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“Kitchen Confidential”: Restaurant Workers Reveal Industry Secrets In 30 Posts (New Pics)
Operating a restaurant truly takes a lot of elbow grease. Every industry employee has to be fast, clean, efficient, able to multitask and communicate well for it to function smoothly. All while trying to be the best of their craft, making top-notch food, and meeting customers' expectations and demands. So there’s really no surprise that workers sometimes try to do everything just to get through the day, even if it means cutting corners or committing unethical practices.
However, all of this is happening behind the scenes, where such industry secrets are kept tightly shut. But mysteries exist so they can be revealed, and the online community “Kitchen Confidential” takes pride in doing exactly that. From poorer-than-poor conditions to ridiculous rules to dealing with weird customer requests, scroll down to find restaurant workers getting real and spilling secrets about the industry.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Local Restaurant Posted Online Today…
RELATED:
#2
Can We Stop Glamorizing This
Give us cooks a break to sit and eat a meal like a human.
#3
Reviews/Owner Responses Like This Make Me Unbelievably Happy On The Inside
The restaurant and food service industry is expected to continue to grow in 2024. Experts predict that it’s going to reach a profit of $1 trillion for the first time and create 200,000 job positions, pushing the total number of industry workers to almost 16 million people.
However, such impressive growth comes with a price, unfortunately, mostly for employees. And the high turnover in the food industry proves this. Data shows a staggering rise in this rate of around 75% - a number that has been growing since the pandemic. This percentage is more than one and a half times higher compared to other sectors.
#4
I’m Still In Shock
#5
Dishie Asked For A Handburger. I Had To Make It
#6
Prep Guy Left A Spoon In The Fish Batter. Figured He Was Saving It To Eat Later So We Plated It For Him
Because of such high turnover, restaurant owners said that recruiting and retaining employees were among their top business challenges in 2023.
Chances are, you’re now wondering why so many workers are leaving positions in this sector. Well, ironically, one of the main reasons is that businesses are short-staffed.
A 2022 survey has found that 90% of food service employees have worked overtime, double shifts, or extra ones. Of those, 75% said they had to do so because of a lack of staff.
#7
Flipping Burgers
iseefractals 1 year ago
When people talk about "flipping burgers" they're talking about fast food. BK, McD's....ya know the par cooked, flash frozen garbage that gets shipped out to locations all across the globe to be REHEATED, not cooked. I might actually believe that 90% of the fragile and entitled young adults of today might crumble if forced to even that bare minimum. But back in the 90's....that was a job being done by 14 and 15 year kids who were most often stoned out of their minds. In fact, i was one of them, and that job has absolutely nothing to do with working in a real kitchen. So either these two wildly different circumstances are being conflated, or a whole bunch of people really need to stop playing the martyr.
#8
Thought You Guys Would Enjoy This
#9
Just Told Doordash To Get F**ked. Feelsgoodman
Bruce Tracey, a professor of HR management at Cornell, commented on workers' dissatisfaction with the industry, saying, “Hospitality jobs, especially front-line, are notoriously known for low-wage, low-skill kinds of work — it’s associated with working conditions that are not necessarily conducive to adequate life-work balance.”
#10
My Prep Cooks Got Tired Of Slicing Onions
Fellfromthemoon 1 year ago
Industrial strength, good. I use small manufacturer's swimming googles.
#12
Stole This Off Facebook, Sounds Like They've Had A Few Chats About This Lol
Philly Bob Squires 1 year ago
DO NOT store anything without listing what it is and a date! No puppies! You are crunchy and taste good with ketchup according to the local raccoons!
Another factor contributing to high turnover is low pay. The effort to provide higher wages is there. However, it doesn’t seem to be enough. In the last few years, wages have driven up by 23%, and at the end of 2022, the minimum hourly pay was $17.30, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
#13
May This Person Find Their Special Pickle
#14
I Was Fired For Reporting Unsafe Practices. Shrimp And Chicken Were Left Out At An Ambient Temperature Of 81° F For Over 14 Hours
#15
About To Work The Grill In 100°f+ Weather With No A/C. It Was Nice Knowing Y’all
Unpredictable hours also add to the fact that people are leaving. A 2021 report found that 64% of workers received their schedule with less than two weeks' notice, more than a third had one week of heads-up, and a quarter said they had only 72 hours’ notice.
