The dos and don’ts of working in a restaurant. Please New York waiters, busers, chefs – read this

Bruce Buschel posted in the NY Times the top 100 things staffers working in restuarants should not do. I hope every waiter in NY reads this as there is much to be learned, speaking from a frequent restaurant diner.

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.

2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?” Ask for a reservation. Ask if he or she would like to sit at the bar.

3. Never refuse to seat three guests because a fourth has not yet arrived.

4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they did everything right.

5. Tables should be level without anyone asking. Fix it before guests are seated.

6. Do not lead the witness with, “Bottled water or just tap?” Both are fine. Remain neutral.

7. Do not announce your name. No jokes, no flirting, no cuteness.

8. Do not interrupt a conversation. For any reason. Especially not to recite specials. Wait for the right moment.

9. Do not recite the specials too fast or robotically or dramatically. It is not a soliloquy. This is not an audition.

10. Do not inject your personal favorites when explaining the specials.

11. Do not hustle the lobsters. That is, do not say, “We only have two lobsters left.” Even if there are only two lobsters left.

12. Do not touch the rim of a water glass. Or any other glass.

13. Handle wine glasses by their stems and silverware by the handles.

14. When you ask, “How’s everything?” or “How was the meal?” listen to the answer and fix whatever is not right.

15. Never say “I don’t know” to any question without following with, “I’ll find out.”

16. If someone requests more sauce or gravy or cheese, bring a side dish of same. No pouring. Let them help themselves.

17. Do not take an empty plate from one guest while others are still eating the same course. Wait, wait, wait.

18. Know before approaching a table who has ordered what. Do not ask, “Who’s having the shrimp?”

19. Offer guests butter and/or olive oil with their bread.

20. Never refuse to substitute one vegetable for another.

21. Never serve anything that looks creepy or runny or wrong.

22. If someone is unsure about a wine choice, help him. That might mean sending someone else to the table or offering a taste or two.

23. If someone likes a wine, steam the label off the bottle and give it to the guest with the bill. It has the year, the vintner, the importer, etc.

24. Never use the same glass for a second drink.

25. Make sure the glasses are clean. Inspect them before placing them on the table.

26. Never assume people want their white wine in an ice bucket. Inquire.

27. For red wine, ask if the guests want to pour their own or prefer the waiter to pour.

28. Do not put your hands all over the spout of a wine bottle while removing the cork.

29. Do not pop a champagne cork. Remove it quietly, gracefully. The less noise the better.

30. Never let the wine bottle touch the glass into which you are pouring. No one wants to drink the dust or dirt from the bottle.

31. Never remove a plate full of food without asking what went wrong. Obviously, something went wrong.

32. Never touch a customer. No excuses. Do not do it. Do not brush them, move them, wipe them or dust them.

33. Do not bang into chairs or tables when passing by.

34. Do not have a personal conversation with another server within earshot of customers.

35. Do not eat or drink in plain view of guests.

36. Never reek from perfume or cigarettes. People want to smell the food and beverage.

37. Do not drink alcohol on the job, even if invited by the guests. “Not when I’m on duty” will suffice.

38.Do not call a guy a “dude.”

39. Do not call a woman “lady.”

40. Never say, “Good choice,” implying that other choices are bad.

41. Saying, “No problem” is a problem. It has a tone of insincerity or sarcasm. “My pleasure” or “You’re welcome” will do.

42. Do not compliment a guest’s attire or hairdo or makeup. You are insulting someone else.

43. Never mention what your favorite dessert is. It’s irrelevant.

44. Do not discuss your own eating habits, be you vegan or lactose intolerant or diabetic.

45. Do not curse, no matter how young or hip the guests.

46. Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. All guests are equal.

47. Do not gossip about co-workers or guests within earshot of guests.

48. Do not ask what someone is eating or drinking when they ask for more; remember or consult the order.

49. Never mention the tip, unless asked.

50. Do not turn on the charm when it’s tip time. Be consistent throughout.51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.

52. Know your menu inside and out. If you serve Balsam Farm candy-striped beets, know something about Balsam Farm and candy-striped beets.

53. Do not let guests double-order unintentionally; remind the guest who orders ratatouille that zucchini comes with the entree.

54. If there is a prix fixe, let guests know about it. Do not force anyone to ask for the “special” menu.

55. Do not serve an amuse-bouche without detailing the ingredients. Allergies are a serious matter; peanut oil can kill. (This would also be a good time to ask if anyone has any allergies.)

