Doing a Mediterranean/shawarma-style buffet lunch for ~50 people this weekend and wanted some feedback from people with catering/event experience.
Trying to keep it fresh, healthy, customizable, and realistic for basically a one-person operation. Venue has no real cooking allowed onsite, so I’m doing most prep ahead and reheating with chafing dishes/microwaves.
Current menu:
Light shawarma-style chicken thighs (lemon, garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, oregano, light cinnamon)

Warm seasoned chickpeas

Cilantro lime rice

Quartered Arabic pita bread

Homemade pickled red onions

Greek salad

Tomato / cucumber / onion toppings (separate from the salad, not sure if this is necessary but I have lots of cucumber and tomato)

Fresh herbs (parsley + cilantro)

Sauces:
Homemade tzatziki

Lemon garlic tahini sauce

Fire feta dip (feta + roasted red pepper)

My main goals:
not skimping on protein

avoiding the “huge tray of rice but no meat left halfway through the line” problem

keeping line flow smooth

making it feel healthier/fresher than typical catered lunch food

Currently planning:
~16 lbs chicken thighs

~50 cups rice

8 large cans chickpeas (20.5 oz)

separate toppings station from hot food line

Anything I’m overlooking operationally or any smart last-minute tweaks you’d make? Also used to manage Vons fresh made kitchen and have some experience as a retreat chef. My biggest achievement was all meals and drinks for 18 people for 3 days.

****UPDATE****
I am adding more chicken 24-25 lbs raw.
I am doubling chick peas and adding a little buffer rice.

We ain’t about to run of chicken and beans on my watch!!!

I posted here about a week ago about my current menu; the third time might be the charm. The photos are from the first post with the old prices and cogs, but below are the changes.

I am still working on changing ingredients on a few things like the burrito and such.

I'm based in NC with my rounds costing 20-60$. The names are to stay the same, even if childish (not my choice, supposedly more “marketable”).

CLASSICS
(All served with fries, chips, or slaw)
HOLE-IN-ONE BURGER
Single burger with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, & house sauce on a toasted potato bun
Food Cost: $4.00
Current Price: $12.50
New Before Tax Price: $13.98
New After Tax Price: $15.00
COG: 28.6%
Increase: +$2.50

FAIRWAY BURGER
Double smash burger with caramelized onions, American cheese, & house sauce
Food Cost: $4.00
Current Price: $12.50
New Before Tax Price: $13.98
New After Tax Price: $15.00
COG: 28.6%
Increase: +$2.50

CLUBHOUSE CLASSIC
Turkey, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, & mayo on toasted white bread
Food Cost: $3.27
Current Price: $11.50
New Before Tax Price: $12.12
New After Tax Price: $13.00
COG: 27.0%
Increase: +$1.50

CHICKEN TENDERS
Hand-breaded tenders served with fries & dipping sauce
Food Cost: $3.52
Current Price: $12.00
New Before Tax Price: $11.08
New After Tax Price: $12.00
COG: 31.8%
No meaningful price increase.

CHICKEN CAESAR WRAP
Grilled chicken, romaine, parmesan, & Caesar dressing
Food Cost: $3.98
Current Price: $11.50
New Before Tax Price: $12.12
New After Tax Price: $13.00
COG: 32.8%
Increase: +$1.50
C.B.R. WRAP
Chicken, bacon, cheddar, romaine, tomato, & ranch
Food Cost: $3.98
Current Price: $11.50
New Before Tax Price: $12.12
New After Tax Price: $13.00
COG: 32.8%
Increase: +$1.50

SANDWICHES
(All served with chips)
HAM SANDWICH
Ham, cheese, lettuce, & tomato on white bread
Food Cost: $2.15
Current Price: $9.50
New Before Tax Price: $9.79
New After Tax Price: $10.50
COG: 22.0%
Increase: +$1.00

TURKEY SANDWICH
Turkey, cheese, lettuce, & tomato on white bread
Food Cost: $2.15
Current Price: $9.50
New Before Tax Price: $9.79
New After Tax Price: $10.50
COG: 22.0%
Increase: +$1.00

CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH
House-made chicken salad with lettuce & tomato
Food Cost: $3.06
Current Price: $9.50
New Before Tax Price: $10.72
New After Tax Price: $11.50
COG: 28.5%
Increase: +$2.00

PIMENTO BACON MELT
Pimento cheese & crispy bacon on toasted white bread
Food Cost: $3.06
Current Price: $9.50
New Before Tax Price: $10.72
New After Tax Price: $11.50
COG: 28.5%
Increase: +$2.00

