I finally had a Saturday service that nearly ended my shift at The Grotto in Portland

Last month, I had a Saturday dinner service where every ticket was a nightmare. We had a 12-top show up 20 minutes late, then one of my line cooks cut his hand on the mandolin right before the rush hit. By 8pm, we were 45 minutes out on entrees and I had three tables yelling about their steaks being overcooked. Has anyone else had a shift where everything just fell apart at once and you had to decide between quality and getting food out the door?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannahh5311d ago

Burned the roof of my mouth on a hot ticket and just kept expediting.

beth_ward8011d ago

Oh man, "just kept expediting" is basically the restaurant motto on nights like that. I've been there where you're running tickets and the whole line is on fire but you just have to keep pushing plates out. That 12-top showing up late plus a cook getting hurt is a recipe for disaster. I swear, mandolin slicers are the most dangerous thing in any kitchen, I've seen more cuts from those than from knives. At that point you just have to decide what's gonna make people the least mad. Overcooked steaks you can comp or send back, but 45 minute waits cause people to walk out or leave bad reviews. You did what you had to do, sometimes quality takes a backseat when the whole system is collapsing.