We’ve all heard of the old folklores of restaurants, but why are their so many myths floating around out there about our favorite eating establishments? These myths have been around longer than most of us, so let’s put them to rest once and for all.
Top 5 Restaurant Myths You Don’t Want to Miss
- Workers sneak food off of a plate before they bring it to the customer.
Workers cannot and do not sneak food off your plate before it comes to the table. This would be grounds for immediate dismissal, and therefore, nobody is willing to take that chance. Most restaurants will allow their employees to eat off the menu at a discounted rate, so why would anyone take the chance to eat off yours?
- Being the head chef at a restaurant is a glamorous job.
Yes being an executive chef does have its perks, but it is anything but a glamorous position. Most head chefs are working well before the restaurant opens until close. Many chefs have said they have very little family life because they are working weekends and most holidays. This would put a strain on anyone’s family life.
- Chefs always get to be creative and come up with great new menu items.
Most young chefs think they are going to start in a restaurant and change the whole menu the minute they walk through the door. Think again, many restaurants just want you to come in and do the job. They’ve had a menu in place for years, and they are not willing to hear your new fangled ideas! They may listen to your menu ideas, but very few times will they be willing to change a thing, especially if they have a loyal customer following.
- Working in a restaurant is pretty easy.
This may be the most important myth to remember because working in a restaurant in any aspect of it, is not easy. Most workers have to arrive well before opening, and most have to stay until well past close. There are hours of prep work to do in the kitchen before the first customer arrives, to hours of cleaning up after the last customer has left. Keeping up with the dishes alone on a busy evening, is very challenging, and takes a team of people to keep it moving in a orderly manner.
- Passing the health department check-up means you have a clean space.
Passing a health department inspection does not mean that you have a clean kitchen. Many restaurants that have had food poisoning epidemics have passed their health department “check-up”. This doesn’t mean that all kitchens are dirty and disgusting though. The majority of restaurants keep a clean well sanitized kitchen. The state of California has a great idea in helping restaurants keep a clean kitchen. They are required to put their grade on their front door. “A” is excellent, and so forth. So before a customer even enters the restaurant, they are aware of the grade of that establishment.
You may be wondering why any one would want to get into the restaurant business? The answer is quite simple, because they love the fast paced environment in which a restaurant runs. They also love to be around food and making people happy with food. These five myths are not meant to be discouraging, but are meant to shed a little light at the end of the restaurant tunnel.
Do you know of any other restaurant myths? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Jackie White is a professional blogger that writes on a variety of topics including restaurant reviews. She writes for Restaurants.com, a leading source of restaurant coupons for fine dining establishments.