Recipe for Brined and Grilled Whole Chicken

July 20, 2009 in Training and Tips with Leave a Comment

Brined and Grilled Whole Chicken

Ingredients

Brine:

    1 Fryer / Young Chicken (3-4 lbs)

1 gallon water

    ¾ cup Kosher Salt

    ½ cup Sugar

    1 cup soy sauce

2 oranges sliced

    6 dried red chili peppers

    ¼ cup EVOO

Handful fresh rosemary (can use dried – 1tbsp)

Handful fresh thyme (can use dried – 1tbsp)

Handful fresh oregano (can use dried – 1tbsp)

Handful fresh basil (can use dried – 1tbsp)

 

Preparation:

Butterfly the Chicken

 

For a Great tutorial – check this out: Butterfly a Chicken

 

1. Remove the neck and giblets from the body cavity, then, using kitchen shears, trim away any excess fat from around the cavity opening.
2. Position the chicken so the back is facing up and the drumsticks are pointing towards you.
3. Take your kitchen shears and cut all the way down either side of the backbone. You’ll be cutting through the small rib bones, not through the center of the backbone itself. Stay as close to the backbone as possible so as not to waste any of that good meat.
4. Next, cut all the way down the other side of the backbone, removing it completely.
5. (You can reserve the backbone for making chicken stock)
6. Now, position the chicken so the drumsticks are pointing away from you.
7. Use a paring knife to make a small cut in the white cartilage that conceals the top of the breastbone. Bend both halves of the carcass backward at the cut to expose the breastbone. It should pop right up through the cut.
8. Run your thumbs or index fingers down both sides of the breastbone to separate it from the meat, then pull the bone out. The breastbone may break into two pieces when you pull it out, especially if you haven’t separated it well enough from the breast meat using your fingers. No big deal, just pull out the two pieces.
9. You can now cut the chicken in half easily using the kitchen shears but cutting along where you just removed the breastbone.
10. Depending on size of Chicken – you will need to find a container that will fit the bird and allow it to be submerged (and fully covered) by the brining solution. (I used a pasta pot)

     

Prepare the Brine

1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in sugar and salt.
3. Continue stirring until fully dissolved.
4. Allow the solution to cool (or add some cool water to bring to room temp.)
5. Place the chicken in the container and pour salt/sugar solution in, along with the remaining water (don’t overfill – you still need to add some more to the mix).
6. Add your sliced oranges, herbs, soy sauce, dried chilies and EVOO.
7. The chicken should be fully covered, if not – add some additional water.
8. Cover the container (with its lid) or with plastic wrap if you had to use something more creative to fit the chicken. (for a really large chicken a plastic cooler can be used – if you go this route, you will need to add at least 1 bag of cubed ice to keep the solution cool for 10 hours.)
9. Place your container in the refrigerator and leave it for 6-10 (I recommend a full 10) hours. If you leave the chicken in the brine for much longer it may become mushy and leave you with a less delicious final product. Some may time this perfectly so after 10 hrs you are ready to start cooking. I am not as clever, so if you are the same as me do the following:
10. After 10 hours, remove the chicken from the solution. (You can discard the solution)
11. Rinse the chicken with cool water for about 30 seconds.
12. Pat dry with paper towels and wrap in plastic wrap until ready to cook.

 

Cooking:

 

Now for the fun part!

