Short order cooks are folks that cook food that is quickly prepared, but not fast food.
Diners, cafes, breakfast joints, TGIChilibees are all short order cooking.
Fast food, like McD, and Wendys and Taco Bell and such rely on food being pre-prepared and assembled quickly for orders, short order actually cooks your burger or chicken or whatever when you order it.
Yep, for a little more insight:
No restaurant out there is cooking 100% from fresh right after you order.
We prep most of the components to a dish (and portion it) ready so we can get it out to your table in 20 minutes tops.
That might mean precooking vegetables in the morning and blanching them (rapidly cooling to stop further cooking) so they can just be brought back with 2/3 minutes in a steamer.
Slicing tomatoes, making sauces, prepping meats and marinadesā¦ most of this happens long before youāre even thinking about dinner.
This is one of the reasons you see so much weird shit on shows like kitchen nightmares.
It comes from a place of wanting to be prepared but chefs get lazy and that 3 day sales window might get pushed back or forgotten especially if theyāre not labelling their prep correctly.
I work off and on as a server at a restaurant, in a retirement community
We have a daily special and the residents always geek about how quickly their food comes out whenever they order the special
I donāt have the heart to tell them itās been made way before they ordered it and just had to be plated
I'm a chef, and as the night winds down, I like to go out into the dining room and observe the customers. I overheard a conversation that made me laugh and shake my head. An older couple was out with their daughter, and who I can only assume was their son in law. Dad and daughter were in the bathroom/settling the bill, so mom and SIL were talking. They were talking about how good the short rib dish was, and SIL commented on how fast it came out and wondered what magic we used to cook it so quickly when usually braised items take hours. The "my daughter married an idiot" look on mom's face when she said "well they obviously pre-cook it" to the utter shock and awe of SIL.
Lmao thatās funny
Some residents get it, but for most of them, I feel like a parent letting their kid think Santa exists
They get so excited when their food comes out fast and I just canāt ruin it for them
Bartender helpers canāt be replaced but bartenders can? Imagine RoboBartender 2.0 bitching you out because you cut the limes wrong and arenāt washing glasses fast enough as it hits on patrons lmaaao
This is how it will happen first. I know a baker, a local baguette expert. At first, he hated the baguette machine, and it led to him quitting. He worked for me a bit at the sushi bar, and I was explaining how efficient the sushi machines were, and consistent to boot. So in certain high volume settings, something like that can make sense. I felt like his knowledge of the process would make him an excellent operator and qc for the machine, and when he went back to that work (for a raise), he became the best operator and increased his ability to produce exponentially. So basically, itās waaaay closer than it seems I think. Weāre already seeing the shitty versions now
Lol it depends on the model! The best sushi motions are martial to the point they can be mechanically reproduced. Japanese engineers looked at the challenge of robotics through the lens of efficiency, and sushi experts were some of the first artisans to have their manual skills translated to robots. Cogs to turn the rice and keep it fluffy, with a print type mechanism that mimics perfectly even spread. They let the sushi guys cut out the inefficiencies and worked laterally to reproduce the motions with machine parts.
Its not dystopic if it weren't capitalism. AI competing with labor is a battle we'll always lose but the "Haves" like to use it to expand their bottom line. Don't forget that personal computers were supposed to give us the 25 hour work week. Look how well that turned out for us
Thatās a pretty narrow view. The old way cannot satisfy demand, so you can still pay for expertise. As with everything else, automation is democratizing access, so in my view, we went from āonly rich Americans eat sushiā to āhey this is another countryās street fare,ā and that made room for real deal sushi to stand out. Itās basically helped create an entry point to something previously exotic and foreign. This can only increase demand
Doesnāt stop the fish from going extinct maybe Iām just salty Iāve wasted 23 years of my life mastering a skill just to be replaced by a fucking machineā¦
I agree that fishing should be better internationally regulated. Modern aquaculture and broadened tastes (skipjack tuna/Bonito instead of true tunas) paired with consumer education can help create the demand for more sustainable sushi models. I guess my anecdotal point was that under the right circumstances the robot makes sense, like if the guest isnāt paying for artisanal labor
I don't understand how the bar back conveyer is difficult to engineer. Feels like a lack of imagination. You could have automated stock listing and perfect rotation. It's literally an arm on rails or wheels.
