leor37•6d ago

Saw a line cook melt down over a broken slicer at 3 Star Market last Thursday

I was helping a buddy at his pop-up in the back kitchen when their only meat slicer just quit mid-shift. The kid on the line started throwing towels and yelling about how the owner never maintains anything. Right then the owner walked in, saw the chaos, and calmly pulled a backup slicer from under a prep table he'd kept oiled and sharp for exactly this reason. Has anyone else's kitchen got a secret backup for the stuff that always breaks at the worst time?

2 comments

2 Comments

michael8806d ago

Secret backup slicer" is pure genius. Always keep a spare of anything that'll ruin your day.

allen.amy5d ago

Holding onto that thought about @michael880's comment because that's exactly right. A backup for the one thing that can stop your whole night is just smart planning, not genius. I've seen too many kitchens where the owner swears a new slicer is "coming next month" while the line guys are hand slicing deli meat with a chef's knife on a cutting board. That owner probably saved himself a lost shift and a line cook quitting on the spot. It's not about having a secret stash of everything, it's about knowing what single piece of gear will ruin your service if it dies. Somebody on that team owes that owner a beer.