I love exhibition kitchens. Especially in a fast-paced restaurant. Three years ago I spied some nasty action in a kitchen and wrote about it. Today I will do the same.
I just returned from lunch at a tiny downtown restaurant. My colleague Christiana “Chicken” Nielson and I were seated in front of a long open kitchen. It’s like got front row seats to a play. And what a show we got.
We watched cooks eat fries. We saw a cook scratch his head and then plate food. But two servers stole the show. A large order was waiting to be delivered. All of the plates sat under the lights. Most of the plates had burgers on them and the servers were walking the line and picking up the top bun to determine the type of burger. Gross. Then one of the guys picked up a top bun and licked something off his fingers before he proceeded to pick up the next one. Double gross. The spit on his hands got delivered to some poor soul.
We all know cooks eat and drink in the kitchen. We know they sweat. We know all of this, but we don’t want to see it. So if your restaurant has an exhibition kitchen you’d better watch your act. You never know who is paying attention.
