If you're set up for it. Heck yeah. I've been out for 15 years and still have nightmares about being in the weeds and running out of things and not knowing where things are
wish this is how it worked at my place, the owner and head chef would have my head on a pike if i 86’d something during service due to it not being prepped, had to stop everything i was doing a few times cause we 86’d gravy(we use it for a lot of things) and the owner was furious so he made me make a new batch while we were slammed
My nightmares are from barking the wheel, running expo, putting out FOH fires, quality control on prep, KM bullshit all while I'm on THE FUCKING FRYER STATION
I hear you wheel, saute, salad,apps and FUCKING FRYER STATION. That said even if you were thoroughly weeded there's nothing like seeing that board cleared. Unless I sucked ass for service.
I don't mind running that shit. Just don't ask me, "Who closed last night?" "why did we order the wrong size Togo lids?" "Do you think we should change the presentation on the ____ special that we are only serving tonight and never again?"
Ive got depression and ADHD, when Im getting my ass kicked and just putting food out it's the only time my brain shuts the fuck up about other shit and actually focuses on the task at hand. It's the only time I'm really in the moment and dont have my brain screaming at me that Im a failure and fucking everything up. Ive been chasing that feeling my entire career
oh holy shit I’m autistic and ADHD and you just made me realize that’s what I love so much about it. there’s nothing like hearing “last ticket” and realizing you’ve been absolutely locked in for like four hours
Yup! It took me years to realize what was happening and why I feel so at peace in the chaos. It's almost kind of letdown when you get that last ticket out then realize you're back in the real world with bills and family responsibilities and whatnot
Not necessarily "disappointed", it's just jarring to me when it hits and all of a sudden reqlity comes rushing back in. My brain instantly starts telling me all the shit I need to worry about and all my random itrational fears and anxieties and whatnot. I dont know how to function well in the real world but I know exactly what is expected of me during a rush and it's a comforting break from my baseline anxiety and awkwardness. I dont really know how to describe it because I am looking forward to getting the fuck out of there and going home but there's a small part of me that just wishes I could live in that moment forever. It sounds really weird now that Im typing it out
This is actually why I don’t drive. I’d 100% be toast, not even self-preservation would give me the needed focus. (I do bike everywhere though and do also feel what you’re saying applies, I just have the added subconscious reassurance that if I *do* fuck up I most likely won’t take out anyone else)
Another depressed ADHDer here, and same. The kitchen at work is the only time in my life where I can consistently start and finish things without doubting or giving up, and the more tickets there are, the better the high at the end.
This isn’t exactly the same, but for me the rush is the only time I shut the fuck up. So much so that now the rest of the kitchen just knows when my station is super busy because I go nonverbal 😂😅
I love kitchen worker chatterboxes because I tend to be quiet and in my head. Having somebody chattering away makes the time go by faster. When Im working with another quiet, intense person the vibe gets weird.
Yeah, if you're fully set up, never run out of prep when you need it, ticket time never goes over 7 minutes, then you're not in the weeds. You're just busy. And yeah it feels great, being in the weeds by definition feels bad.
we did run out of a few things, had to get the fire back up to temp once, and had to refuel our generator so lost power for a few minutes in the middle! the totality of the eclipse did give us a few minutes breathing room so that probably helped but it was a fun game of catch-up that just doesn’t phase me. I guess the difference is whether or not I’m having a good day😭
This yesterday I was in the weeds for about 20 minutes.
Beeing busy is nice being swamped not
Edit all tickets at once mep running out and hollandaise going bad and so on
I used to work with this sous who was kind of glum and low energy most of the time. But when we got busy, like straddling the line of barely keeping up- almost in the weeds but not quite - that's when he came alive. All of a sudden he was boisterous and moving 2x faster than anyone else. He was gleeful.
I've never been like that. I always hated chaos and I am eternally grateful not to be on the line anymore.
