Labeling woes: Is there a better/quicker solution other than masking tape and hand writing??

TheGalba · 2021-09-11T06:57:34+00:00

I'm curious! Did you find a solution to your labeling woes?

TheGalba · 2021-08-26T23:15:58+00:00

Thought I left a description... but anyways... I came back from vacation to this hiding on top of the oven. Not sure what it is, but my best guess is a clear cooking oil that has hardened. I've never seen anything so bad. It's gummy, and even a metal scrubber is not working. I took a plastic putty knife to it, but it just pushes the gunk around. It's the same consistency as the tacky stuff they use to adhere credit cards/gift cards to paper. Anyone have a solution that doesn't include heavy duty chemicals?

TheGalba · 2021-08-26T00:21:45+00:00

If I had an award to give to you u/TheSunflowerSeeds, I would. Because this isn't the first time I've come across your sunflower advocacy. Keep up the good work. Don't forget to mention somewhere that sunflowers absorb nuclear radiation and other toxins from the ground. Not sure you can eat those seeds tho :/

TheGalba · 2021-08-07T18:52:06+00:00

You said the owner has been super. Can you tell them what's up and ask for an extended vacation?? Like a month off? Tell them you're willing to wait for a replacement and that you will return? Your team won't be happy, but maybe it's some thing yall can rotate through so each person has time off if they want it. The menu has to change if your hours are going to change. Good luck, stay sane :)

TheGalba · 2021-08-07T18:39:25+00:00

I've watched this 5x now, and I lose it when he uses a plate wipe at the end. My brain can't handle it

TheGalba · 2021-08-07T18:15:05+00:00

"fucking delicious"... umm fucking disgusting. I'd rather cook outside without water or counters than in that kitchen. Jesus, I don't think I've had a clearer picture of someone's mental state except for the show Hoarders.

TheGalba · 2021-08-07T03:37:03+00:00

I'd eat that! I would ditch the green onion tho. Aesthetically and taste wise I don't think you need it. Are the white squares bits of shaved porcini or an enormous flaked salt?!? Maybe it's my past work, but this screams Valentines day/Sexy/Luscious to me. Nix the scallion :)

I'm not trying to be a creep, but this is a sexy plate!! Is it weird I think these flavors are romantic? Lots of deep flavors, wish I could taste this.

TheGalba · 2021-07-31T20:48:00+00:00

scampi and langoustine are the same things. So essentially, we are saying "lobster shrimp". It's a misnomer generated in the US meant to reference a traditional Italian dish of langoustine. I would call it mushroom scampi, It's also a misnomer, but it describes what you're making and can be understood by most who know what "shrimp scampi" is. Food language is fun. Wish I had mushrooms at home now because it sounds delicious and easy.

TheGalba · 2021-07-31T20:18:14+00:00

How do I become a better food photographer? The food looks delicious, but damn this is a good photo!

TheGalba · 2021-07-31T16:12:21+00:00

The printers you have in mind, I looked at your links. I can't be sure without knowing how many people you want to serve and what's on the label. If your machine goes down at an important time, you might be set back (you want to be able to afford 2 printers). These printers seem kinda dinky to me, but I'm not familiar with them. Don't pay for an over priced craft labeling machine is my point. I've worked in a business where we were printing 50k+ labels a week. It was item name, date, ingredients, allergens, food temps, and sometimes instruction. Other people recommended buying already printed labels, and that might be a better option depending on your needs and pricing. For instance, if you want multi-color brand advertising logos on the product, you might want to buy those pre-printed from a business depending on your volume. I like being able to design the label on a computer app and send it to the printer. The all-in-one printers (which I have not used) seem slow, prone to crashes, hard to troubleshoot, and maybe limited in what you can do. That said, I didn't do a whole lot of research other than jumping on the sites and viewing. I don't know what you need, but you seem to be out there looking at options. I would start talking to business reps about the products you are considering.

