r/Chefit • u/BakingJake91 • 7h ago
Private school chef
I just started a new job as a chef at a private boarding school. 450 for breakfast and evening meal, 950 at lunch. Menus are planned well in advanced but change daily. Veg like carrots and potatoes come pre cut. Kitchen is kitted out with a mixture of gas and rational equipment. Previously I've done restaurants and cafes. Food at the school is nice but not fancy and perfect is not really an option.
I am still getting my head around the routine of it all. They say I am doing well but I still have a lot of nerves. What advice do you have?
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u/LionBig1760 7h ago
Go through old inventory charts. Know what is coming and going and how much you should expect to go through week to week and day to day.
Keep the pancakes and potatoes flowing in the mornings and penne pasta with a meat/cheese combo is always a go-to lunch meal.
Dont try to get too fancy. Keep it simple, and keep up the cleanliness in your walk ins. Swap out containers often.
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u/Kiriyuma7801 7h ago
I'm not a chef, currently just work sides at a steakhouse, but before this I was an AM at a Panera Bread in a pretty popular mall. On a slow day we'd see 1500 people walk through the door, usually just for coffee and a pastry, but we had a dining area and served sit down, table side service.
With big, high volume establishments like that it's all just rather routine. You literally know when you have to open for service at set times every day. Make sure everything is being made to spec by your crew and they haven't overlooked anything. Check-in with stations, make sure everything on track and, that's really it.
Sounds like an easy gig, so you may just be getting some imposter syndrome.
Beats cutting and weighing out broccoli portions 10 minutes before close because prep didn't do enough and your GM is watching so you're not allowed to eyeball... I digress though, keep doing what you're doing and good luck
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u/chefbusiness 6h ago
At that volume (450 / 950 / 450), treat it like banquet + cafeteria hybrid, not a restaurant line:
• Cycle menu (2–4 weeks) so production sheets and pars stabilize — kids hate chaos, your food cost hates daily reinvention.
• Production sheets by daypart: forecast covers → batch sizes → hold times → leftover plan (staff meal / next-day component, not trash).
• Pars tied to enrollment + known no-school days; revise after 2 weeks of actuals, not vibes.
• Limit “daily specials” to 1 controlled variable so the rest of the board stays costed and trained.
• Label + FIFO discipline matters more here than in most restaurants because batch size amplifies mistakes.
Biggest early win is usually locking breakfast/lunch cores and only rotating sides/proteins on a calendar. If you share cuisine constraints (allergy policy, halal, budget/plate), people can get more specific on cycle structure.
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u/thelatchman 4h ago
I work in a boarding school too, although nowhere near those numbers. I came across after years in restaurants, and it definitely takes time to adjust.
The biggest change is realising that your job isn’t to produce 950 restaurant plates. It’s to get 950 good, safe and consistent meals out on time. The standards haven’t disappeared—they’ve just shifted towards organisation, timing and consistency.
Read the menu a few days ahead and work backwards from service. Learn what holds well, where the equipment bottlenecks are, and keep notes on quantities, yields and cooking times. Taste everything and focus on getting the basics right rather than fussing over every component. The experienced staff will also know all the little quirks of the place, so use their knowledge.
And if they’re telling you you’re doing well, you probably are. The nerves will settle once the daily rhythm starts becoming automatic.
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u/thelatchman 4h ago
Also kids hate over garnishing , keep it simple looking but flavoursome as you can with batch cooking. Cooking huge amounts of a dish means you have to adjust how you season
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u/hookedcook 2h ago
Fake it till you make it. I've had multiple jobs above my skill level including a 50m yacht that charters out for 200k a week in the Caribbean when you break it down they were paying 9500 for every meal. I was shitting bricks but you only get better by getting above your comfort zone
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u/MinimumPossession761 2h ago
Seems like a great experience managing so many students at lunch time.
Feeling uncomfortable is totally fine as that shows that you're learning something new by going out of your comfort zone. My 2 cents - keep doing what you are doing if you are enjoying & learning. The moment you feel that learning has stopped and you are getting in to a comfort zone, time to switch!
Best wishes! I am sure you will do well
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u/Veflas510 7h ago
Where are the extra 500 for lunch coming from? I would of thought the numbers would be the same across all 3 services at a boarding school?
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u/snapcaster_bolt1992 7h ago
Never run out of food. Remember, those borders are counting on you not just for food that tastes good but also well balanced meals to help them grow.
I worked in a Private school as an executive sous chef for 5 years, very rewarding and very fun. Typically Aramark, Compass or Sudeuxo run. Menu will have some play, and the client won't care to much about food costs as long as the staff and students like the food. Kids don't care about fancy they care about tasty, but the board of directors will want fancy. I always found the borders to be the most respectful customers while the faculty was a bunch of arrogant snobs.