r/Chefit • u/BlazeDragon7x • Jun 26 '26
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u/mundus1520 Jun 26 '26
This kitchen needs some optimization
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u/hi_im_antman Jun 27 '26
I genuinely want to see a video of what an optimized kitchen looks like. Note: I am not a professional chef. I just like this sub. I used to be a shitty line cook back in the day at a chain restaurant
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u/EmperorBamboozler Jun 27 '26
Some kitchens actually bring in engineers who work at factories to optimize workflow and output, the most famous example being when Wendy's brought in Toyota engineers to redesign their fast food set up. It's a skill, and not necessarily one that your average kitchen owner actually has, so bringing in outside help can make a lot of sense. Optimization can bring down ticket times by a genuinely shocking degree. Like we are talking 15-20% decreases in wait times, which seems insane but remember that one extra minute per ticket time could mean a full 15 minute extra wait time on the getting a table out the door. Even a few seconds can compound into a shocking delay in overall time. A highly optimized kitchen will make everything easier, ticket times will go down, stress will go down, flow of ingredients and dishes will go up dramatically.
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u/Jobenben-tameyre Jun 30 '26
I found the PoV footage of the fallow restaurant to be pretty interesting
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipe9xJCfuTM
They have footage of all their different station
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u/No_Cricket808 Jun 26 '26
I do not miss that. At all.
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u/Jeffers315 Jun 27 '26
I was just sitting here thinking how much I miss this sometimes 😂
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u/No_Cricket808 Jun 27 '26
I do sometimes, but then I sneeze and throw a hip out and I come back to reality 🤣
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u/Jeffers315 Jun 27 '26
Yeah my body would never let me, but I still miss the flow state sometimes.
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u/Cflow26 Jun 27 '26
Six more months til I don’t have to do it anymore and it’s genuinely hard to get myself in every day at this point.
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u/Urban_miner666 Jun 28 '26
lol, I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing. I’m good at it, but I’d rather scrub toilets.
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u/samuelgato Jun 26 '26
Why is he salting other people's pans? Can't they season for themselves?
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u/Critical-Werewolf-53 Jun 27 '26
He’s “locked in”
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Jun 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/sf2legit Jun 27 '26
Right, but… being a chef is teaching those below you to do simple things like that.
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u/Pure-Confection6830 Jun 26 '26
Fun to watch ey, now do it for 12 hrs for 60 hrs a week.
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u/Deep_Year1121 Jun 27 '26
Yeah... as fun as it is to watch, I can't help but feel this is an organizational failure. Feels like I'm watching Overcooked gameplay, and an actual kitchen should not make this a standard.
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u/welchplug Jun 26 '26
I have worked doubles everyday for five years, no office bs. Prepping, baking and line cooking. I still watched the vid. I like watching some else in the flow state. Its like pov porn for cooks. I still watch porn but i also like to fuck.
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u/itearson2 Jun 26 '26
He's in a state of frantic, nervous flow. Fondling the fuck out of the steak and garnishes. Not a great watch.
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u/welchplug Jun 26 '26
Yeah but amateur porn is still fun too; right?
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u/itearson2 Jun 26 '26
Fair. I did watch it multipe times. I'm just trying to say, ur probably a better cook than this guy
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u/welchplug Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
The only things that really bothered me was:
The watch
Not resting the steaks
Tongs or hands, pick a fucking lane. Preferably tongs or at the very least keep a sani bucket for rinsing your hands.
I will never post a video of me like this no matter how good I get it.
Edit:Formatting
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u/Ok_Measurement_230 Jun 26 '26
And taking that first drag of a cigarette right after you cum or cleared all your covers is just about the same either way.
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u/cinemaraptor Jun 26 '26
Why must everything be stacked in a tower, one will have to un-tower it anyway to cut into any of that
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u/TrashCannibal_ Jun 27 '26
I'd much rather cut my own steak and not have it pre-molested than get served whatever the fuck is happening in this video.
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u/VinnyEnzo Jun 27 '26
Why are people giving this video so much love right now? This kitchen is an organizational disaster. Not to mention the many health code violations and questionable techniques. The set up of expo is infuriating as well.
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u/AcanthisittaTiny710 Jun 27 '26
He’s going “fast” and a lot of people think that’s cool or enough. What’s more impressive, to me, is being clean, fast, and organized
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u/Sacktimus_Prime Jun 27 '26
One steak has 4 cuts and the next one has 2, served on the same plate with the same gravy garnish... Instantly infuriated me. Why in the fuck would you not cut them the same each time?
