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Fired a cook mid-rush on a Friday for serving pink chicken, and I'd do it again
Last Friday at my place in Portland we got slammed, 90 covers in two hours, and my line cook sent out a chicken dish that was still pink in the middle. I caught it at the pass, grabbed the plate, and walked it back to him myself. He tried to tell me the ticket said medium, which is not a thing for chicken, and that was it for me. I pulled him off the line right there, told him to grab his stuff, and finished the shift with three of us instead of four. We got through it, tickets ran a little slow, but nobody got sick and that matters more than a smooth service. I still feel kinda bad about the timing, mid rush and all, but serving raw chicken can shut a place down. Has anyone else had to cut someone loose during a rush, and how did you handle the rest of the night?
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thomas2753d ago
Was the ticket really the only reason he thought medium was okay for chicken? Not long ago I would have said pulling someone mid rush is too harsh, you ride it out and talk after close. Then I watched a guy at my old spot send out underdone wings on a Saturday and we got a complaint to the health dept two days later. That one visit cost the owner thousands and almost his license. So yeah, this changed my mind. Raw chicken is not a teachable moment at the pass, it is a stop everything moment. Timing is bad but a shut down is way worse.
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charlienelson3d ago
A buddy got shut down for that once, not worth it.
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