#16
Music Not Allowed In The Kitchen
#17
Worst Day In Sauce History
#18
I Wonder What The Meeting Is About
“For an hourly worker, their pay is determined not just by their wage, but by the number of hours,” Kristen Harknett, co-founder of The Shift Project, comments. “You can’t create better conditions for workers by only having the one side of the equation.”
Additional challenges for restaurant industry workers include poor communication, physically demanding tasks, and difficult customers.
#19
There's A Story Behind This Sign That I Need To Know
#20
Am I In The Wrong Here? I Called Off Yesterday After Talking With A Nurse, My Manager Told Me To Come In Today, This Is The Third Time Theyve Asked Me To Come In While Sick, Once When I Had Covid
#21
Girlfriend’s Little Brother Just Worked His First Thanksgiving Double. This Was The Staff Meal
What can be done to improve the situation for staff is to increase technology in the workplace, which can take orders and payments and even bring food to customers. This way, the demanding workload is not as challenging for real human beings.
#22
Line Cook Quit
#23
I’m Not Even Mad. That’s Hilarious
#24
Fired After Working A Double On Christmas
John Quinn, one of the heads of Bank of America also recommends offering workers additional employee benefits. “Even if those benefits introduce some incremental day-to-day operating expenses, the reduction in employee churn rates can give owners a very compelling and financially beneficial reason to invest in benefits for their employees,” he says.
#25
The Way The New Guy Labeled This Box
Deta Rossiter 1 year ago
if he cannot write and spell, this makes perfect sense. No space for confusion
#26
Soup Du Jour! (Dishie Refuses To Change The Water And Just Says He’s Been Washing Dishes For 40 Years)
#27
A Tally Of Pet Names My Just Turned 18 Waitress Got Called In An Hour
Manana Man 1 year ago
Some of these may be acceptable depending on where you are. In the southern US darling is not rare (actually darlin').
Extra suggestions that restaurant owners may want to consider include a lifestyle spending account, tuition reimbursement, or health savings account. “Another valued benefit is a dependent care flexible spending account to allow workers to pay, using pre-tax dollars, for daycare, preschool summer camp, before- or after-school programs, or adult care,” adds Quinn.
#28
How Does Everyone Dry Their Mops
#29
They Don’t Want Me To Scrape Or Clean It
Deta Rossiter 1 year ago
outside crust should be removed. outside crust does not influence the interior.
#30
He Should Probably Start Preparing His Own Food
Trying to foster a healthy workplace culture is very important too. Establishing restaurant values, and communicating standards and expectations allows everyone to be on the same page and achieve shared goals. Allowing people to make mistakes and kindly approaching them is also crucial, as it boosts morale. Meanwhile, training to detect burnout, showing appreciation, and giving feedback helps to develop sustainable careers in which people aren’t overworked and unhappy.
#31
Work Smarter, Not Harder
#32
Whelp, Ok If That’s The Ticket
#33
Our Walk-In Is Just A Closet With An Air Conditioner
kelsischloe1986 1 year ago
That cannot possibly be up to code. Noway that A/C unit can make that room cold enough to store food in safely. Eeekkkk!
#34
Im Positive This Has Been On Here Before But I Couldn’t Help Sharing Again
#35
Fng Was Asked To Strain Out The Stock
#36
New Restaurant Might Not Make It
Manana Man 1 year ago
Maybe he thinks a little cheese and pom topping makes it a good deal but lots of reasonably priced Mexican restaurants give unlimited chips.
#37
It’s Used Coffee Grounds. FoH Will Think Twice About Eating Things That Don’t Belong To Them
#38
After All These Years I Didnt Know This
Manana Man 1 year ago
They started it when cars were still a new thing to encourage people to get out and drive places. So they could sell tires.
#39
Aitah For Not Letting Them Cook Asparagus With Plastic Rubberbands Left On Them?
#40
Prepping Carrots And Came Across This Monster
#42
Chef Forgot To Order Sugar. I’m The Baker
#43
Sliced Tomato’s For Burgers As Prepared By My Colleagues
#44
*common Sense Has Left The Chat
Deta Rossiter 1 year ago
hot oil and plastic are not friends... have they never worked in a kitchen before?
