What are the key challenges in building a new team for kitchen?

Question

please answer as a professional chef

Answer 1

Cohesiveness. Everyone getting along and knowing their place and no power struggles.

Answer 2

I am a former chef from Canada and worked in all but 3 of the Canadian provinces, Jamaica and Singapore with a large hotel chain, I tend to agree with "Scott G", you need to find good qualified people, a good chef, sous chef and talented chef de parties (fancy for line cooks), I feel some training or school is not only helpful but essential.

If you want your business to progress and develope, a good staff with background and knowledge not only experience is a must. Talk to other restaurantuers, find out there weaknesses, alot of time depending on the area it is hard to find good help.

If you have a culinary school or high school with a cooking program glean from there, sometimes it is nessessary to bring people in, epsecially a good chef and or sous chef. I did all the stations and was a sous chef and ran operations from 6 to 60, with seating in the places from 50-300.

If your going to be the chef or hire someone to fill that job, it has to be someone you not only respect but can relate too and have a common sence of reason and work ethic. I worked for some owners only concerned with the profit margin and the staff was expendable and could replace at the drop of a hat, but in time the good people left and this affected his business, be not only the owner/chef/manager, but part of the team not just the guy or gal to sign the paycheques.

Answer 3

I have been a chef for 25 years with my own restaurants for 10.
The biggest challenge is that most potential candidates are a lot less qualified than they believe. They also think that one year of scholll training will make them a CHEF, like THE CHEF (largely the fault of the propoganda that the schools use to lure in the students). drop me an e-mail and I may be able to provide you with a more involved response.

Answer 4

Trust. You have to have that trust that they're not going to sabotage you, steal from you, show up on time, actually work, believe in where the restaurant is going. You should be able to trust them if you're sick and can't come in to work, that they'll step up to the proverbial plate, and not worry that the place will be a shambles the next day and all the cash is gone and the time cards are fudged.

Screen people for their egos. Ego in the kitchen is a given, but is it ego for them to get ahead regardless of you? Or is it ego that they want the best for your place so they're proud to say they work there?

That's trust.