How do Line Cooks get in the Weeds? 

I’m 20 seconds in and this literally happened (everything single thing you just said) 2 days ago at the restaurant where I work. I’m super new to the industry, just started training on the line after working my way up from a dishwasher, and this is the first time I’ve seen this happen

I’ve been a cook for a long time and the situation you described in the beginning was so accurate all I could do was laugh the only part missing is the 1 line cook that has to go into the walk in to decompress before he walks out

First thing I learned in the industry. Pace the orders. Take an order and enter an order. I will even as a server, tell them I can only take the drink order at seating time, then take app o entree order. To pace the kitchen. Kitchen is the gold.

I recently did a shift where the forecast was expected to be quiet, where only two cooks where to be on the line (monday). Turns out the other cook didnt show up and I was left on my own with a KP. Then a massive rushed occurred from 18:00-21:00 where I ran down the line like a madman doing to many ticket all at the same time, due to all the tickets coming in at the same time. Wait times went from 20 to 30 then 40 then 50. Then the manager of the site called and said to close orders to the kitchen, Until all tickets where done. I felt embarrassed and angry at the fact I couldn't hold the kitchen down. front house where not communicating with me but staying very quiet and where not giving me any information just glum facial expressions. I honestly felt like just leaving out from the back and walking away. Though I stuck out till it died down from about 21:30 kitchen was a mess, tired from running for hours, stressed out of my mind. Ended my shift(clean down+ labels) at 0:30 got home at 2:00 woke at 5:30 to open the Same day. Honestly one of the worst experiences I've had.

Flashbacks to me and my kitchen bro were deep in the fucking weeds once, one of the girls form front of house tried to come help us out, and our shithead manager bitched at her for it, then ran and hid back in the office when we both started yelling at him to either shut up and let her help or do so himself. Really hated that guy...still do, honestly.

There’s always an eerie silence when your line is going down, like being in the eye of the storm. Great video!

Man it always starts with being out of one product or ingredient

I’ve always asked the servers to notify new tables that the cook time is lengthy once we get busy. Cook within your means. You can only cook so much especially in small kitchens. If you can only do 5 to six plates focus on that and tell the servers what the ticket time is looking like. Communicate and don’t become a deer in the headlights. Focus on doing the food right the first time and don’t push out so much food that the servers can t keep up. Customers would rather wait and have good food that is hot than sloppy food that is cold.

Great video of breaking down how bad management breaks down. You're right about spreading out orders. But another method is using false waits, which historically to me have always been a life saver.

Table Hoppers magically get tickets lost!…. I know it’s not the ‘meta!’…. But I actually give permission to the cooks to lose tickets of, ‘Table Hoppers!’…. Am I wrong????

Often the servers get us line cooks in the weeds. I was on the line in 13 restaurants over 40 years. We had 70 orders on the ticket rail, Katie kept hounding us "where's my order?" The fifth time I put her ticket on the floor. There were 9 of us on the line Friday night. Then Jennifer kept picking food from an order in the window - I took the meal and threw it in the trash can. I yelled for everyone in the kitchen ally, dont eat the customers food! Keep in mind that servers make much more than most line cooks. The expiditer is in control of the line. And no, dude, we dont over cook the food. Servers have to be accurate, not coming back and writing on the ticket "Oh I forgot to key this in". This is serious and we HAVE to make them send a new ticket or the added on food ends up being for free. All orders go through the pos system which also keeps our inventory numbers accurate. When I was manager, I often went into the store room and yelled like a mad lion. That felt sooo good when I came back out and the kitchen was quiet for a moment!

I worked my way up at a Red Robin from dishwasher to line cook. I knew the place was struggling a bit, going through cooks almost as fast as they hired them. Only managed 3 months there before I had to quit. Abusive managers, some of the cooks were idiots, and nobody informed the cooks if it was going to be busy, so every night was a tossup between a shitshow and a soup sandwich. Also, a question for any experienced line cooks. I think I might have General Anxiety Disorder. Should I still try to be a line cook? I'm starting culinary school next month.

