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

Pretty much everything is either cooked or prepped the service before. So the chef is getting dinner ready during lunch. Some things are simple, like your side veggies being put in containers with butter, salt, and a dash of water, and then microwaved to become “steamed”. A ragu (eg bolengese) will just be left cooking and just spooned over the dish. Pasta is cooked in a colander that is placed in a giant pot of water that never comes off the burner. Other dishes like lasagne might be cooked days in advanced and what you’re getting is a microwaved dish, sometimes it might be put in the oven. Other things like steak and fish will be cooked to order.

Simple explanation, most food is just reheated, with the cooking and prepping done hours before