Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Kitchen Management

job applicant questions

Questions in the Minds of Restaurant Job Applicants

February 14, 2024 No Comments

They may not be asked openly, but they will influence whether the applicant wants the job or not. If the managers or owners doing an interview raise and answer these job applicant questions, they will have a better rapport with applicants. And don’t forget, people are always looking for answers to their questions; if you don’t provide them, they may make them up! Questions in the Minds of Chefs or Cooks Applying for a Job

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Flavour Training

Taste the Difference: 40 Flavour Training Activities for Restaurant Staff

February 5, 2024 No Comments

Designing a food-tasting program for front-of-house staff is a fantastic way to enhance their appreciation and knowledge of food, which in turn can significantly improve the guest experience and average customer spending. Here are 40 training activities for chefs to run for waiters and front-of-house staff within a 15-minute session. They are designed to be engaging and educational and build a competitive spirit. Consider creating a scoring system for each activity to add a competitive

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Kitchen Team

We all need the Support Team!

December 12, 2023 No Comments

Knock, knock…Ken, can I see you for a minute?When some people knock on your door it means only one thing – they’ve come to say goodbye: they’re quitting. Maybe one of the quieter type, more reliable and not fired up with fresh ideas. Easy to overlook as you’re putting out fires with the troublemakers who take up most of your time. Not as glamorous as the cool and creative ones who are bubbling with new

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Restaurant Manager Training

20 Challenge Situations for Training Restaurant Managers & Head Chefs in Problem Solving

August 1, 2023 No Comments

These are designed for training restaurant managers and head chefs in problem-solving and resource allocation. They don’t have easy answers and will require trade-offs and some difficult compromises. Some of the ways to use these situations for training and coaching… Let people choose the one they want to answer and give them 5 minutes to make notes and prepare their answers. Share and compare. Cut them into strips and let people choose one randomly to

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restaurant training games

30 Quick Training Games for Restaurant & Cafe Staff

July 26, 2023 No Comments

Use these enjoyable and instructive games to engage your front-of-house and kitchen staff – they’re designed to prepare and run quickly. And a reminder of the old trainer saying: what we learn with pleasure, we never forget! Make sure to take photos and share on your social media channels. Designing short training games or ‘microlearning’, involves several principles to ensure they’re effective, engaging, and suitable for the purpose: Relevant to the work environment and reinforce

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ChatGPT and Menus

Using ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter to Improve Restaurant Menu Profits

July 23, 2023 No Comments

ChatGPT recently released a new feature called Code Interpreter, that allows you to upload a spreadsheet of data and ask for an analysis. So I asked it to ‘Give me 10 ways ChatGPT’s new Code Interpreter could analyse and improve menu profitability for a restaurant or cafe? Give answers that appeal to a restaurateur or accountant with fairly sophisticated financial understanding and good analytical skills.’ Here’s what came back: ChatGPT’s Code Interpreter can add significant

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ChatGPT and Recipes

How to Use ChatGPT for Recipe Management in a Restaurant Kitchen

June 14, 2023 No Comments

Are you keen to make more use of technology in your culinary and business operations? ChatGPT, can revolutionise the way you manage your kitchen, from organising your recipes, scaling dishes and optimising food costs, to suggesting ingredient substitutions, planning menus, and enhancing staff productivity. Also, check How to Use ChatGPT to Create Training Material for Restaurant & Cafe Employees. I asked ChatGPT how artificial intelligence, while maintaining a personal touch and creativity in your kitchen,

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Employment Page

How to Create a Powerful Employment Page on your Restaurant or Café Website

January 24, 2023 No Comments

With ever-increasing staff shortages, it’s time to use your own website as part of the recruitment drive. A good employment page will attract quality applicants and ‘sell’ them on the benefits you offer. Even a small business can make a big impact, especially as many of the large operators are doing very little in this area. On the internet, every website starts as equal! The employment page should talk about what you offer and why

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Improve Restaurant Management

Using the 80-20 Rule to Cut Costs and Improve Restaurant Management

August 28, 2022 No Comments

The 80/20 Rule is simple – it says that a relatively small number of causes (about 20%) is responsible for a great number of effects (roughly 80%). This is good news – if you find out what the 20% are and work on them, you can have a significant impact on sales improvement, cost reduction and improved restaurant management. This often means 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers (particular individuals, or

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Health & Wellness Guide

Health and Wellness Guide for Restaurant & Cafe Staff – Sample

August 14, 2022 No Comments

Our employees often lead high-stress lives: long hours, heat, tension and a lack of proper breaks or time to unwind. It’s the nature of hospitality, but we can’t ignore the negative effects on health and wellness if we are going to fix the problems of staff shortages and our failure to attract career-minded people. The broader issues of health and wellness also underpin concerns about mental health – the old saying ‘a healthy body means

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