 

1. Preheat grill to 350-375. On a 3 burner grill only light 2 burners – on a 2 burner grill only light 1.
2. Lift the grate and on the unlit burner, place an aluminum tray about ¼ full with water. (a throw-away will work, as will a toaster oven broiler pan)
3. Take both chicken halves and season with salt and pepper.
4. Once the grill is at temperature – place the chicken halves on the unlit side of the grill, positioned above the drip pan.
5. Cooking time is about 2 hours depending on the size of the bird, but you’ll want to check on the progress every 20 minutes or so to ensure the skin is not getting too much heat and charring. If it does start to char just tent the chicken with a piece of aluminum foil. (mine did on the side closest to the lit burners)
6. After about an hour, you can brush the outside of the skin with Italian dressing, BBQ Sauce, or some other marinade of your choice to keep it moist and flavorful.
7. Check internal temp with a kitchen thermometer (165°), or check the meat by slicing in with a sharp knife at the thickest part of the breast, between the thigh and leg.
8. Once the meat is cooked, remove from the grill and allow to rest on a cutting board (tented with foil) for 10-15 minutes.
9. Remove the drip pan from under the grill – it should be full of all the juices from the chicken. Make a quick gravy by pouring this into a sauté pan and cooking on med-high heat. To thicken you can make a rue by mixing equal parts flour and chicken stock (or water even).

 

Serve with potatos, corn or whatever fixin’s make you happy!

 

 

 

99 Ways to Steal in a Restaurant or Bar!!!

July 5, 2009 in Training and Tips with Leave a Comment

99 Ways to Steal In a Restaurant or Bar!!!

 

Ever wonder if your employees are stealing from you? In the food and beverage industry it is estimated that 25% of employees steal regardless of the controls in place; 25% will not steal regardless of the controls in place; and 50% will steal if given the opportunity. The controls in place in a restaurant determine whether 25% are stealing or 75% are. Here are some things to look out for from Practitioners Publishing Company’s Guide to Restaurants and Bars.

 

CASH REGISTER:

 

Restaurant Owner is the Victim:

 

1. Serve the drinks and/or food and collect the money while the register is being closed out at the end of a shift or at night or when the ribbon or tape is being changed.

 

2. Phony walk out – keep the cash and claim that the customer left without paying.

 

3. Short ring – charge the customer the actual price, under ring the sale on the cash register, and pocket the difference.

 

4. No sale – charge the customer the actual price but don’t ring up the sale. Bartenders often put the cash into their tip jar, their pocket, or leave it in the cash drawer.

 

5. Phantom cash register – put an extra cash register in the bar during specific times (for example, during happy hour) since the sales are not recorded on the master cash register tape they can be skimmed by the perpetrator.

 

6. Short tape – some old cash registers do not have cumulative cash register readings. In those cases, the cashier can total the cash register at a point before the end of the shift and use a new tape until it is time to close out. Then the cashier can keep the new tape and the cash generated during that period.

 

7. Voided sales – the cashier voids the check or some of the items on the check and keeps the proceeds.

 

8. Over-rings – the cashier records an “over-ring” to reverse an actual sale.

 

9. Fictitious paid-outs (paid outs are amounts taken from the till to pay for beer and food deliveries, light bulbs, and other miscellaneous charges)

 

10.    Alter the breakout of tip and check amounts on credit card receipts to overstate the tips and understate the checks.

 

11.    Cashier accumulates guest checks and rings them up after the customers leave (amounts can be altered or tickets may be destroyed)

 

12.    Cashier steals cash and covers it up by falsifying the cumulative cash register readings and destroying the tape.

 

13.    If the waitperson acts as banker, he or she can provide the customer with an old guest check and not record the current sale.

 

14. Cashier records sales on the training key, which does not feed into the cash register’s daily or cumulative sales total.

 

15. Cash hot check for friends.

 

16. Steal customers checks made payable to cash.

 

17. Charge the customer full price, but ring up the sale at the discounted child or senior citizen price.

 

18. Jam the cash drawer during critical hours so that the drawer must be left open.

Customer Is the Victim

 

19. Shortchange the customer (for example, by giving change for a $10 instead a $20)

 

20. Have the customer sign their credit card slip in advance and overcharge for food or drinks.

 

21. Alter amounts on credit card slips.

 

22. Run the credit card through twice.

 

BAR:

Restaurant Owner is the Victim

 

23. Bartender does not ring up the sale.

 

24. Wait person acts as bank and sometimes does not ring up the sales (this generally will be detected if there is an pre-check system)

 

25. Returned drinks – bartender claims that a drink was returned when in fact it was sold.

 

26. Give-a ways – if no internal controls exist the bartender might give away free drinks to friends or in anticipation of receiving larger tips. If a liquor breakage analysis is used to control inventory, the bartender can top off the bottle with water.