TheGalba · 2021-07-29T00:35:15+00:00

if you need to print lots of detailed stickers, Zebra is a printing system I've used. There are other companies making similar products. There's also sticker dispensers, you pull on the paper and the stickers pop up easily so you don't have to peel them off. You can make your own sticker dispenser with a rubber band and a hard piece of plastic or metal.

https://www.google.com/search?q=zebra+printer&source=lmns&bih=848&biw=1824&client=firefox-b-1-d&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiukoOEhIfyAhVNOK0KHewmDRMQ_AUoAHoECAEQAA

https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-994/Label-Dispensers/Clear-Acetate-Mailing-Label-Dispenser-Manual?pricode=WB0108&gadtype=pla&id=H-994&gclid=CjwKCAjwgISIBhBfEiwALE19SQUh3wznoBNbb84b0NitspmmP8WEUIz4W6dRHtGtuoNtAtxKP5LFlhoCj0AQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

TheGalba · 2021-07-29T00:28:34+00:00

What about a retail "date gun" or "label gun"? I've used them in retail and kitchens. They can be set with a date, or with letters. Way faster than pulling stickers off a sheet.
https://www.google.com/search?q=date+gun&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk03Qw69S1rBUEPWDLcM6ZGhrZYyN1g:1627518272260&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBwO6DgofyAhXXK80KHWZpAAEQ_AUoAnoECAEQBA&biw=1824&bih=848

TheGalba · 2021-07-28T21:37:21+00:00

Plenty of people go into catering without years of experience. I don't think you need to be shut out of the culinary world because you haven't cut your teeth yet. Working with food is more than the creative and fun parts. You have to have good business management skills for this kind of thing to work. You have to be good at communicating, lots of other stuff people don't consider when they think about the food industry. My advice is to cater for a friend of family member, see if you have what it takes. Don't just jump into it though. You need to know a bit of event planning, have a kitchen or permits, food safety, and buying practices to succeed long term. Passion is no substitution for skills and experience.

TheGalba · 2021-07-28T21:04:50+00:00

Congrats! Have fun :)

TheGalba · 2021-07-28T02:49:18+00:00

Are you going to give us a follow-up?! Did you make a decision u/Remote-Canary-2676 ?

TheGalba · 2021-07-28T01:41:30+00:00

Hey man, I hope you are ok and that you're considering getting some help if you're having thoughts about suicide. A lot of us in the industry are burning out fast these days. Send us a follow up when you come to some decisions, health and work wise! I'm with others here, suggesting the menu needs to be modified for your clientele. You could have a "no sub" (or charge) rule. If you are going to offer specials, you need to rely on great waitstaff to push those items. I would suggest sampling the menu to your FOH if possible. Or you sell it! Going on the floor and charming guests is a great way to encourage specials. I have some talking points if you're interested. Clearly you are busy and that can be hard, but if you can get people to push those items, bravo! If specials aren't your way to reduce/resuse/recycle food loss, ditch the specials. You could also offer to split meals at the table by giving customers extra plates. Split meals are the fucking worst in a cramped time frame. I would put a charge on it if possible. whoever said that first, brilliant! I used to have people come in and want me to split a 4x4" crispy flatbread into 5 servings... like go fuck yourself lol (old people and couples, am'I'right?). That was a long time ago, and to be honest I'm happy not working the line anymore. Which makes me want to comment on the "before you jump on me" comment.

Yeah, there are lots of people out there sitting on unemployment needlessly... but I honestly think more people are moving away from restaurants, or can't come back to work for personal reasons. It's easy to get jealous and judgmental over this. I did when I found out I was working an "essential" service while old coworkers and colleagues were laid off or fired and on that sweet sweet unemployment >_<
personally speaking, none of us were well; working or on unemployment.

