Just spotted this at Oldfields Restuarant in Durham in North East UK..

Ever fancied being chef for a day? Or throwing someone else in at the deep end? Oldfields gives you the chance of spending a day with us in one of our kitchens learning how to prepare and cook many of our dishes. Then, as part of the deal, you get a meal for two in the evening to try it from that side. £100 for the whole day including dinner for two and the use of chef’s whites! It makes a great day out and a superb present!

Great idea. And maybe more restaurants should try it. At £100 a head, it’s a good earner for the restaurant, but it’s also a fantastic way to show people what it’s really like to get behind the scenes and work in a busy kitchen.

Anywhere else you know that offers something like this? Let us know in the comments…

Go read Waiter Rant for one of the most telling accounts of life as a waiter you’ll ever find. Anywhere. Read one post, and you’ll need to read them all, believe me.

Genius.

Just starting out with your new restaurant? Wondering how to get efficient work staff. There is a set of manuals that just came highly recommended from my old boss. They’re located at. They’re all e-books so you can save them and print them. He told me that if you’re new at this, it’s a worthwhile investment.

It’s the eternal question sometimes isn’t it. So sometimes you have to ask yourself - do you like what you do? Or are you just having a bad day? Make sure you take mental note of why you’re working in the food service industry every so often because if you don’t like what you do or the people you’re doing it for, then perhaps you might need a break.

People wait tables for a variety of reasons; however, the general mentality of those being served is that as the person serving them, you are probably beneath them, with the exception of those who serve others as their occupation. This creates a stigma that most people don’t want to carry and I say, don’t carry it. I am quoted for saying that “we just serve these people, it does not mean we are beneath them.” Unfortunately, in this day, people will treat you badly for this very reason. Young adults create difficult and annoying situations “because they can,” or adults will try and push you around because “they have a right to.” (more…)

There are a lot of people out there who think that being a bartender would be the greatest job in the world. You make lots of money, meet sexy and famous people (some of the time) and get to work in a laid back environment. Yes - the environment is lais back - for your customers. Before you get knee deep in this profession, make sure you can handle long hours on your feet, strict local regualtions (dependin on where you’re located) and obnoxious drunk people.
Remember, you are there to make the ecperience memorable for all the people who come through your door.

It’s late - you’re tired and want to close up. It’s 2 minutes to closing time and as always, you’re last patron walks right through the door. You’re first thought - “sorry sir, we’re closed.” Why don’t you serve him? Because it’s too close to closing time.
As someone who has had this happen many times - I want to share a most interesting story with you. This happened to two different server with the same man two nights in a row. The first server turned him away because it was too close to closing time. The second, let him in, to the cook’s dismay and let him order a meal. (more…)

Okay - you’re working it on a Friday night when the crowd gets intense and suddenly the entire restaurant is full. The hostess has quit that night, two of your servers haven’t shown and the new cook is only experienced in almost burning down the kitchen. The heat is on!!! It’s the night from Hades and as the manager in charge, you don’t know how you’re going to do all of it at once. So what is the solution to your problem? (more…)

All right - if you haven’t all ready guessed, this is a blog about the food service industry. Not fast food, restaurant food! Some may say boring, but you’re entirely wrong. Is it mind numbing, senseless work for lower people? Only if you let it be. Fun, fascinating, interesting and sometimes downright educational - you better believe it honey!! So read on to find out how to break in, move up and maybe bust out on your own cuz all the information you’ll need to succeed in this line of work will be right here.

To begin:
You’ve tested your resilience to the heat in the kitchen (even if it was your own) and you love it. You’ve got creative recipes and want to work in the culinary arts. This is a good jumping off point, but now you need some training. There are culinary arts school all over the world waiting to teach you exactly what you want to know and you can find a listing of them at www.cookingschools.com - this site has worldwide references. You can shop and compare. When you decide which school you want, focus on your training.