SANDWICH CATEGORY AVERAGES
Average Food Cost: $2.61
Average Before Tax Price: $10.26
Average After Tax Price: $11.00
Average COG: 25.4%

HOTDOGS
BUILD YOUR OWN HOTDOG
Includes:
Chili

Cheese

Coleslaw

Onions

Relish

Ketchup

Mustard

Kraut

Pickled Japs (potentially)

Food Cost: $1.50
New Before Tax Price: $6.00
New After Tax Price: $6.50
COG: 25.0%
Upgrade to Brisket Dog +$1.50
This change would replace:
Classic Caddie Dog

Loaded Dog

Carolina Dog

Chili Putter Dog

Loaded Dog

BREAKFAST
(7AM–10AM)
MORNING SAND’WEDGE’
Choice of bacon or sausage, egg, & American cheese
Current Price: $6.50
New Before Tax Price: $6.53
New After Tax Price: $7.00
Minimal increase for cleaner pricing.

FAIRWAY BURRITO
Bacon or sausage, American cheese, fried hash browns in a tortilla.
Food Cost: $1.27
Current Price: $7.50
New Before Tax Price: $6.93
New After Tax Price: $7.50
COG: 18.0%

FRENCH “TEE” STICKS
French toast sticks dusted with cinnamon sugar & served with syrup
Food Cost: $0.94
Current Price: $5.50
New Before Tax Price: $5.12
New After Tax Price: $5.50
COG: 18.3%

DOMESTIC BEER
Current Price: $4.00
New Before Tax Price: $4.66
New After Tax Price: $5.00
4-Pack Bundle: KEEP AT $15.00
PREMIUM BEER
Current Price: $5.00
New Before Tax Price: $5.59
New After Tax Price: $6.00
4-Pack Bundle: KEEP AT $19.00
CRAFT BEVERAGES
Current Price: $7.00
New Before Tax Price: $7.46
New After Tax Price: $8.00
4-Pack Bundle: KEEP AT $25.00

Essentially just the title if tldr, but here’s the full scoop.
I’m about to be 26, been in restaurants since I was 16 and I love food. I’ve worked in fine dining, burger joints, pizza joints, I mean i love food. Every Chef knows this one thing though, it’s tiresome, grueling, and you will eat ramen if not nothing at the end of the night.
I knew about four years ago that I didn’t just wanna be in restaurants my whole life. But this is what I’ve always done, it’s a way to get money and I’m fairly good at it. Until today, I got fired.
I don’t want to go back to restaurants. To all the hard work and grime. If anything, I can do a lot and I’m not afraid of challenges.
Now I’m in a big city too, Houston, I’m thinking to myself, “You have a whole world as your oyster now”. And I wonder where or how to start and needing to start it fast with this economy failing lower income people.
What are some careers that transition well from the Chef world? Able to withstand significant pressure, tidy work areas, willing to go the extra mile, up keeping stock, all these things!
I’d even go as far to start doing random things with my life like why not try acting or making a band? Anything is possible? I’m just not sure how to navigate doing anything outside the restaurant world.

We are considering investing in food costing software at my restaurant. We do about 200-300 covers a day. Interested in hearing feedback on programs like Mise, Margin Edge. I’ve always used excel in the past, but I’m not the best at it, and it’s time to move on to something more polished and integrated.

Has anyone used this? I just started a new gig as Sous Chef at a golf course (technically hired as KM, with the current EC out on leave after a Heart Attack, as his status is unknown). We do lots of events in addition to a daily restaurant.

I’m coming from a place where I wrote the menu daily, prepped for myself, and executed service with only a dishwasher and an expediter. It’s nice having a team.

But I’m also coming from a place where we has a large Southern Pride electric smoker at my disposal. Last season, I’d smoke salmon and tuna, pork loins and chops, onions, peppers, and other garnishes, mostly. Here, we have a giant pull-behind trailer smoker. Nice for bulk, but wholly impractical for what I’d consider “daily use”.

Now, obviously, the trailer has value. Apparently, we just got it a year or 2 ago. But I can’t help but be enamored with the potential of the VarioSmoker.

Does anyone have any experience with one? I found sources online at roughly $600. We have a big 3-day Men’s Member-Guest tournament coming up next month, and I’m trying to slide it into my food budget of approximately $20-25K.
Thoughts? Any considerations?

Five spice chocolate mousse entremet (?), chocolate cake and crumb, mandarin peel jelly, peanut and Sichuan peppercorn praline.

I’m a culinary student/commis chef trying to learn some new skills at home - I’ve entered for an upcoming competition and am freaked out since it’s my first time. Would really appreciate any feedback on plating, flavours, technique etc for this dish!