Great advice for a learner in a kitchen but the customer is always right just bust a out a new plate of food and move….on …Bro …!!!

As a kitchen Manager I believe the false wait can be the tactic that saves everything if used properly. like he said customers can see that tables are ready for seating. so instead of making them wait that 5 minutes to be seated, have them wait those 5 minutes at the table they will eventually be seated at with some water while they wait at inform the server of that section the wait time of the table. customers are seated knowing it will be 5 min till they are officially seated and the server has some time to gameplan and get organized. This can also be done with two tables at a time for efficiency. thoughts?

My servers do this to me everyday.

I jumped out of my seat and had ptsd at 4:55

Fantastic points here. You really encompassed almost all of the common issues that cause a restaurant to give less-than-ideal service.

I was a line cook for 1 year after being a dishwasher for 6 months. I left work to go to college. I just came back to work after 1 1/2 years, at a different restaurant and just finished my first shift. I never seen this channel before until today and it is really informative and spot on. Love the content!

Made me have nightmares from my server days!! 😝😝 Oh boy!! Typically, we would have some notice, so we were able to schedule enough people. On occasion, we would get those rushes, and could only pray that we had a talented, skilled enough staff be able to handle the situation. Along with the staff being willing to pick up the slack wherever needed. They had to be willing to run food, or drinks, or condiments, tickets, whatever, to keep up with the over all efficiency of the restaurant.

Whats that mean in the weeds?

Well... You describe the problem very well. I worked at chain coffehouse (small kitchen but relatively big menu, closer to restaurants) mainly as a server and barista, however also was 2 months in the kitchen (moved out because of the toxic atmosphere and very mean lead cook who bullied me all the time). The rule amongst all of the managers and supervisors was "the most important thing is taking orders from the guests". Server has to leave everything IMMEDIATELY, even if he's in the middle of something, as long as some table wants to order. The results were: ready but cold food and coffee because the servers don't pick it in time, cooks and baristas are angry at servers, servers are passive aggressive towards the cooks, the cooks are lost in the weeds during the rush and all the time mad at themselves, the servers, the manager and the guests. Nervous breakdowns in the kitchen, unsatisfied clients. The cooks were talented, the servers were patient and the managers usually knew to deal with the annoyed guests, so the place worked somehow and even had good reputation. But dammit, many of those problems could be avoided from the start.

Great vids. You tell it like it is

I jumped out of my seat and had ptsd at 4:55

I'm a new cook lol I feel like a guppy in a shark tank 😅😅

I would just tell guests to come back later or another day

Can I get this on the fly?? I forgot to ring it in.. my bad 🤗 😵‍💫🤣 EDIT: 15:00 everything you’re saying is restaurant GOSPEL! Totally subscribed! You had me at “pacing” 🔥🤘🏻🇺🇸

really good insights, thanks for the videos..

6:11 don't you think that taking those orders together may make easier for cook's as same orders could be ordered by different guests as result we can cook those orders together. But in the case of taking orders one by one makes the situation like cooking same dish twice which consumes more time ?

Had to witness the ad by Don Junior. What a whimp.

Man I remember one day that printer would not stop bro. We had a full rail and tickets hanging while I was dropping sides and seafood on the grill and the other guy was pushing out the food. That thing stopped for 30 whole seconds, then proceeded to go off again nonstop 😭

Thanks dude, I’ve been looking for online advice on how to deal with learning the sauté station. My head chef and Sous have the same days off and now has fallen on my to hold down Sundays and Mondays, with no real training from either of them lmao

🤣🤠👍

The nuclear option has happened to me as a customer way too many times, i feel like a lot of places go to this as the first option instead of the last option and it is def frustrating.

Cooks/Chefs that has big egos and fire all the food at the same time and makes more mistakes are annoying to me. I agree, my mindset is always on rush mode especially on dinner service. Top up & back up everything. Like the saying "two is one, one is none".