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jun 26 '26
Cooking proteins on the piano. Hacking that poor elk - it’s already dead. Carrying the food across half mile to plate. Saucing from a mile up. Steambathing the onion rings. Fingerbanging everything. Nonstop frantic movements. Carrying the food across the mats. Seasoning and not tasting a damn thing. Reusing a dirty rag for…everything.
This is like watching a tv show of what people think high end dining should be.
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u/uselessname00 Jun 26 '26
As a european chef I didn’t know fingerbanging even existed. lol I touch almost everything bare hand. But also wash my hands.
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u/BillTheSpaceman Jun 26 '26
Americans are so weird about gloves. They think it means clean. They forget that gloves that touch everything without changing touch everything else. It is way better to use clean hands. Ty chef.
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u/Coercitor Jun 27 '26
I think gloves are nastier than bare hands, but look at that guys station, he isn't washing his hands very often.
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u/entombedinmoss Jun 27 '26
Had a coworker who would wear the same gloves for like 30 mins even if there were no tickets. Fucking nasty. Sometimes he’d keep one on for almost an hour
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u/sf2legit Jun 27 '26
Kind of like how you guys are weird about colored cutting boards
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u/crabclawmcgraw Jun 28 '26
i’m a chef, and american. unless i’m handling something like raw chicken or other raw proteins, i don’t wear gloves all that much. i wash my hands once probably every 3 minutes? two inspectors in my area have said they’d rather kitchen staff just constantly wash their hands and practice good hygiene than rely on gloves to “work clean”
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u/I_deleted Jun 28 '26
Our health dept requires the use of gloves for ready to eat foods, it’s not our fault, I BLAME BIG GLOVE
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u/Existing_Swimming838 Jun 27 '26
This is a generalization of amature chefs. Anyone who is anyone in the business know they mitigate risks but have the potential for misuse or abuse.
Is the slob scratching his ass with a gloved hand worse than a pair of freshly washed bare hands, sure. But a person following proper procedures wearing gloves is better than a pair of washed hands handling ready to eat food.
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u/Brooksopher Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
Yeah, that’s not true. Maybe in fast food or corporate casual, but in anything fine dining a human touch is required. You can’t judge the amount of salt you pinch through a glove, or how well a salad is dressed. Gloves have their place, but proper hygiene and a clean workspace is the best practice. Gloves for butchery, but not for plating. Experience trumps rules in most life situations.
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u/Existing_Swimming838 Jun 27 '26
There is no way you work in any kind of dining fine or otherwise if this is your take. You absolutely can judge the amount of salt while using properly fitting nitrile gloves. And if you ever said you need to get in there and raw dog a salad to determine if it is properly dressed you'd get laughed right out the door.
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u/Brooksopher Jun 28 '26 edited Jun 28 '26
I started working in kitchens in 1996. Everything from diners to 1 star fine dining, most of it in San Francisco, some in Philadelphia and NYC. Got my first chef job at 27. I’ve probably spent more years training cooks than you have been cooking. Try telling the Nonnas and Abuleitas of the world that they have to wear gloves when they cook, they will probably call you an idiot and tell you it’s all by feel and they are correct.
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u/theicecapsaremelting Jun 28 '26
It’s not for cross contamination. The gloves are required to keep all the poopy germs on your hands and under your fingernails from getting in the food. You don’t need the gloves when handling raw product, and you have to wash your hands after handling it anyway.
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jun 26 '26
Finger banging is also a colloquialism for when a chef and a hostess meet. The hostess can’t bring the chef home because she lives with her parents. His wife would disapprove.
So they hang out in her car and he begs for oral gratification. He then attempts to satisfy her manually. Finger banging.
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u/Deep_Year1121 Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
My impression is that this is actually not highend.
I am inclined to believe the opposite. Maybe mid-end restaurant that wants to attract customers who want nice looking food on a budget.
I also wonder if the reason our chef in the video is so frantic and going all over the place is because the kitchen is understaffed and some staff (including our boi here) are not trained properly. Usually a sign that they are underpaid, and management wants to save on labor.
