For service operation with 3 choices 5 courses degustation, it is essential to keep cooks same page to maintain flow of the service without jam. So I decided to pass over my own theory ,mechanism or orgnization(whatever you call it!!) I have been using to cooks cause I knew my system help running service faster and more efficient.
I would say this is kinda my secret how I killed busy service without writing down order or without seeing tickets. 400 cover Le Bernarine, 23 courses Alinea, any stations, any kitchen, no matter how many dishes from the staion, I have confidence to kill nay crazy service with this kinda theory. In the past bunch of cooks asked me how the fuck I memorize 8-10 entire tickets perfectly. I now reveal my secret(not that big deal though....)....
The link posted below is expo sheets of RM upstairs winter menu.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28729671/testing-expo-sheet
So for degustation 4 savory courses, each get 3 choices. It start with 1st course crab, scallop or wagyu, for 2nd course: egg, foie or onion soup, for 3rd course: trout, turbot or walu, for 4th course: pig, squab, veal. On th sheet as you see, all proteins on the courses are ordered alphabetically. Expo read the ticket. Let's say>>
"Order in! 3 top, 3 amuse.! Followed by 2 crab, 1 wagyu. 1 foie 2 onion soup. 1 trout, 1 turbot, 1 walu. For main 2 pig, 1 veal and 3 car bomb!! "
For this ticket, how cooks should organize their order without writing ticket down or copy of the ticket? Can you memorize this ticket next 1 hour? Me, I can so easily, how? I've been memorize all the orders by numbers with alphabetical order name last 8 yrs. !??? I hope you get my idea,,,
Let me explain this.... For 1st course this ticket, 2 crab, 0 scallop, 1 wagyu. I memorize this just as 201. for second course 0 egg, 1 foie, 2 onion soup, memorize as 012. Get it? So I memorize this entire ticket as 201 by o12 by 111 by 201. May take time, but once getting this system / organization with groove, so easy to memorize multiple tickets and easily kill 100 covers without confusion. It help much easy to track down order and count all day on the deck as well as you can imagine.
So at RM upstairs service after reading ticket when order is in, everything called by numbers with the course. This really save expo's time to read tickets and cooks don't need to hear order fire more than 3 seconds! . If second course is fire, expo just say "2nd course fire, 012!!" That simple, take 2 second. Then after 2nd course is walking, expo just say " Heads up 3rd course 111." Make service speedy and efficient.
I really like how service is operating with this system right now, no matter where I go, I want to bring my system to the kitchen. This system need some adjustment to match menu format, but seriously anywhere I go, I'll murder any crazy service with this!!
Labels: RM seafood