Good day comrades,
For many years, and many, many long hours I have sweated it out (like all of you) in the stainless steel hot box of food services.
Line Cook, Kitchen Manager, Head Chef been there.
Three years ago after spending a good deal of time running a line in my home town, I had decided a change was necessary
(Too long in one place 'makes Homer... something..somthing...').
Anyway, I answered an online ad for a Govenerment run organization looking for a Chef. The ad itself didn't have too much information, but it did say enough to perk my interest.
I went to the interview and was chosen for the job out of a narrow three possible candidates. Blah..blah...
My current position is Head Chef for a Social Enterprise (a Catering company) which is run by a government run organization. It has proven to be one of the most difficult jobs I have ever had to contend with. I work with people who have "lived experience", mental illness, learning disabilities, etc.
I spend a whole bunch of my time watching percentages with a keen eye, as well a training...retraining...retraining...retraining... well you probably get the idea.
Last year the program ran a deficit. It was large enough to do a throughout cost analysis of all my menus, and food resources. I 'upped' the menu pricing according to my research.
I endlessly battled through the last year with my food cost, and my labor cost (my labor cost can grow expenentially because it can take two or three people to accommodate the workload it would have normally taken one or two people to finish in a standard kitchen situation... this is why we are funded...to compensate).
But! it is not the labor costs which I am concerned about. Although they are super high (at about 38% in January), I am graciously allowed up to 45%. It is my food cost! It is embarrassingly high (even with the new menu pricing).
Have any of you guys ever heard of menu price increases only affecting the labor bottom-line and not food cost? I realize this sounds crazy, but I'm charging, what it is I can charge for menu items before the pricing is not competitive. If nothing I have asked above makes sense, please ask questions... It would be very helpful to me to figure out what is the hell is happening with my numbers.
For many years, and many, many long hours I have sweated it out (like all of you) in the stainless steel hot box of food services.
Line Cook, Kitchen Manager, Head Chef been there.
Three years ago after spending a good deal of time running a line in my home town, I had decided a change was necessary
(Too long in one place 'makes Homer... something..somthing...').
Anyway, I answered an online ad for a Govenerment run organization looking for a Chef. The ad itself didn't have too much information, but it did say enough to perk my interest.
I went to the interview and was chosen for the job out of a narrow three possible candidates. Blah..blah...
My current position is Head Chef for a Social Enterprise (a Catering company) which is run by a government run organization. It has proven to be one of the most difficult jobs I have ever had to contend with. I work with people who have "lived experience", mental illness, learning disabilities, etc.
I spend a whole bunch of my time watching percentages with a keen eye, as well a training...retraining...retraining...retraining... well you probably get the idea.
Last year the program ran a deficit. It was large enough to do a throughout cost analysis of all my menus, and food resources. I 'upped' the menu pricing according to my research.
I endlessly battled through the last year with my food cost, and my labor cost (my labor cost can grow expenentially because it can take two or three people to accommodate the workload it would have normally taken one or two people to finish in a standard kitchen situation... this is why we are funded...to compensate).
But! it is not the labor costs which I am concerned about. Although they are super high (at about 38% in January), I am graciously allowed up to 45%. It is my food cost! It is embarrassingly high (even with the new menu pricing).
Have any of you guys ever heard of menu price increases only affecting the labor bottom-line and not food cost? I realize this sounds crazy, but I'm charging, what it is I can charge for menu items before the pricing is not competitive. If nothing I have asked above makes sense, please ask questions... It would be very helpful to me to figure out what is the hell is happening with my numbers.