"Mis
en place" = Everything in its place- an organized kitchen runs better
and smoother
It
is a true fact that you can tell how well a restaurant is running by simply
looking at how organized the back of the house is maintained. When I was
a young kitchen supervisor a mentor taught me that a clean and organized
walk-in cooler/ freezer was always a sign that the rest of the kitchen was
running well. Why is this an indicator and what does it indicate? In my opinion
when you see an organized space it tells you that, food safety procedures are
being followed, recipes are being used, par/ prep sheets are part of everyday
behavior and line checks are the norm. Keeping a kitchen organized creates an
environment for your team to do their best work and delight guest each and
every shift. Here are some keys to organizing your kitchen or 'mis en
place' as we say in the culinary world, putting everything in its place.
Station/
line organization -key to being
able to execute recipes to spec every time, having the right tools, ingredients
and prep items all in the proper place. The station should always be setup in a
standard layout so that no matter which trained team member works it - they
know where everything is and focus on executing the recipe at hand. This also
includes making sure that correct plateware, bowls and side dishes are stocked,
clean and ready to go. This creates an environment that allows for fast and
fluid movement to serve the guest
Dry
up storage area - this area
should be "faced" and look like you are in a grocery store aisle.
Bulk items should be held in proper storage bins that are cleaned at least
every time you refill with new products. Things like flour, sugar, and chicken
breading also should be covered, labeled and dated to ensure freshness anything
that is bulk. An organized dry store area will help ensure that we use FIFO
rotation to manage inventory and make counting easier.
Walk
in cooler/ freezer - probably the
single most important area to keep organized and in good order. Why? The value
of the food you handle and store in your cooler/ freezer area is extremely
valuable. Organizing the cooler area is also key to proper food safety
management - keeping raw and prepared ingredients separate is vital.
Additionally, organizing the items to easily facilitate inventory supports
smart purchasing and ordering which in turn helps manage freshness of
ingredients. So as you can see being organized drives food safety, freshness
and staff satisfaction. Always having items in the right spot and labeled
eliminates the frustration that kitchen staff experience when having to
'hunt" up items for prep
Dishwashing
area - wow didn't think
about his area did you? It is a key critical area to keep organized for many
reasons not to mention guest safety / health. Does your labor budget allow for a
dishwasher during your day shift? If no then it is really critical to organize
and set up the area to facilitate easy washing during these hours by any
kitchen staff member or even manager. You do not want to pile up all the dirty
dishes until some decides they need to be cleaned at around 4 o'clock.
Establishing rules and organizing this area will make it is easier on
everyone working the day shift. Here are my guidelines - dish machine is turned
on and ready to go when a manager opens for the day. Each cook is responsible
for washing any tools or dishes they generate while opening or doing prep.
Clean as you go. Keep a couple of dish racks set up in the rinse area so
people can load direct and once full push it into the machine. Again when
someone has time they should restock the clean items from the dish machine or
stack the plates that have been washed. Another rule to follow - all plates are
scraped and stacked by team members, silver ware and small items are in
appropriate soak bins. Clean as you go. This makes it easy for everyone to run
a cycle of plates or silverware during the day in the dish area and it is kept
clean and organized. Clean as you go should be the standard for everyone
on your restaurant team, not just cooks but the whole team. If you keep it
organized and get everyone to take pride in a clean dish area it will drive
positive work environment in area we give little thought.
So
my challenge to you is to look around the back of the house, see what could be
better organized. Break it down into small areas as I have above to make it
easy to tackle and maintain. "Mis en place" with everything in its
place will deliver staff satisfaction that will deliver great execution to your
customers. It takes less time to do it right the first time than to do it over
again and again. So approach not only your BOH but take the same approach
in your bar, dining room and even your office space it will make it a much
better day. Create pride in a well deployed and executed shift each and
everyday to make a difference in your operation.
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