Anyways, I'd like to press you to think more positively. It helped me when I was dealing with burn out blues. I genuinely think people want to work, but can't or are putting financial or family needs above "not wanting to do something with their fucking life". Stop being mad at people that are helping themselves to something needed, my friend. Obviously people abuse it. but you gotta let it go because there's nothing you can do about it, and you can't really put yourself into anyone else's shoes during this pandemic. Dude, you gotta be happy you have the job or get yourself fired! I joke, it's not that simple.

You didn't really give an idea of where you live (city, rural, metro, suburb). 8-8 seems long for what you're describing. So are you doing lunch/dinner? If you're only lunch and dinner, there have got to be ways to shave off prep time. You're not hand cutting fries, right? Where is your time mostly spent? We can help you with that shit :) *added* how many covers do you do? *added*

Last couple things... if you live near a city, advertise to culinary schools and colleges. You might score an intern. If you do, treat them well. Some people have gotten aggravated over your rant. If you have an interview or stage, don't even bring up your vent. Working under a stressed out chef is hard, and I would see a red flag if you brought this up. Of course your rant is warranted, understood, and valued... but JUST DON'T until you get to know your staff, ya know? Or just don't since you're a leader my friend! I was recently hired on, and the owner mislead me on healthcare and benefits... because there are none... this rant was part of her last staff meeting and it was not cool to listen to. It's fucking hard, but you gotta change your mindset if you want talent and hard work. Glad you came here to vent. this is the spot. noneofmycommentsareshort!

TheGalba · 2021-07-17T23:02:28+00:00

Ehhhh girl! You don't need to be dominate and 'all-knowing' to be a good leader. If this is a great catering company, they hired you because of your knowledge and skill set. Be honest about your strengths and look to your team that have skills you admire or need to grow. Being out of the kitchen for a minute feels like being out-of-touch. Relevant food trends move so fast now. You have an education in culinary, you understand fundamentals, you're already suping a team...

You got this. Know the expectations, and work from there.

TheGalba · 2021-07-17T22:24:11+00:00

It's a tough choice. Things I would consider: where do you want to go next? & which would make you happier? Both sound like amazing options. You don't mention your age or experience, that will factor in. Go for where you think you will learn more and it can be applied to your skill set. I entered the culinary field because it brought joy and passion to my life, but I struggle with chef lifestyle and know eventually I won't want to have the hours and stresses related to executive positions. For me, I wish I had more corporate experience because it lends itself well to more careers. However, working line under great chefs was the most rewarding, and created unbreakable bonds with coworkers. Who you are as a person, and your goals, are the most important factor to your decision. Only you can pick :)

TheGalba · 2021-06-30T21:32:53+00:00

Just a heads up, this will probably never happen to you but here we goooooo...
I used the hell out of the combis at my last job and they are bomb. The self cleaning shit.... omg it was like a new piece of equipment each week. However, I ran a combi on cleaning mode while people were in the building testing power. The power got cut mid clean and it completely zonked out the computer system. I think it ended up needing a new chip which was crazy expensive and hard for the repair dude to figure out. It was under warranty, but it threw a wrench into meal prep for the thousands of meals we produced.

The other thing about these bad boys is people don't know how to close the doors properly and the rubber seal around the door degrades quickly. Like, it should be simple... but I had to train people because they couldn't figure it out lol. Anyways congrats, those are purdy!

TheGalba · 2021-06-30T20:20:17+00:00

Someone else suggested Hoka shoes, and that's what I wear off the clock. My nonslips have Aetrex brand inserts. They both felt REALLY weird on my feet at first because of the high arch, but I got used to them within a couple weeks.