56. Do not ignore a table because it is not your table. Stop, look, listen, lend a hand. (Whether tips are pooled or not.)

57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.

58. Do not bring judgment with the ketchup. Or mustard. Or hot sauce. Or whatever condiment is requested.

59. Do not leave place settings that are not being used.

60. Bring all the appetizers at the same time, or do not bring the appetizers. Same with entrees and desserts.

61. Do not stand behind someone who is ordering. Make eye contact. Thank him or her.

62. Do not fill the water glass every two minutes, or after each sip. You’ll make people nervous.

62(a). Do not let a glass sit empty for too long.

63. Never blame the chef or the busboy or the hostess or the weather for anything that goes wrong. Just make it right.

64. Specials, spoken and printed, should always have prices.

65. Always remove used silverware and replace it with new.

66. Do not return to the guest anything that falls on the floor — be it napkin, spoon, menu or soy sauce.

67. Never stack the plates on the table. They make a racket. Shhhhhh.

68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.

69. If a guest is having trouble making a decision, help out. If someone wants to know your life story, keep it short. If someone wants to meet the chef, make an effort.

70. Never deliver a hot plate without warning the guest. And never ask a guest to pass along that hot plate.

71. Do not race around the dining room as if there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency. (Unless there is a fire in the kitchen or a medical emergency.)

72. Do not serve salad on a freezing cold plate; it usually advertises the fact that it has not been freshly prepared.

73. Do not bring soup without a spoon. Few things are more frustrating than a bowl of hot soup with no spoon.

74. Let the guests know the restaurant is out of something before the guests read the menu and order the missing dish.

75. Do not ask if someone is finished when others are still eating that course.

76. Do not ask if a guest is finished the very second the guest is finished. Let guests digest, savor, reflect.

77. Do not disappear.

78. Do not ask, “Are you still working on that?” Dining is not work — until questions like this are asked.

79. When someone orders a drink “straight up,” determine if he wants it “neat” — right out of the bottle — or chilled. Up is up, but “straight up” is debatable.

80. Never insist that a guest settle up at the bar before sitting down; transfer the tab.

81. Know what the bar has in stock before each meal.

82. If you drip or spill something, clean it up, replace it, offer to pay for whatever damage you may have caused. Refrain from touching the wet spots on the guest.

83. Ask if your guest wants his coffee with dessert or after. Same with an after-dinner drink.

84. Do not refill a coffee cup compulsively. Ask if the guest desires a refill.

84(a). Do not let an empty coffee cup sit too long before asking if a refill is desired.

85. Never bring a check until someone asks for it. Then give it to the person who asked for it.

86. If a few people signal for the check, find a neutral place on the table to leave it.

87. Do not stop your excellent service after the check is presented or paid.

88. Do not ask if a guest needs change. Just bring the change.

89. Never patronize a guest who has a complaint or suggestion; listen, take it seriously, address it.

90. If someone is getting agitated or effusive on a cellphone, politely suggest he keep it down or move away from other guests.

91. If someone complains about the music, do something about it, without upsetting the ambiance. (The music is not for the staff — it’s for the customers.)

92. Never play a radio station with commercials or news or talking of any kind.

93. Do not play brass — no brassy Broadway songs, brass bands, marching bands, or big bands that feature brass, except a muted flugelhorn.

94. Do not play an entire CD of any artist. If someone doesn’t like Frightened Rabbit or Michael Bublé, you have just ruined a meal.

95. Never hover long enough to make people feel they are being watched or hurried, especially when they are figuring out the tip or signing for the check.

96. Do not say anything after a tip — be it good, bad, indifferent — except, “Thank you very much.”

97. If a guest goes gaga over a particular dish, get the recipe for him or her.

98. Do not wear too much makeup or jewelry. You know you have too much jewelry when it jingles and/or draws comments.

99. Do not show frustration. Your only mission is to serve. Be patient. It is not easy.

100. Guests, like servers, come in all packages. Show a “good table” your appreciation with a free glass of port, a plate of biscotti or something else management approves.

World Food Programme and Millennium Villages launch a partnership

I feel somewhat obliged to blog on this being that I was behind the scenes working with Professor Sachs and our WFP colleagues to make this happen. Let’s hope the partnership is a success. Here’s to ending hunger!

UN News release:

PRESS CONFERENCE ON WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, MILLENNIUM VILLAGES PROJECT PARTNERSHIP

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Millennium Villages Project announced the launch of a new partnership aimed at dramatically reducing hunger and malnutrition across Africa, at a Headquarters press conference today.