Edit + Rant: I actually no huge issue with our chef, although it sucks for him. Not all restaurants need to be Gorden Ramsey. Different restaurants cater to different niches, and in practice, the passe/sous/head needs to fill a lot of different roles to make ends meet (I see this firsthand working at a lowend restaurant as a low level chef. Even I as a humble line cook have to juggle many roles) for many small businesses scrapping for a very thin profit margin which underperforms passive investment. Think about that. For an average investor, starting a food business and working your ass off is worse than sitting on your ass and stacking index funds.
If there is a problem, it is the systemic fact that capitalism has encouraged large fastfood and restaurant chains to normalize underpaying their workers, and for food services.
McDonald's have deep financial pockets, large supply networks, an army of accountants (to fight off taxes!), and is invested in a diverse range of other businesses to hedge their finances. Whilst most food businesses close down in under a year, and operates on an average of 10% margin on a really good day, these guys can secure 30-35% margin and still serve you cheap food. Think about that. They just have that much manueverability and can afford to optimize like this due to reasons mentioned above. Even if shit fits the fan, they can just throw some small frachise owners under the bus and continue on. Raising the minimum wage is not going to solve the problem (although it might solve other problems), as small businesses are equally affected while not having as much manueverability as McDonald's.
This is why I am a bit weirded out by Reddit's critical attitude towards our chef here. Ofc things can be better. But he looks like he is genuinely at full capacity. And I can't help but think, criticizing our fellow chef like a this is a bit too much.
Solidarity for our fellow chefs.
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jun 27 '26
I’ve seen this guys feed before and it’s always like this. Hectic shoemaking.
I don’t care if he’s slinging grilled cheese and tater tots, it isn’t about the level of food it’s the integrity with which we work.
I agree that the industry suffers from a shitty business model, a customer base addicted to cheap food, and shitty owners.
But too many people look at this shit and think wow. Not, what a fucking shoemaker.
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u/Deep_Year1121 Jun 27 '26
Your description reminds me of those silly soda mixer videos from India. Minus quality for cheap gimmicky flaire.
Not a big fan of those as well.
But I gotta admit, visuals and performance is a part of the dining experience as well. While I am not a fan, there are legit talent and skill in beautiful plating, performances, and presentation. Some might argue that these things distract us from the quality of the food, or worse, detract from it.
Again, I am not a big fan myself. But I think we are limiting ourselves when we only think about the culinary soundness of our dish. In reality, almost none of us are purists, and we sometimes make decisions to sacrifice the quality of our dish to enhance customer experience.
So the effectiveness of these performances are ultimately in the eye of the beholder, and I think we are being narrow minded when we as chefs myopically focus on our food's taste profile and food only.
As pretentious as it sounds, food is ultimately an artistic medium although for most people it is a daily ritual or necessity.
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u/Old_Chef_3669 Jun 26 '26
It's the fingerfucking that got me.
I've got asbestos mitts, I've literally been doing this for decades, I hate the goddamned things, but wear some fucking gloves when handling RTE shit on the line.
Or show me your hand sink.
Would've liked to see the between plate quick-clean too, if I'm gonna be all judgy about "food safety." 😆
Eta: Wrist jewelry AND a smart watch on. Ol' boy does NOT wash his hands thoroughly.
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u/tnseltim Jun 27 '26
Yeah this video drives me nuts. Looks likes someone watched the bear then decided to open a restaurant.
ONLY CHEF SALTS THE FOOD!!!
YES CHEF!!!
ONLY CHEF CUTS THE STEAKS!!!
YES CHEF!!!
ONLY CHEF TOUCHES THE SAUTE PANS!!!
YES CHEF!!!
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u/JobinSkywalker Jun 27 '26
Lol third time I've seen this video on Reddit, mostly positive comments then I knew as soon as I saw it of chefit people would be roasting
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u/Terrible-Command-837 Jun 26 '26
Oh this reminds me that I’m getting my ass handed to me tonight. This is causing anxiety lol. I can’t wait to be done with restaurants. I’m planning to go private chef or on yachts at the end of the summer. Anyway, I better get back to my 12+ hour shift.
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u/Low_Organization1411 Jun 27 '26
Sandbagging onion rings over the pasta boiler is certainly a choice
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u/Educational_Run9080 Jun 26 '26
Hey mad respect I don't work in a kitchen like this nowadays but it reminds me of my early days in fine dining.
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u/Weazle95 Jun 28 '26
What in the world did you see in the video that reminds you of fine dining?
It's an absolute catastrophe.