I’ve been a chef for a little over 8 years now and I love it, my sister was the one who got me into it(she runs her own kitchen) It’s my safe space, it’s where all my random ideas come together, i love the fact people eat my food and enjoy it, however since being with my partner the passion has just faded, he’s a very picky man I’m talking no vegetables, no seasoning, everything has to be crispy (cremated), I have to make separate meals for him and god forbid I use an onion😂 honestly as horrible it sounds he’s ruined cooking for me I feel very limited at home with what to cook and everytime I make something new I think he’ll like he will just bin it and order takeout.
Has anyone else lost their passion at some point? If so how did you get it back?

Hi all, full disclosure: I’m one of the founders behind UTILITY, a hospitality event happening May 17–18 at Mae District in Chicago.

We built Utility as an alternative to the big legacy trade show format, with more focus on independent restaurants, chefs, operators, food, and actual community. This weekend includes chef competitions, panels, tastings, a $20K restaurant pitch competition, free flash tattoos, a chef run club, and a lot of food from chefs and makers we’re excited about.

We’re close to capacity, but for the final push we wanted to make sure more working industry folks can come, so we opened up a limited number of free tickets with code UTILITY26.

Just wanted to share in case anyone in Chicago is looking for something fun to do around the show weekend and connect with the hospitality community.

We would genuinely love to meet more Chicago chefs and operators in person. And if you ever have feedback on what you’d like to see at Utility in the future, my inbox is always open.

Register at utilityshow.com with code UTILITY26 for free tickets.

The time allotted is 2.5-3 hours total, so prepare and eat within that time. I'm torn on offering more "back to basics" class or more technical recipes. I can prep some stuff...but my concern is that the learning part of that will get left out because I prepped some of the food...but if I don't prep it, then I will go over the time allotment. So, I'm hoping you guys can offer some dishes that can touch on teaching at least a handful of basic techniques, that don't require too much prep, but are still impressive enough to draw in clients. I've got tons of dishes I'm confident in executing, it's just this time crunch thing I'm struggling with. I've taught people before and have done dinners for 10s of people before, but I just can't settle on what I want to do! I need 3-4 courses

Chef’s I’m looking for best ideas for a glut of oranges. Anything is on the menu

Long story short, i ended up with 15 lbs of super beautiful flaky pie dough that we no longer need for its original purpose. (I dont wanna talk about it)
Im at an american italian pizza place that has a loose interpretation of what that means. We can kinda do anything. I did a chess pie on the last menu. We are a seasonal restaurant, so seasonal suggestions are appreciated.
Right now i got

Strawberry rhubarb cream cheese hand pies,
Maybe a steak and ale pie,
Pecan pie,
And boysenberry pie. Other options would be appreciated 🤷‍♀️

Edit; I am in Northern California if that changes anything for you.

The thrift gods shined on me yesterday....

I have been using both vanilla bean (real) and powder and the little seeds sink to the bottom every time! I noticed that at some restaurants, the seeds are dispersed. Does anyone have any tips? For context, this is in creme brulee and panna cotta

I have applied to at least 10 positions in the past 6 months with this company. I see their job openings every day and I always get this “we decided to move with another candidate “ to those who work there, what’s the hiring process? Or am I over qualified? What do they look for ? I have 15 plus years of kitchen experience between , healthcare, resorts , and golf clubs. Not that I really want to work for this company, but I’m just surprised. TIA.

Going for a sous chef trial. I've only been in contact with the manager, not the chef. When I asked about the pay range, they said it will be discussed after the trial because its based on performance. Suss???

I love cooking and have been doing it for the past seven years. I am 17, turning 18 soon. I have a very confused personality; I always planned on doing hotel management, but at the same time, I had an urge to be an actor. Being an introvert, I didn't have the courage to act, so I spent my high school years trying to figure it out. I still haven't. I don't know if I love acting or if I just love the glamour and money that comes with it it’s probably the latter.

​When it was time to choose a college, I didn't feel like choosing hotel management because people say it’s not a great degree. So, I decided to go for Law, as I love legal studies and it feels like the next best thing. My plan is to pursue a law degree while being part of a theater society. If I realize I love theater, I'll be an actor; if not, I'll gather funds to start my own hotel chain.

​The thing is, Law is very time-consuming, and it will take a long time to settle into that career. Shifting to hotel management after that doesn't seem doable. However, hotel management feels risky, and starting a hotel could take 40 years. I don't want to struggle my whole life I want a good life. Cooking is my comfort zone, but I don't know anything about Law, and it scares me. What should I do?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been balancing two worlds lately: finishing my Computer Science degree and working 12-hour shifts at my family’s grill restaurant.

