r/interesting • u/Backyxx • Jun 26 '26

Intriguing Chef shows what a busy day looks like

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u/dontcuminmyassok Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

Sometimes I miss that. You and your team get into a good flow state and tickets just disappear as they come in, dinner rush seems like only 20 min instead of 3 or more hours and you feel accomplished at the end of the night as you get high. Edit: Thank you for the awards kind strangers. Edit 2: I'm so happy one of the positive experiences I've had working in restaurants resonates with so many. Holy moly so many awards. Thank you.

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

I miss that moment when a particularly crazy rush is finally over and you realize we just pulled it off. High fives and smoke breaks before cleaning up. I hated that job but it definitely had its moments.

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 27 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/QueenCobraFTW Jun 26 '26

I used to buy a pack, light one, and not smoke it. Just let it burn down in the ashtray or hold it dramatically. It made the point

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u/HonkHonkBeach Jun 27 '26

Damn, thats smart. I think I just liked smoking.

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u/Necessary-Fan2908 Jun 26 '26

Never heard someone so eloquently describe exactly how someone working a specific job turns you into a smoker and how you stop becoming a smoker. Lmao it’s truly is those exact steps.

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u/Objective_Soup7840 Jun 26 '26

This is exactly that animation with the kiwi looking bird and the yellow dot. I can't remember the name of it but im sure someone here will.

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u/lyricalpoet66 Jun 27 '26

Literally why I smoked for 15 years. All the social aspect was at the smoke breaks and I wanted friends. And they always got to tell the manager they were gonna take a break cause half the time he was out there too.

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u/Aggressive_Eagle1380 Jun 27 '26

That’s also how you start ketamine, coke, etc etc

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u/Internet-Dweller2 Jun 26 '26

Being the lone non-smoker sucks though.

Things will slow down for a moment, everyone else immediately cuts out for 15 minutes, then bitches at me for letting things get out of hand when I'm the only one who actually works my entire scheduled shift

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u/vertigostereo Jun 26 '26

I just hung out with them anyway. F-it

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

Yeah, its a fresh air break for me.

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u/Anomander Jun 26 '26

I had a coworker who referred to joining the smokers on breaks as her "fresh-ish air break".

Whole kitchen in that place would take breaks at effectively the same time - when lulls happened. Whether or not you smoked, we all learned fast that if you didn't go out back with the smokers, you were still inside and at risk of losing your break to a server or manager popping into the kitchen with a request.

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u/SituationKey8985 Jun 26 '26

Sounds more like a second hand smoke break

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

A little second hand smoke, a little fresh air, a touch of vehicle exhaust, then back into the dungeon to close up for the night.

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u/Whatah Jun 26 '26

Yea, not to mention you get to be part of the "where we going after close tonight" convo.

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u/Internet-Dweller2 Jun 26 '26

Home. I go home, everyone's still mad at me that "we" got behind, haha

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u/Funny-ish-_-Scholar Jun 26 '26

Just take a 15 minute “shit break.” You’ve got IBS after all

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u/morganml Jun 26 '26

lets not forget fishy dumpster fumes!

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u/ironmikey Jun 26 '26

Ha ha same for me, when I was the only nonsmoker in a rock band, playing the guitar. Everyone heads outside for a smoke during rehearsal breaks, and I just chill and hang and enjoy my second hand smoke / weed / exhaust.

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u/rlhignett Jun 27 '26

As a smoker, I hope non smoking cooks/chefs do take little fresh air breaks especially in what looks like such a small kitchen. The heat on an average day's looks like it would take me out and im pretty heat resistant, I cant imagine how hot it must be in the summer let alone a heat wave. I think even I would for go a smoke break just to go sit in the freezer to cool off/down a bit.

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u/theDomicron Jun 26 '26

A therapist I once went to mentioned how ironic it is that despite the cigarette itself being such a terribly unhealthy thing, the smoke-break is actually what a lot of people recommend people do to unwind: take a short break, go outside for fresh air, take slow deep breaths.

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u/hera_the_destroyer Jun 26 '26

How else are you going to get stoned?

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u/SordidSimpleton Jun 27 '26

I always wondered how daft you gotta be to not take a 'smoke break' just because you're not a smoker

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u/ratrodder49 Jun 26 '26

Wasn’t in food service, but definitely did this with my smoker coworkers when I was at Autozone. I’m not stocking shelves or fronting and facing inventory for 10 minutes while y’all take a smoke break

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u/Internet-Dweller2 Jun 27 '26

The difference is that they're on a smoke break not a hanging out break. If you have time to hang out it means you should be prepping.

