Kitchen pros: why does brunch suck so much

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chiffonodd

chiffonodd

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Here's a fitting Sunday morning question for the kitchen pros among us: why does brunch service suck so much? I have seen this complaint tossed around for many years, and reiterated recently in a certain thread.

I get that brunch can be busy, but so can a Friday or Saturday night. What is it about brunch that is so uniquely awful? Is it just the high volume combined with menu changes that disrupt your more practiced work flow?

Help me to help you!
 
M1k3 said:
Rude customers, early shift preceded by a late shift (clopen 😭), "I want my eggs poached well done, but still runny, but with crispy edges", steak med-rare but not bloody and no red....
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Is there a way to brunch without being an a-hole? Or am I complicit just by going? because normally I just wanna go for the different dishes that are offered. I don't request paradoxical impossibilities. Actually i don't request anything other than "I'll have the ______ please."
 
And Sunday brunch....😬😬😬😬
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chiffonodd said:
Is there a way to brunch without being an a-hole? Or am I complicit just by going? because normally I just wanna go for the different dishes that are offered. I don't request paradoxical impossibilities. Actually i don't request anything other than "I'll have the ______ please."
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Be polite and don't make diametrically opposed requests for your food.
 
one thing i found strange just having moved to the usa (decades ago) was that menus were treated as outlines. it seemed to me like you weren't supposed to order what was on the menu; but rather what was on the menu, minus three things, plus two other, and cooked in a different way than the menu stated …
it seemed weird to me.
why go somewhere to enjoy someone's cooking if you don't want to enjoy that someone's cooking, so to speak.
if you want the same thing the same way all the time, why not just stay home and cook for yourself.
sure, it took me a couple of weeks to get it, but it is still a general cultural thing that i can rant about.

when i order something, it is the equivalent of: 'hit me! show me what you got!' (even brunch, as long as the bloody mary is mixed EXACTLY to my specs …)

.
 
I don’t think brunch is inherently terrible, it’s just that so many places do it wrong or inefficiently.
Some places just run a lunch menu + a poach dish, omelette(s), brunch spec, some sort of traditional breakfast plate and keep it simple.
Most places have a dedicated brunch menu which so much of the general public loves to interpret as a build your own entree challenge. Having a strong FOH management that understands what’s possible and what’s unreasonable helps. Many a Kitchen crew will whine about every little modifier which doesn’t help.
Brunch is super profitable though, so usually the conflict I have is convincing ownership of ways to streamline things versus the belief that we’ll lose business if we tweak anything that upsets the regulars.
Brunch has to be the shift with the most call ins by far also. If you find a dishwasher that somehow doesn’t mind working every Sunday brunch keep them happy by any means necessary brunch food, after shifts beverages, cash advances sometimes lol whatever it takes.
Worst instances I’ve seen are where people order off the menu, order stuff on the dinner menu, and all you can drink mimosas. You’re just asking for a sh*tshow.
 
For me it was the clopenings. And even worse, the unexpected clopening on my days off. Very rarely for me personally was it rude guests or ridiculous mods. I did invite one couple to dine elsewhere in the future. I am not going to let you yell in my restaurant and ruin other people’s meals and be rude to my staff.
 
Clopenings are a common complaint and it’s understandable but I like setting myself up for the morning as much as possible, in ways that another person wouldn’t if they’re not working the shift themselves. If I can bang out even 30min of extra brunch stuff the night before it makes everything so much easier.
 
Mikeadunne said:
It sucks balls. The clopen is terrible if you’re subject to that. Also just prepping up things you don’t have on hand the rest of the week is a pain. The rushes and seatings tend to be really compacted. It’s all bad, so grateful to not be doing that **** anymore. It’s a bummer.
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I literally came to say a special menu that is served once a week is just awful, and in my experience, is mostly a huge food waste... But you nailed it with the Clopen as well
 
BillHanna said:
All that’s missing is chicken and waffles.


🍗 🧇
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Oh yeah. With a couple hard but runny poached eggs. And some hand squeezed orange juice. Strained of course.

And how about some of those fun little cucumber finger sandwiches?

Also, my wife is vegan and my daughter is allergic to eggs. Oh and I hate the taste of used oil, could you ask the kitchen to change it out please?


Play your cards right wait person and there's a big juicy 5% tip in this for you!
 
Simply said:
Lmao. Did brunch yesterday and was in awe at these two

-breakfast sandwich, but instead of bread/English muffin it was on a cinnamon bun

-French toast, but made with dipped croissants
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To be fair, both those things sound awesome. :)

Not that I’d ever try to order them off menu.
 
Simply said:
Lmao. Did brunch yesterday and was in awe at these two

-breakfast sandwich, but instead of bread/English muffin it was on a cinnamon bun

-French toast, but made with dipped croissants
Click to expand...
Exactly my point!

Either order from the menu or GO HOME!
 
Things that go with eggs:
--Coffee. Potatoes. Toast.

Things that don't go with eggs:
--a half-pour of champagne-adjacent industrial sparkling wine cut with fruit
--a breakfast negroni spritzer or whatever carbonated hipster abomination tries to bring 'mixology' to the morning

Things that don't go with alcohol:
--eggs*, powdered sugar, whatever "creme" is shoehorned inside whatever bread-pudding-adjacent concoction

*exception: cheap beer
 
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