Restaurant Punk

From small towns to big cities and everywhere in between, there is always a legendary eatery wherever you find yourself. But what makes them iconic? Is it the food, the ambiance, the people, or something else entirely? And, once it’s deemed the best-of-the-best, what causes a neighborhood staple to shutter its doors? Nikos, Leah, and Peter are answering questions, including:

• Does a restaurant’s food, longevity, or consistency most contribute to its status as “iconic?”
• Are you Team Pat’s or Geno’s when it comes to your Philly Cheesesteak?
• What’s your go-to place to grab a drink or bite to eat in your city?
• How has the pandemic impacted iconic businesses?
• What happens when a famous business gets passed on to the next generation?

You know that old song “I am woman, hear me roar?” Well, in this episode, Leah is a woman; hear her sound off on Yianni over comments made in a previous episode about why there aren’t many women in the kitchen (Pro or Faux: What Differentiates a Chef from a Cook: https://youtu.be/fis02ZNZ6Uo). Whether you call it a debate, an argument, or a lively discussion, Yianni and Leah are exchanging their strong opinions on questions including:

• Do women pass on the kitchen shifts because they make more money on the floor?
• Is there more potential for long-term growth in a kitchen position than in a serving or bartending role?
• Are women opposed to working in the kitchen in restaurants because of the locker room atmosphere?
• Can the “server life” give you a stable and secure financial future?

Have you ever been the rookie at a restaurant? You know, when everyone acts like you’re not good enough to make the cut during your first few days or weeks, but shortly after that, they depend on you to cover their shifts? On the flip side – have you ever been the jaded veteran server who doesn’t have the time of day for the new guy? From where to find supplies to how to open/close, George, Liz, and Noelle are answering all-new questions, including:

-      What is it like to be the new server on the block?
-      Have you ever found yourself “hazing” a new employee?
-      Do you go out of your way to help train new team members?
-      Should new hires be required to thoroughly train before their first shift?

They say there are always exceptions to the rules, so when working in a kitchen, when is it necessary (or acceptable) to turn a blind eye? From how often you change the fryer oil and whether you leave dishes stacking up in the sink to serving questionable food and broken sauces, many situations arise that require you to use your best judgment. Nikos, Peter, Yianni, and Joe are explaining their take on when it’s ok to cut a few corners and answering questions, including:

• If you’re serving an 18 top and drop one of their plates, do you pop it in the fryer and serve it anyway?
• When you’re super busy and need to get the ticket out, do you skip the garnish?
• Have you ever served decaf coffee and passed it off as regular so that you didn’t have to brew two pots?
• Why aren’t there more women in the back of the house in restaurants?

When the phone starts ringing in a restaurant, what’s the best way to answer? While some restaurant owners and managers feel that scripting the staff is your best bet, others prefer to let team members with personality put their own creative take on things. Get some FaceTime with George, Leah, and Liz as they answer questions, including:

• Do you let everyone on your team answer the phone?
• Who should be responsible for the phone in a restaurant?
• Should everyone answer the phone the exact same way?
• When a restaurant is busy, is it ok to stop taking to-go orders?
• What team member receives the tips for take-out orders placed over the phone – the person who takes the order, the kitchen who cooks the meal, or the hostess who handles the pick-up process?
• Does a restaurant need to have a training manual that directs staff on how to answer the phone along with answers to typical questions?

What makes a chef? By definition, “a professional cook, typically the chief cook in a restaurant or hotel,” but what is it really? Does the number of years that you’ve worked in the kitchen matter? What about the caliber of cooking that you deliver? From a line cook to an executive chef to the head of culinary operations for a massive corporate chain, everyone will probably argue something different. Nikos, Yianni, Peter, and Joe are serving up their answers from a back-of-house perspective and answering questions, including:

• When you graduate culinary school, does that automatically make you a chef?
• Do you HAVE to go to culinary school to be a true chef?
• Is doing a stage (pronounced staj) an important part of developing your culinary career?
• Can you be a self-proclaimed chef?
• What is the difference between a cook and a chef?

Whether you own a restaurant, manage one, or just pick up a few shifts serving tables, you’ve undoubtedly heard some of the many tall tales (read: bullsh*t stories) that are told to cover up mistakes, laziness, and tardiness. While it can be entertaining at times, it can be downright infuriating when it impacts business. From why the side work isn’t done to what kept them from arriving to work on time, Liz, Leah, and Peter and swapping stories and answering questions like:

• Do you ask someone to prove it/ call them out on their bullsh*t?
• What’s the boundary between “calling out” an employee and a potential harassment or bullying accusation?
• Have you ever done something crazy to cover your a** when you’re calling out sick?
• If the exaggerated stories aren’t impacting the workplace, do you just let it go?
• Should Liz become HR for Kara Restaurant Group?
• What’s the craziest story(lie) you’ve ever been told while working at a restaurant?

Besides 86, the most common number you’ll hear in a restaurant kitchen is probably 69. But why do back-of-house employees tend to make sexually charged comments, jokes, and gestures more often than others in the hospitality industry? According to Nikos, it helps him let loose and have fun, to which George proclaims - that’s what she said. Join Leah, Liz, George, and Nikos to answer questions, including: 

• Why do kitchen employees tend to make more sexual jokes?
• Are younger generations being taught to be offended?
• Is it ok to “haze” a new employee?
• Should inappropriate jokes be expected as part of restaurant culture?

You’ve got the vision and the drive, but you’ve got no budget - how the hell do you open your dream venue? Be it a bar or a restaurant, there are some design corners you can cut and some menu adjustments you just have to make when you’re trying to launch your new location. Peter, Leah, and George are debating how to debut a hospitality venue with no money in the bank and discussing questions including:

• Does it cost $100,000 to open a new restaurant?
• Do you need to renovate completely before opening your new location?
• Can you open a new location for less than 20k?
• Can you count on your current regulars to follow you when you open your own place?
• How the hell do I get started when it comes to launching a hospitality venue?

There are jokers, smokers, and midnight tokers, but how do you feel about co-workers who get cigarette/vape breaks? A smoker, a vaper, and two non-smokers sit down to discuss one of the most common vices in the restaurant industry and how it impacts fellow employees and the business as a whole. Noelle, Yianni, Leah, and George are getting heated about questions including:

- How do non-smokers feel about smokers getting breaks in the middle of their shift?
- Does Serv-Safe allow you to vape inside a restaurant?
- As a non-smoker, have you ever considered smoking just to get the extra break time at work?
- Have you ever taken a pre-workout before a restaurant shift?
- How do you feel about a server who approaches your table wreaking of smoke?