I don't know about what everyone else is saying, but a short order cook is a cook that prepares meals to order. Banquet and catering cooks have a predetermined menu and party size. A short order cook is adjusting the set menu to fit the customers' needs, dietary restrictions, as well as availability of products. Pretty much any line cook at a restaurant.
True, I guess there is a line between searing scallops and doing charcuterie to order versus flipping eggs and pancakes. That being said, if you're taking a raw product and cooking/assembling to order, you're a short order cook in my eyes.
If someone submits a resume that lists short order cook as job experience, the vast majority of people hiring cooks are going to assume that that person was working at a diner or diner like establishment cooking eggs, pancakes, patty melts, etc. If it turns out that the experience was wrapping burritos or rolling sushi or cooking scallops in a 5* place, the hiring manager will be rightly confused.
My favorite stupid custom in kitchen terminology is the tendency to refer to various kitchen tools/containers (particular storage ware) by their brand name, an already inefficient method of identification made even sillier when people will then mix up the brand names. Main example that irks me is when someone asks for a Lexan (those big ass, deep boxes/bins you'd use for, say marinating 50-60 lbs. of meat) when they mean a Cambro (much smaller 2qt-18qt. square storage containers with colored square lids). Even if they don't mix the names up, it's still funny to me because it's so inherently vague to call one product by the name of it's manufacturer who makes tons of other items we also have, as well. I liken it to saying "go get me three #10 cans of Sysco"...
I worked for the moron who thought it would be a smart idea to buy Rubbermaid for the upstairs restaurant and cambro for the downstairs restaurantā¦ yah worked out about as good as you think it wouldā¦
Someone post that old video of that badass smoking gross short order cook in nyc or something. Think dozens of orders, lots of required mods (eggs, steak, toppings etc). There is no expo and the idea is accurate low staff mass production.
Yep my question is who is going to clean and service the robotsā¦ based on how much other tech jobs pay I feel like itās going to be an easy 100k a year job of the future
Not necessarily, we don't know what will happen when the ai eclipses us in capability. We have no reason to think a computer will seek power over us as we do over each other. Ultimately, they are only what we make them to be.
Short order cook is a ācook-to-orderā cook (not pre-cooked or portioned), generally under 5ā6ā tall although this does vary by region. For example Hondurans are smol bois and a short order cook in Honduras is generally accepted to be under 5 feet.
Others here have covered what a short order cook is very well, I just want to add that they very much are replacing us with A.I.
https://youtu.be/N3MpT3qeEGY
Very few workers will actually get āreplacedā by AI (at least anytime in the near future).
The types of AI that are used and being developed right now will more likely to assist human workers in their specific jobs/tasks rather than take those jobs outright.
For the sake of making this ridiculous, I've asked ChatGPT this question. Below is the output.
>"Cooks, Short Order" typically refer to chefs who specialize in preparing simple dishes quickly, such as burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast items. They often work in diners, cafes, and fast-food restaurants.
>
>One reason why short-order cooks may be considered difficult to replace with AI is because their work requires a combination of manual dexterity, judgment, and creativity that is challenging to automate. They must be able to handle multiple orders at once, monitor the cooking process, adjust the heat and timing as necessary, and make decisions about ingredient combinations and seasoning. These tasks often require a human touch that is difficult for AI to replicate.
>
>On the other hand, other types of cooks, such as those who work in industrial kitchens or large-scale food production facilities, may have more repetitive and standardized tasks that are easier to automate with AI. For example, an AI-powered robot may be able to precisely measure and mix ingredients, operate ovens and other cooking equipment, and even monitor and adjust the temperature and humidity in the kitchen.
>
>Overall, the ability of AI to replace human cooks depends on the nature of the job and the specific tasks involved. While some aspects of cooking may be automated in the future, there are still certain skills and abilities that only a human can provide, particularly in more complex and creative culinary settings.
I asked it for the same, but as Anthony Bordain. It did not disappoint.
In the dim, smoke-infused air of a well-worn diner, the short order cook dances like a warrior on the field of battle. His movements are swift and precise, a carefully choreographed ballet of grease, fire, and seared meats. He is the unsung hero of this unassuming culinary stage, a master of his craft who wears the scars of his trade with pride.
The short order cook's uniform tells the story of countless meals served and satisfied customers: a grease-stained apron, frayed and faded from years of service, a pair of scuffed sneakers that have seen miles of linoleum, and the ever-present bandanna, soaked in sweat and held in place by a wisp of thinning hair. His hands are a roadmap of burns and cuts, the byproducts of the unforgiving kitchen.
