Hells Kitchen Fight

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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby bailewen on Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:51 pm

It's really not worth the stress.

One reason I couldn't keep it up was that year I made 50 grand, every single other waiter on staff (summer help excepted) was bitter, unhappy and filled with resentment. Most high end restaurants I have worked in have a lot of coke being sold in the break room and I have never really ever met more than one or two who were happy with their lot. I sure as hell hated it. It always bugged the crap out of me that it was only the high stress gigs that lasted. I had a couple smooth gigs but they either paid little or the restaurant didn't last.

You know, the amount of money we sometimes made always helped dealing with the pretentious assholes that we'd have to wait on. It's easy(er) to deal with some smug little 24 year old prick on a date when you know you make more money than he does. The real trick though, to lasting in that industry, is a paradigm shift. Eventually you have to rid yourself of the idea that you are a "sever" waiting on someone. "Server" is just a nice way of saying "servant" which makes the diners what? . . ."masters"? The paradigm is that it is your house and they are just guests in YOUR home. Your the boss. They had better be nice just like you would to anyone else who's home you were dining at. Furthermore, you are still motivated to provide excellent service just like you would if you had a very important guest over to your home for dinner. You wouldn't kiss his ass but you would offer him a beer and make sure he tried your wifes fresh baked apple pie or whatever. The whole relationship is just healthier that way, more equal.

Anyways, yeah, people don't give the profession the respect if deserves. They have no idea how good a real professional waiter is at what they do. It's a hell of a lot harder than it looks.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby cdobe on Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:35 am

Omar (bailewen) wrote:...after the whole thing was over one of my cocksuckers says to me, "Hey man. He wasn't really angry. I didn't hear him call you a cocksucker even once."

:)


Typo ? ;)
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby bailewen on Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:44 am

lol. Freudian slip?

Thanks for catching the typo. It was my manager who said that to me, not one of my on staff harem girls.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby Darth Rock&Roll on Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:53 am

This show would be even better without the confrontational crap and melodrama.
The cooking is otherwise really quite good and you can get some top notch ideas for all sorts of dishes from the show.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby bailewen on Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:27 am

That's kind of missing the whole point Darth.

It's not a cooking show. It's a show about restaurant work. Most people in showbiz have spent at least some time waiting tables. It's so common it's a cliche. So the hollywood types set this thing up, obviously, as a show about high pressure restaurant work.

The food is really pretty damn secondary. That's also why the quality of the food has so little to do with the success of most restaurants.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby mrtoes on Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:51 am

You sound like you were probably a good waiter Omar. I've been stateside, service is nowhere near that good over here (Hobbiton), main reason is tips are way less, and most the time service is already added to the bill. There again, Brits don't complain, are usually polite and still tip even when service is atrocious. This is POV of a diner btw!

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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby bailewen on Thu Jul 30, 2009 8:07 am

lol.

I was a hell of a fucking waiter.

Last 3 jobs in San Francisco were Alioto's, Washington Square Bar & Grill and then finally, bartending at the Bohemian Grove.

If you know anything about SF, then you know that those are all pretty famous landmark restaurants. At "the Washbag" as we call it in SF, I averaged over %20 most nights. %18 was just average for me.

Did I mention that professional waiters are cocky about their work?
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby Darth Rock&Roll on Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:48 am

Omar, if it was really about restaurant work, there would be a lot more of those dudes trying to fuck the waitresses and you know it.

also, as you know, in a kitchen it is "yes chef" and that's that.

You argue with chef or the gm and you can go home for the day.
That's how it really works in my experience having worked in higher end restaurants myself.

I see what you mean though, but seriously, Ramsey is a great chef. I'd like to see more focus on the dishes and preparation and acquiring infgredients and all that...but I guess there are other shows on the food channel for that already. lol
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby grzegorz on Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:20 am

I like Ramsey but if you're to keep talking to people like that someone is going to teach you some manners.

I've worked around Brits and I've met some like Ramsey who were rated as some of the top in their field and who enjoyed slagging off people. In this case it was the ESL world while I was working in Europe.

In this case dude was slagging off everything American. I suppose I made the right choice of not making a big deal of out it but to be honest even years later I think I'd a lot better about myself if I did sock the old man even though I would have lost my job. But he was old and I would have lost my job so I suppose I'll just have to fantasize about it. ;) This guy's lucky he doesn't need to fantasize.