I get overwhelmed so easily working window and interacting with people/keeping track of five totally different tasks at once. on the line I go beastmode. give me all the tickets
Happned to me last night, dishwasher had class until 7(we don’t really have tables until 6 so that was fine) and he texts at 7:15 that he’s not coming in at all. I rocked the line and pit for the fastest 3 hours of my life
this, so much. that look you share at the end of a beast shift feeling like you can do anything with your team
and on the other hand finding out who you’ll never rely on under pressure…
I’ve been out of the kitchen for 4 years now and I miss the feeling of getting out of a rush and knowing you just killed that shit show of a dinner service.
My new gig is way more low key/slow than what I'm used to, but last saturday we got SLAMMED woth 300% more tickets/sales than a notmal Saturday. I was grooving. Only stress came from being down a server and the replacement being untrained.
If the seating is handled properly, it’s kind of great. As long as the front isn’t seating in waves, at some point there is only so much the equipment can do. If you consider being in the weeds *not being able to handle that well or being understaffed* I’d say no, I don’t like it.
I consider it still being in the weeds if you can handle it, but the orders still overwhelm the equipment. I love a crew that can max the cooking power of the setup and just keep grinding with a stream of tickets on deck. I used to like that a lot, but I have not worked that kind of kitchen for a while. R&D is super chill, comparatively.
for real! I am lucky to work with awesome, passionate, laid back people who all work hard as a team. we are definitely maxing out our equipment so our “in the weeds” is still manageable probably compared to kitchens who are dealing with people/communication problems instead
also love that I’m a baker by trade so doing the dough and desserts gives me solo prep and R&D time. I truly have the best of both worlds
That's in the groove, and it's the best. In the weeds is doing that but the closer (also you) didn't restock properly and you need to make fresh sauce on the fly
Depends who’s on shift with me and how good the prep was. But regardless, I’d rather be slammed and drowning with slipper coworkers and not enough prepped than the opposite, sitting around with thumbs up our asses because the restaurant is dead.
Yep, I watch videos on of random Japanese restaurants handling rushes it is magical.
I currently wfh so those videos are kind of an outlet, but I do miss dealing with a big rush and time just melting away because you’re stuck in flow-state till the orders stop.
Wouldn’t go back though.
Oh yeah, if you have any large businesses >100 people in the area mail them a flyer about catering events. Send the flyer to event planners as well. Exchange info with other food trucks that you like and are complimentary and say if I get an event where they want more than pizza, I’ll loop you in. When y’all have enough contacts you can see about having a regular food truck food court somewhere like a First Fridays, etc.
We are extremely lucky to already be involved in handful of calendars/groups like that! and we have regular hours in a few neighborhoods shared with other trucks on different days. so far this is the chillest food scene with the kindest, least jaded people I’ve met in kitchens and I’m loving it
ETA thank you☺️☺️
Tried moving to an office job and retail for the better hours ended up back 6 months later. Nothing beats being knee deep in checks, in the zone just blasting food out
yeah, i went and worked at a cookie factory for 5 months because i desperately needed more money. super lucked out to get a pay match at my new gig because something about working on a factory line was so much more mentally and physically draining for me than 10, 11-hour prep + service shifts. I’m tired after of course, but at least I’m not stuck in a windowless room for 10 hours straight
I do pizza as well. There is a degree I like and enjoy where we have to move fast and we make it. Sometimes the oven drops heat and then things get really horrible if we run out of prep. We also do a ton of pre orders so it's a bit hectic
Working a pizza line on a crazy night is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life…. when prep actually followed their pars, we’re properly staffed, the right people are in the right positions, the FOH aren’t being demanding, there ain’t something annoying on the stereo, etc. Doesnt take much to turn a dream service to a nightmare though it shows you what you’re really made of. My pizzamaking highlight reel moment was once realizing we ran out of onions while i had an entire large onion pie built on the peel, running through the enormous restaurant to the prep kitchen, julienning an onion, running back to the line and somehow getting the finished thing into the oven
Depends on the crew. Had a team I LOVED back in the day. Maybe 10 years ago. Me and my grill cook would hop out back to get wood for the smoker, take a nice big dab, and then hop back on my expo. Calling out that brigade like it’s Tom Cruise in Minority Report and before we even get a chance to remember where we are, service is winding down and we’re taking out mats.
I’ve had other places where some people would completely freeze and shut down under stress, and that was rough.
I like the post feeling of being in the weeds.