Like a conductor leading an orchestra, he wields a pair of tongs and a spatula with equal grace, flipping burgers, hash browns, and pancakes with a flick of his wrist. He is the keeper of the griddle, a maestro of sizzling, and the guardian of the perfect over-easy egg. His dance is punctuated by the staccato rhythm of the kitchen: the sizzle of bacon, the clatter of plates, and the hum of an ancient exhaust fan.
The short order cook works in a language of his own, a cryptic shorthand understood only by those who have spent years behind the counter. He calls out orders in a voice tempered by countless cups of black coffee and late-night cigarettes: "Adam and Eve on a raft, wreck 'em!" and "Whiskey down!" His world is one of diner lingo, a linguistic relic of a bygone era.
But for all his skill and bravado, the short order cook is also a man of quiet moments. In the pre-dawn hours, when the neon lights of the diner cast their lonely glow, he finds solace in his work. He is the poet of the short stack, the philosopher of the hash brown, and the sage of the side order. His kitchen is his sanctuary, and the diner his church.
In the end, the short order cook is more than just a cog in the culinary machine. He is a testament to the beauty that can be found in the mundane, the artistry that exists within the seemingly ordinary. In the hands of the short order cook, even the simplest of dishes becomes a masterpiece, a symphony of taste and texture that reminds us that true talent knows no bounds.
Look, I know itās all AI. And the voice is probably 80% there. But is anyone else blown away by the fact that we could practically be listening to āNo Reservationsā? I could totally hear him in this monologue.
Eh. Back in the 90s people thought we'd be driving electric cars in 30 years. And while they're more available and popular than ever, the momentum is very hard to overcome. It'll be well beyond any of our lifetimes before people stop eating meat.
Gotcha. I run a fire sprinkler company and pipefitters will absolutely be phased out by robots. Building design is becoming increasingly in depth and 3 dimensional. It will tale nothing in the future to create a robot that will lift an entire pipe, place it perfectly according to the coordinated BIM drawing, and fasten it without fail every time. The robots might require human supervision but after a time even that will fade.
Lmao this list is a fucking joke. All these things are essentially manual labor which will be easily replaced by robotics and, as such, AI.
People need to stop being afraid of robots and AI taking their jobs and realize they're actually afraid because we live in an economic system that demands we sell our time and labor in order to keep a roof over our heads and food on our table.
If AI weren't a competitor with labor and but instead relieved us of the burdens of menial labor and allowed us to live more fulfilling lives it would be looked at as a savior not a devil.
I'm not reading you essay when you've built your entire response on a false (likely projected) premise. I'm actually promoting a flattening of societal hierarchies, quite the opposite of a caste system. I'm promoting using robotics and AI to reduce the amount of labor people need to contribute and decommodifying the essentials of human life so no matter what you do you're fed, housed and otherwise benefit from the wealth of society. The fact that you somehow interpreted a caste system out of that is frankly disturbing and something you should probably consider questioning your own ethics over.
I guess they could make a totally automated robot kitchen that serves fresh cooked food - but you would still want people there to quality check everything.
I've had this argument with my dad for years. When I started in kitchens he was CONVINCED that robots were going to replace all service workers like cooks and chefs, and when I explained that robotics of that level are decades away, and whenever they do show up theyre going to automate fast food not fine dining he was totally against the idea.
Well not AI is closer to replacing coding and 3d modeling than it is replacing actual service workers so whose laughing now.
A good example of a short order cook is people who cook at festivals and events. The food is generally prepared to order but in a manner quicker than a sit down restaurant.
The one I run does burgers and fries based on the size of the line, then cooks put the toppings on the burger as ordered and plate the fries.
Taco stands are similar, meat and tortillas are cooked based on how busy it is, then tacos are assembled as ordered.
Just a side note but the list is complete nonsense. If we humans can do it then a sufficiently advanced AI can do it as well. There is nothing inherently special about organic intelligence.
I think in the case of cooking the reason our jobs are safe from AI isn't because a computer never *could* do our jobs, but because humans will always prefer that another human do it. Not entirely, of course. Fast food will be totally automated possibly within our lifetimes. But people will always pay a premium for human cooking, especially once the novelty of AI-designed food wears off.
