So, first off, big thanks to this forum and especially those folks on here who are always willing to give their two cents. It has been extremely valuable, either the ideas, or simply just validation. One thing I have learned being a chef is the only ones you can truly trust are your peers ( your staff have no freaking clue ).
Anyways, on to my dilemma.
I recently taken a chef position at a fairly well established pasta/pizza joint in a small town. The business has been owned and ran by the same folks for 18 years, with a name change and face lift last year ( so it is really a brand new business ).
The owner is kind of a juggernaut. And in that, they have developed some rules that have, I believe, have screwed up the local following.
We do a lot of accommodating, for the most part ( gluten free options, vegetarian, vegan ) but when it comes to "red writing" , it becomes a problem. It is one thing to add certain things to a pizza, but overall, the customer can't make their own.
I mean, I get it..... but at the same time, I really don't. I have done this for twenty years, and yes, most cooks are complete fools and can't cook their way out of a riddle, but isn't this the hospitality business?
Example:
A customer wants a mushroom and cheese pizza , so instead of us having a custom function on the pos, the FOH SOP is to order a pizza with mushrooms and write no this and no that in order to get a pizza with just cheese and mushrooms...... which is MORE red writing than just Custom Pizza: Mushrooms ( it also costs more for the customer ).
To further explain this, they also do not do wine tasting . You can order a wine, and if you do not like, they will eat it. Does this make any damn sense to anyone? If you look on our yelp ( not that yelp is god or anything ) , there is so many bad experiences that actually start off with the fact they couldn't do a tasting . The owner feels that it is the customer trying to rip him off......
So, am I crazy? Should I bring this up, or should I just let it be?
I have a passion for this industry, and accommodating is just part of the game. It has never bothered me, and I know from experience , it just makes you famous in a small town, which is KEY in getting the locals to come in during the off season.
Anyways, on to my dilemma.
I recently taken a chef position at a fairly well established pasta/pizza joint in a small town. The business has been owned and ran by the same folks for 18 years, with a name change and face lift last year ( so it is really a brand new business ).
The owner is kind of a juggernaut. And in that, they have developed some rules that have, I believe, have screwed up the local following.
We do a lot of accommodating, for the most part ( gluten free options, vegetarian, vegan ) but when it comes to "red writing" , it becomes a problem. It is one thing to add certain things to a pizza, but overall, the customer can't make their own.
I mean, I get it..... but at the same time, I really don't. I have done this for twenty years, and yes, most cooks are complete fools and can't cook their way out of a riddle, but isn't this the hospitality business?
Example:
A customer wants a mushroom and cheese pizza , so instead of us having a custom function on the pos, the FOH SOP is to order a pizza with mushrooms and write no this and no that in order to get a pizza with just cheese and mushrooms...... which is MORE red writing than just Custom Pizza: Mushrooms ( it also costs more for the customer ).
To further explain this, they also do not do wine tasting . You can order a wine, and if you do not like, they will eat it. Does this make any damn sense to anyone? If you look on our yelp ( not that yelp is god or anything ) , there is so many bad experiences that actually start off with the fact they couldn't do a tasting . The owner feels that it is the customer trying to rip him off......
So, am I crazy? Should I bring this up, or should I just let it be?
I have a passion for this industry, and accommodating is just part of the game. It has never bothered me, and I know from experience , it just makes you famous in a small town, which is KEY in getting the locals to come in during the off season.