Eli5 how on earth to restaurants get the orders out for each table at the same time despite the dishes taking different amounts of time to cook?

Question

Like, so many different tables, they can’t do each table at a time, so confusing

In: 327

Answer 1

A well run kitchen is really very similar to a military unit. There was a pretty brilliant chef back in the day named Escoffier who developed a “brigade” system for kitchens that most respectable restaurants still use to this day. It’s essentially a hierarchy. It’s a lot to break down so I encourage you to Google it if you’re interested.

To answer your question, it’s all about timing through communication. The different chefs are assigned to different stations. One person cooks the meat, one cooks the pasta, one does salads, etc. That’s a simplified example, by the way. It depends on what you’re cooking.

Those chefs on their respective stations are CONSTANTLY talking to each other to ensure that all of the “pieces” of the dish come together at exactly the same time. If communication breaks down, the whole operation falls apart. The challenge comes when you’re working multiple tables and remembering what’s what. That part simply takes practice and concentration. Some people just can’t hack it.

At the helm of the ship is the Chef de Cuisine, or sometimes the Sous chef (CDC’s second in command). They’re the ones overseeing the general pace of service and checking the quality of the food going out to tables. If things get backed up on the line, the CDC might say something like “hold on table 12” which means we’re gonna wait a minute on table 12 so that we can get our shit together. Kitchens can and will slow down as to not sacrifice the quality of the dishes leaving the kitchen. However, if you slow down too much you also risk fucking up the whole service.

Honestly, a show like Hell’s Kitchen does a great job of showing how a professional kitchen runs. Minus the over dramatic antics of Chef Ramsay. Most of us chefs aren’t throwing plates across the room or insulting each other. Mistakes will always happen and so we just move on and make them better. Also chef Ramsay is really only like that on TV. Drama = ratings on TV.