Cheers,
I am the sous-chef at my joint, we are small and primarily open to in house guests at our lodge, as well as outside diners, and as a result I typically work about 40-50 hrs/wk. Its salary and its not too bad all considered. I have a great team and a great Chef, so that helps the days move along pretty well.
I worked the Aramark gig for a while just out of university...and the cuisine, if you could call it that, was depressing. After making mashed potatoes by the 150lb batch in a steam kettle large enough to throw a party in using only 4lbs of margerine salt and pepper for flavour and mashing with a potato masher that looked like a medieval weapon (5 ft high with a welded cage on one end that was ball shaped...no shyte) I couldnt take it and took a pay cut to go cook real food.
Now I cook real food and have some pretty easy hours for kitchen folk, cant really complain.
-D
Started my first kitchen job as a cook in a chinese restaurant working 12 hrs a day, 6 days a week. Moved on to a hotel and got stuck in the buffet line for 8 hrs a day 5 days a week. Now working in a restaurant, split shift, 13hrs a day at the office including break, 6 days a week.
Just broke my old record, 109 hours this week, with 2 days to still go.
That's not work time. You just live at a restaurant!
Over 90 hours at work in a week and it's all academic. Congrats on the record, and touche on working so hard. Now go to sleep.
In Norway you are not allowed to work more than 37,5 hours a week. And overtime is max 200 hours a year!!!
Thanks to some great owners from New York. I enjoy a 40hr week downtown, my own scratch menu, and a great salary.
The owners, however, are looking into a second location that is more open to long hours, which will probably put an end to my 40.
50-70hr work week, 2-3 jobs, is nothing uncommon here, with cost of living so high.
You wish, do you?
In serious kitchen everywhere in the world golden rule is the same: you have to put time and effort. Especially when you are opening new establishment.
Unfortunately in Norway there is other rule which says that you have to pay salary to everybody, even commis. That is why theres no world class restaurants up here, even though some of the produce is definitely spot on!
And in subject: when worked in London best week was around 100 with average around 70
I'm spoiling myself. I work the rush only and around here it all happens between 6:30 and 9:00. (Except Friday, that's a 12 hour day.) So probably 20. Unless it's summer. Then 12. (Friday's only) My sous works 48.