Interesting thing is in a lot of ways Ramsey is very British, I surprised to see that it was a Brit (of some sort) who stepped up to him and called him on his bullshit. Oh well, make a career of getting in people's faces and someone's going to hand you your ass. I wonder if this is ever going to happen to Dana White. ;D
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby Teazer on Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:36 am

Darth Rock&Roll wrote:This show would be even better without the confrontational crap and melodrama.
The cooking is otherwise really quite good and you can get some top notch ideas for all sorts of dishes from the show.


I saw a couple of episodes of "Top Chef Masters" which was much less confrontational - just some great chefs with friendly rivalry doing a competition for charity.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby neijia_boxer on Thu Jul 30, 2009 1:45 pm

Omar (bailewen) wrote:It's really not worth the stress.

One reason I couldn't keep it up was that year I made 50 grand, every single other waiter on staff (summer help excepted) was bitter, unhappy and filled with resentment. Most high end restaurants I have worked in have a lot of coke being sold in the break room and I have never really ever met more than one or two who were happy with their lot. I sure as hell hated it. It always bugged the crap out of me that it was only the high stress gigs that lasted. I had a couple smooth gigs but they either paid little or the restaurant didn't last.

You know, the amount of money we sometimes made always helped dealing with the pretentious assholes that we'd have to wait on. It's easy(er) to deal with some smug little 24 year old prick on a date when you know you make more money than he does. The real trick though, to lasting in that industry, is a paradigm shift. Eventually you have to rid yourself of the idea that you are a "sever" waiting on someone. "Server" is just a nice way of saying "servant" which makes the diners what? . . ."masters"? The paradigm is that it is your house and they are just guests in YOUR home. Your the boss. They had better be nice just like you would to anyone else who's home you were dining at. Furthermore, you are still motivated to provide excellent service just like you would if you had a very important guest over to your home for dinner. You wouldn't kiss his ass but you would offer him a beer and make sure he tried your wifes fresh baked apple pie or whatever. The whole relationship is just healthier that way, more equal.

Anyways, yeah, people don't give the profession the respect if deserves. They have no idea how good a real professional waiter is at what they do. It's a hell of a lot harder than it looks.


Nice way to put it Omar.

Having worked in nice restaurants and pizza delivery in College I know what it is like. That's why I tip high for nearly every service- food, pizza delivery, haircut, ect and get mad at my wife for not tipping well when she is tempted to skimp. these workers are on their feet and do long hours. Generally we always get good service, and it take alot of energy for server to present a good smile and service, even if they arent really feeling it.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby grzegorz on Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:26 pm

neijia_boxer wrote:
Nice way to put it Omar.

Having worked in nice restaurants and pizza delivery in College I know what it is like. That's why I tip high for nearly every service- food, pizza delivery, haircut, ect and get mad at my wife for not tipping well when she is tempted to skimp. these workers are on their feet and do long hours. Generally we always get good service, and it take alot of energy for server to present a good smile and service, even if they arent really feeling it.


I kind of have mixed feelings about that. I do similar work but it's not in food service.

I work for Fedex and I have to deal with customers for long periods of times find out what they want and give it to them, but I don't get to sit down and I don't get any tips.

The other day I went to a photo studio to get some pictures done of my kid and the employee spent an hour with us, had to deal with other customers too and she didn't get any tips. Also what about the couriers who makes deliveries they bring packages to your home and knock on your door, if you need to sign they come back again the next day. Do they get tips? Why does the pizza guy get tips?

Should we tip everybody? I hate it when people working at starbucks at some cafe or some type of food service think they deserve some great tip simply because I walked in there. WTF?

Maybe the Americans have this one backwards. I'm not saying we shouldn't tip, but hell if I'm going to feel guilty if I don't.
Last edited by grzegorz on Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby fuga on Thu Jul 30, 2009 3:05 pm

Uh oh, here we descend into the great tip-no tip debate.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby Bär on Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:13 pm

The service is not included in your restaurant bill in the US, and the base wage of a waiter/server is typically about 2-3 bucks an hour depending on where you are working, but it's never much. Simple as that.

That being said, counter service tipping is up to you. Those workers are getting standard wages. I tip euro-style at the counter - I give them my coin change or if I've ordered more than a sammich and drink, I'll throw in a buck if I'm a regular. Give the pizza guy a couple of bucks - is it really that much? If you're lucky he'll remember you next time. Hell, I've smoked up good pizza delivery guys. You catch more flies with honey & all that.

Stiffing your server will get you permanently 86'ed from a decent restaurant if the manager has any balls, or if not you'll at least get a free cigarette-flavored loogie in your food...your choice.
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Re: Hells Kitchen Fight

Postby grzegorz on Thu Jul 30, 2009 4:17 pm

I didn't say I don't tip, I just don't think people should feel guily about not tipping 25%.
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