#45
The Color Of The Water That Drips Out Of The Ceiling In Our Walk In
#46
Fire Inspector Accidentally Set Off My Ansul System
#47
When You Go In To Eat On Your Night Off
#48
My Disaster
#49
Tell The Owner We Need Potatoes For Potato Salad For A 55 Person Dinner, And He Brings In A 5lb Bag
Fellfromthemoon 1 year ago
Elegant restaurants give small portions. Tonight your place is the most elegant in the city.
#50
I Accidentally Used Pancake Mix Instead Of Biscuit Mix. Y'all Think Anyone Will Notice? The Other Cook Doesn't Know Yet
#51
I Received This Tip Today. What Does It Mean?
#52
Absolute Chad Chef
#53
Love Cooking, Hate People
#55
Its Cool I Dont Need Those Fridges
Russell Rieckenberg 1 year ago
We don't know the context. They may have gotten a fruit delivery two minutes ago.
#56
My Sister Is Having A Disagreement On Presentation With Her Head Chef
#57
Table Had Just Ordered And The Server Was Already Done With Them
#58
Got This In A Little While Ago. I Have No Words
Gavin Johnson 1 year ago
Ahh yes, right next door to Well Done but plenty of pink in the middle. Customers are dumb sometimes.
#59
So My Dishwasher Was Sent Home Beyond Drunk When He Was Caught Sleeping In The Customer Bathroom, Guess Who Has To Clean This Up. Happy 4th Of July Everyone
#60
I Know Cubes Are In The Past But.... Squid Cube!
#61
Found This On Craigslist
#62
One Sysco Driver Finds A New Way To Make Me Ask "Why?" Every Delivery. He Doesn't Think. At All
#63
Never Thought I’d Have To Make This Sign
#64
Nuff Said
Michael Largey 1 year ago
My answer to point 2. "I don't want extra. I want enough. I already paid enough. So give me enough."
#65
Somebody Just Ordered This
karen snyder 1 year ago
Former kitchen manager and cook here. So, this is how I trained front of house to handle these orders. Ring it up as a standard tuna sandwich/salad, every custom change is an add on at price. Tell them this when they order!!! This would have been $12 +5 adds: $2e. For onions tomatoes and pickles. $3 for avocado and $4 for bacon. If they were willing to pay $25 for this tuna chop, fine, whatever. But most customers would go elsewhere. IF we did accommodate this person's order at menu price, they'd do it regularly, and probably try other shenanigans. I once had a regular P.I.T.A. tell us to change our brand of toilet tissue. It's a special mental illness when people think they can control the service world like we work just for them.
#66
Please Give Me A Notice
#67
Thought This Group Would Appreciate…
#68
This Is From A&w Near Me
#69
My Dishy.. Broke Up With Me?
#70
Walked In To Work Today And Saw This
#71
Another Critter Situation
#72
A Very Real Note Passed To Me By A Customer At My *pizza* Restaurant
Sonja Heino 1 year ago (edited)
It's a skill to get a full paper of text from things that could be said in one or two sentences.
#74
Owner Bought This Instead Of Reg Butter, How's This Gonna Go?
#75
I Was Told To Pick Through These And Wash Them Off To Serve. Is This Wrong? It Seems Gross To Me
#76
Not Sure Whether To Laugh Or Cry
#77
Guys... I'm The Truffle Guy From Yesterday. I'm Begging You Pls Don't Shoot The Messenger
So the guy just ordered 400 oysters on top of the 200 we already had ( and are getting old) + the ones in the showcase for sale... Long story short, what do I do with 600 fresh oysters we can't sell??? Ideas so far: shuck>sousvide>freeze>fried oyster special. Home made oyster sauce.... Today I almost passed out when I realized the situation
#78
My Demented Chefs Rules Aka "Kitchen Truths"
#79
Someone Had A Single Chicken Wing Roll Off And Touch The Table. She Asked For One More Remade For Her
#80
Whoops
Realistic Optimist 1 year ago
I hated when people did this. They are always the worst tippers too.
