Businesses Can Learn A Lot From a Well Run Restaurant Kitchen

The other night at dinner in Hendersonville, North Carolina, I had an elevated seat that looked right into the restaurant's busy kitchen. This perch allowed me to talk with the kitchen staff throughout the evening. After observing and talking with this hard-working team a few key lessons dawned on me that apply to any business:

1. Communication - is most effective when concise and directed at one person. "Oven Chef" is all that was needed to alert the chef that something was going into the oven. Unlike the popular show "The Bear" where kitchen staff seem to be endlessly yelling at each other, a smoothly run kitchen can actually be fairly quiet despite the beehive of activity.

2. Division of Labor / Teamwork - is critical to producing successful results consistently. Everyone needs to know their role and how it contributes to the larger objective. Team members must also be empowered to execute their specific functions without constant oversight.

3. Know the Desired Outcome - before starting so it's clear to all team members what is going to be delivered to the customer and the related quality expectations.

4. Advanced Preparation - is fundamental to ensure success during actual operations. In a kitchen this advanced prep includes a myriad of tasks from procuring ingredients to peeling potatoes. All of this critical prep works takes place long before a customer places a meal order.

5. Hard Work - is required to achieve great results. The degree of multi-tasking in a kitchen is impressive and requires tremendous effort by everyone on the team.

6. Leadership Matters - the Chef calls the shots in the kitchen. "Chef" is not just a simple job title, it's a moniker earned through years of experience. The kitchen leader guides the team to deliver accurately on each and every order.

All of these lessons from a kitchen can be applied to improve your business.