Had to share: Craigslist ad for line cook

[ScoopKW]

Personally, I think whoever wrote this is a genius.

http://www.happyplace.com/23551/ridiculously-detailed-craigslist-ad-for-restaurant-line-cook

[Shalmanese]

It may be long but most of the stuff in there seems to be pretty solid characteristics to be on the lookout for. Is there anything there that's really egregious?

[ScoopKW]

It may be long but most of the stuff in there seems to be pretty solid characteristics to be on the lookout for. Is there anything there that's really egregious?

Most people are taking exception to the "come in sick and let the chef send you home" requirement. There are, frankly, cooks who cannot be trusted to do the right thing in this regard. They call in sick when they're really just calling in drunk, hungover, want to do something else.

But the rest of it is beyond solid. This would be a good kitchen to work in, I have a feeling. Especially if everyone is on the same page.

[Tri2Cook]

It may be long but most of the stuff in there seems to be pretty solid characteristics to be on the lookout for. Is there anything there that's really egregious?

Most people are taking exception to the "come in sick and let the chef send you home" requirement. There are, frankly, cooks who cannot be trusted to do the right thing in this regard. They call in sick when they're really just calling in drunk, hungover, want to do something else.

But the rest of it is beyond solid. This would be a good kitchen to work in, I have a feeling. Especially if everyone is on the same page.

The problem with "come in and be sent home" for me is, if I'm well enough to go in, I'm well enough to work. If I'm already there, I don't want to be sent home. I've only called in one time in the past 8 years... that was from the hospital about 2 hours before they removed my appendix. Stopping by the restaurant to be evaluated first wasn't on my priority list that day.

[Mjx]

. . . .There are, frankly, cooks who cannot be trusted to do the right thing in this regard. They call in sick when they're really just calling in drunk, hungover, want to do something else. . . .

I don't doubt this at all, but can't say I'd trust a trust a chef to be able to accurately determine whether or not a staff member has something contagious, either.

I once worked at a place that had this sort of policy, and worked regardless of how infectious I was, as long as I could A) stand B) was not vomiting.

My boss used to brag about how 'unbreakable' I was, how impressive it was that I worked even with insane fevers, but looking back, I don't feel so good about this and the mini-plagues I launched, even though not showing up might have cost me my job.

Isn't there some sort of happy medium? Bringing in a doctor's note or something?

[HungryC]

I found the whole thing condescending. Or is this a normal sort of talk down to the cooks attitude common in kitchens?

[ScoopKW]

I found the whole thing condescending. Or is this a normal sort of talk down to the cooks attitude common in kitchens?

Not really. But we get a lot of "cooks" who read Kitchen Confidential (and ignored the part of "why you shouldn't try to become a cook") and now think they can hop on a line. Food TV has created legions of people who think their home kitchen skills translate directly into the restaurant environment.

Much of that list can't be understood by these cook wannabees. They certainly don't know what a "pick" is. I knew exactly what that chef was talking about, and I agree completely. Know your picks, and then clear your mind and reset for the next pickup. That's SOP and a mandatory skill. Anyone who can't do that has no place on a busy line.

I'm quite happy working where I am. But if I lived in the Bloomington area, I would go stage at this restaurant just to see how they operate. I'll bet it's a great kitchen for cooks.

[HungryC]

I found the whole thing condescending. Or is this a normal sort of talk down to the cooks attitude common in kitchens?

Not really. But we get a lot of "cooks" who read Kitchen Confidential (and ignored the part of "why you shouldn't try to become a cook") and now think they can hop on a line. Food TV has created legions of people who think their home kitchen skills translate directly into the restaurant environment.

Much of that list can't be understood by these cook wannabees. They certainly don't know what a "pick" is. I knew exactly what that chef was talking about, and I agree completely. Know your picks, and then clear your mind and reset for the next pickup. That's SOP and a mandatory skill. Anyone who can't do that has no place on a busy line.

I'm quite happy working where I am. But if I lived in the Bloomington area, I would go stage at this restaurant just to see how they operate. I'll bet it's a great kitchen for cooks.

I appreciate the jargon used to weed out the wannabees, but the whole "I decide if you're sick" nonsense is foolish. I don't want to think of sickly cooks making my food (or anyone else's, for that matter). The sanitation issues aren't exactly lightweight, are they? If you're too sick to work, you're too sick to drive across town (or take the bus, or whatever).