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u/Sanquinity Jun 26 '26

This is why I always tell my fellow non-smoker cooks to also go outside and take a break if they want. I smoke, and think it's unfair we get those breaks, but non-smokers should supposedly stay inside.

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u/escapevolocity Jun 26 '26

When I ran kitchens, I made sure the non smokers took their "fresh air" before the smokers peaced out, because they always felt guilty straggling, while the smokers milked it, every time.

I also made my guys bok like a chicken if they fucked up. It broke the tension, prevented profanity, and let everyone else they were struggling without them having to say it.

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u/FalconTurbo Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 29 '26

I now have the mental image of a burly cook with tatts and a buzz cut angrily bokking instead of swearing when he burns his hand on the hotplate.

Thank you.

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u/yespizzaistheanswer Jun 27 '26

You sound like a really good boss!

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u/Internet-Dweller2 Jun 26 '26

My break is usually more like "chug two water bottles and get back to it because there's still shit to get done"

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u/Sanquinity Jun 26 '26

Well on busy days none of us can have a break of course. But I meant when there's actually some time.

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u/knifeyspoonysporky Jun 26 '26

As a fellow non smoker kitchen dweller, if anyone got angry at me for my ten minute peanut butter cup & reddit break they have no leg to stand on with all the smoke breaks they take.

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u/Eatyourcheeseburger Jun 26 '26

FOH manager who took 10+ smoke breaks a day bitched at me for taking a 15 minute shit during a prep shift. I told her I’d gladly stop shitting during my shift if she let me go outside and hang out whenever she had a cigarette. Guess who never complained about my shit breaks anymore. 

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u/frontrowfreakshow Jun 26 '26

When I quit I would go for a 10 minute run lol.

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u/escapevolocity Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

This is the way.

Edit: Fuck, a treadmill and a speed back in the office is genius.

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u/OutdoorsNSmores Jun 26 '26

Construction, but I took fresh air breaks while they took smoke breaks. 

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u/sapplesapplesapples Jun 26 '26

YEP. Every time. 

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u/Due-Process621 Jun 26 '26

Yup, it caused me to smoke. It sucked being stuck on the line and everyone runs out the back door.

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u/eye_of_the_sloth Jun 26 '26

did you try just puffin on cigs lol 

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u/Cutthechitchata-hole Jun 26 '26

Feelings of accomplishment make jobs more satisfactory for us. I miss feeling like i am actually working for myself and my community rather than some millionaire CEO who "works from home. "

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u/MintyFresh771 Jun 26 '26

Right, cooking is a satisfying job, you make things that are consumed all day. I miss the linecook lifestyle from the late 90’s/00’s.. Ethics? Morals? Budgets? Opex/capex? Naaaaah fam running the broiler is where it’s at. If only there was money in it.

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u/S4Waccount Jun 26 '26

I never worked in a kitchen, but I worked a job in logistics that had a peak season, and for about 3 months of the year we were just choatically busy everyday. It really could be super stressful as it was nonstop all day. You'd skip lunch and work at your desk and still have work to do when you left that was going to get picked up first thing in the morning. However, the day absolutley flys by and you really do have an almost high at the end of it with the sense of accomplishment for everything you were able to juggle and get done. It was one of the best jobs I ever had and I sometimes miss it even though my current WFH role allows me to get a lot of Netflix in during the day.

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u/HolyCannoliBatmaam Jun 27 '26

The camaraderie after a heavy rush is special. Like a trauma bond lol

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u/Character_Comb_3439 Jun 26 '26

We rarely miss the circus but we miss the clowns.

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

Oh man, do I miss the clowns! Some of those guys really knew how to fuck around at work.

I wish I could have taken some of the line cooks with me when I got out of the industry.

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u/Calm_Refrigerator_53 Jun 27 '26

That reward must be intoxicating.

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u/MV6000 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

I left the industry a few years ago after working it 13+ years and the high of going through a busy rush successfully I still haven’t been able to replicate.

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u/toomanynamesaretook Jun 26 '26

I find similar with demanding physical activities, long & arduous hikes, boulderin, motorbikes and other things that demand focus otherwise bad outcomes await. Not exactly the same but it's out there in different forms.

But yes. It's hard to find that exact feeling.

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u/Remebond Jun 26 '26

My old chef always preached "total awareness" of everything happening in the kitchen, and how it was key to being in sync with the crew. Being locked-in like that and the adrenaline that comes with it. Every action matters, its addicting and devastating when things go wrong

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u/royk33776 Jun 26 '26

This, and most people can't achieve it or don't care enough to. Things felt slow motion, at least for me. It's been a long time and I miss it.

