A Day in YOUR Life as a Cook Helper

Every person that enters our restaurant should be greeted and feel like a guest! This is YOU on your first day of work and every work day after that. You walk in with a smile, say hello to passing guests and acknowledge your colleagues, perhaps with a smile, nod or salutation. You already have a feel for how your day is going to unfold based on the flow and noise level in the restaurant and you aren’t even in uniform yet! You make your way to the employee change room and transform into your sharp, sophisticated look with your professional uniform, punch in at the time clock and energetically join your teammates in the kitchen.

You may be preparing to join a shift or open the kitchen; either way, assisting your teammates and maintaining cleanliness of the kitchen is paramount. Regardless of the time of day or length of shift, you are ready to meet every guest with exceptional service and care!

Your shift may start very early in the morning to prepare for breakfast or later in the day as you may be asked to work a variety of shifts. As the day begins, you check in with your supervisor to prioritize your duties for the day. Whether you open the kitchen or join a shift, you start with organizing and sanitizing the workstations on the line. Make sure to set clean towels at each station and have some extras at an accessible place for your line mates. You may find that a dirty pot and pan are sitting on the range; you will take them away and put them in a presoaked sink for the dishwasher. You store the prepared garnishes in the fridge with the correct labels and ensure each station is stocked. You are required to be highly organized and therefore, you know where all items are stored and check each one to ensure it is stored on the right shelves and dated clearly for the storage logs. If you find expired or spoiled items, remove them right away so that they won’t be used accidentally. At the same time, you notice some items in the fridge that are soon to expire and give the chef a “heads up” so we can utilize them before the expiry date. When you retrieve ingredients from the storage room, you take them from the first line so that it keeps the correct food rotation in place. If you find core ingredients that are running low, you report it to the supervisor immediately so that they will be added their order list. When the food supplies are delivered, you help unload and store everything in the fridge, freezer or storage room promptly to prevent food damage. You demonstrate cleanliness and handle food properly according to food sanitation regulations. For the safety of you and your teammates, you ensure the floors are dry and clean at all times. Removing garbage, replacing garbage bags, and placing garbage bins at each station promote cleanliness and organization. Even though you clean the stations as you go, they get messy when things get busy; so, you tidy up the stations, counters and storage areas at every opportunity. Your shift in the kitchen goes by in a flash. Your standards are high, and you take pride in your job in the kitchen and the restaurant. You are a team player and always look for opportunities to assist your teammates.

By the time you leave, you are more than satisfied that your guests are all taken care of and having a great time in our restaurant, bar and banquet rooms.

Who you are and why is this important…

• Enthusiastic, Attentive and Approachable

o. Ensuring our guests and team mates feel comfortable.

• Organized & Communicative

p. Clear, concise communication between team members and guests alike creates a smooth operation.

• Effective Multi-Tasker

q. Personal interactions, verbal communications and on-going projects are always in play.

What happens behind the scenes of all those interactions…

• You follow company policies such as cleaning, maintaining kitchen, preparing ingredients to Chef’s standards, and any other requirements for the processes as outlined by your department leaders;
• Conduct frequent inspections of all food storage areas in order to prevent food spoilage and maximize the food cost expenditures;
• Possess thorough knowledge of Sanitation and Food Safe procedures as established by the Health Board and hotel policies and procedures;
• Maintain a calm and welcoming demeanor while multitasking to handle team interactions at the same time as your daily tasks;
• Follow all company and brand standards;

What are we looking for…

• Some customer service or kitchen experience.
• Flexibility to work a variety of shifts.
• Ability to remain standing for the duration of an 8 hour shift.
• The understanding that SERVICE is the key to any successful business.
• Serving it Right (BC) or ProServe (AB) certification.