 

27. Undercharge for drinks in anticipation of receiving a larger tip.

 

28. Pour higher quality liquor than ordered and mention it to the customer in anticipation of receiving a larger tip.

 

29. Mislead the manager as to how many drinks have been sold from a keg. (Generally, there are lax controls over kegs because of the level of waste involved and the difficulty of inventorying the amount on hand)

 

30. Phantom bottle – bartender brings his or her own bottle of liquor and pockets the cash earned from its sale. This scheme is much more devastating than merely stealing a bottle of liquor because even though the cost of the bottle is nominal (for example, $10), the lost margin on sales from the bottle is significant (for example, $90)

 

31. Collusion between the bartender and cocktail server to overcome the dual inventory control system. In a pre-check system, the cocktail server will input the drink order and the bartender will release the drinks based on the documentation system. The two systems provide independent totals, which can be reconciled. However, if there is collusion, the server does not enter the drinks into the system but the bartender makes and releases them.

 

32. Barter – bartender trades the cook free drinks for free dinners.

 

 

 

33. Kickbacks – a liquor distributor provides kickbacks. Kickback schemes can be difficult to detect. For example, if the distributor offers to sell the bartender ten cases of vodka for the price of nine, the bartender receives the value of one case as a commission. The distributor will charge the restaurant for ten cases and ten cases will be delivered and counted.

 

34. Complimentary cocktail or wine coupons are stolen by maids and sold to bartenders who turn in the coupons to justify missing inventory. For example, the wine server buys a coupon for $5 and sells a bottle of wine to a customer for $25, reaping a net profit of $20.

 

35. After-shift drinks provided to employees but not consumed by employees are sold to customers. For example, the restaurant has 40 workers who are entitled to one drink at the end of each shift. If only 15 of the drinks are consumed, the bartender can sell the extra 25 drinks and pocket the proceeds.

 

36. Provide free drinks to visiting bartenders.

 

37. Cook requests a beverage for use in the kitchen (such as

brandy, wine, vermouth, sherry, or other cooking spirits) but drinks it instead.

 

38. Draft beer system not secured at closing and available to after hours workers.

 

39. Bartender lines through (red-lines) service orders without ringing up the sales and rings up sales later for a lesser amount.

 

40. Handwrite bar tabs and ring up amounts less than receipts.

 

41. Steal bottles of liquor.

 

42. If the entity sells both drinks and full bottles, claim missing bottles are “to go” sales. Since the margin on to go liquor is generally less than on individual shot sales, this distorts the accuracy of the beverage cost percentage.

 

43. Reuse old drink receipts.

 

44. Under-ring drinks recorded on a computerized liquor dispenser tied into a point of sale system by using a magnet 0 throw off the sale.

 

45. Ring up cash liquor sales on the service dining room key.

 

46. Ring up food sold in the bar on the liquor key to help create additional drink sales and throw off beverage cost percentages.

 

Customer is the Victim:

 

47. Short-pour – bartender pours less than a shot to cover up drinks given away or sold on the side. Some bartenders do this by bringing in a shot glass that is one once instead of an ounce and a quarter. Therefore, it appears that they are pouring a full measure when, in fact, they are short-pouring.

 

48. Short-pouring can also be done on a computerized dispenses system – the bartender dispenses and the system registers one shot, however the bartender pours the liquor into two glasses.