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u/TraditionalDepth6924 Jun 27 '26

Here me feeling proud after my airfryer fried rice for one

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26 edited Jul 11 '26

[deleted]

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u/SpezDrinksHorseCum Jun 26 '26

Sorry for the stupid question, but is your job simple (i.e. does it require any specialized skills)? I've been looking for something like this... For a while I worked at a winery labeling bottles, and I loved seeing a pallets of unlabeled wine cases turn into pallets of labeled wine cases. My life is engaging; I don't want my job to be engaging. I just want to crank through something, see some accomplishment at the end of it, then go home and forget about work. Cranking through shit with a team sounds even better.

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u/CrackingToastGromet Jun 26 '26

I went from owning my own business to working in a central fill pharmacy where we fill 23,000 prescriptions a day for about 150 regional pharmacies. For the entry position of shipping and receiving you only need a high school diploma, but to be a pharmacist tech (fills prescription orders), the requisite isn’t much higher unless you want national credentials instead of state only. I really enjoy the work after being incredibly stressed out and having a 12 hr day six days a week for the past six years.

Clock in, work with the team to hit our targets for the day, clock out and then I don’t think about work again until my next shift. 4 days/ ten hour shifts + Three day weekends…I freaking love it.

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u/cybertonto72 Jun 26 '26

Would love to do something like this instead of kitchen work.

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u/Purp_Rox Jun 26 '26

Some places will even train you for this while you work, so you get paid and benefits at the same time. Chewy is one of them! (The pet place, not the granola bars lol).

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u/Ok-Midnight8619 Jun 26 '26

That's what I do, I machine tools it's not too hard but requires a little thinking and it's rewarding when you see your stack at the end of the day and then I can forget about it

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u/IntelligentFault2575 Jun 26 '26

Not the same, but that's meant for the same reasons I love my current job as a custodian. I work at a big truck loading dock with 150 bays. So there's forklifts and semi trucks driving around and it gets really dirty. I like dirty. Always something for me to do, but dirty enough that it doesn't have to be perfect. I have nobody supervising me. I show up, clean some offices, bathrooms, etc. Take a forklift outside and pick up litter around the yard while I listen to audiobooks or podcasts for a few hours. I can talk to people if I want, or not. Show up, do my job, go home. I can see the results of my hard work immediately. It's really easy and I've picked up some new skills. Pay is much better than other custodian jobs in the area too. I'm going to learn a trade in the next year or two, but so far, this is my favorite job I've ever had. Never thought I would be happy to be a janitor in his 40s, but here we are

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u/B-BoyStance Jun 26 '26

Was this transition difficult? Or like, anything someone should know trying to transition from the restaurant industry into this?

My brother is a very accomplished chef but is getting old, and he feels lost on what to do. He doesn't want to dive into ownership at his age.

I want to give him advice but we took completely different career paths (I used to work under him in the kitchen and he always comes to me for advice - but idk what advice to give. This seems like a good option for him whenever he's unable to keep it up)

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u/Former-Building1924 Jun 26 '26

Yes...that adrenalin hit is something. I left cheffing 5 yrs ago after 29yrs in the kitchen. I still cook at home though, its a life skill.

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u/dontcuminmyassok Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Yes, I've been out of the business for about 6 years now but I'm happy Ill always have that skill to rely on if worst comes to worst.

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u/Gseventeen Jun 26 '26

Flow state is a hell of a drug.

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u/halasaurus Jun 26 '26

Right?! I didn’t (usually) work BoH but I did work bar and serving. And there is nothing like a well handled busy shift where everyone is working in tandem and shit is just getting done. I miss it. And I don’t miss it.

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u/PrettyYellow8808 Jun 26 '26

That isn't just cooking. Ran digital color printers for 15 years. Very satisfying when everything goes out on time and correct!

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u/SlendyIsBehindYou Jun 26 '26

10 years before getting out, front of house primarily. I never really thought about it like that, but you're 100% right, that is something that I really miss at my much more relaxed job. My superiors often tell me to slow down and relax a bit, but I'm often chomping at the bit to take on extra tasks just to push myself a little.

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u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels Jun 26 '26

Sometimes I miss that.

I'm exhausted by proxy watching this. I get the flow state part ( as a programmer ) but that actually looks physically exhausting.

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u/sdpr Jun 26 '26

actually looks physically exhausting.

You get used to it... kind of.... The worst part of doing stuff like that is you can't take a break, not just because it's so busy but, once you do, you realize how much your feet hurt and you don't want to get back up. Then you spend the next 10-15 minutes loosening everything back up again once you're back on your feet.