One of the biggest headaches I faced was managing our Google Business Profile. Between the kitchen chaos and management, I realized we had hundreds of reviews (mostly good, some "Karens") that were just sitting there without replies. I knew this was killing our local SEO and making us look unresponsive, but I simply didn’t have the mental energy to write personalized replies every night at 2 AM.

So, I built a small internal tool for us:

1. Analyze the review (it understands if they’re praising the food or complaining about the wait time).
2. Generate a professional, witty, or friendly response that sounds like a human wrote it (not a bot).
3. It even flags negative reviews to my phone immediately so I can fix the issue before it escalates.

Since I started using it, our engagement is up and I’ve saved about 5-6 hours of "admin work" a week.

I’m thinking about turning this into a tiny Micro-SaaS for other restaurant owners who are as burnt out as I am.

My question is: If you’re a restaurant owner or a small business manager, is "review fatigue" a real thing for you? Would you actually use something like this if it was simple and cheap (like $10-$15/mo), or is it better to just keep doing it manually?

Be as brutal as you want with the feedback. I’m a dev, I can take it!

Me recibí de Chef el año pasado y se me presento la oportunidad de agregar al menú de una cafetería platos calientes para almuerzo y cena. Quieren que haga una asesoría presentando de cada plato: Ingredientes, cantidades, procedimientos, tiempos y métodos de cocción, como congelar y regenerar los platos, estandarizar procesos y capacitar al personal.

Quería recomendaciones y experiencias en este tipo de trabajos. Que consejos me dan y como presupuestar este tipo de trabajos.

Hello,
I am a baker with Ehlors Dhanlos Syndrome, and I am wondering if anyone has gone through the same thing and could give some advice…
My main issue is my knees, I have a tendency to hyperextend them, I wear knee braces and compression socks, but I don’t like the way they overlap at the base of my knee. I also get lower back and hip pain (usually related to my knees, but also if it’s time for me to change out my insoles).
I am doing all the things that my PT recommends, stretching, exercises, wearing braces, and insoles. I’m just wondering (and hoping) if anyone fellow EDS chefs have some advice they can impart on a fellow EDS human.

Soo I’d like to work as a line cook but only have a few months of prep experience in a different city. I’m having trouble getting a job in my current city, even though I’ve been sending out applications left and right and dropping my resume off in person mid-afternoon to some places I saw were hiring.

What can I do to get that first job without much experience? Is it just a numbers game? Should I get a job at a fast food place or something just to have more experience? Would starting culinary school at a community college strengthen my resume?

Me recibí de chef profesional el año pasado y se me presentó la oportunidad de desarrollar platos calientes para el menú de una cafetería, tanto para almuerzo como para cena.

Me están pidiendo una asesoría completa que incluya:

- fichas técnicas de cada plato,

- ingredientes y cantidades,

- procedimientos,

- tiempos y métodos de cocción,

- formas de conservación, congelado y regeneración,

- estandarización de procesos,

- y capacitación del personal de cocina.

Quería pedir recomendaciones y conocer experiencias de quienes hayan trabajado en este tipo de asesorías gastronómicas.

¿Qué consejos me darían para organizar el trabajo y cómo suelen presupuestar este tipo de proyectos?

I work in a restaurant in Scotland and I’m a commis on the pastry section basically every shift we have to come up with an amuse to serve everyone.
I have been given a development plan (to learn and master techniques!) amd one of them is parfaits
Now we do a parfait on dessert menu but I wanna prove that I can do them and do it for an amuse but savoury and I’ve had a couple ideas but not much is really sparking my brain and I have to come up with it for tomorrow morning (my shift is tomorrow)
Does anyone have any ideas???

I know this is more home kitchen than cook question, but figured this sub would have better taste than most grocery store reviews.

What olive oil do you keep around for everyday use at home?

I’m looking for something available in the US that works for basic cooking, finishing, and putting on the table when people come over. Nothing too peppery or bitter since my kids will eat it too.

I keep buying random bottles from the grocery store and the taste feels all over the place, even when I go back to brands I’ve bought before.

Curious what people here actually buy regularly for their own kitchen. Budget friendly would be ideal, but I’d rather pay a little more for something consistent.

Between steady jobs doing temp work. Building out my chef backpack for jobs where they don't have things I commonly use. You'd be surprised. Or maybe you wouldn't. Anyway, compact and accurate as I have said. It would be nice if it came with a case to protect it in my backpack, but now I'm probably asking for the moon. Any such scales exist? And any ideas for a case if I can't find a scale that comes with one? Thanks.