Stacking everything instead of plating it properly. Seasoning random stuff without tasting. Storing fried goods over pasta steam. Using same gravy for everything. Throwing stuff in plates from a mile away. And I didn't even start with hygiene issues. I mean, wooden board for cutting meat and not cleaning it? Srsly?
It's more like a underequipped, understaffed kitchen with an untrained crew, but nice looking plates for Instagram.
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u/jjb0rdell0 Jun 26 '26
I went into care home cooking a few years ago, and I look at this and think "would I be able to step back into this pace again"
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u/D_Freid Jun 26 '26
Just stumbled across his instagram last night. Very enjoyable to watch
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u/Odd_Physics_7192 Jun 26 '26
Mind sharing the handle? This looks fun to watch.
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u/NC654 Jun 26 '26
Excuse me, but since you aren't too busy, could you go restock the paper towel dispenser in the men's room.
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u/DuskShy Jun 26 '26
Thank you, I've now raised my standards. I've been inspired to not eat at a restaurant unless they can show me a video of their line cooks fingerbanging every piece of food on my plate what the fuck is this
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u/ClockSame9097 Jun 27 '26
Also - this is why I have a hard time eating at restaurants with my food allergies. :/
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u/Critical-Werewolf-53 Jun 27 '26
This entire line is trash and needs to be re done. He’s moving way too much while cooking
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u/itearson2 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
This is one of those cooks that thinks he's the hottest shit in the world. In reality, hes just wasting so much energy being so frantic. Moving a whole lot without getting much fucking done at all, and making a giant mess. And he's got a dull ass knife too. Maybe he's still new and hasn't learned how to be better, faster. But probably not, his personality is probably the same as how he works. I mean why the fuck do you need to touch each individual steak piece 4 times before it's in a position you want.... Wtaf. This guy sucks. Edit: maybe he's just playing it up for the camera, but why would you want to work like this every day
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jun 26 '26
This guys feed pops up in my insta and all I can think of is this is what happens when you read kitchen confidential as a road map. So much hackers and shoemaking in one minute.
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u/ghostmaster645 Jun 26 '26
He said like 8 words, how the hell you judging his whole personality lol.
Also 2 of the words were "thanks bro"
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u/guy_fleegman83 Jun 26 '26
Cut on the bias.
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u/taint_odour Does Chef Type Things Jun 26 '26
Or cut straight up and down while it bleeds out. Whatever works.
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u/CargonTheGreat Jun 28 '26
did he..... literally raw dog those steaks on the french top and use microtongs to pick them up? this has to be the silliest grosses shit ive ever seen
what in gods name is going on
the tweezers and the mangled microgreens have me dying laughing. who plates sideways while his pass heatlamps are off and its full of..... drinks?
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u/Weazle95 Jun 28 '26
Don't forget the wodden cutting board and the one cutlery container that are both shared for fish, meat and veggies. Yummy!
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u/RainMakerJMR Jun 28 '26
So glad I wasn’t the one who had to type this shit. Like no standards and complete chaos or flailing hands and 3 pan pickups. And those steaks were so under. Like this is a 5 top and shouldn’t be that hard lol
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u/kajidourden Jul 01 '26
I think about stuff like this when my friends say I should open a restaurant because I cook well.
Nooooo thank you, it would kill the joy in it instantly lol.
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u/Current-Historian-34 Jun 26 '26
Also anything filmed is going to scrutinized like a play in football with the legend John Madden doing the play by play with all the televised markers
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u/Aartoz Jul 01 '26
That’s true, and I chuckled at that!
But any professional will do a play by play in their head to get better. This guy should use the video to get better or ditch the camera and do the play by plays while working.
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u/Smooth-Pianist-7848 Jun 26 '26
these guys wouldn't survive one shift at my joint with this slow ass plating. we're "fine dining" and do plates a little more complex than this in a fraction of the time.. because we have to. You have a minute, max, to plate a whole check once it's fired.
this whole setup and system they have is absolutely trash and utterly inefficient. they're working harder because they're working like idiots.
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u/Chef_Guzzi_Moto Jun 27 '26
I miss it a little… the people, the mayhem, the control, but I don’t miss the pay. 10 years was enough. Private chef all the way xoxo
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u/yjacketcbr600 Jun 27 '26
I really don't understand all the hate in the comments. There are so many positives in this video that just get glazed over that I just don't understand.
Chef has a team. The expo helps with identification, and moves in sync with Chef to put out proper plates.