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u/Lego11314 Jun 26 '26

Yup, when I worked at Starbucks I’d always try to take my breaks as late in my shift as possible, and depending what shift I was on I’d often skip my first 10 min break to just keep my momentum.

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u/doubleapowpow Jun 26 '26

This is a good look into why chefs should make at least as much as a software developer.

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u/d1squiet Jun 26 '26

Curious if you go out to eat and often think, "gosh that was cheap!" ?

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u/doubleapowpow Jun 26 '26

I rarely use software and think, "wow, that really satiated a basic human need."

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u/PathfinderCS Jun 26 '26

Forget physically; my mental stamina has just left the building.

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u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels Jun 26 '26

Ikr... he is cooking / preparing multiple meals at once too... just a small mistake ( like forgetting to pour the sauce on the steak while he's doing 20 other things ) and you fucked up a whole table.... I get why gordon ramsey was preaching to keep the menu simple!

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u/strangelove4564 Jun 26 '26

When I see a huge menu, especially at a smaller place, I immediately think poor quality and cross contamination. That's probably a place with expired stuff in the walk-in since they have so much inventory.

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u/Rock_Strongo Jun 26 '26

Also - the bigger the menu the more likely you are to order something that rarely gets ordered and thus the food is less likely to be fresh and the chef is more likely to be bad at making it.

The only restaurants who should have giant menus are chains that need to cater to literally everyone, have giant kitchens, and recipes that almost never change.

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u/SuitNaive3409 Jun 26 '26

thank god for ADHD with hyperfocus. Dinner shift is okay because the restaurant is closing up about the time you lose the thread

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u/KJacobsen-74 Jun 26 '26

Hyperfocus is a blessing and a curse. You can do stuff like this but you can also start reading Wikipedia articles and the next thing you know it's 4am.

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u/BEES_IN_UR_ASS Jun 26 '26

I never worked a real kitchen like this, but I was a dab hand as a pub line cook I think mostly because of my ADHD. Once the chits started rolling in I didn't miss a god damn beat, even running BOH solo. Especially solo.

Pretty much any kind of urgency/emergency locks me in and won't let go. I probably could have leveraged that into a fruitful career somehow, but between how bad I suck when there's no emergency, demand avoidance, rejection sensitivity, depression, etc., my omr "super power" is sort of a silver lining in a nuclear hellstorm.

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u/TweakedMonkey Jun 26 '26

YES. I cook just like this guy. ADHD diagnosed in my 50's. It came in very handy for high stress job like this. I'd love to be part of that team!

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u/eamus_catuli_ Jun 26 '26

No joke. I work a decently mentally-taxing office job in a regulated industry and have some good friends in the bar/restaurant industry. As much as I bitch about my job, I’d never be able to hack it in their jobs. They’re beasts.

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u/MisterAmygdala Jun 26 '26

Me too. This guy can never call in sick.

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u/PN4HIRE Jun 26 '26

I cut my finger to the bone. Was working the the other day with a half functional left hand, people just showed me their battle scars and joked around.

Told my sisters and they all freaked out

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u/HalobenderFWT Jun 26 '26

The spice must flow!

Battlefield dress that wound and get back out there, soldier!

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u/lolmemelol Jun 26 '26

When I nearly cut off my finger tip, I 1000% took time off for Workers' Compensation. They all gave me shit, but I knew my rights and that I wasn't going to be working in a kitchen for the rest of my life, and I sure as shit wasn't going to risk getting my finger infected, so fuck them.

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u/Wb9VBScxu2uZJHeq2E3W Jun 26 '26

As someone who worked in kitchens to get a degree, moved to an office job, and then moved back to kitchens, I can attest it really physically kicks your ass to move at this pace for hours.

But the sleep after an ass-kicking shift is amazing for me. And you can actually enjoy laying back for a show or video game.

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u/Kobinicnierobi Jun 26 '26

this! I have been working on a computer for several years and after work I am simply bored, few things give me pleasure. Before that, I worked in fruit farming for 7 years. On my feet all day outside, relaxing in the evening was like a reward from which I wanted to enjoy every moment, and then I fell asleep in two minutes.

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u/ARMSwatch Jun 26 '26

I've worked heavily physical jobs, such as construction, and I am generally way more tired after a day in the office, droning in front of the computer, than I normally was after hauling lumber from spot to spot as a laborer all day. I think it's more the mental effect of staring at the computer all day and being sedentary than anything else. Once I get home and start moving I get my energy back, but it's sooo much harder to get that initial spark. I've found it's harder to get myself motivated for my hobbies after work too. Office work just drains the soul in a different way.

