Working a pop-up in Austin showed me why mise en place is non-negotiable
We got slammed with a 50-top walk-in at the same time our ticket printer jammed. My station was a mess because I'd been 'cooking from the hip' all night. Watching the head chef, Maria, calmly work through the chaos with every single component prepped and labeled in delis was a gut punch. How do you guys handle prep volume for unpredictable service?
Honestly, was it even that big of a deal? My power blinked twice and the wind knocked over my grill. Calling it a disaster feels like a stretch. I'm just restocking the water bottles I drank and maybe grabbing a few extra cans of soup. It's not some big new plan.