#81
S Hook Found In Our Pasta Tonight
#82
Just Found Out What This Restaurant Uses For “Goat Cheese”
#83
Ok Then
#84
“We Gotta Defrost The Shrimp” - Chef
#85
Made A Guy A Burger. He Wanted A Picture Of Me And My Ukulele. But He Also Wanted The Burger In The Photo. This Is My Job
#86
Why Do You Hate Brunch?
#87
Fun Fact, Adam Sandler Brings His Own Ezekiel Bread To Restaurants
#88
Is This Legal?
#89
Seen On My City's Subreddit
#90
What Do We Even Do In This Situation?
#91
Got Fired Over Text This Morning. Happy New Year!
Michael Largey 1 year ago
"Going in a different direction" always means "No explanation. No apology. Because we don't feel like it. You're gone."
#92
Congealed Oil Fat. For The Grubbiest Of Waiters
#93
People Have Been Asking Why Chefs Hate Brunch…
#94
How Does This Make It To The Table?
#95
This Is How The Kitchen Are Putting Out Chicken Wings. Should I Say Something To Management? It's An Embarrassment
#96
Pretty Sure I'm Never Going To This Chipotle Again. Good Lord
#97
Allergy List From Customer!
#98
Just Experienced The Worst As* Kicking I’ve Ever Had. Happy Father’s Day Everyone!
Hippopotamuses 1 year ago
Confused. Why would someone's a**e be kicked for what looks like a good day's takings?
#99
I Need To Use Up 36 Gallons Of Skim Milk Due To An Ordering Error. Any Ideas How To Use It Up?
Mikey Mozart 1 year ago (edited)
In some parts of the world, You could make milkshakes, but they bring all the boys to the yard.... soooo if you don't want all that attention, just make bowls of cereal a special of the week!!!!
#100
Chef Is Trying To Convince Me This Is Medium Rare
#101
Wanted To Make Some Beer Dogs Tonight For A Father's Day Buffet. Asked The Bartender For Whatever Beer Was Not Moving And Got A Bunch Of Bud Light. Made "Woke Dogs" With The "Woke Beer". They Won't Drink It But They Sure Will Eat It. Every Single One Was Gone
Dream 1 year ago (edited)
This is how ALL maga are. They HATE libs but guess what they love? All things made by libs. My maga aunt and her husband who I've heard "wish death to all dems" (not joking) favorite show was Big Bang Theory, with a gay guy and other notorious libs on it. Her fav music? Elton John, another famously gay lib. They rail against hollywood and the groomers there but guess what they love to watch? You guessed it, movies. Just ask a maga if they've seen Avengers or Fury Road etc. If they removed all the things that were made by libs they'd be VERY lonely. This beer thing was next level idiocy. Kid Rock shooting Bud Light cans when maga fridges were full of other beers made by the very same company was LOST on the Billys from the Hills like Ted Cruz who proudly displayed beer he bought made by....you guessed it.... Bud Light.
#102
Someone Paid $95 For This…
#103
Pervert Dishie Got Fired After Three Days And Keeps Sending This Stuff To My Boss
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
Two sides of an incomplete story. The sender might be the one telling the truth.
#104
Local Spot Enforcing Their Own Rules. Thoughts?
#105
So Owner Decided He's Going To Cook A Couple Days A Week. This Is His Station. Yes We Are Open
#106
Premise Of This Show Was Ridiculous
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Der Kommissar 1 year ago
If this interests you, check out Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential, a fascinating glimpse into restaurants and food.
karen snyder 1 year ago
Thanks BP. This was a beautiful reminder of why I retired early from the culinary arts.
Celtic Pirate Queen 1 year ago
My husband is a commercial food service equipment repair tech. I have an entire list of restaurants we are not allowed to eat in.
Der Kommissar 1 year ago
If this interests you, check out Anthony Bourdain's book Kitchen Confidential, a fascinating glimpse into restaurants and food.
karen snyder 1 year ago
Thanks BP. This was a beautiful reminder of why I retired early from the culinary arts.
Celtic Pirate Queen 1 year ago
My husband is a commercial food service equipment repair tech. I have an entire list of restaurants we are not allowed to eat in.
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