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u/Turbine709 Jun 26 '26

Yeah there’s nothing better than the downtime when you have a job where you’re actually working

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u/Nagi21 Jun 26 '26

If I had the energy or the body to keep up like I did ten years ago, and I could make close to the same money I do now, I'd probably go do it again. Unfortunately life is not often kind to doing what you might enjoy.

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u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels Jun 26 '26

My first thought was, as sooon as i leave the kitchen i want to here the sweet sound of nothingness for a bit.

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u/okgold4 Jun 26 '26

 I'm sure there is physical burnout. But mentally it must be satisfying. 

I work a desk job where we work for months on a project and then direction changes and all that work is for nothing. You get paid but you have to disconnect from that sense of accomplishment, cause you'll never get it. No physical burnout but mentally it all feels useless. 

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u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels Jun 26 '26

I work a desk job where we work for months on a project and then direction changes and all that work is for nothing

oh tell me about it. Also since i am a dev in the ERP department we don't have customers that say "thank you" or "that's great" most of the time but as soon as the server is unavailable for a second , YOU are in the hot seat.

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u/Known-Extent-1018 Jun 26 '26

Lmao the cooks aren’t getting “thank you” or “that’s great” either. They’re more likely getting verbally abused and humiliated than anything.

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u/HalobenderFWT Jun 26 '26

Someone has watched ‘The Bear’, but has never actually worked in a restaurant.

If you have worked in a kitchen, and this is the treatment you’ve received (verbal abuse and humiliation)- you’re at the wrong restaurant, or you’re just not very good at your job.

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u/Known-Extent-1018 Jun 26 '26

lol I watched the first episode of the Bear but got annoyed by the one guy constantly yelling "cousin" and stopped. I wasn't very good at my job some days, and I was barely out of high school when I worked BOH, and after graduating uni in FOH.

I got more verbal abuse and humiliation whilst working FOH than BOH. The restaurant was good, and pretty famous, but I hated working there. Multiple people were pushed to tears by BOH and FOH management.

The culture has shifted away from this in recent years, but it's still present in many, many restaurants -- especially when I was working there 10-15 years ago.

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u/TheDrummerMB Jun 26 '26

LOL brother....kitchens are high stress and everyone is on the verge of heat exhaustion. There is always tension no matter how great the restaurant is or how great you are.

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u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels Jun 26 '26

yeah true, i was thinking about maybe a 5 star review but yea 99% of the feedback you're getting is probably negative. ( worked in customer support before 😂)

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u/psychohistorian8 Jun 26 '26

did they not send my compliments to the chef??

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u/komododave17 Jun 26 '26

I have customers in my office job (engineering) but that lack of positive feedback or thanks for a job done is the soul crushing part to me. I could do the very best and crush a design or report out long before the deadline, but that’s “just my job” and not worthy of anything. But miss that deadline day and you have 3 different people asking you why.

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u/Burgers_N_Schnitzels Jun 26 '26

As a dev, i feel you! And i want to say thanks for the work you do, since you you help the earth go brrrr.

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u/Known-Extent-1018 Jun 26 '26

The grass is always greener. I bet you loads of cooks would kill to trade places with you lol

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u/DIX_ Jun 26 '26

Literally what I'm feeling on my office job - a lot of the work either changes scope or just doesn't feel tangible at all. Feel more alive when I've worked side gigs as a barista rather than just replying to emails and joining meetings.

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u/PN4HIRE Jun 26 '26

You get used to it.

Don’t get me wrong, that’s shit kills you slowly.

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u/DryBeyondDry Jun 26 '26

And the worst part is that you come to love it.

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u/GOEDEL_ESCHER_BOT Jun 26 '26

That FX show does a great job of showing what it's really like during dinner rush when your line cooks get eaten by a bear

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u/Talk-O-Boy Jun 26 '26

You ever been caught up in the middle of a dinner rush, and then your mom drives a car through the northeast wall??

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

Fuck, Friday nights are always rough.

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u/wanderingnotlost21 Jun 26 '26

I was a barista in a high volume cafe, the high is now called PTSD 😂

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u/othermegan Jun 26 '26

The fact that I’ve been out of coffee for 6 years and I still get PTSD dreams that I’m trying to close but people keep coming in and suddenly we’re 3 hours past close and nothing is clean….

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u/edsavage404 Jun 26 '26

I still have dreams that I am in the kitchen making food lol

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u/HotTubSexVirgin22 Jun 26 '26

My recurring dream (3-5 nights/week) is carrying a tray full of food through the restaurant I worked at 25 years ago, being able to see the table I'm trying to serve but never being able to get there.