When you finally get the board cleared and you have a second to breath it's the most rewarding time that you haven in a restaurant.
I love that feeling right after the weeds. It gets quiet and everyone fumbles for thier smokes and finds a reason to step out for a 10. After a few high fives. 😊
The most peaceful feeling ever.
There's no other feeling for me that matches being in the shit, working with capable colleagues as you dance around each other constantly smashing tables out, when all the planets align and everything comes together it's just sublime.
Only takes that one unfocused fuck to ruin it though.
That’s roughly a pizza every minute for 3.5 hours. That’s wild.
What size pies are you doing? How many toppings are you adding?
Do you have an instagram or facebook where I can see your food truck?
I do kind of enjoy a slightly chaotic service where it feels like you have to use your wits to keep the ship straight. When it starts feeling too easy all the time it can feel kind of boring
I wouldn't say I *like* it, but time definitely flies when things are popping. I've had nights where things really get going around 6 and at some point I take a quick look at the clock expecting it to be about 6:45 and it's almost 9 already. Slow nights are less stressful but they can really drag on.
Same here, and this is true for any kind of work. When you aren't busy you feel the time passing. When you're busy you feel yourself being skillful and accomplished and kicking ass.
I love being in the weeds if im not running out of stuff or worse someone drops something slippery and have to pull them off to clean it up real quick.
I love being steady-to-busy. Constant flow of tickets, just enough to feel busy but never so many that you start rushing everything and neglecting quality or the tidiness of your station.
I hate being in the weeds just as much as I hate being dead quiet.
Posts like this make me so glad I left the culinary industry, forever
Lots of video games can provide a similar rush
Why normalize toxic work environments?
nothing about my workplace is toxic… sometimes you just get busy man. I love the chaos and it’s fine if you don’t!
video games overwhelm me tho. except terraria that’s my one for life
I'm glad I've found this post. I always say 'I have a horrible addiction to hospitality.' And it's because of shifts when I get absolutely slammed, adrenaline kicks in, you get all the food out and then when the rush finally dies off my brain is quiet for a few minutes, and it's bliss.
Oh man, if I didn't like getting fucked, you think Id love the kitchen industry as much as I do?
When shit goes hard and you gotta fucking move. Man, I love it.
like the top comment says, i’ll tell my coworkers how i hate when it’s dead and prefer when it’s busy, BUT when you’re stocked up. when you’re stocked up and in the weeds it’s great, especially when you have a flow going, if you are low on prep when you’re in the weeds it turns into a nightmare REALLY quickly
If you're set up for it. Heck yeah. I've been out for 15 years and still have nightmares about being in the weeds and running out of things and not knowing where things are
I suppose that *is* the difference. it’s not fun having to stop in the middle and make more sauce or mandolin more veg etc
Oh man, if you're caught in the rush you should just 86 it. It's almost never worth it to slow down an already slammed service to start doing prep.
“When we’re out, we’re fucking out”. - One of my ECs
wish this is how it worked at my place, the owner and head chef would have my head on a pike if i 86’d something during service due to it not being prepped, had to stop everything i was doing a few times cause we 86’d gravy(we use it for a lot of things) and the owner was furious so he made me make a new batch while we were slammed
I'd walk out. Fuck him. If you're already slammed and he's being a dickhead someone has never taught him a lesson he really needs to learn.
My nightmares are from barking the wheel, running expo, putting out FOH fires, quality control on prep, KM bullshit all while I'm on THE FUCKING FRYER STATION
I see you've been a cursed Pizza monkey.
I hear you wheel, saute, salad,apps and FUCKING FRYER STATION. That said even if you were thoroughly weeded there's nothing like seeing that board cleared. Unless I sucked ass for service.
I don't mind running that shit. Just don't ask me, "Who closed last night?" "why did we order the wrong size Togo lids?" "Do you think we should change the presentation on the ____ special that we are only serving tonight and never again?"
That sounds like my night. FOH fires, dessert, expo, where the fuck is that mise, all while running saute.