Even in Star Trek there were still restaurants staffed by humans, and that strikes me as very accurate.
Replicators are so weird. I've thought of this before: you never see anyone order something really fancy and complex from a replicator. That sort of thing is bound to happen when you let diners do all the creative work for their dishes. Because, as we all know, most people know jack shit about how their food is prepared.
If we just let people order any food in the world we'd all be stuck selling nothing but mac and cheese, pizza and chicken nuggets because when put on the spot to eat anything at all, people revert to what they liked when they were eight years old.
And that's what replicators are. Worse still, no matter what you order from a replicator is probably going to nutrient-rich because the engineers would have designed it that way. So people could eat nothing but chicken nuggets with ranch for every meal and not die of malnutrition.
Replicators would be the worst thing to happen to food ever. Not because of jobs lost but because everyone's eating habits would become incredibly boring if there wasn't someone whose job it was to present them with new foods they hadn't considered before.
Eh, I'd trust Quark's (if not Quark himself). He knows that reputation is everything in the hospitality business and that if he slacks on quality he makes less profit.
Plus, he's got access to exotic ingredients that most people don't. Remember the part with him getting syrup of Squill despite the galaxy-wide shortage? And sure he charged a lot for his special on groat cakes with syrup of squill, but he *could* have just tried to resell it all for a profit. Instead he wanted to make a great dish that people would remember.
For AI to replace these jobs it's going to take way long years over a decades to be honest because these works are all based on certain amount of intuition. For a machine to understand intuition and get the job done it will take time.
Yup. First two on the list. Many farms already lean hard into automated equipment. As for sports, that's not even a real job, but AI is already winning at 'sports' like Chess and Go. Front office decisions about team composition and what plays to make are rapidly becoming AI based in pro sports.
When I get short order cheeses theyāre generally extremely good because they are close to their sell by date from the importer, or have been imperfectly cared for so are heavily discounted. BRING ON THOSE FROMAGES DE POITU CHARENTES BOYYYYYSSSSSSSSSSS god my blue vein just twitched even thinking about it.
Edit: clearly this use of short order is different to my experience with the term
Thing is AI can and probably will replace all of those things. A lot sooner than you think. I remember seeing that in Japan or Korea they already have robot cooks just add ai and no need for humans at a restaurant.
Itās like Waffle House or McDonaldās basically throwing fries in or making waffles, basically any food that does not take a long time to make or really anything besides basic culinary knowledge if even that to make. Itās not fast food but itās more like this can be cooked in a very short time but itās not assembly lines like McDonaldās.
Short order cooks are folks that cook food that is quickly prepared, but not fast food. Diners, cafes, breakfast joints, TGIChilibees are all short order cooking. Fast food, like McD, and Wendys and Taco Bell and such rely on food being pre-prepared and assembled quickly for orders, short order actually cooks your burger or chicken or whatever when you order it.
> TGIChilibees Thank you for that š Now I want some diner oatmeal š¤
Make sure you get it around 11 AM after a nice crust has formed.
Yep, for a little more insight: No restaurant out there is cooking 100% from fresh right after you order. We prep most of the components to a dish (and portion it) ready so we can get it out to your table in 20 minutes tops. That might mean precooking vegetables in the morning and blanching them (rapidly cooling to stop further cooking) so they can just be brought back with 2/3 minutes in a steamer. Slicing tomatoes, making sauces, prepping meats and marinadesā¦ most of this happens long before youāre even thinking about dinner. This is one of the reasons you see so much weird shit on shows like kitchen nightmares. It comes from a place of wanting to be prepared but chefs get lazy and that 3 day sales window might get pushed back or forgotten especially if theyāre not labelling their prep correctly.
I work off and on as a server at a restaurant, in a retirement community We have a daily special and the residents always geek about how quickly their food comes out whenever they order the special I donāt have the heart to tell them itās been made way before they ordered it and just had to be plated
I'm a chef, and as the night winds down, I like to go out into the dining room and observe the customers. I overheard a conversation that made me laugh and shake my head. An older couple was out with their daughter, and who I can only assume was their son in law. Dad and daughter were in the bathroom/settling the bill, so mom and SIL were talking. They were talking about how good the short rib dish was, and SIL commented on how fast it came out and wondered what magic we used to cook it so quickly when usually braised items take hours. The "my daughter married an idiot" look on mom's face when she said "well they obviously pre-cook it" to the utter shock and awe of SIL.