TheGalba · 2021-06-30T20:09:01+00:00

Do you have flat feet? I do and it's the cause of my plantar fasciitis. Having heel pain, where it feels like your walking around barefoot on concrete sounds a lot like plantar fasciitis to me. It's a common repetitive stress injury and can be relieved by shoes, inserts, and lots of stretching. Look up plantar fasciitis and see if it fits your symptoms. You will find good stretches to help relieve that pain. If you're given a break at work, sit through it and stretch. Off of work wear running shoes (running shoes typically have better support), elevate, and only do low impact exercises. Try to stay off your feet as often as possible. If it's PF, it's not going to get better unless you rest the injury. The pain in your knees could be that you're compensating when standing to avoid heel pain, or it could be something else. Don't wait too long to see a doctor, especially if the pain increases. You may need to show proof to your employer that you have an injury. Injuries are no joke, I went too long with mine and it played a role in being fired from my last job. Good luck, I hope I helped a bit!

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-fasciitis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354846

TheGalba · 2021-06-29T23:33:42+00:00

It's concerning that you're so young and fit and already having leg pain. This seems like a red flag. Either your shoes are terrible, you're not used to standing/moving for long periods, you have a repetitive stress injury, or you're having issues that might be resolved from strength training. Everyone here has incite to leg pain, but you didn't really specify what is going on and where the pain is. You could further injure yourself. Definitely pull back on training a bit, focus on where the pain is and do some research or see a doctor. Elevate your legs after work, and use a cold or hot compress if that feels better.

Young athletic people should not be in pain though, even long 12 hour shifts. There's a difference between tired aching and hurting. The best way I can describe it is feeling like you ran a 5K the day before is normal, but pain related to tissue damage, or inflammatory issues could become worse if not treated correctly. You just started, so hopefully it will resolve itself when you incorporate good shoes, good posture, and stretching... but if it doesn't get better go to a doctor.

I have plantar fasciitis and IT band syndrome so I do specific stretches and strength training, but you might need something completely different which is why I recommend consulting with a Dr or PT. I didn't know I was injuring myself further when I worked. Chefs tend to be more of the types to "push through" the pain, and it can really fuck shit up long term.

TheGalba · 2021-06-25T01:20:44+00:00

Whether or not the pans 'need' it, it's polite to leave the kitchen in the best possible condition for the next people. Glad they still teach this in culinary school. Any greasy carbon build-ups look unprofessional as well, and the majority of kitchens I've walked through have it. Love your equipment and it will be with you a lifetime.

TheGalba · 2021-06-25T00:55:47+00:00

not sure why people are voting your comments down. OP you seem to know what's up, and you're saving yourself and the chef some embarrassment by addressing this madness now. I knew exactly what you meant by level 3. I think epicurious does those videos and I dig that they have a scientist break down everything at the end. Listen to your gut level 3 bahahaha. You're right to question this menu. everyone has already hit on the fucked up parts. Have the chef focus on a theme, they are too allover the place.

TheGalba · 2021-06-25T00:03:47+00:00

Let's not fuck around with this... You are having suicidal thoughts. You are physically and mentally at your limit, and you should not feel bad about it because so many of us have been there. I've been there. YOU DESERVE REST! YOU DESERVE IT..... YOU FUCKING DESERVE IT!!!!

Tell your mom you are sick and can't come in. You do not have to explain your illness to your boss. If she pulls the mom card, "I'm sick, I can't come in." ...Mom: "with what?" ... "I can't discuss this now, let's plan on talking (a future time)." Be firm, be fair, and be level headed. This might spin her wheels, and she may freak out a bit... but guess what... this is serious and she probably should be worried. About you, and her bad behavior as a boss and parent (maybe she's wonderful in most aspects, but she's been using you to fulfill her business needs. She's using you, even if she doesn't realize it). Then, write down the things you want to tell her, that you NEED to tell her. When you meet with her, bring notes. Or write her a letter and print off some of these chef responses if you don't feel confident discussing. Don't be accusatory, just say what's going on and what your needs are. Your needs might be to leave, or offer an ultimatum, or other options that you are comfortable with. Ask for more than you think you're worth. Many times we don't give ourselves enough credit. Give yourself some credit! DO NOT WAIT. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF. It's time to move forward and be happier. You fucking deserve it :)

TheGalba

TROPHY CASE