“This is a wonderful day, for me personally and for the Millennium Villages Project, in partnering with the World Food Programme,” said Jeffrey Sachs of the Millennium Villages, a project involving eight villages and more half a million people in sub-Saharan African communities working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

With 1 billion people — one out of every six people -– waking up and going to bed hungry, the World Food Programme needed to “leverage the full range of our tools”, its Executive Director, Josette Sheeran, with Mr. Sachs at the press conference, told correspondents.  “Hunger is on the march.  “Hunger is on the rise.  And it is right now the most threatened Millennium Development Goal,” she warned.

Mr. Sachs said that over the past couple of years working at numerous sites, the “dynamic, remarkable, on the ground, real time, flexible” WFP had engaged a range of powerful programmes that fought acute and chronic hunger, such as school meal programmes, food-for-work and nutritional fortification and supplementation, to name just a few.

His recent visit to a Millennium Village in Ethiopia had illustrated to him and his colleagues the profound transformation of WFP environmental rehabilitation on food security, he continued.  Through a food-for-work programme, a large number of percolation ponds and check-dams had been built to capture rainfall in a dry area.  “It was marvellous.  I have never seen anything like the extent of the transformation of the landscape taking place in that community in a way that was providing life-saving water management and food security.  Many people don’t know about that aspect of the World Food Programme’s activities.”

The goal of the partnership, he explained, was to utilize the powerful tools of WFP in Millennium Villages, and through their joint forces, resources and tools, eliminate the villages’ defining characteristic of chronic malnutrition and create “undernourishment-free zones” that had sufficient and nutritious food.

The Millennium Villages Project, itself a partnership programme of non-governmental organizations, corporations, scientists, civil society, United Nations departments and agencies, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, was created to bring science, partnership and the United Nations together.  The new endeavour with WFP would strengthen the goals and objects.

He noted that the Millennium Development Goals summit in 2010 would be the last time the world as a whole got together to review and further the course towards the 2015 deadline.  “We have the tools for success on all counts — the tools for success to fight acute hunger, the tools for success to accelerate progress to the MDGs and the tools for success to achieve them by the year 2015. I am going to do everything with my breath to help make that a reality,” he pledged.

Ms. Sheeran further explained that WFP’s partnership with the Millennium Villages Project would deploy the full range of the Programme’s tools and help utilize the Millennium Villages as a platform for best practices.  Engaging in such a holistic approach would bring together some of the best minds of the world with the local wisdom, dreams and hopes of the villagers themselves, and would enable the villagers to solve their problems and give them the tools to do so.  “This is not your grandmother’s food aid.”

Holding up a red food cup from the school feeding programme in Rwanda, she illustrated that filling it with food was just the beginning.  Feeding a child a cup of food every day was life-saving, but adding a de-worming pill meant the child was being fed and not the worm, and adding vitamin A could end night blindness.  The focus now was not just on filling the cup, but also on addressing what was in the cup.

Even more importantly, she stressed, 80 per cent of the cash received by WFP purchased food from the developing world’s farmers themselves, the majority of whom were women.  “When you fill this cup with food from farmers that are often completely cut off from markets and don’t have a chance to sell what they produce, it is a powerful, powerful solution to breaking the cycle of hunger.”

She added that WFP had successfully implemented that practice in war zones and in other difficult environments, and participating farmers were now able to expand into greater markets.  WFP and the Millennium Villages Project had already commenced that system in Millennium Villages in Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania, and were currently reaching more than 80,000 children.

The partnership would also be addressing the impact of malnutrition on children under the age of 2, she said.  Recent science was now showing that children deprived of appropriate food never recovered from the loss to their brains and bodies.  Through establishing “undernourishment-free zones”, the partnership would hopefully demonstrate to other countries that standing up to the challenges of hunger and malnutrition was possible.

When asked what concrete steps the new United States Administration was taking to further implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and honour its official development assistance (ODA) commitment, Mr. Sachs drew attention to the approval of large funding for global health since United States President Barack Obama had assumed office, as well as the Administration’s commitment to small-holder agriculture and the fight against hunger.  At the recent Group of Eight (G‑8) summit, the United States had announced a $20 billion, three-year effort for small-holder farmers, which could enable Africa to achieve food self-sufficiency.