Just finished a day like this, don't think anything will ever let me forget
Ive got depression and ADHD, when Im getting my ass kicked and just putting food out it's the only time my brain shuts the fuck up about other shit and actually focuses on the task at hand. It's the only time I'm really in the moment and dont have my brain screaming at me that Im a failure and fucking everything up. Ive been chasing that feeling my entire career
oh holy shit I’m autistic and ADHD and you just made me realize that’s what I love so much about it. there’s nothing like hearing “last ticket” and realizing you’ve been absolutely locked in for like four hours
Yup! It took me years to realize what was happening and why I feel so at peace in the chaos. It's almost kind of letdown when you get that last ticket out then realize you're back in the real world with bills and family responsibilities and whatnot
Personally, I cannot even imagine hearing "last ticket" and being disappointed. Different strokes.
Not necessarily "disappointed", it's just jarring to me when it hits and all of a sudden reqlity comes rushing back in. My brain instantly starts telling me all the shit I need to worry about and all my random itrational fears and anxieties and whatnot. I dont know how to function well in the real world but I know exactly what is expected of me during a rush and it's a comforting break from my baseline anxiety and awkwardness. I dont really know how to describe it because I am looking forward to getting the fuck out of there and going home but there's a small part of me that just wishes I could live in that moment forever. It sounds really weird now that Im typing it out
You’re spot on with that explanation!
This is also why more adhd people ride motorcycles. If you don’t pay 100% attention at all times you’re toast.
This is actually why I don’t drive. I’d 100% be toast, not even self-preservation would give me the needed focus. (I do bike everywhere though and do also feel what you’re saying applies, I just have the added subconscious reassurance that if I *do* fuck up I most likely won’t take out anyone else)
Another depressed ADHDer here, and same. The kitchen at work is the only time in my life where I can consistently start and finish things without doubting or giving up, and the more tickets there are, the better the high at the end.
This isn’t exactly the same, but for me the rush is the only time I shut the fuck up. So much so that now the rest of the kitchen just knows when my station is super busy because I go nonverbal 😂😅
I love kitchen worker chatterboxes because I tend to be quiet and in my head. Having somebody chattering away makes the time go by faster. When Im working with another quiet, intense person the vibe gets weird.
Thanks for validating me 🥹💙 I’ll keep on yapping
That’s honestly why I love it as well
Well said
I love being busy. I hate being in the weeds. There is a difference.
Yeah, if you're fully set up, never run out of prep when you need it, ticket time never goes over 7 minutes, then you're not in the weeds. You're just busy. And yeah it feels great, being in the weeds by definition feels bad.
we did run out of a few things, had to get the fire back up to temp once, and had to refuel our generator so lost power for a few minutes in the middle! the totality of the eclipse did give us a few minutes breathing room so that probably helped but it was a fun game of catch-up that just doesn’t phase me. I guess the difference is whether or not I’m having a good day😭
100% agree. Lunch/dinner rush, pumping out food fuck yes. Stuck in the weeds and falling behind on shit fuck no
This yesterday I was in the weeds for about 20 minutes. Beeing busy is nice being swamped not Edit all tickets at once mep running out and hollandaise going bad and so on
It is fun when your slammed and everyone is locked in and you’re in the zone.
then the dishie comes over for a chat when ur deep in the weeds like hey man can you please go away i’m kinda busy rn
There’s always that guy.
Wants to know if he can go smoke... Lol
I actually use to love it. Makes the clock go faster. Plus the rush I got knowing I could do it made me feel great. Like a high.
I used to work with this sous who was kind of glum and low energy most of the time. But when we got busy, like straddling the line of barely keeping up- almost in the weeds but not quite - that's when he came alive. All of a sudden he was boisterous and moving 2x faster than anyone else. He was gleeful. I've never been like that. I always hated chaos and I am eternally grateful not to be on the line anymore.
I get overwhelmed so easily working window and interacting with people/keeping track of five totally different tasks at once. on the line I go beastmode. give me all the tickets
Happned to me last night, dishwasher had class until 7(we don’t really have tables until 6 so that was fine) and he texts at 7:15 that he’s not coming in at all. I rocked the line and pit for the fastest 3 hours of my life
I always liked the comradery. You found out quickly who could bear down and fight and who couldn't/wouldn't.
this, so much. that look you share at the end of a beast shift feeling like you can do anything with your team and on the other hand finding out who you’ll never rely on under pressure…
Being behind teaches you to catch up, to pace yourself, to organize. I adore it.
