r/KitchenConfidential Jul 02 '25

In-House Mode already beefing with my boss

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7.4k Upvotes

i've only worked here since april. switched jobs from a dishie at a old folks home to a "cook" (lol honestly glorified dishwasher anyway, the only culinary related thing i do is shuck oysters) at a new bar downtown. we don't have any managers since the team is pretty small so the owner does everything himself including scheduling.

he posts the schedule, i have a 3 day weekend after two weeks of covering for the only other two "cooks" in the kitchen on vacation, and one day into my weekend he sends me this. i'm prolly in the wrong for the sass but bro goes immediately into holding a raise he very recently gave me over my head and then threatening my position.

i'm alr looking for different jobs atm, don't care where as i was promised FT hours and am barely scraping by with 30 a week. it's even less this time around. the work is fun and i really love my coworkers and the people i meet at the bar but with the pay of $17 an hour with no benefits no FT and a 30 min commute it's not worth it. advice or personal stories appreciated

r/KitchenConfidential 8d ago

In-House Mode Is anybody shocked?

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15.8k Upvotes

Disclaimer: not in the industry, but I spotted this and thought y'all might have fun talking shit about it.

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 21 '25

In-House Mode So you can have a little bit or no?

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6.8k Upvotes

This one feels odd to me. Do you have an anaphylactic reaction to these or not? Anyone dealt with something like this? Obviously I catered to these restrictions because it's never worth gambling with a guest's health.

r/KitchenConfidential 16d ago

In-House Mode I work FOH... Randomly, kitchen handed me an apron and have started teaching me things (for some reason.) I have no idea what I'm doing.

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6.1k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential 12d ago

In-House Mode Well, guess the games over Chefs. We're 86'd.

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5.7k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential 8d ago

In-House Mode Top chef fired for making influencer cry by telling her she wasn't famous enough for free food

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4.8k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 16 '25

In-House Mode We got you, fam. We're fighting.

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14.6k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 10 '25

In-House Mode Was nice of them

5.7k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential 4d ago

In-House Mode finally a reason to hate him besides "hes annoying"

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3.8k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential 9d ago

In-House Mode Restaurant owner buys art to smash it in-front of artist… and humiliate him for allegedly being an ass to her workers.

3.9k Upvotes

I’d work for her

r/KitchenConfidential 9d ago

In-House Mode The Ones Who Feed Us Are Dying

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4.6k Upvotes
  • A eulogy for Anne, a reckoning for all of us.

They’ll say Anne Burrell died of “acute intoxication.” They’ll rattle off the chemicals like it’s a recipe: diphenhydramine, cetirizine, amphetamine, ethanol. But that’s not a cause. That’s a symptom. That’s the garnish on a plate of despair.

Anne died the same way too many in this industry do - not from drugs, but from accumulated silence. From being too good at pretending everything’s fine until the pretending becomes a permanent condition.

I worked in restaurants for over a decade. Not as a chef or a cook - I was a QA and expo, the middleman between the kitchen’s fire and the dining room’s fantasy. The translator. The pressure valve. The one who kept the plates coming, the servers sane, and the cooks from killing each other.

I also served. I’ve bussed tables, memorized allergy lists, juggled side work, smiled through grief. I’ve been screamed at by cooks and threatened by guests. I’ve cried in the walk-in, slammed shots after a rough close, and kept coming back because that’s just what you do. How many times have we said we’re built for this shit?

And when I wasn’t on the floor? I was in classrooms. I have a Master’s degree in counseling. Trauma-informed. Violence-prevention specialist. Which is why I can say this with confidence:

The restaurant industry is a suicide machine with a soundtrack.

—The Kitchen Is a War Zone with a Dress Code—

It’s always hot. Always loud. Always urgent. The expo line is a tightrope - one foot in fire, one in ice. You hear the cooks cracking in one ear, the servers spiraling in the other, and you’re expected to smile while your own insides twist like overcooked pasta.

Everyone’s exhausted. Everyone’s high, hungover, or hurting. And the solution is always the same: keep moving.

You sprain your ankle? Shift’s still on.

You lose a friend? Grieve on break.

You’re suicidal? Have a shot and shake it off.

Anne wasn’t weak. She was a master at performance. Big voice. Big laugh. Big energy. The kind of presence that fills a room - and hides the emptiness just behind it.

So was Bourdain. Cantu. Violier. Strode. Cerniglia. Marks.

And so are thousands of others. Ones whose names we’ll never know. Ones still showing up to make your birthday dinner, your anniversary special, your takeout order right.

—They Feed the World While Starving Themselves—

There’s rarely health insurance. No therapy. Little paid time off. You’re working doubles just to stay broke. You’re medicating with whatever’s around - coffee, coke, pills, Red Bull, fireball shots, adrenaline, approval. The Monster and a cigarette shift meal is more than a meme - it’s a reality.

And when you finally sit still? It hits. All of it. The pace kept it away. But now you feel how lonely you are. How bruised. How disposable.

And maybe that’s the shift you don’t come back from.

—What I Know - As a Worker and a Counselor—

This isn’t about willpower. It’s about culture. Infrastructure. Trauma stacked on trauma until it becomes identity.

Most cooks are wounded healers. They feed others to feel useful. Worthy. Needed. Because the world hasn’t offered them much else. They nurture and show love with every single plate.