[Baselerd]

The ad seems ridiculous to me because there is no need to list off dozens of requirements that are implicit to any job.

Obviously nobody wants to hire messy, late, negative people who are going to injure their coworkers - no need to state it in the job posting..

[ScoopKW]

Isn't Bloomington a college town? Perhaps that has something to do with it.

I appreciate the jargon used to weed out the wannabees, but the whole "I decide if you're sick" nonsense is foolish. I don't want to think of sickly cooks making my food (or anyone else's, for that matter). The sanitation issues aren't exactly lightweight, are they? If you're too sick to work, you're too sick to drive across town (or take the bus, or whatever).

[Twyst]

I appreciate the jargon used to weed out the wannabees, but the whole "I decide if you're sick" nonsense is foolish. I don't want to think of sickly cooks making my food (or anyone else's, for that matter). The sanitation issues aren't exactly lightweight, are they? If you're too sick to work, you're too sick to drive across town (or take the bus, or whatever).

Unfortunately, in the restaurant industry unless you are vomiting or are so sick you need to go to the hospital you are expected to work. It's really nothing like most other professions in that regard. If someone calls in sick in a kitchen there's a really good chance the kitchen is going to go down in flames that night. Ive seen people cut themselves so bad they DEFINITELY need stitches, but they just superglue that thing closed, throw a bandage on, a glove on top of that, an go back o work. Working sick/injured is a badge of honor in a kitchen.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Twyst (log)

[ScoopKW]

Cauterize it on the flattop and get back to work. Seriously. It's just a cut. No biggie. Better than going to a hospital/immediate care center and getting stitches and missing half of service. And honestly, it's less painful. Better to not cut yourself in the first place. I haven't done so (at least not seriously) in a very long time. (Knock wood, etc.)

Unfortunately, in the restaurant industry unless you are vomiting or are so sick you need to go to the hospital you are expected to work. It's really nothing like most other professions in that regard. If someone calls in sick in a kitchen there's a really good chance the kitchen is going to go down in flames that night. Ive seen people cut themselves so bad they DEFINITELY need stitches, but they just superglue that thing closed, throw a bandage on, a glove on top of that, an go back o work. Working sick/injured is a badge of honor in a kitchen.

[Broken English]

Personally if I was looking for a job that ad would send me running. Anyone trying to entice people to apply for a position with such bluntness is likely to be an arrogant turd.

While I agree with most of the issues raised in the ad, it is not the time and place to be raising the issues in my opinion.

For the record, I have called in sick only once in my six years cooking, and I was in cold sweats vomiting with raging headaches all day, and I went back the next day only feeling slightly better.

[janeer]

Overall, right on. But I take exception to the "FOH are fair game." Seriously? A good waitstaff can go a long way to making the kitchen look good--or smoothing things over when it's stressed. It should be a relationship.

[ScoopKW]

In general, I've found you have to stand up to FOH, because they will make your life a living hell with special requests if you let them. Since the gist of that paragraph was "respect everyone and do things the way they want them done," I think that the chef is acknowledging that the cooks don't necessarily have to kow-tow to the servers. In a good operation, all server requests go through expo, anyway.

[Broken English]

In general, I've found you have to stand up to FOH, because they will make your life a living hell with special requests if you let them. Since the gist of that paragraph was "respect everyone and do things the way they want them done," I think that the chef is acknowledging that the cooks don't necessarily have to kow-tow to the servers. In a good operation, all server requests go through expo, anyway.

This is true. The part that irritates me about special requests is that the server is looking for a large tip from the table, and the kitchen is putting in all the hard yards and will never see any part of that tip. That is a major part of my disdain for the American tipping culture, among a few other reasons.

Still, an ad for a job is not the place to bring any of that up, and it just seems tacky and unprofessional to me. I just don't get the mentality of someone who would write that ad and deem it fit to be published.

[JeanneCake]

I can't help but wonder if the whole point was to weed out the wannabees and recent culinary school graduates; I get what they want and what they're looking for. If you turn away from the ad thinking you don't want to work there, you haven't wasted anyone's time (yours and theirs). I don't think I agree about calling in sick part but I absolutely love the efficiency bullet and the observant bullet.

[catdaddy]

I've been thinking about this help wanted ad since soon after it was posted. Bottom line is....the place would be a great place to work if and only if the chef plays his/her roll in an equally disciplined fashion.