It is well-known how important human resources
are in the kitchen and as a consequence therefore how important
is the ergonomic layout of the equipment utilised and a correct
organisation of work.
In this case, the main problem is the management of these
resources in
the kitchen. Every chef wants to work well, reduce hard work
and to
receive compliments from customers. Many times however, this
is over
shadowed by the need to do even the most humble and hardest
work, as
well as the least gratifying but necessary jobs (such as peeling
potatoes,
sorting out the refrigerators, doing time consuming and
laborious prepa
ration work etc.).
It is well-known that the cost of an employee is very high
and often one
tends to restrict personnel, thus forcing a small number
of employees to
work overtime. This may seem convenient, but in reality
it is harmful, both
to the quality of service and way in which it is carried
out. There is the
risk that the service is not ready due to unfinished previous
tasks, possibly
10 not even strictly connected with the service. Consequently,
work is carried
out badly and in a hurry resulting in the dissatisfaction
of both the employ
ees and the clients who will often complain about the poor
service and
quality of the food. The menu can also suffer from not having
the right
number of employees resulting in unimaginative dishes, slow
plate chang
ing and repetitive choice etc. To change would mean dedicating
more
time to preparation (a new kitchen line). In this situation,
it is not even pos
sible to exploit the seasons of fresh products. When flexibility
is lacking a
kitchen cannot adjust its menu to the fresh products offered
by the market, maybe at better prices and higher quality.
Furthermore, and this is very important, it is difficult
to take advantage of
“dead moments” during the working week. During
these times, normally
the kitchen can be put in order and cleaned and re-stocking
of products
carried out, but it is not possible to use this time for
preparation. This can
be due to lack of employees or because pre-prepared products
for cook-
ing have a limited shelf life. Even for those products which
readily lend
themselves to conservation (sauces, juices), it is not advisable
to exag-
gerate, because you can risk dangerous deterioration of
the food.
The result of all this, is a working life that whilst always
seeming to be fre
netic, does not fully exploit the time available. Employees
seem to work
very hard to reach an objective that could be achieved with
less effort
and with better equipment and organisation.
The human aspect, with all its pros and cons, fortunately,
is still present in
the kitchen, and as such should be utilised to achieve the
maximum pos
sible performance with the right resources whilst limiting
errors and short
ages.
One or even two less employees does not resolve the problem
of costs,
on the contrary, it aggravates the situation because the
quality and image
of the restaurant is lost and everyone knows how difficult
it is to regain
clients. |