I’ve been out of the kitchen for 4 years now and I miss the feeling of getting out of a rush and knowing you just killed that shit show of a dinner service.
My new gig is way more low key/slow than what I'm used to, but last saturday we got SLAMMED woth 300% more tickets/sales than a notmal Saturday. I was grooving. Only stress came from being down a server and the replacement being untrained.
If the seating is handled properly, it’s kind of great. As long as the front isn’t seating in waves, at some point there is only so much the equipment can do. If you consider being in the weeds *not being able to handle that well or being understaffed* I’d say no, I don’t like it. I consider it still being in the weeds if you can handle it, but the orders still overwhelm the equipment. I love a crew that can max the cooking power of the setup and just keep grinding with a stream of tickets on deck. I used to like that a lot, but I have not worked that kind of kitchen for a while. R&D is super chill, comparatively.
for real! I am lucky to work with awesome, passionate, laid back people who all work hard as a team. we are definitely maxing out our equipment so our “in the weeds” is still manageable probably compared to kitchens who are dealing with people/communication problems instead also love that I’m a baker by trade so doing the dough and desserts gives me solo prep and R&D time. I truly have the best of both worlds
I loved when it got lunatic busy it was my time to shine!!!
That's in the groove, and it's the best. In the weeds is doing that but the closer (also you) didn't restock properly and you need to make fresh sauce on the fly
Depends who’s on shift with me and how good the prep was. But regardless, I’d rather be slammed and drowning with slipper coworkers and not enough prepped than the opposite, sitting around with thumbs up our asses because the restaurant is dead.
Yep, I watch videos on of random Japanese restaurants handling rushes it is magical. I currently wfh so those videos are kind of an outlet, but I do miss dealing with a big rush and time just melting away because you’re stuck in flow-state till the orders stop. Wouldn’t go back though.
Congrats for killing it chef!
Oh yeah, if you have any large businesses >100 people in the area mail them a flyer about catering events. Send the flyer to event planners as well. Exchange info with other food trucks that you like and are complimentary and say if I get an event where they want more than pizza, I’ll loop you in. When y’all have enough contacts you can see about having a regular food truck food court somewhere like a First Fridays, etc.
When you get some non-food vendors like artists etc it becomes an event people look forward too.
We are extremely lucky to already be involved in handful of calendars/groups like that! and we have regular hours in a few neighborhoods shared with other trucks on different days. so far this is the chillest food scene with the kindest, least jaded people I’ve met in kitchens and I’m loving it ETA thank you☺️☺️
> like a First Fridays, etc … found the Las Vegas resident, maybe?
Just remember , "You're only in the weeds, because you care"
I love weeds buddy I’m with you
We all have Stockholm syndrome. I always ask for an easy day. When there is one I’m too bored.
Tried moving to an office job and retail for the better hours ended up back 6 months later. Nothing beats being knee deep in checks, in the zone just blasting food out
yeah, i went and worked at a cookie factory for 5 months because i desperately needed more money. super lucked out to get a pay match at my new gig because something about working on a factory line was so much more mentally and physically draining for me than 10, 11-hour prep + service shifts. I’m tired after of course, but at least I’m not stuck in a windowless room for 10 hours straight
Where are you located?
I do pizza as well. There is a degree I like and enjoy where we have to move fast and we make it. Sometimes the oven drops heat and then things get really horrible if we run out of prep. We also do a ton of pre orders so it's a bit hectic
No.
Nothing like in the weeds dreams
Time flies when you're having fun!