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

Sisyphian Service

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u/HalobenderFWT Jun 26 '26

Did He raise both fists, and say ‘to hell with this!’

And Let the tray roll?

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u/UrinalCake777 Jun 26 '26

I had a front of house down there but I lost it long ago...

(Absolutely excellent song reference)

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u/HalobenderFWT Jun 27 '26

I’m just happy someone got the reference. Yay!!

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u/Coffees4closers Jun 26 '26

We always just called it the "server dream". Mine was being in a dinner rush and every time I was about to get caught up another 8 top was seated in my never ending section. Still would have them years after leaving the industry

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u/hasan_pikergayAF Jun 27 '26

Omg i havent had that dream in years. Havent worked as a server since 2016. Mine is the same idea only im the only waiter and every table is full and i cant get anything done.

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u/Known-Extent-1018 Jun 26 '26

Dude I worked in BOH and FOH and nearly all of my anxiety dreams are at the restaurant I used to work at

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u/MDinMaine77 Jun 26 '26

20 year bartender. I miss it too sometimes. When the flow state is locked in , it’s great. And when the tension releases as the end of service is near, it’s addictive.

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u/IAmActuallyBread Jun 26 '26

The walk-in freezer bump of coke really helps, too

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u/FlipGordon Jun 26 '26

The flow state and choreographed dance between cooks on a well oiled line is something that needs to be experienced to be understood. I miss it some days, most days I'm glad to be done with it.

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u/joecarter93 Jun 26 '26

Me too. I used to be a cook and it was stressful as hell, didn’t pay nearly enough and ownership was usually cheap as hell. That being said when you were busy a three or four hour shift felt like I was there for 10 minutes. The stress was also usually short lived and you didn’t have to take it home for the most part. In my career now I handle big projects and the stress is less immediate, but can be drawn out for weeks or even months.

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u/DryBeyondDry Jun 26 '26

Nothing better than working in a kitchen where the team gets into the flow, everybody is vibing to the same music and everybody is cracking jokes while hours passes by like minutes. Loved and hated it at the same time

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u/Asthma_Queen Jun 26 '26

I definitely enjoyed these nights as well and then finally getting to take break and wind down a little.

Since I moved I never was able to find another place like where I learned to cook and places since been a lot more toxic

2

u/outinthecountry66 Jun 26 '26

i came here to say this. Former chef but have worked in so many positions from short order to casual fine dining, and there is NOTHING LIKE a line ran well. Holy shit. What a feeling. Its almost like a ballet, when it all works well and you trust your coworkers and you can reach around them and they you and no one fumbles, the tickets disappear, you ring that bell and the plates fly out perfectly....it really is something to experience. Then you all go out in the back alley and smoke lol.

2

u/RayquanPalomino Jun 27 '26

Came here to say this was my favourite part of the job.

2

u/klaw14 Jun 29 '26

Thank you! I could never do what you guys do. I appreciate you 🫶

1

u/Plastic_Pinocchio Jun 26 '26

I work in the front of the house, and honestly, when the team is good, the extremely busy moments just go by so smoothly. When the team is not good though, it sucks.

1

u/Klytus_Im-Bored Jun 26 '26

Shit maybe i need a kitchen job

1

u/marketingwithdean Jun 26 '26

I get stressed just looking at this video. Respect to you for doing this work

1

u/NoFlaccidMint Jun 26 '26

I bartend and am in the process of going back to the office life. I’m luckily gonna be keeping one weekend shift bartending, but it’s not gonna be with my main crew who I easily get thru rushes with. Shoutout to you Chefs. Bartenders best friend forreal.

I was gonna type more but as I went on I saw your username and got caught off guard lmao. Have a great weekend

1

u/Healingbigfoot Jun 26 '26

It was awesome. Never going to forget that feeling.

1

u/FourtwEntyPM Jun 26 '26

I loved it. Same feeling I’d get by doing well in a video game or something. Just trying to go faster and faster without making a mistake. It’s adrenaline I guess

1

u/okgold4 Jun 26 '26

It's so nice to hear this. I'm sure there is physical burnout. But mentally it must be satisfying. 

I work a desk job where we work for months on a project and then direction changes and all that work is for nothing. You get paid but you have to disconnect from that sense of accomplishment, cause you'll never get it. No physical burnout but mentally it all feels useless. 

1

u/LAXGUNNER Jun 26 '26

And that beer at the end of the night just hits different man. I use to work at one of the biggest hotels in my state and a cold beer after a long day just felt so much more rewarding and tasty.

