SPOT OF BOTHER #1: Rough Seas Ahead in the Dining Room
Thursday, August 2nd, 2007
By Brooke A. Brown
Major understatement alert: The restaurant business is not an easy one. I still remember the daily challenges my family and I faced running a small, diner-esque establishment back home in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. Did we order enough supplies for the month? Should we really switch to those new hamburger patties? Who’s up for changing the oil in the deep fryers? Where’s Brooke?!
Then, there was the fact that we had to prepare meals for actual paying customers. We never really worried about that part, though, because we did serve up some tasty vittles, and each one of us could really sling the hash. My uncle Ronnie especially cooked with gregarious flair, working the grill like a master Teppanyaki chef while frantically voicing his best Swedish Chef impression: “Børk! Børk! Børk!”
I’m certain that concerns such as these, and even ones much greater, are universal in the food service industry. And most places, I’d say, are pretty good at keeping diners oblivious to such problems. It’s quite impressive when a restaurant can operate in such a seamless and efficient fashion considering they do, in fact, have so many cooks in the kitchen. But I’m not here to talk about how well Charleston-area restaurants operate. This was all a buildup to discuss, well, a spot of bother.
While most of the eating establishments in our area do a fine job of running their business, cooking their food and serving it to us with a smile, some of them, and I will name names momentarily, let the simplest of details pass them by. Let me paint a picture for you: (more…)
