Bloody Chefs!!! A Brief Insight.

Often the conversation comes up of why us Chefs move around so much. The answer is a little complicated.

Chefs have a high turn over rate in restaurants, sometimes even overtaking waiters. To understand this a little better, one needs to understand the Chefs predicament. The working environment is never friendly. Often underpaid, often micromanaged, always underrated. Take into consideration that the starting salary for a Head Chef Should be R18000.00 at least. Its hard in this country to find that. If you want someone to run your kitchen for less then that you are looking for a Kitchen Manager. Yes, there is a massive difference. Being constantly under paid makes Chefs chase that elusive better salary. Hence the common reference to pirates. Its all about money and if someone offers us more money so that we can better build a life for our families, well, cheers, its been fun.

Management is another common issue. Far to often Chefs are forced to work under the thumb of incompetent managers. That’s a quick ticket to choosing the door. Think about it this way. Many restaurant managers don’t have much hospitality education further then a few years as a waiter. A head Chef has (Should) at least ten years solid restaurant experience plus a degree that includes food sciences, business management, financials, costs etc. Chefs live restaurant. Its our everything. Incompetent owners is another door opener. Understand that if you hired properly, your Chef knows what’s best. Don’t micromanage because you like the monkey brain soup you had in Thailand and now it must go on menu. The Chef needs to choose his team. Don’t expect him/Her to run a team someone else chose, (and why the hell is that foh manager sitting in on the interviews?).

Lastly, a serious one. The stress in a kitchen is not exaggerated. There is a reason the suicide rate amongst professional Chefs is sky rocketing. Some Chefs choose to stay and try work in a hopeless environment. They are the suicide risks. Others will choose greener pastures. Take a moment to see through your Chefs eyes once in a while. He will appreciate it.

The bond between proprietor and Chef is gold should it work.

Cheers For Now