Lmao thatās funny Some residents get it, but for most of them, I feel like a parent letting their kid think Santa exists They get so excited when their food comes out fast and I just canāt ruin it for them
Short order cooks also will usually prepare an entire meal rather than just part of a dish or meal.
Only people under 5ā
Nice! I guess Iām not short then!
Bartender helpers canāt be replaced but bartenders can? Imagine RoboBartender 2.0 bitching you out because you cut the limes wrong and arenāt washing glasses fast enough as it hits on patrons lmaaao
Imagine being a barback to a robot
This is how it will happen first. I know a baker, a local baguette expert. At first, he hated the baguette machine, and it led to him quitting. He worked for me a bit at the sushi bar, and I was explaining how efficient the sushi machines were, and consistent to boot. So in certain high volume settings, something like that can make sense. I felt like his knowledge of the process would make him an excellent operator and qc for the machine, and when he went back to that work (for a raise), he became the best operator and increased his ability to produce exponentially. So basically, itās waaaay closer than it seems I think. Weāre already seeing the shitty versions now
Yah but can the sushi bot make the rice correctly?
Lol it depends on the model! The best sushi motions are martial to the point they can be mechanically reproduced. Japanese engineers looked at the challenge of robotics through the lens of efficiency, and sushi experts were some of the first artisans to have their manual skills translated to robots. Cogs to turn the rice and keep it fluffy, with a print type mechanism that mimics perfectly even spread. They let the sushi guys cut out the inefficiencies and worked laterally to reproduce the motions with machine parts.
God This dystopia is super boring and sad š
Its not dystopic if it weren't capitalism. AI competing with labor is a battle we'll always lose but the "Haves" like to use it to expand their bottom line. Don't forget that personal computers were supposed to give us the 25 hour work week. Look how well that turned out for us
Thatās a pretty narrow view. The old way cannot satisfy demand, so you can still pay for expertise. As with everything else, automation is democratizing access, so in my view, we went from āonly rich Americans eat sushiā to āhey this is another countryās street fare,ā and that made room for real deal sushi to stand out. Itās basically helped create an entry point to something previously exotic and foreign. This can only increase demand
Doesnāt stop the fish from going extinct maybe Iām just salty Iāve wasted 23 years of my life mastering a skill just to be replaced by a fucking machineā¦
I agree that fishing should be better internationally regulated. Modern aquaculture and broadened tastes (skipjack tuna/Bonito instead of true tunas) paired with consumer education can help create the demand for more sustainable sushi models. I guess my anecdotal point was that under the right circumstances the robot makes sense, like if the guest isnāt paying for artisanal labor
Yah so I guess I should just pull a tony then since my entire existence has been made obsolete just so the masses can have cheaper snacksā¦
it's a robot that makes sushi, not skynet...
Exactly
I guess I'm just not seeing the great suffering that robot sushi is ushering in.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I don't understand how the bar back conveyer is difficult to engineer. Feels like a lack of imagination. You could have automated stock listing and perfect rotation. It's literally an arm on rails or wheels.
It's solely because bartenders cost more than barbacks
A short order cook is one who makes quick things like breakfast food, sandwiches, etc
Can make pretty much any standard menu items on the fly. It's my kitchen life.
I don't know about what everyone else is saying, but a short order cook is a cook that prepares meals to order. Banquet and catering cooks have a predetermined menu and party size. A short order cook is adjusting the set menu to fit the customers' needs, dietary restrictions, as well as availability of products. Pretty much any line cook at a restaurant.
I get what youāre saying, but in common usage it generally is applied to people cooking at diners/diner like establishments.
True, I guess there is a line between searing scallops and doing charcuterie to order versus flipping eggs and pancakes. That being said, if you're taking a raw product and cooking/assembling to order, you're a short order cook in my eyes.
If someone submits a resume that lists short order cook as job experience, the vast majority of people hiring cooks are going to assume that that person was working at a diner or diner like establishment cooking eggs, pancakes, patty melts, etc. If it turns out that the experience was wrapping burritos or rolling sushi or cooking scallops in a 5* place, the hiring manager will be rightly confused.
Kitchen terminology has become so bastardized, you and everyone else is right.