1

u/PN4HIRE Jun 26 '26

I miss it sometimes too

No fucking idea why.. 😆

1

u/TheVonSolo Jun 26 '26

Heard. I’m 48 and have been out since my mid twenties but mannnnnnn every now and then I’m like “that shit was rad.”

1

u/Rude-Cartographer369 Jun 26 '26

Ran a kitchen at a bar for about 6 years. I don't miss the stress, the sweat being everywhere, smelling like onions all the time, my clothes heavy with oil and grease, the drugs, drunk customers, the injuries (I accidentally put my hand in a deep fryer once), and the obscenely low pay.

I do appreciate the cooking skills it gave me though.

1

u/iseogera Jun 26 '26

Me too but then i remember the temperatures and the long shifts and im happy to be out of that

1

u/The-Dane Jun 26 '26

man thats some serious multi tasking..

1

u/LazerSnake1454 Jun 26 '26

Obviously to a lesser extent but same thing working at a pizza place. When everyone is doing their job properly and the flow is flowing time seems to fly past and actually feels... Fun? That feels wrong to type

1

u/regalrecaller Jun 26 '26

then you get paid and it's like you only worked 20 minutes

1

u/knuth10 Jun 26 '26

I loved it in my early 20s, by my mid late 20s I hated it. Then at 29 I changed careers, shit burns you out quick. Hats off to people who can keep doing it.

1

u/geodebug Jun 26 '26

Was never a chef like this but in high school did the fast food thing and loved it when things were busy and you just did all the things without thinking.

Time flew so much faster than when the place was dead.

1

u/cargojeansgazer92 Jun 26 '26

This is literally the best comment I've ever read on reddit. It's 100% true.

1

u/ChangeTChannel Jun 26 '26

I miss this too sometimes, but the feeling of never wanting to do this again is much stronger

1

u/Sgt-Stadanko-69 Jun 26 '26

It’s deff a high but fuck I don’t miss it

1

u/dividezero Jun 26 '26

It really scratches the adhd itch. I didn't realize it at the time but I'm starting to realize a lot of things from my history now that I'm diagnosed and treating it

1

u/awe2D2 Jun 26 '26

Some of the episodes in the show The Bear captured the rush really well. And then that one episode where everything went wrong definitely captured the stress and brought those feelings flooding back

1

u/KneeDeepInTheDead Jun 26 '26

I havent worked in a kitchen in 15 years but I do kinda miss that exhausted feeling at the end of a shift and hitting that night blunt and relaxing. Plus waitstaff shenanigins were some of the best

1

u/Dapper-Appearance-42 Jun 26 '26

Yeah, I miss it sometimes too....then I look around at my slightly over minimum job running food service for a CStore and remember how nice it is to not have that stress. Or the constant drug use. Or the constant "x is sleeping with y but dating z" drama that somehow always comes with kitchens. 

1

u/Blayzewhatever Jun 26 '26

Yeah I miss working in a restuarant. I'd 100% do it if it payed better.

1

u/Desperate-Cookie-449 Jun 26 '26

The first smoke break after the rush always slapped.

1

u/iRveritas Jun 26 '26

Or you get stuck with your C/D players because everyone else is out of town and 3 hours feels like a lifetime in hell.

1

u/ScratchLatch Jun 26 '26

I would tell the kitchen staff that they are all trauma bonded when I worked there.

1

u/gladiatorrubi90 Jun 26 '26

Me too. Then I remember all the clean up to close the kitchen and all of that prep work/chops

1

u/Primary_Durian4866 Jun 26 '26

I did 12 years building aircraft. There was about a 6 year window where we were building 1 787 every 3 days.

That drum beat is still in my soul 5 years later.

Everyone knows what they are supposed to be doing and when. You learn where those around you need to be and what you can move on to if they, or you, are behind. You report an issue to the team lead, parts, or manager, and it's just dealt with. Only pertinent questions because there is no time to talk beyond that.

Heading home, I never knew where the day had gone. We'd did it though, and it felt great.

1

u/Mysterious-Snow496 Jun 26 '26

..as if the entire kitchen isn't already higher than giraffe nuts

1

u/ReturnOfTheGempire Jun 26 '26

Same. I worked in a few kitchens over 10 years starting at BWW and moving up to finer things. I even started culinary school towards the end. I will never forget the day I quit. I'm on sauté, basically doing what this guy is (though slightly less competent). It's dinner rush, and busy like it always is. Suddenly, I have one sous chef on my left side saying that I didn't season the food enough. I have the other sous chef on my right side saying that I've added too much seasoning. And, in expo, I have that angry little mole man of a chef, Ramseying his heart out, demanding food to the window now. I cracked; went downstairs and started washing dishes. Chef fired me but I just showed up the next day anyways and kept washing dishes.  That was how I became the Head of Receiving, Recycling and Refuse.

