Archive for November, 2009
Restaurant Owners Make Hard Work look Easy
While the prospect of owning a restaurant might seem easy and carefree on paper, the reality is very different. From a customer’s perspective, the owner seems to be a good-natured man or woman who’s always around the joint to welcome the diners and occasionally lend a helping hand in the kitchen. In fact, the managerial duties and logistics alone are quite formidable.
One of the toughest tasks an owner faces is deciding how to budget for new cooking equipment. Commercial ovens are absolutely essential for any functioning kitchen, but what aspects of the oven make a difference? Be sure to factor in the size of your kitchen when browsing for ovens, and look for quality brands that you trust. Depending on the types of food you specialize in cooking, a convection oven might be the best option.
Overhauling the Old Greasy Spoon Diner
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been helping to run my family’s diner in downtown Pittsburgh. The local steelworkers and other blue-collar types are fond of calling it their “favorite greasy spoon” in the whole city. Now that I’ve worked my way up in the restaurant from bus boy to host to short-order cook and beyond, I’ve started thinking about ways to make the place even more profitable.
Just glancing around the kitchen a few months ago would have given most restaurateurs nausea. The refrigerator was leaking, the griddle was layered with what seemed like years of dried debris, and a rat or cockroach wouldn’t have seemed out of place. I decided to use some of our profits to upgrade the restaurant equipment, but first it was necessary to declare war on unsanitary conditions. I scrubbed down every inch of the kitchen and tried to instill a new set of standards as well.