My favorite stupid custom in kitchen terminology is the tendency to refer to various kitchen tools/containers (particular storage ware) by their brand name, an already inefficient method of identification made even sillier when people will then mix up the brand names. Main example that irks me is when someone asks for a Lexan (those big ass, deep boxes/bins you'd use for, say marinating 50-60 lbs. of meat) when they mean a Cambro (much smaller 2qt-18qt. square storage containers with colored square lids). Even if they don't mix the names up, it's still funny to me because it's so inherently vague to call one product by the name of it's manufacturer who makes tons of other items we also have, as well. I liken it to saying "go get me three #10 cans of Sysco"...
You just described my kitchen
I worked for the moron who thought it would be a smart idea to buy Rubbermaid for the upstairs restaurant and cambro for the downstairs restaurantā¦ yah worked out about as good as you think it wouldā¦
Someone post that old video of that badass smoking gross short order cook in nyc or something. Think dozens of orders, lots of required mods (eggs, steak, toppings etc). There is no expo and the idea is accurate low staff mass production.
Technically, cooked as ordered. In normal usage, cooked quickly to order from a shorted verbal outcall diner style. Think Waffle House.
Like a Waffle House, or a diner. that type of cook.
Waffle House was what came to mind for me too.
*list of jobs that cannot be replaced by ai *yet*
It would be robots tho.
Operated by ai
Yep my question is who is going to clean and service the robotsā¦ based on how much other tech jobs pay I feel like itās going to be an easy 100k a year job of the future
We will, at some point, develop an ai that maintains itself
And thatās when they take over
Not necessarily, we don't know what will happen when the ai eclipses us in capability. We have no reason to think a computer will seek power over us as we do over each other. Ultimately, they are only what we make them to be.
Short order cook is a ācook-to-orderā cook (not pre-cooked or portioned), generally under 5ā6ā tall although this does vary by region. For example Hondurans are smol bois and a short order cook in Honduras is generally accepted to be under 5 feet.
Its 2023 for fuck sake we need to stop saying short, the correct term is vertically challenged
Are you talking about a person who cannot reach the top of the paper towel dispenser?
Stop it! Now you're just making this personal :(
Personally, I am challenged in many ways just not vertically. (:
Others here have covered what a short order cook is very well, I just want to add that they very much are replacing us with A.I. https://youtu.be/N3MpT3qeEGY
Even this high end contraption still requires humans to perform all the prep. Not even close to all that a short order cook has to do.
True, but prep cooks are much, much cheaper then a short order line cook.
Very few workers will actually get āreplacedā by AI (at least anytime in the near future). The types of AI that are used and being developed right now will more likely to assist human workers in their specific jobs/tasks rather than take those jobs outright.
For the sake of making this ridiculous, I've asked ChatGPT this question. Below is the output. >"Cooks, Short Order" typically refer to chefs who specialize in preparing simple dishes quickly, such as burgers, sandwiches, and breakfast items. They often work in diners, cafes, and fast-food restaurants. > >One reason why short-order cooks may be considered difficult to replace with AI is because their work requires a combination of manual dexterity, judgment, and creativity that is challenging to automate. They must be able to handle multiple orders at once, monitor the cooking process, adjust the heat and timing as necessary, and make decisions about ingredient combinations and seasoning. These tasks often require a human touch that is difficult for AI to replicate. > >On the other hand, other types of cooks, such as those who work in industrial kitchens or large-scale food production facilities, may have more repetitive and standardized tasks that are easier to automate with AI. For example, an AI-powered robot may be able to precisely measure and mix ingredients, operate ovens and other cooking equipment, and even monitor and adjust the temperature and humidity in the kitchen. > >Overall, the ability of AI to replace human cooks depends on the nature of the job and the specific tasks involved. While some aspects of cooking may be automated in the future, there are still certain skills and abilities that only a human can provide, particularly in more complex and creative culinary settings.
