. 

Everyone (mgmt) just trying to hang on to the beast as it drags us in the direction it decides to go that day/hour.

Unfathomably busy.  One hour wait at the door, 45 minute wait for food after you're seated.  Still they come.

Brew pub.  Beer zombies.  Beer zombie apocalypse.  It's awesome.

Leeniek, seriously, don't let her win.  Don't let her words hurt your feelings.  Some people are just like that; make themselves feel better by belittling the people around them.  The longer you let it get to you, the more she wins. 

Easier to say than do, I know... But you gotta stop and ask yourself, why does her opinion mean so much to you?

What the heck do you care what she thinks?

She's a clown, no?  You're supposed to laugh at them.

;)

You're better than her, right?  Right.

Not trying to preach at you, I just feel bad that you feel bad.  FWIW

...ah, just when it was getting good!
I understand if it's too hard, but I'm kinda interested in your opinion about this.

If you can continue sometime without having a meltdown, please  do.

Sounds like you have a tale to tell.

Hey, man, I'm a step below a noob when it comes to these matters, so it's gonna be a one sided conversation,

but if you want to share please do.  I could use the vicarious experience of opening a place.