Ms. Sheeran, when asked about the situation in Somalia and the possible diversion of food to Kenya, recalled that the danger to humanitarian workers was great, but that the commitment to reach the most vulnerable remained steadfast and strong.  An internal investigation into the possible diversion was being conducted and would be reported to correspondents once the results were complete.  Meanwhile, there was strengthened security at the warehouses and pathways.  “It is probably our most challenging environment to operate in the world, but we’re committed to stay and reach people, despite the loss of life to WFP staff and others.”

She was then asked about the life-long impact of malnutrition in the first two years of life and the resulting costs that WFP and other agencies had to bear later, and the commitment of the Millennium Villages Project and WFP to investing in those problems before they became emergencies.

She drew attention to a book by WFP about the cost of malnutrition in Latin America.  It showed that there had been losses of up to 11 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in some countries — such as Guatemala — owing to a loss of brain power.  That was a high cost to society.  When WFP had tracked a group of children from under age 2 to adulthood, it had found that the group that had been properly nourished earned up to 50 per cent more income approximately 30 years later than the control group.  That was powerful evidence that investment in nutrition could have a huge impact on a nation’s resources, talent and economy.

Mr. Sachs responded to an inquiry about the contribution from agriculture to the greenhouse effect and its possible impact on WFP’s new food initiatives.  Acknowledging the complexity of the relationship between greenhouse gases, agriculture and food initiatives, he noted that the new food initiative would not materially change those greenhouse gas numbers, but stressed that “you do not solve the problem of greenhouse gases on the backs of starving people”.

Edible Manhattan and Brooklyn – gotham food culture zine

If any of you readers haven’t seen the beautifully crafted Edible Manhattan and Edible Brooklyn magazines, i suggest you check them out, subscribe and support. The articles are super interesting, if you love food, call yourself a locavore, and love New York, and the photos, ggggorgeous. Here is the site for Manhattan’s. check check check, check it out.

Things are not always what they seem…food adverts are deceiving

The Guardian posted some photos comparing food advertisements to the real food. And just as you imagine, the adverts are much more appetizing then the real deal. My favorite is the Arby’s beef and cheddar sandwich posted below. Shame on you for even thinking Arby’s would produce something that looked edible.

Arbys beef and cheddar monster

Snacks and glints – hunger is peaking

NY Times article, so much food, so much hunger.

Despite the late Norman Borlaug’s accomplishments, “more people are hungry today than ever and that total should exceed one billion people this year for the first time, according to the United Nations.”

Time article, For the World’s Hungry, the Recession Is Far from Over

“In 2009, rich western governments have kept a tighter grip on their purse strings, leading to significant funding shortfalls for international organizations dependent on government contributions. The WFP, which currently targets 108 million people on the brink of starvation in 74 countries and is entirely funded through donation, has been one of the worst affected: At the beginning of the year, it tabled a 2009 budget of $6.7 billion. By September, it had received a little more than a third of what it solicited.”

The Guardian article, Almost 4 million Kenyans on food aid as drought deepens

“The devastating drought sweeping across Kenya is causing widespread hunger, thirst and, in the case of cattle, death. Pictures of hundreds of cow carcasses being tipped into a mass grave near Nairobi highlight the scale of the natural disaster – and the clumsy or even negligent efforts of the government to deal with it.”

Marion Nestle talking to Colbert about the “Sugar Crisis”

Funny.

The Colbert Report	Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Sugar Shortage – Marion Nestle
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

“meatatarians unite”

When we were driving across the country recently, we saw lots of billboard signs, mainly in the middle bulge of America, displaying “meatatarians unite.” This I realized later was a Wendy’s ad campaign done about a year ago, promoting the consumption of meat.

The Highly Esteemed Council of Meatatarians is an establishment of meat lovers and eaters whose goal is to eat meat, and only meat, without the inclusion of other non-meat products, while celebrating meat with the utmost regard. Our goal is to continue our dominance atop the food chain and bring meat lovers to a new understanding of their nature, their calling to become true Meatatarians.

Wendys even created viral videos around the campaign like this one in which a head of lettuce devours a hamburger.

I think this is supposed to be funny as is the whole campaign. I find it a bit ridiculous and irresponsible with all of the recent issues of livestock production, food safety and obesity epidemic/fast food industry influence.

