Had a line cook scream at me for "ruining" his mise en place last night

I was just reorganizing the walk-in because stuff was literally falling on my head, and he lost it because I moved his labeled container of shallots six inches to the left. How do you deal with cooks who treat the cooler like their own personal kingdom?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray3246d ago

Did you ask him why he needed them in that exact spot? There's always some weird reason behind it, like he can't finish his prep without seeing them there.

robert_roberts6d ago

People keep focusing on the "why" of the spot... but nobody's asking about the timing. He wanted them there at a specific time of day, right? That's the real clue. Maybe he's got some weird superstition about the light hitting the tools a certain way before he starts. Or he's trying to line them up with something he saw online that morning. I've known guys who won't touch a socket unless it's pointing North... it sounds crazy but it's a real thing in some circles. The exact spot is one thing, but the exact moment he needs them there tells you more about what's going on in his head.