How to Create an Organized Stewarding Department

To create a very organized stewarding department, one needs to make sure that all the very important details are covered so as to provide a smooth flow in the stewarding department, a flow that synchronizes very well with the rest of the food and beverage department.  After all, without an organized stewarding department, there would be chaos inside the kitchen.

Importance of an Organized Stewarding Department

To have a smooth flow in the restaurant, it should start with a very organized stewarding department.  It is important for the following reasons:

1. To achieve the goals of the restaurant which is to provide an excellent professional service to its guests.
2. To give the restaurant a good name and image.
3. To help the restaurant grow.

Points to Cover in Creating an Organized Stewarding Department

It is the duty of the head of the stewarding department, its chief steward, to set up the plans and steps needed for an organized stewarding department.  Here are some of the points that the chief steward should cover.

1. The stewarding department has different shifts to cover all hours that the restaurant is open.  Now, it is the chief steward’s duty to make a detailed plan, including the manning guide, of the shifts.  He has to make sure that these shifts cover not only the opening hours but also the whole area of the kitchen as well.  This should also include the working as well as cleaning schedules of the stewarding department.
2. Once done, he should then prepare the detailed plans for the training of his staff.
3. Because the chief steward is in charge of all the activities of his department, he should set up the par stock level of all the things and materials that are needed for the operation.
4. Aside from the par stock level, the chief steward should also set up the organization of the stores.  This includes not only the stores for the kitchen items, tools, equipments, appliances, units, etc., but this should also include the stores for the chemicals as well as other small materials such as garbage bins, garbage bags, mops, etc.
5. After this step, he then has to determine who the suppliers will be.  Of course, he has to work with the restaurant management in this regard since the corporate contracts and suppliers need to be considered.  Aside from this, he also has to set up the training plans to coordinate his staff with the suppliers.
6. The next step is to evaluate the staff.  This should be done with the policies of the human resources in mind.  He should also think about the general policies of the management when it comes to hiring and evaluating the staff.
7. The chief steward also has to set up the on-the-job training of his staff by his department’s supervisors, making sure that he closely supervise the training so as to assure quality training and outcome.
8. To make all these work, the chief steward needs to create a checklist of all the duties and responsibilities of his department.

These are just some of the steps on how to create an organized stewarding department.  It should be noted though that restaurants differ in some of their rules and policies, so it is imperative that the chief steward work closely with the management to come up with the plan.

Image Credit: sanurparadise.com

Improving Your Stewarding Department

Author: Matthew J. Goudge

Do you want to improve the flow of your restaurant kitchen? Are you looking for ways on how to go about achieving such improvement? If you are, then here are four things that you should ask yourself and address to improve your restaurant flow, and it all starts with the stewarding department.

Why Start with the Stewarding Department?

A good flow starts at the back of the restaurant. Make your kitchen more orderly and organized, and the chefs can do their jobs quickly. The better the chefs move about in the kitchen, the easier the foods will be cooked, and the faster the servers can serve the customers. Of course, to achieve all, you should start at the Stewarding Department. They are, after all, the so-called backbone of the kitchen, without which you can expect chaos.

The Four Things to Consider

As stated above, there are four things that you will need to ask yourself as well as address and give importance to if you are after a smooth flow in the kitchen. These are:

1. Stewarding department service monitor. Do you have someone who monitors the services of the stewarding department? If you do, is he doing it on a regular basis? If not, you should appoint one. A staff who can monitor the department's service will give you an idea of what needs improvement in all your kitchen staff.
2. Customer feedback. Do you have someone who monitors customer feedbacks? Do you have a program that gathers customer feedbacks? If not, then it is recommended that you implement a customer feedback program into your restaurant. You can print out a simple feedback form template and place it somewhere where it is easily seen, and you can have someone gather it at the end of the day for review. This is a good way to listen to your diners as well as improve your service.
3. Acknowledgement of staff's efforts. Do you praise your staff if they did well? Or do you simply take your stewarding department for granted? Remember, nothing inspires others to give the best that he can than to acknowledge his good efforts, and this is extremely true in the stewarding department. Give your stewarding department the acknowledgement that it deserves for a job well done, and you can expect better quality in service. If they make a mistake, address the issue in a positive way, rather than a negative way, and the response will be just as positive.
4. Staff Adaptability. Does your stewarding department have the ability to adapt quickly to changes and challenges? Can they take accountability for errors and mistakes? If not, then actively engage them to exchange ideas on what needs to be done to correct the common errors and mistakes done in the stewarding department. Ask them for their opinions, know how they feel about working in your kitchens, and know if your stewarding department has aligned values.

These are just some of the things that you can do to improve your restaurant. You should always stress the importance of having teamwork because only if there is teamwork can a restaurant become a success.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/improving-your-stewarding-department-4662064.html

About the Author

Chef Matthew, the owner of ProChef360 Blog, is an expert in culinary arts.
He is after all an outstanding chef, having had worked in some of the finest resorts, hotels and restaurants in the world.
His interest, however, in social media was awakened when he started his own websites.
Over the years, he took it upon himself to learn everything he can about social media.

Understanding the Importance of Your Restaurant Menu

If you run a restaurant, you need to make sure that you have the best menu that you can afford.  Of course, “best” does not mean expensive.  It means effective.  Indeed, your menu is one of your marketing and sales tools.  You have to make sure that when your customer sees it, it will influence them to buy.  It should be design to entice customers.  This is to ensure maximum profits for you and your restaurant.  If you really want to sell everything in your menu, you have to make sure that your menu presents every product favorably and enticingly. 

