Do Hotel Managers Respect Chefs?

Chefs are our Lions; the pride of the Hotel.

I was a Hotel Food and Beverage Manager. I got all the glory. And credit. And guess what? I soon realised that I only deserved part of it.

Respect Chefs. I learned early on that they are key to being a good Hotel Food and Beverage Manager. You annoy the Kitchen staff, and you’ll have a miserable career at that Hotel. Respect and treat them well, and you’ll never regret it. They’re as important to being a good Hotel Manager as your Hospitality Management degree. Maybe more.

If you come out of Hospitality School with disrespect for Chefs, you better lose it fast. Because they will make or break your training, and often know more than you do. Be nice, and they’ll teach you. A good Head Chef is often a better accountant than some of the accountants I’ve met.

I would not be where I am today without the compassion, dedication and guidance of Chefs. Although I have worked that side of the hotplate - I write this not as a Chef, but as a Hotel Manager.

For every heart-wrenching story I can tell about my own experiences in Hotels, there was normally a Chef stood right beside me. There was a Chef running with me to a Banquet, who despaired with me as we served Buffet to time. There was a Chef next to me who ran to fetch Breakfast food needed to keep someone alive as they entered my Restaurant first thing in the morning.

I recall being the trainee Food and Beverage Manager on call during busy shifts covering the Restaurants and Bars. I was in awe of Chefs because I know that I, nor the vast majority of the public, could do their job.

Chefs laugh and cry with their guests. They will empty Ovens with one hand while stacking plates and cutlery with the other. They will make their Porters a cup of tea with one hand while dispensing life-saving food to Hotel staff with the other. Chefs epitomize the goodwill that the Hotel is run on.

They do the dirty side of Kitchen work that we shove out of sight and out of mind. The cleaning of raw fish and blood-soaked meat, mind-numbing amounts of vegetable preparation, whilst continuously ensuring neither Hotel staff nor guest are given ruthless bacteria. They do this through gruelling shifts often with no time for breaks, often getting abused by confused or aggressive delivery drivers, staff and managers.

Most Chefs I have met do not come from privileged backgrounds. Chefs work hard and honestly in our Hotels to make ends meet for many years until they reach the top of the Brigade. How can we encourage young professional people to go into our Kitchen? How can we make becoming a Chef an attractive career prospect? We should be encouraging people to go into our Kitchens. We do not want a shortage of Chefs - they cannot easily be replaced by a Robot.

Chefs dedicate their lives to preparing food for us. Thankfully, a Chef’s value is not measured in money. I thank Chefs for their self-sacrifice. Please spare a moment to think of them.

For the long-term happiness of our Hotel Guests, and the future of the Hotel, remember that Chefs are our lions; the pride of the Hotel.

Through his electronic writing, Stephen attempts to help those without the time or often the money to attend College by providing them with Learning.

Watching these vlogs and reading these blogs will assist hospitality students and workers in the Global Hospitality Industry to train and develop using Social Media.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephen Sawyers brings 20-years of Hotels and Hospitality Management to his book writing.

These blogs and vlogs are intended for hotel workers, supervisors and managers who are (or want to become) actively engaged in learning and development around the world.