Published: July 2019<\/p>\n
The Dish Washer \u2013 Underappreciated and Undervalued?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n As we all know, being a chef is more than just cooking a few meals every night. To be a chef, the individual in question needs to be a strong manager (of the establishment and of people!), a financial guru, a leader, and then an accomplished cook. With this in mind, the best chefs quickly recognize the value of his\/her team. Every single team member has an important role in relieving pressure and getting on with work at a high standard without having to be constantly monitored.<\/p>\n With this in mind, the lessons a chef learns right through their career need to be appreciated and then practiced frequently if \u2018success\u2019 is to be achieved. Those who work in the dish pit are perhaps the most underappreciated in the industry, but this guide will take a wider look at all the lessons that can be learned over the course of a career in the kitchen. If you want to achieve success (who doesn\u2019t, right?), it\u2019s important to always learn and we have some valuable lessons below!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Lead by Example<\/strong> \u2013 Firstly, a chef must realize that every single member of the team is critical for success. If any one of them wasn\u2019t there, the kitchen would run into all sorts of problems. As a leader, set a precedent and respect your dish washer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Two Words Mean the World<\/strong> \u2013 For many, they believe motivating their team requires generous team activities and trips away but this isn\u2019t the case. If you really want to motivate your employees, give them a reason to work for you\u2026this starts with \u2018thank you\u2019. When a dish washer finishes their shift covered in food and sweating from the hard work, shake their hand and say these two magic words. Suddenly, they feel valued and will go the extra mile. We also recommend advising line cooks to do the same.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Clean Plates are Your Canvas<\/strong> \u2013 As a chef, you are an artist who needs a clean canvas with which to work. How can you shine when plates are dirty and equipment is never clean? Your dish washer provides you with the tools to be a star.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Profit Contribution<\/strong> \u2013 Thousands of restaurants around the world have failed because they couldn\u2019t run the kitchen efficiently. Whether it\u2019s broken china, wrong portion sizes, or poor use of cleaning chemicals, keeping on top of expenditure is critical. As you may have guessed by now (since this is the theme of our guide), dish washers can be brilliant for your finances. If they notice a particular dish that keeps coming back unfinished, they can inform you and you can adjust the portion size accordingly.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Chef Aspirations<\/strong> \u2013 Most chefs these days start as dish washers, so keep this in mind. We could argue that those who don\u2019t have this experience are at a disadvantage to those who do; this is important to remember when talking to dish washers.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Mise en Place<\/strong> \u2013 Mise en place isn\u2019t just important for servers and line cooks, you know. The dish washer has a pivotal role in keeping the kitchen flowing nicely when the busy times arrive. While working in the background, they ensure everything is in its place (clean!) for both servers and cooks alike. While training dish washers, make sure they know where flatware, plates, glasses, pans, pots, and everything else is stored. Soon enough, their attention to detail will be the spine holding the kitchen together.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Huge Responsibility<\/strong> \u2013 Let\u2019s not forget, some of the most expensive equipment and machinery will be looked after by your dish washers. In addition to the machine itself costing thousands of dollars, they also take care of your inventory. Therefore, the washers are just as pivotal to your financial future as all your other employees (maybe even more so!).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Realize a Dish Washer\u2019s Importance<\/strong> \u2013 At the risk of repeating ourselves, you cannot underestimate the value of the dish washer. At the beginning of the next shift, tell the cooks one of them will have to wash the dishes and watch the fear rush into their faces. All cooks appreciate how thankless and draining it can be in this role; if the dish crew is short one member, the kitchen operates at a slower pace so it\u2019s important to appreciate how important they really are.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Weakest Link?<\/strong> \u2013 Leading on from this, we never want to hear that the dish washer is the \u2018weak link\u2019 in any kitchen. If there\u2019s a weak link in the kitchen, it suggests you\u2019d be able to operate close to normal without them. If any of your team believes they could survive an evening without the dish team, tell them to go ahead and try it.<\/p>\n All chefs who have experienced different roles in the kitchen should appreciate the effort that goes into each. When the importance of each role is clear, it\u2019ll be easy to see the value in individual staff members.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Next Breakfast Cook?<\/strong> \u2013 As well as the dish washer potentially becoming a chef, there\u2019s also a chance they could become brilliant prep cooks or breakfast cooks. How do you know if this is true? Just look into their eyes and find the passion. Do they show a willingness to learn? Do they have a certain spark behind the eyes? Many a talented cook has been lost by restaurants after they assess current ability rather than potential ability.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Include the WHOLE Team<\/strong> \u2013 Now we\u2019ve discovered the value of the dish washer, it\u2019s time to include them in celebrations after a successful service. There\u2019s a great saying \u2018if you don\u2019t have time to respect team members, how will you find the time to hire their replacement?\u2019.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve heard many chefs complain at the number of dish staff they\u2019ve seen join and leave their restaurant. For us, this is a sign of bad management. Of course, some dish washers will be young students as opposed to those wanting a career in food so their departure is to be expected. However, it\u2019s almost scandalous to allow somebody with passion for cooking to leave your company just because you failed to show basic appreciation and respect.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Treat Individuals Consistently Unique<\/strong> \u2013 No matter what industry, it\u2019s important to treat all employees fairly. This being said, this doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t consider the unique circumstances of workers when dealing with them. For example, the low wages of dish washers may mean they\u2019re forced to walk to work rather than getting the public transport. Being a \u2018leader\u2019 doesn\u2019t mean firing them for turning up late a couple of times. Being a leader means using empathy when it\u2019s required to resolve the issue and help them make alternative arrangements; perhaps there\u2019s a colleague that lives nearby and can offer a ride?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Yield a Positive ROI<\/strong> \u2013 Considering your dish washers, on a low wage, have such importance and could potentially transform into one of your cooks, they could actually turn into the biggest return on investment (ROI) you ever make.<\/p>\n Why not spend twenty minutes a day helping your dish washer and making them feel a part of the team? You could put on a bib and show them the real values of being a chef, you could have one of your cooks take over the washing while you teach them a few things, or you could just spend some time getting to know them. The more time you put in, the more you\u2019re going to get out.<\/p>\n With an atmosphere where nobody is above ANY job, the whole kitchen will thrive and become a hub for learning!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Published: July 2019 The Dish Washer \u2013 Underappreciated and Undervalued? As we all know, being a chef is more than just cooking a few meals every night. To be a chef, the individual in question needs to be a strong manager (of the establishment and of people!), a financial guru, a leader, and then an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cameochina.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}