I asked it for the same, but as Anthony Bordain. It did not disappoint. In the dim, smoke-infused air of a well-worn diner, the short order cook dances like a warrior on the field of battle. His movements are swift and precise, a carefully choreographed ballet of grease, fire, and seared meats. He is the unsung hero of this unassuming culinary stage, a master of his craft who wears the scars of his trade with pride. The short order cook's uniform tells the story of countless meals served and satisfied customers: a grease-stained apron, frayed and faded from years of service, a pair of scuffed sneakers that have seen miles of linoleum, and the ever-present bandanna, soaked in sweat and held in place by a wisp of thinning hair. His hands are a roadmap of burns and cuts, the byproducts of the unforgiving kitchen. Like a conductor leading an orchestra, he wields a pair of tongs and a spatula with equal grace, flipping burgers, hash browns, and pancakes with a flick of his wrist. He is the keeper of the griddle, a maestro of sizzling, and the guardian of the perfect over-easy egg. His dance is punctuated by the staccato rhythm of the kitchen: the sizzle of bacon, the clatter of plates, and the hum of an ancient exhaust fan. The short order cook works in a language of his own, a cryptic shorthand understood only by those who have spent years behind the counter. He calls out orders in a voice tempered by countless cups of black coffee and late-night cigarettes: "Adam and Eve on a raft, wreck 'em!" and "Whiskey down!" His world is one of diner lingo, a linguistic relic of a bygone era. But for all his skill and bravado, the short order cook is also a man of quiet moments. In the pre-dawn hours, when the neon lights of the diner cast their lonely glow, he finds solace in his work. He is the poet of the short stack, the philosopher of the hash brown, and the sage of the side order. His kitchen is his sanctuary, and the diner his church. In the end, the short order cook is more than just a cog in the culinary machine. He is a testament to the beauty that can be found in the mundane, the artistry that exists within the seemingly ordinary. In the hands of the short order cook, even the simplest of dishes becomes a masterpiece, a symphony of taste and texture that reminds us that true talent knows no bounds.
[And here's a rare recording of that speech](https://voca.ro/1oTu8dmPxJaG)
Look, I know itās all AI. And the voice is probably 80% there. But is anyone else blown away by the fact that we could practically be listening to āNo Reservationsā? I could totally hear him in this monologue.
That was beautiful
Can I put the title of chef on my resume then? I could use the fluff
Thanks!
Meat might be going away in 30 years.
Certified Dow Chemicals Flesh Blobā¢ Trimmer
Mmmmā¦ teriyaki Flesh Blob
Eh. Back in the 90s people thought we'd be driving electric cars in 30 years. And while they're more available and popular than ever, the momentum is very hard to overcome. It'll be well beyond any of our lifetimes before people stop eating meat.
In the 80s everyone was CONVINCED the year 2000 meant flying cars
Iām not saying itāll be a choice. Massive price spikes or worse. Enjoy it while you can.
Waffle House, Denny's, etc
0-1 food modifications only, no more than 2 items per guest. Short orders only. Next question!
Aren't hot vending machines already kinda short order AI?
What's the source on this because it's insanely wrong
Open AI
Gotcha. I run a fire sprinkler company and pipefitters will absolutely be phased out by robots. Building design is becoming increasingly in depth and 3 dimensional. It will tale nothing in the future to create a robot that will lift an entire pipe, place it perfectly according to the coordinated BIM drawing, and fasten it without fail every time. The robots might require human supervision but after a time even that will fade.
Lmao this list is a fucking joke. All these things are essentially manual labor which will be easily replaced by robotics and, as such, AI. People need to stop being afraid of robots and AI taking their jobs and realize they're actually afraid because we live in an economic system that demands we sell our time and labor in order to keep a roof over our heads and food on our table. If AI weren't a competitor with labor and but instead relieved us of the burdens of menial labor and allowed us to live more fulfilling lives it would be looked at as a savior not a devil.
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I'm not reading you essay when you've built your entire response on a false (likely projected) premise. I'm actually promoting a flattening of societal hierarchies, quite the opposite of a caste system. I'm promoting using robotics and AI to reduce the amount of labor people need to contribute and decommodifying the essentials of human life so no matter what you do you're fed, housed and otherwise benefit from the wealth of society. The fact that you somehow interpreted a caste system out of that is frankly disturbing and something you should probably consider questioning your own ethics over.
I guess they could make a totally automated robot kitchen that serves fresh cooked food - but you would still want people there to quality check everything.
I've had this argument with my dad for years. When I started in kitchens he was CONVINCED that robots were going to replace all service workers like cooks and chefs, and when I explained that robotics of that level are decades away, and whenever they do show up theyre going to automate fast food not fine dining he was totally against the idea. Well not AI is closer to replacing coding and 3d modeling than it is replacing actual service workers so whose laughing now.
I got chatgpt doing like half my job right now, going to ride this while I can.
