Best Practices
Take Five - A Simple, Effective Way to Build Teamwork in the Kitchen
In the restaurant industry, it doesn't get much better than a busy kitchen during a rush, humming along like a well-oiled machine, sending out dish after dish to excited guests.
Every single job in a restaurant kitchen is vital in maintaining standards of quality and ticket times. If any position falls behind, runs out of prepped items, or just gets slammed, even a normally well-oiled kitchen machine can quickly turn into a train wreck.
Here's a way to promote teamwork and a culture of efficiency, quality and cooperation in your kitchen.
It's called "take five" and it was brought to our attention by one of our long-time RestaurantOwner.com members. In their restaurant, every team member in the kitchen is encouraged to help another team member with their work at least once during every shift.
Say someone finishes their station set up a little early. That team member can then take five- and help someone who is running behind. This is a great way for everyone to do some cross-training on the fly and learn more about the other workstations.
Another situation could be during the rush when one station gets disproportionately slammed with orders. Someone at a slower station notices and "takes five" to restock their teammate's cold well, whips up their area and/or refills sauces or products running low.
Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
— Vince Lombardi
That little bit of help at critical times can help someone stay out of the weeds, keep ticket times on track and promote a productive, supportive and positive working climate in the kitchen.
Promoting teamwork through the practice of "Take Five" will increase the efficiency of your kitchen, improve the quality of the product that reaches your guests, and promote cross-training in the back-of-house. Check out the training video below and share it at your next pre-shift meeting. You'll very likely see improvements in your kitchen immediately.
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Training Video
Take Five: How to Promote Genuine Teamwork in your Kitchen
In the restaurant industry, it doesn't get much better than a busy kitchen during a rush, humming along like a well-oiled machine, sending out dish after dish to excited guests. Every single job role in the back-of-house is vital to achieving peak kitchen performance.
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Training Video
The Importance of Line Checks and Being Station-Ready
Restaurant kitchens can get chaotic and stressful. That's why it's crucial to be prepared and organized on the front end of every shift. A line check is an essential tool for every station in the back-of-the-house to ensure everyone is ready, and the kitchen is set up for a successful shift. With station-specific ...