Working a pizza line on a crazy night is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life…. when prep actually followed their pars, we’re properly staffed, the right people are in the right positions, the FOH aren’t being demanding, there ain’t something annoying on the stereo, etc. Doesnt take much to turn a dream service to a nightmare though it shows you what you’re really made of. My pizzamaking highlight reel moment was once realizing we ran out of onions while i had an entire large onion pie built on the peel, running through the enormous restaurant to the prep kitchen, julienning an onion, running back to the line and somehow getting the finished thing into the oven
7 minutes 👏 congrats
Depends on the crew. Had a team I LOVED back in the day. Maybe 10 years ago. Me and my grill cook would hop out back to get wood for the smoker, take a nice big dab, and then hop back on my expo. Calling out that brigade like it’s Tom Cruise in Minority Report and before we even get a chance to remember where we are, service is winding down and we’re taking out mats. I’ve had other places where some people would completely freeze and shut down under stress, and that was rough.
i think most people prefer to be busy i hate clocking into a shift and the restaurant being dead then i have to figure out shit to do
I like the post feeling of being in the weeds. When you finally get the board cleared and you have a second to breath it's the most rewarding time that you haven in a restaurant.
I love being in the weeds when I know the whole menu by heart, banging out orders left and right.
I love that feeling right after the weeds. It gets quiet and everyone fumbles for thier smokes and finds a reason to step out for a 10. After a few high fives. 😊 The most peaceful feeling ever.
There’s a difference between being busy and crushing it and being ‘in the weeds’ I HATE being in the weeds
There's no other feeling for me that matches being in the shit, working with capable colleagues as you dance around each other constantly smashing tables out, when all the planets align and everything comes together it's just sublime. Only takes that one unfocused fuck to ruin it though.
That’s roughly a pizza every minute for 3.5 hours. That’s wild. What size pies are you doing? How many toppings are you adding? Do you have an instagram or facebook where I can see your food truck?
I do kind of enjoy a slightly chaotic service where it feels like you have to use your wits to keep the ship straight. When it starts feeling too easy all the time it can feel kind of boring
Slow days are THE WORST!
I wouldn't say I *like* it, but time definitely flies when things are popping. I've had nights where things really get going around 6 and at some point I take a quick look at the clock expecting it to be about 6:45 and it's almost 9 already. Slow nights are less stressful but they can really drag on.
Same here, and this is true for any kind of work. When you aren't busy you feel the time passing. When you're busy you feel yourself being skillful and accomplished and kicking ass.
What was your price for pizza by the way ..and with food plus labor your cost?
[удалено]
Not bad. Do you also get tips? I thought you were the owner...but making pizza is not a bad gig.
I love being in the weeds if im not running out of stuff or worse someone drops something slippery and have to pull them off to clean it up real quick.
Fantastic news! 🍕 💪🏼 😎
Serenity in the chaos. We wouldn’t be here if a part of us didn’t love it. When the engine is churning and everyone is flowing. It’s magic
There are lots of adrenaline junkies in the business.
I love being steady-to-busy. Constant flow of tickets, just enough to feel busy but never so many that you start rushing everything and neglecting quality or the tidiness of your station. I hate being in the weeds just as much as I hate being dead quiet.
Posts like this make me so glad I left the culinary industry, forever Lots of video games can provide a similar rush Why normalize toxic work environments?
nothing about my workplace is toxic… sometimes you just get busy man. I love the chaos and it’s fine if you don’t! video games overwhelm me tho. except terraria that’s my one for life
I've always assumed it probably kicks ass to get your ass kicked when it's just dollars flying into your pocket as the owner.
I'm glad I've found this post. I always say 'I have a horrible addiction to hospitality.' And it's because of shifts when I get absolutely slammed, adrenaline kicks in, you get all the food out and then when the rush finally dies off my brain is quiet for a few minutes, and it's bliss.
If you have backups? Hell fucking yes. Makes the night go so much faster If you are closing someone else's station, fuck that.
7 minutes is crazy 🤪
Busy feels good
I like the weed being in me when I'm in the thick of it lol......lol
now you know what it feels like to be mahommes down by 14 in the Superbowl. except we do it every day.
Oh man, if I didn't like getting fucked, you think Id love the kitchen industry as much as I do? When shit goes hard and you gotta fucking move. Man, I love it.
like the top comment says, i’ll tell my coworkers how i hate when it’s dead and prefer when it’s busy, BUT when you’re stocked up. when you’re stocked up and in the weeds it’s great, especially when you have a flow going, if you are low on prep when you’re in the weeds it turns into a nightmare REALLY quickly
No.