103 - Prep List Webinar

My name is Nick Brown. I am the founder of cooking physics LLC. And you are watching live going on. And every single week on Thursdays at one o'clock mountain time, I will be doing a live presentation talking about different concepts that are happening in professional kitchens. So right now it's nearing the end March and we are starting to get into Spring Break season. Soon, many of our restaurants will be catering to people that are just wanting to have fun, they're going out and they're, just want to enjoy their time and their spring break. So the question now is, are we ready for it?

What kinds of things can we do to make sure that we are prepared for a sudden influx of people that we're not really, they're not our typical people, they're not you, there's that show up. And with that, they may have different preferences, they may like some other, some other dishes that are popular right now. You never know. And so, right now is the time to start thinking about that kind of things. Do you want to put any specials on, it's a great time to be doing that, as well as, trying new things, and you need to make sure that all prep is in line.

One of the biggest frustrations that I have in working in kitchens is there's never enough time, you're always struggling, you're always trying to catch up. You're always, there's always way more stuff that needs to be done from the amount of time that you've got.

And ever since COVID, ever since people have been leaving the food service free to try and go into different positions and different locations, the amount of people working in the foodservice industry has dramatically decreased. It's created a huge need for chefs or cooks. And because of that, this is my personal opinion, I think it's a great thing wages have gone up. Now she start, not having to work two jobs, they're able to provide for themselves provide for their families, because of the situations that are going on. I think that's a great thing. It makes it difficult on the restaurants.

The other thing is, is because a lot of these chefs are no longer working two or three jobs. before they used to be the ones, have different locations go to different places and work. And, and because of that the labor even though the amount of chefs working was low, the amount of jobs filled was high. So with the combination of people leaving the industry, people enough money to be able to only have one job instead of two. We've really had a huge hit.

And some of the things that it is, we're coming up into busy season. Spring break is usually busy regardless of where you're at. I've live up in in the mountains up in Utah, and ski season is going full steam. In fact, if I look outside right now, it's actually snowing. It's been snowing every single day this week. Fortunately, the weather has been warmer, but it's been snowing every single day. So there's going to be people coming up to ski during spring break, there's going to be people going to the beach for spring break to get out of the cold and go and really enjoy the time of the beach.

So with everything that's going on, there's a lot of brand new people who are entering the foodservice industry as well. These people are they have zero experience or very limited experience working in a kitchen. Kitchen. And again with the whole time problems that we have to start learning. And we need to have the time as chefs as cooks to be able to teach and that's where I see a big struggle that is going on. The struggle with having the time to be able to train and to show because many times chefs are instead of Leading, they are on the line working stations because of lack of staff.

So as we're continually building up our staff, many times, the cooks that are just starting out, don't quite get the same kind of instruction and, and focus and mentoring that we used to get. And because of this, that's one of the biggest factors as to why I've created cooking physics LLC, really, really, really, truly believe that I can start doing my courses or videos or other things like that, where where we can send people to go check it out, and, and help them to learn the skills that are needed to be a chef.

Anybody can go online, and learn how find recipes and things like that, all of that stuff. There's a huge gamut of information there. But there's very, very limited information on how to really function within a professional kitchen, I don't really want to sit here and tell you how to cook a steak or how to butcher a chicken. That's really not what this is all about what my channel is about what my business is all about, is to helping you understand what it means what it really means to be working in a kitchen, and learn those soft skills, the interpersonal skills, the mindset skills, and organizational skills that are needed in today's kitchens.

So really, the first thing that is a struggle for everybody is having enough prep on the line. I can't tell you how many chefs that I know who accomplished chefs will forget things. And, and like with spring break coming up, there's going to be some different preferences, and maybe some of the less common items that don't sell very often, all of a sudden start jumping up, and you start selling a lot of them, or, like I said, with the specials, you're creating specials for this, having that information and being able to know what you need to prep to be able to put out that special is very, very important.

So what I'm going to do is I've created this boot camp, I'm call it the Mise en Place boot camp, it's a five day Boot Camp, where it's going to go over what the importance of a prep list is, and why it's important that you have a current prep list and an accurate prep list so that you can pass on information, there are lots of things beyond just the the rote, crossing off or checking off prep lists. If used properly, the prep list becomes kind of that main communication tool.