Your Restaurant’s Menu and Your Profits

The first thing that you have to understand is this – every item on your restaurant menu is distinct in its saleability, so do not expect Product A to sell like Product B.  If Product A is selling like pancakes, wouldn’t it be wise to emphasize the product?  If Product A is selling for $20 dollars and Product B is selling for $10, wouldn’t you earn more if more people buy Product A?  As you can see, placing emphasis on a product that you would like to sell can make a lot of difference on your profit.

Of course, you can draw your customers’ attention to Product A if you would use your menu well.  This is why your menu plays a very crucial role in selling your items.  It also pays if your staff understands this as well.  This way they can encourage customers to avail of Product A if a customer seeks for their opinion. 

Creating a Wonderful Restaurant Menu

They say, do not judge a book by its cover.  Perhaps, that is true – for books.  This is not the case, however, when it comes to menu.  People will judge your products by your menu and its cover.  You have to make sure that your graphics and images can entice your customers to buy.  Your menu should get your customers to think, “Oh, this looks delicious!”

If you have to spend a significant amount of money on your menu, then do so.  Your menu is an investment.  It speaks to your customers and tells them whether or not a particular dish is worth ordering or not.  You have to plan your menu carefully.  You have to devote time on choosing the right colors, images, materials and designs.  Do not take your menu for granted and never commit the mistake of presenting a haphazardly-created restaurant menu.

Image Source:  calexicocart.com

Understanding a Chef’s Outfit

Chefs are often known for their attire especially their “funny hats”.  In truth, a chef’s outfit is quite notable and distinctive.  They have worn it for years, and their outfits have always been associated with them.  Typical attire includes a toque (chef’s hat), a double-breasted jacket and a checkered pair of pants.  It is this combination that has made them easily recognizable over the years.  Curiously, however, the origins of this outfit have never been really established.

The Chef’s Outfit

Perhaps, you have never considered this but there are practical reasons why a chef’s attire is the way it is.  For instance, the double-breasted jacket has its practical purpose.  It is usually made of thick cotton which is designed to protect the chef from heat.  It is double-breasted, so that chefs can easily reverse them in case of stains.  The checkered pants also serve the same purpose.  The pattern helps hide stains and splashes.  Of course, there are many chefs who prefer to wear aprons to cover them waist down.

With all the practical reasons for the shirt and pants, the toque is completely another matter.  There have been many theories about the tall hat.  Some people believe that this hat has been around since the 16^th century.  At that time, fats would build up on the ceiling, and the hats protect the chefs from the drips.  There are some people who believe that these hats are meant to conceal chefs from persecutors.  At that time, chefs were considered artisans; and like other free thinkers, they were persecuted.  These hats were meant to deceive the persecutors into thinking that the chefs were priests.

A Chef’s Outfit – What Does It Tells You?

Today, a chef’s attire is one way to distinguish kitchen ranks and statuses.  The height and the pleats of the toque identify the rank of a chef in the kitchen.  The higher the height, the higher is a chef’s rank.  The pleats represent the number of ways a chef is able to prepare an egg dish.  This may sound impossible for some people, but a really good chef can prepare at least 100 egg dishes.  That’s actually the highest number of pleats a chef can have on his hat.  It is very important that ranks be shown in the kitchen.  With several chefs working in the kitchen – and everyone wearing identical outfits – the hat tells the difference.  With orders coming in quickly, being able to identify the head chef quickly makes a lot of sense.

Understanding the Concept of Gourmet Food

A gourmet is someone who is an expert on foods and drinks.  Accordingly, when people speak of gourmet food, they basically refer to the art of preparing high quality and luxurious dishes.  Usually, this is the type of dishes that you would not get from McDonalds or KFC.  This is why it is also referred to sometimes as haute cuisine.  Preparing this kind of dishes involves elaborate and often intricate process.  Of course, the results are feasts for the gastronome.  This high-quality food is often decadent in preparation and presentation.  The truth is that it is as much as treat for one’s eyes as it is for the tongue.  Everything is meticulously planned, prepared, executed and presented.

People are often confused about what constitutes gourmet food.  What makes this different from regular ones?  Where do you get this?  What separates this kind of meal from a regular meal?  Is it the price?  There are some people who have a vague idea what these foods are – and they would accordingly make their own conclusion without having had experienced a full gourmet meal.  To each their own perhaps, but it is hard to understand an aversion to this kind of food.  After all, how can a treat to a connoisseur be distasteful?

There are actually numerous kinds of food that come under the label.  The list includes meats, condiments, desserts, drinks, cheeses, oils, fruits and a lot of other things.  But when people speak of gourmet foods, they are usually referring to high quality – and often expensive – foods like foie gras, truffles, smoked salmon, caviars and specialty meats.  Exotic condiments like Spanish saffron are also used in preparing gourmet food.  These condiments create a heady combination of flavors and aromas that embellish the already robust taste of gourmet cooking.

Cheeses that are used in this type of cooking are far from your typical cheddar cheese.  An example is the Agour Ossau-Iraty, a cheese that is made from sheep’s milk.  Another example is 34 Degrees Australian marinated feta.  This is made from goat’s and sheep’s milk.  This is usually produced in Israel.  Of course, these are just two of the many kinds of cheeses that are used in high-quality cooking.

Actually, there are numerous options when it comes to cooking gourmet foods.  For instance, if you will visit a store offering top-notch ingredients, you will find a huge selection of caviars from all over the world.  So as you can see, there are many choices when it comes to gourmet food and cooking.  This is why it is almost impossible for anyone to dislike this type of food.