Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Random question but I am just wondering.

Is it usual for restaurant staff to eat a "staff" or "family" meal before the start of their (dinner) shift?

If so, does staff include the servers/bartender and host/ess? Or just the kitchen workers?

(This would be for a family owned restaurant, not a chain.)

Never heard of that, but suppose it's possible if everyone starts at the same time, to be able to come in and eat a free meal before your shift.

Usually leftovers from prep or returned items that weren't cooked right are set aside to take home by the staff.

Most restaurants I worked at did it after the service, but at restaurants that served breakfast, when it got slow you could order something, and if the line wasn't busy they'd make it. You could also get some eggs and toast.

For dinner restaurants, the post-service meal was usually a selection from whatever didn't sell or if the line cooks were particularly pissed and tired, it was a hamburger and mashed potatoes (no matter what you had asked for). You could also tuck into the bread pantry and have a bowl of soup if it was slow out front.

My first restaurant I worked at had lunch and dinner, and inbetween services, when there was a pretty long layoff, the back of the house would get creative, based on what was in surplus in the walk-in.

This was about 15+ years ago but I worked at three restaurants that didn't do a family meal (chains) and one that did (family owned).

I worked at one of the Hard Rock Cafe restaurants in the early 90s. We had family meals. On weekdays the dinner shift would arrive and we would order food from the menu (I think about half the menu was available to us) and we would eat together at a big table upstairs, have our shift meeting, and then get to work. On weekends when busy we wouldn't order from the menu, there would be a special meal for us in the kitchen; it was often holiday themed (corned beef and cabbage for St Paddy's day, Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo, ham at Easter time, etc), and the kitchen managers took turns being in charge of planning it and it was pretty competitive lol, so it was always amazing food. On those days we ate in an area behind the kitchen. I don't remember when we ate when we worked the day shift, but I don't think we were all together at the table -- I think we ordered/got our food on our breaks when working the day shift.

But I have some great memories of those family meals.

The non chain restaurant I worked in did a family meal at the end of the night before we closed.

Anonymous wrote:No staff dinner where my DD works. All employees get one half priced item per shift.

That's how it was back in the day when I waited tables.

Restaurant workers don't make a lot of money and they have to work during meal times. It would be nice if the restaurant provided a family meal with cheaper ingredients to at least feed them.

Anonymous wrote:20 years ago I worked at a non-chain restaurant that had staggered shifts. There was no staff/family meal but we got 50% off anything on the menu. Later, I was a banquet server at a country club where all shifts started at the same time. They served a family meal before the shift and I loved it. It felt generous, like we were treated as more than just employees, and it was a good opportunity to get to know my coworkers. They also let us have a champagne toast at midnight, nice things like that. I really liked that job.

Country Club was my worst waitressing job (the most awful people) but there was a nice family meal and a lot of comraderie amongst staff. It was also nice working events and getting tips because that was not expected in the day to day. I'll still always remember being a teen just absolutely berated and screamed at, "I'm a MEMBER!!!!!!" For some grievous offense like the kitchen saying they couldn't make an item that hadn't been on the menu for 15 years.

I worked at restaurants throughout colleges and into my mid-late 20s. Family meals were offered every night to everyone at the Michelin star restaurant where I worked. It was more of a budget friendly meal with simpler ingredients often not part of the menu, but still delicious and well-prepared. It was just a different vibe compared to other restaurants--like getting ready for performing in a symphony orchestra. Once service starts, there weren't really any breaks.

My first jobs were at places that would have servers "watch my section" during breaks and those places would usually offer 1/2 off menu items during break although sometimes a comped meal might be offered.

Anonymous wrote:On Top Chef they talked a lot about family meals in their restaurants

It’s a plot point on The Bear too (which I know is fiction but a lot of real restaurant people are involved.)

Really depends on a restaurant. Our cooks make us two big meals a day for ca 10-20 people depending on a day and shift.
First one around 10-11 am and the second one around 6-7 pm. Lots of stews, soups, salad, pasta, chicken. We eat in the back kitchen taking turns. Nobody sits down though.
Since we have bakery on site, we even get the leftover corners of the cakes.
If no customers, most of us can eat at the same time. There's usually lots of food left over and can be taken home. Awesome place to work.
I have also worked in places that gave us nothing. That place didn't even pay the $2.13 required by law, and kept all my credit card tips.
Perhaps being fed or not, says a lot about the restaurant.

Where I waitressed, waitstaff did not partake in family meal. Back of the house worked longer shifts, so they did. Waitstaff generally only worked 5 hour shifts.

We usually got a shift meal comped but on our break not all together. You had to put a ticket in and write it off on a clipboard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A decent restaurant should feed their employees one meal per shift.

Agreed.

Thanks, that's what I thought.

My college kid just took a job at a family-owned Italian restaurant (not a small one, and the family owns three in the general area) and they don't offer any kind of family meal at the start of the shift. I was just curious if it wasn't the practice any longer, because I remember this being one of the perks of being a waitress or kitchen staff way back when, at least.

I could see not doing a family meal but they could give employees a cheap plate of pasta, etc.

I was a volunteer waitress at a non-profit restaurant (that raised money for projects) that served lunch only. We all started at the same time, and they had a family-style meal for wait and kitchen staff before table service began. Kitchen staff was paid.

I worked at 3 different bar/grill restaurants through college and we never got meals or discounts. 2 were during the school year, college town. 1 in my home town during summers, medium-sized city.

20 years ago I worked at a non-chain restaurant that had staggered shifts. There was no staff/family meal but we got 50% off anything on the menu. Later, I was a banquet server at a country club where all shifts started at the same time. They served a family meal before the shift and I loved it. It felt generous, like we were treated as more than just employees, and it was a good opportunity to get to know my coworkers. They also let us have a champagne toast at midnight, nice things like that. I really liked that job.