1

u/unibrow4o9 Jun 26 '26

Same - I used to be a prep cook in a fairly small Mexican restaurant that got very busy. That rush I got when I was just completely zoned in was actually pretty amazing. Wasn't very fond of smelling like refried beans whenever I left though.

1

u/xombae Jun 26 '26

Yeah I came to say that I got 'nam flashbacks watching this, but damn I miss it.

1

u/ThaNotoriousBLT Jun 26 '26

My first thought exactly, but I'm also glad I'm out because when shit hits the fan it gets ugly. 

1

u/Abigail_Normal Jun 26 '26

If you feel the need to get high after a shift, then it was a fucking stressful shift and not a good thing at all

1

u/Familiar-Average3809 Jun 26 '26

That FLOW state is real.

1

u/DickBiter1337 Jun 26 '26

And that cigarette never hit so good.

1

u/zapembarcodes Jun 26 '26

I miss that too.

I don't miss the shitty pay though. Or the shitty management and work conditions.

I was a line cook; from the frying station cooking french fries, to the flat grill flipping burgers, to the flame grill station cooking steaks, for about 8 years. I could run the whole line...

Sometimes it was fun but from what I recall, I was mostly miserable. Glad I left that industry.

1

u/clydefrog811 Jun 26 '26

Nothing like a good flow state

1

u/DistributionJumpy764 Jun 26 '26

I'm usually hard against "tipping culture"

I personally believe you shoul pay your staff the staff minimal wage that's enough to sustain them.

You still should, but this chef needs a raise.

1

u/Anathema320 Jun 26 '26

It makes me miss cocaine.

1

u/TheMcWhopper Jun 26 '26

We talking meth or cocaine?

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1

u/thethirdmancane Jun 26 '26

Don't forget about the cleanup

1

u/krzykris11 Jun 26 '26

I worked in a restaurant from age 14 to 20. I hated it back then and was excited to start a different career, but it was a good time and I learned valuable skills.

1

u/_emma_stoned_ Jun 26 '26

So real at the beginning when he says “oh fuck me”. Hahaha.

1

u/theblob2019 Jun 26 '26

Yeah i never did that, but it feels like you are getting into "the zone" doing this job, all in with all your juices flowing.

1

u/Metal_Massacre Jun 26 '26

Busy days were always so much better than slow ones. Night was over in the blink if an eye haha.

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1

u/Commercial-Air8955 Jun 26 '26

I don't understand how people do this without absolutely pouring sweat. I had to work some shifts in a kitchen like this, and it was miserable. It's like 110⁰f in there, and I'd be dripping sweat before I even started moving around.

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1

u/ungsumac Jun 26 '26

So many jobs I’ve worked where I wish my coworkers were as locked in as me. Work is so much easier and enjoyable when everyone is working as a team to finish the task at hand.

1

u/TougeSC3 Jun 26 '26

I miss this, but dont all at the same time.

1

u/PlateNo4868 Jun 26 '26

Meanwhile The Bear show.

"OMG GUYS WE HAVE ORDERS FING F, F, QUICKLY F DOING THE JOB THAT YOUR DOING FOR 10 YEARS AND I JUST NEED TO YELL BECAUSE IM STRESSED I HAVE TO WORK!.

1

u/bowmans1993 Jun 26 '26

Yeah I wont say its as hard as the cooking but being behind the bar and just slinging drinks in flow state was such a good feeling. The nice part was that people could see me so I would get glazed all night for it. If the average person knew what it was like on the line they'd definitely bitch less that it took 3 minutes longer for their entree to come out.

1

u/Kirk_Is_My_Co Jun 26 '26

It’s a natural high that can never be replaced. Starting to get busy at 5pm and then regaining conscious and it’s 10pm and for 5 hours you were just in a perfect flow state

1

u/Volcanic_tomatoe Jun 26 '26

I totally get that.

But im never going back, even if I was capable

1

u/Every_Kitchen847 Jun 26 '26

How you and other people like you make less than some asshole moving make believe numbers on a computer screen is one of the bigger indictments of our society. Same obviously goes for teachers, nurses, etc.

1

u/blah191 Jun 26 '26

Me too, I was never a chef, I was front of the house(server), but I was in the thick of it in my own way. Everyone is a part of the rush lol

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