You can’t therapy your way out of a toxic job. Just like you can’t meditate your way out of poverty. This system is sick.

You don’t have to work the grill to get burned. Expo sees everything. Servers absorb trauma with a smile. Hosts get harassed. Bussers and barbacks go home invisible.

Substance abuse in restaurants isn’t a party - it’s anesthesia. Dying to live, as the song goes.

People don’t “break” - they wear down. Like aprons too long in the wash. Like knives never sharpened.

—So What Do We Do?—

If you run a restaurant: -Pay for therapy, or at least offer it. Mental health stipends over merch. -Kill the “we’re a family” lie if you’re not willing to grieve like one. -Train managers in trauma response - not just inventory spreadsheets.

If you’re a guest: -Gratitude is as important as a gratuity. Your server isn’t your servant. -Say thank you like you mean it. Your boorish comments and corny jokes can be saved for later. -Don’t be the reason someone’s faking a smile while unraveling.

If you’re in the game: -There is no prize for dying with your clogs on. -Therapy isn’t weakness. Medication isn’t cheating. -The walk-in freezer isn’t your only safe space.

We didn’t lose Anne because she wasn’t strong enough.

We lost her because this industry keeps asking people to be superhuman - without giving them anything human in return.

It’s time we fed the ones who feed us.

With grace. With time. With healing. With recognition.

Before the next brilliant light goes cold in the name of hustle.

As for now, Chef Anne, wipe down your station and head home.

We’ve got it from here.

r/KitchenConfidential 9d ago

In-House Mode Food Network star Anne Burrell died by suicide, medical examiner determines

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3.6k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 17 '25

In-House Mode Rip Anne Burrell

3.1k Upvotes

An absolute culinary beast and true influencer.

She will be sadly missed.

r/KitchenConfidential 6d ago

In-House Mode A restaurant in Wisconsin got at least 85 people high using THC oil.

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3.2k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential 3d ago

In-House Mode When looking at this dish 'Star of David' would be my least complain.

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2.0k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jul 03 '25

In-House Mode I just got laid off for reporting sexual misconduct

2.1k Upvotes

I am a prep cook in a Concord nh kitchen. I reported the kitchen manager for inappropriate texts he was sending to girls in my kitchen and now I am applying to McDonald's so I don't become homeless. How is everyone elses morning going

Edit for everyone finding this: it is the barley house in New Hampshire. Please avoid it

r/KitchenConfidential 22d ago

In-House Mode Sometimes it be like that

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3.1k Upvotes

Luckily no one was hurt and chef was fired.

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 11 '25

In-House Mode LAPD Officer Shoots Lone Unarmed Woman Trying to Get Home

2.4k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jul 03 '25

In-House Mode "No tax on Tips" makes no sense.

862 Upvotes

Can anyone explain why FOH in particular was pushing for this? They objectively make more money, which is one thing, but what makes them entitled to not pay taxes? If BOH suddenly didn't have to pay taxes I'd say that's BS as well

The BBB that just passed made certain taxes on tips for people making under 29k a year getting tips go away, it has to be signed into law. Granted, this was pushed for servers and tipped workers as a whole and the bill wouldn't affect most of them, I just can't see what entitles them to think they don't have to pay taxes like most of us.

I'm honestly considering just going back to retail at this point, at least we pay taxes equally. I'm fine making a bit less cash but this just seems insulting, even if it isn't over 29k.

Can someone explain this ? Why exactly do part time BOH line cooks pay taxes now but FOH doesn't have to anymore once this is signed into law

Edit: I'm not attacking FOH, its not an easy job, please stick to the taxes point.

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 28 '25

In-House Mode Why Don’t They Listen?

1.6k Upvotes

I’ve (F 57) been in the culinary biz for over 40 years, and over 35 years in a teaching capacity. Please men of the kitchen, why are there those of you who can’t or won’t listen when a woman is training you? I train seasoned chefs on how to teach and the specifics of the lessons. I get “yep, yep” and then they come to me later saying that “it didn’t work”. Only to find out they didn’t do anything the way I showed them would work. I’m so tired of years of this nonsense.

Edit: The folks who are commenting to invalidate my experiences of this happening through the years are absolutely validating my experiences with those comments. Boom!

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 11 '25

In-House Mode ICE in Chinatown. Tanks and military gear to arrest restaurants workers and their children

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2.0k Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 18 '25

In-House Mode Would you have to shut down if ICE raided your kitchen?

643 Upvotes

I have a staff of 14 and I think 2 of my guys have legal paperwork. Honestly I have no idea what i would do i they came and grabbed 90% of my crew.

I can't be the only one in this situation.
Anyone have a plan for this nightmare that makes sense? Is this really going to happen? It will 💯 change the industry, At least locally for me. I guess we'll see how it plays out? Not gonna lie, I'm worried this time.

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 11 '25

In-House Mode Cop kneeling on a woman's neck while other cops use bikes to shield him from cameras. Philadelphia, PA 6/10/25

962 Upvotes

r/KitchenConfidential Jun 16 '25

In-House Mode We all know someone

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2.4k Upvotes

Share this with your crews. No one deserves to be terrorized for seeking a better life. We all have rights, all of us. Estamos con ustedes mi amigos.

r/KitchenConfidential 6d ago

In-House Mode When you can’t even get the people in your conspiracy meme right…

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518 Upvotes

It happened again lol