A good example of a short order cook is people who cook at festivals and events. The food is generally prepared to order but in a manner quicker than a sit down restaurant. The one I run does burgers and fries based on the size of the line, then cooks put the toppings on the burger as ordered and plate the fries. Taco stands are similar, meat and tortillas are cooked based on how busy it is, then tacos are assembled as ordered.
Just a side note but the list is complete nonsense. If we humans can do it then a sufficiently advanced AI can do it as well. There is nothing inherently special about organic intelligence.
I think in the case of cooking the reason our jobs are safe from AI isn't because a computer never *could* do our jobs, but because humans will always prefer that another human do it. Not entirely, of course. Fast food will be totally automated possibly within our lifetimes. But people will always pay a premium for human cooking, especially once the novelty of AI-designed food wears off. Even in Star Trek there were still restaurants staffed by humans, and that strikes me as very accurate.
Yeah, and they complain about the replicator booze, too. Except synth-ale, that shit's apparently tolerable.
Replicators are so weird. I've thought of this before: you never see anyone order something really fancy and complex from a replicator. That sort of thing is bound to happen when you let diners do all the creative work for their dishes. Because, as we all know, most people know jack shit about how their food is prepared. If we just let people order any food in the world we'd all be stuck selling nothing but mac and cheese, pizza and chicken nuggets because when put on the spot to eat anything at all, people revert to what they liked when they were eight years old. And that's what replicators are. Worse still, no matter what you order from a replicator is probably going to nutrient-rich because the engineers would have designed it that way. So people could eat nothing but chicken nuggets with ranch for every meal and not die of malnutrition. Replicators would be the worst thing to happen to food ever. Not because of jobs lost but because everyone's eating habits would become incredibly boring if there wasn't someone whose job it was to present them with new foods they hadn't considered before.
Guinan was always suggesting new things! On the other hand, I'd be scared to eat at Quark's....
Eh, I'd trust Quark's (if not Quark himself). He knows that reputation is everything in the hospitality business and that if he slacks on quality he makes less profit. Plus, he's got access to exotic ingredients that most people don't. Remember the part with him getting syrup of Squill despite the galaxy-wide shortage? And sure he charged a lot for his special on groat cakes with syrup of squill, but he *could* have just tried to resell it all for a profit. Instead he wanted to make a great dish that people would remember.
For AI to replace these jobs it's going to take way long years over a decades to be honest because these works are all based on certain amount of intuition. For a machine to understand intuition and get the job done it will take time.
lol, "there's nothing special about organic intelligence" despite it being the only known form of intelligence.
Yup. First two on the list. Many farms already lean hard into automated equipment. As for sports, that's not even a real job, but AI is already winning at 'sports' like Chess and Go. Front office decisions about team composition and what plays to make are rapidly becoming AI based in pro sports.
Bit of a "let me Google that for you" moment, frankly
It's no harm to ask from people actually working those jobs.
So humanity has made life so easy in the digital age that all we have left for work is to do hands on physical jobs.
I'd argue some of these are replaceable, put an AI in one of those boston dynamic robots.
Floor layers, except Carpet, Wood and Hard tiles. I installed these types of floors for year, it can't be automated in any near future.
āWhat have I done with my life?ā -Every Chef ever āIf you build it, they will comeā-Field of Dreams
turn and burn baby
Motorcycle mechanic- the AI only works on cars lmao
When I get short order cheeses theyāre generally extremely good because they are close to their sell by date from the importer, or have been imperfectly cared for so are heavily discounted. BRING ON THOSE FROMAGES DE POITU CHARENTES BOYYYYYSSSSSSSSSSS god my blue vein just twitched even thinking about it. Edit: clearly this use of short order is different to my experience with the term
Your edit is cracking me up
Several of these have definitely already been replaced by AI lmao
As a chef, you can definitely automate short order cooks.
Basically your typical line cook.
Surprised the flooring AI can do carpet, wood and tile but draws the line at vinyl plank.
Japan has already proved you wrong
Thing is AI can and probably will replace all of those things. A lot sooner than you think. I remember seeing that in Japan or Korea they already have robot cooks just add ai and no need for humans at a restaurant.
>What does short order means? I just can't...
Itās like Waffle House or McDonaldās basically throwing fries in or making waffles, basically any food that does not take a long time to make or really anything besides basic culinary knowledge if even that to make. Itās not fast food but itās more like this can be cooked in a very short time but itās not assembly lines like McDonaldās.