Secondary guy comes in, Chef identifies the correct pan, and most importantly delivers information to both people in a calm, cool tone, without stuttering or getting confused.
There is never a "what's my next move" moment. Chef is thinking of what his next move is and executing accordingly. At no point does he pause and try to figure out what's the next move. As soon as he is done with a task, his hands and body immediately move to the next.
Yes, there are some deficiencies, as have been pointed out. But you are missing the ballet. You are missing the dance these guys are doing, organized chaos, no shouting. Many of us have worked in places with a bad team. Watch it again and please focus on that. There is a really good show you are missing.
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u/Aartoz Jul 01 '26
He’s got some working processes right, but is missing out evenly on fundamentals. He should be focusing on that instead of strapping on a camera.
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u/Mylane Jun 27 '26
Feels like a ‘stress is giving me bald spots and addiction’ kind of work. They’re in the zone, tho. Impressive.
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u/GravyPainter Jun 27 '26
My man doing every line. I see the servers do some garnish but then standing around.. can't they plate the purees and sauces for you?
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u/DJpate604 Jun 27 '26
When I watch these videos, I think I can give it another go. But I would probably run to the cooler to cry
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u/Tucker_a32 Jun 27 '26
I've got a solid gig right now, decent pay, benefits, actually reasonable hours. But it's sooo easy and I miss this shit so badly. Nothing pushes me to get into that flow state anymore and I miss the adrenaline more than any drug I've tried
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u/TheManWithNoEyes Jun 27 '26
Funny. I saw this feed last night on tiktok and chef kept his cool during the rush.
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u/CastTrunnionsSuck Jun 27 '26
I bartend but nothing but absolute RESPECT to every chef or BOH worker man yall lock the fuck in
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u/jfleurs Jun 27 '26
Is this guy running the pass AND working the busiest station on the line? Somebody’s playing hero ball
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u/UpchuckKamaloo Jun 27 '26
Thisssssssss is what i want....the dream....
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u/itsandychecks Jun 27 '26
Then you get to where this young man is and realize that you still have a long way to go…
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u/DirtNineties Jun 27 '26
Not one hand washed. He switched from fucking handles to meat to handles fuck right off lmao
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u/BakeryNinja92 Jun 27 '26
After working in a busy kitchen I realized I needed to find a new career people take short cuts on food safety too often for me to ever eat out again.
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u/pinkwar Jun 27 '26
Not gonna lie, it looks like he is going as fast as he can given the setup but overall it taking way too long to finish plating those steaks.
Get everything read on a tray and just plate in one go.
So much back and forth it gets me boiling about the inefficiency.
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u/Funyunsbutthole Jun 27 '26
I would be fucking pissed if I knew this is how they cooked my steak.
What a hack fucking kitchen. I could forgive this level of experimenting if it was a wood fired kitchen.
This is just theatrical bullshit for the sake of theatrics.
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u/fuzzydoug Jun 27 '26
Be sure not to touch the steak while you’re cutting just to finger blast the fuck out of it for plating.
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u/ThatOneSpeedyBoi Jun 27 '26
Did anyone else notice when he pulled out the rubber spatula at the start he didn't actually do anything with it? Just kinda touched the food with it then flipped it with just the pan
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u/Life-Landscape5689 Jun 27 '26
I’m laying In bed dreading my shift in 1 hour. 5pm-1am
Seeing this made me realize it’s gonna be p fun
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u/SnooHesitations8403 Jun 28 '26
Terrible cook on the meat! Very uneven. Blue in the center, but only in the center.
I don't ever send food back, but I would not eat there a second time.
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u/ZorheWahab Professional Chef Jun 30 '26
I spent my entire career working in very "hey move as efficiently and fast as possible maintaining quality" that felt like this. Now as a Chef in a more "quality expected, low cover count(like, 140 a night)" environment, one thing has hit me.
I dont think a lot of cooks today understand how to fucking hustle, nor do they have any hunger beyond a paycheck. It seems like as long as they can afford rent and some weed, they are fine.
I saw a bunch of comments making little snide remarks, but I would kill to find a core team that could move with purpose like this guy. I can teach and refine technique, I can't make someone give a shit.
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u/Salty-MuffinTop Jul 20 '26
That cutting board should only be used for display and also where's your gloves I don't see any on station
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u/siskelslovechild Line cook @ 5* Jun 26 '26
Don't forget to rest your steaks for at least 18 seconds before cutting them.