So as a leader, having that time to spend and spending all that time trying to see where everybody's at, and going from one person to the next. Where are you at? What do you have left? What can I help you with, spending that time going back and forth like that can be exhausting. And what can happen is, you go to the first person and you've he's like, Oh, I really need your help. So you're helping out here. But there's another Cook, who is struggling even more. And you don't know it because he's too busy head down trying to, get things going on.

The other thing is, is when you're a chef or a sous chef, you want to help everybody and you show up earlier than everybody else. And you usually have the opportunity to to start those, larger projects or things that take a lot a lot of time. And if there's no way of knowing, what needs to be done. You can spend too much of your time fiddling through everybody's practice, see if there's anything big that needs to happen.

You may have a sheet of paper that gets stuck on the on the ticket machine or, and or you could have a whiteboard that people write on. I've seen lots of different methods and they do work. But what I found is having an actual prep list helps The chef, get a very quick overview of what needs to be done for that day.

The other thing is, is having an accurate prep list helps with the accountability of making sure that things are getting done. It prevents issues between people that are working the same station, having that communication from one to the next, so that he knows, okay, this is what needed to be done. So and So John needs to be doing it, he gets it done, versus, John, knowing that he's got to get some done, doesn't have enough time.

And then Jason shows up. And Jason doesn't see it doesn't realize it. And he works his two days. And then John comes back. And John's all pissed off at Jason because Jason didn't do the prep. Well, Jason did prep. But it just wasn't the prep that John wanted to get done. And so having an accurate prep list prevents those issues from happening. It gives you the chef ability to hold accountable, the cooks to make sure that that prep list is done every single day.

It also prevents issues of cooks not carrying their own weight. Because you can see over time, which chefs are working hard, and getting all their stuff done and which chefs are not. So I have a little video I want to share with you. And it's about it's kind of gives a more accurate view of what this bootcamp is all about. So let me pull that for you.

Welcome to Mise En Place, what is the prep list? And why do you need one, I'm going to teach you all about getting ready for your day, and how it is going to help you crush it every single day you work.

Really? a prep list? I bet you've heard this before. I know what I need. I just had to set up the station, I can see what needs to be done. But a prep list will help you keep organized, efficient and effective. There are many benefits to it. You know when you have everything you need, gives accountability for the cooks, automatic task list that lets you know what you need to do. It's easier to go into the walk in and get everything you need, and others can help you when they're done.

The other thing is, you hear the statement. I'm the only one working here tomorrow. Why do I have to fill it out? See a prep list helps not only yourself, but it's a communication channel. It allows cooks to review their prep each night. It establishes communication from shift a shift from day to day. And it gives the ability to the sous chefs to see quickly what needs to be done.

A prep list is a safety net in case of emergency, say that cook gets ill he is an an accident, a family event for some reason he can't come in, he may be the only one that knows what needs to be done. And it wastes time trying to set it up and figure out what he needs.

And finally, it allows you to use your mental capacity for other things, instead of trying to remember what you need to do.

This is my five day boot camp. Every place I have instituted my prep list, productivity increases and morale goes higher. There's no more running out of things, because they forgot to prep, no more wasted time, because they don't know what to do next. And there's more collaboration of cooks helping each other out. It really does wonders for the kitchen.

So what I want you to do is I want you to check this out. This gives you a headstart. I want to give you that Headstart. I want to give you a customizable template. It's only one page. You can personalize it however you want. And over the course of the next five days, I'll go over step by step how to fill one out why I have you do it that way. Where you start on building your habit and how to break down the prep list into a roadmap.

I will give you where to focus your efforts to gain the maximum productivity. It is an easy formula for how much you prep each day. There'll be six steps to this. The first is build it. Then you try it out. You work it, you revise it, you optimize it, and finally you share it.

I look forward to talking with you and teaching you over the next five days. How to maximize your productivity in the kitchen to where you never have to wonder what your need you always know what you've got. And you never have to worry about do you have enough? We'll see you in the classes.