Livestock production, greenhouse gases and food miles

The agriculture sector, especially livestock production, accounts for one-fifth of total greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions globally (McMichael et al, 2007).  Livestock production, including transport and feed, accounts for nearly 80% of the sector’s emissions (McMichael et al, 2007). Although CO2 is the most anthropogenic greenhouse-gas (GHG) emitter, with fossil fuel as the main source, methane, halocarbons and nitrous oxide are also huge contributors (Carlsson-Kanyama and Gonzalez, 2009). Methane itself is 270x more effective as an absorber of infrared radiation than CO2 (Houghton et al 1996). Animal production (mainly cattle and pig) is the largest emitter of methane from enteric fermentation and manure lagoons. However, as meat production, particularly in the form of Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs), increases with world market demands, it also requires more agrochemicals, fossil fuel and electricity, resulting to the contributor of CO2 emissions.  Weber and Matthews found that the production of food contributes 83% of the average US households CO2 footprint each year whereas transport and delivery or “food miles” contributes only 11% and 4% respectively. In measuring the impact of food miles, and the climate footprint, it is important to examine individual food groups. Red meat contributes 150% more GHGs than fish and chicken (Weber and Matthews) with meats and fruits transported by air having the highest total GHG emissions (Carlsson-Kanyama and Gonzalez, 2009).

Herder in Timbuktu

Livestock production, at its current level, has intensified with one-third of the world’s entire land surface (FAO) going towards production, and of land dedicated to food crop production, 1/3 of global harvest of crops are eaten annual by animals (enough to feed more than 3 billion people) (Smil, 2002). It is estimated that to produce 1 kg of red meat, 13 kg of grain is needed, whereas with chicken the ratio is 1: 1.8 (USDA). Most of the energy (88-97%) and protein (80-96%) content contained within cereal and leguminous grains fed to animals is not converted to edible protein and fat (Smil, 2002). Yet, despite these statistics, global demand and consumption for meat is increasing, particularly in developing countries. But they have not yet caught up to the American diet. The average American consumes approximately 124 kg of meat each year, compared to the average worldwide consumption of 31 kg per year (FAO, 2006). If current consumption patterns remain, meat consumed in 2030 will be 72% higher than the amount consumed in 2000. Production of this amount of meat will require CAFO systems that will potentially generate an estimated 1.9 billion tons of GHG (Fiala, 2008).

In order to reduce agriculture-related GHG emissions, McMichael et al recommended, in the short term, a reduction of the current global average meat consumption of 100 g per person per day by 10% as a working global target with not more than 50 g per day coming from red meat of ruminants, particularly in high-income countries. Some have argued that this recommendation is conservative, and does not address long term issues of the animal production process itself. Whether conventional and organic systems of livestock productivity differ, in terms of GHG emissions, remains inconclusive and contentious when taking into account methodology, type of high quality grain, grain fed versus pasture fed and post production food miles (McMichael et al., 2007; FAO, 2006b). This dietary recommendation, beyond short-term solutions to climate change mitigation, may impact global health including a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (Norat et al., 2002) and coronary disease (Hu and Willet, 1998).

• Carlsson-Kanyama, A and Gonzalez, AD (2009) Potential contributions of food consumption patterns to climate change. Am J. Clin. Nutr 89(suppl): 1704S-9S.
• FAO (2006). World Agriculture towards 2015/30, an FAO Study. Rome.
• FAO (2006b). Livestock’s long shadow. Environmental issues and options. Rome: FAO.
• Fiala N (2008) Meeting the demand: An estimation of potential greenhouse gas emissions from meat production. Ecological Economics 67: 412-419.
• Houghton et al. editors. (1996) Climate change 1995. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Hu, FB and Willett WC (1998) The relationship between consumption of animal products (beef, pork, poultry, eggs, fish and dairy products) and risk of chronic disease: a critical review. Cambridge, MA: Harvard School of Public Health.
• McMichael, AJ, Powles, JW, Butler, CJ and Uauy, R (2007) Food, livestock production, energy, climate change and health. Lancet 370: 1253-63.
• Norat T, Lukanova, A, Ferrari, P et al. (2002) Meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk: dose response meta-analysis of epidemiological studies. Int. J. Cancer 98: 241-56.
• USDA
• Weber, CL and Matthews, HS (2008) Food Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States. Environ. Sci, Technol. 42: 3508-3513.

MIchael Pollan’s op-ed on health care reform – reform america’s food system first

“And so the government is poised to go on encouraging America’s fast-food diet with its farm policies even as it takes on added responsibilities for covering the medical costs of that diet.”

Get the article here.

Food Tattoos, mainly fast food and totally meaningless

Food Network has a funny, yet scary posting on food tattoos. Check out some of the photos but this one is my favorite, on the fat belly no less…and is that a thumbs up?

chicken and biscuits