In my career I’ve had the pleasure of working in kitchens that ran fast and smooth. I’ve also endured the frustration of kitchens where everyone was running round fast, but the food was coming out extremely slow. Here are 5 ways to help speed up service and take some of the pressure off the kitchen staff.

Stagger the reservations:

If I was ranking this list, I’d have to put this as #1. There is nothing more gut wrenching in the kitchen than watching the whole dining room fill up all at once. It’s important to understand the limitations of your kitchen (and your service staff) and stagger the reservations to achieve excellence in service.

Slim down the menu :

Less is more! Trying to be everything to everyone can be extremely challenging on your kitchen staff. Trim down the menu and focus on preparing the food with consistency and quality.

Consider adding buffets :

Having the option of a buffet has many benefits. Not only does it help take pressure off the kitchen (and service staff) but buffets have a high perception of value. It’s a win win scenario when done right. Some people are on a tight time line for lunch, others are not. Having a simple trimmed down al a carte menu and a value priced buffet allows you to accommodate both without stressing out the kitchen staff.

Upgrade & Upkeep Your Kitchen Equipment:

If your menu is heavily deep fryer dependent then you need ample deep fryers. Seems like a no brainer, but I can’t tell you how many establishments I’ve been in where over 75% of the menu is deep fried and they only have 2 deep fryers. This is a bottle neck crisis. The flip side is menus designed to rely heavily on the grill and the grill is in desperate need of repair/ upgrades.

Clear modifications :

Ahh yes… every Chefs favourite. The infamous modifications!!! Under no circumstance should a server verbally issue a modification. All modifications to the menu should be put through the POS machine. Ideally the modifications should be clear, concise and should appear in a different colour to help draw attention.  

Help a brotha add to this list!  Drop in a comment below and lets continue the converstion.