 

49. Charge the customer the regular price but ring up the happy hour price. (Many bartenders cover up the cash register display with pictures of their dog, boat, or children to keep the customer from noticing how much has been rung up)

50. Charge for complimentary happy hour hors d’oeuvres and bar snacks.

 

51. Omit most of the liquor from blended fruit drinks (especially if several drinks have been served to the customer)

 

52. Pour a lesser quality liquor after the first few drinks and charge for the more expensive brand.

 

53. Charge the customer for more drinks than actually served.

 

54. Resell returned beverages. (If the customer leaves an expensive liqueur the bartender may stack it in the back and resell it to the next customer.

 

55. Steal the customer’s change left on the bar. (Some employees wet the bottom of their drink trays and set them down on top of the customer’s change. The cash sticks to the bottom of the tray.)

 

56. Add two customer’s drinks together, charge both customers and (if caught) claim to have misunderstood who was purchasing the round.

 

 

FOOD SERVICE:

Restaurant Owner Is the Victim

 

57. Server collects directly from the customer without providing a guest check and pockets the cash.

 

58. Reuse old guest check for similar orders and do not ring up the sale.

 

59. Collusion between the server and the cooks – server does not record order on the pre-check system but the cooks makes and issues the food without proper authorization.

 

60. Wait staff claims a meal was returned when in fact it was served and paid for.

 

61. Add items by hand to pre-checked guest checks. (when installing pre-check systems, some restaurants only pre-check entrees. Therefore, the wait staff can issue salads, appetizers, desserts, or wine and manually record the item on the bottom of the customer’s check. The waitperson collects the full amount and only remits the amounts pre-checked.

 

62. Steal food or liquor. (Walk-in freezers and liquor storage areas are especially vulnerable to theft). Employees sometimes claim that missing inventory was returned to the vendor or spoiled.

 

63. Take home “trim” food products.

 

64. Produce surplus food so that it can be taken home.

 

65. Many cash registers have been set up to record food sold “to go.” This happens often in restaurants contained in hotels for example, coffee and a roll are sold to customers who choose to take them out). The waitperson will not record the sale but pocket the cash.

 

66. Wrap food and drop it into a box in the back or a trash can for later retrieval.

 

67. Kickbacks from vendors. (Generally, the chef takes a commission and accepts a lesser quality of meat or produce)

 

68. Accepting lesser weights (for example, the produce box will be weighed when received. However, if receiving personnel do not open the boxes regularly, the box might include a chunk of ice)

 

69. Feed friends for free.

 

70. Chef purchases specific items not on the inventory for employee or personal consumption.

 

71. Mobile catering truck driver or hot dog vendor purchases and sells their own inventory.

 

72. Chef obtains and submits falsified invoices that transfer food purchases to supplies, therefore affecting the manager’s ability to perform ratio analysis.

 

73. Chef demands personal gifts from suppliers in exchange for business for the purveyor. (Price of the gift is passed on the restaurant in higher prices or reduced quality.

 

74. Wine steward claims sold bottle was broken or returned.

 

75. Employee steals and uses gift certificates (for example, they might take a two-for-one coupon and attach it to a guest check for which the customer paid cash and take the cash)

 

76. Collusion between person receiving food or beverages and truck driver to provide short weights. In some reported cases, half the delivery has been diverted and sold on the street. (A perpetual inventory system backed up by frequent inventory counts by someone other than the person receiving the items can detect these thefts.)

 

Customer Is the Victim:

 

77. Wait person adds extra items to customer’s check. This is often aided by a confusing guest check that is difficult to understand or is faint.

 

78. Overcharge customers for banquet sales (for example – charge customer for 10 pots of coffee when only 6 were served)

 

BOOKKEEPER:

 

79. Bookkeeper steals cash and records it as “cash short.”

 

80. Bookkeeper steals cash and records a bad debt expense for improperly written check, NSF check, or incorrect credit card transaction.

 

81. Bookkeeper writes and cashes checks to themselves but records them in the check register as FICA taxes (or some other frequently paid but seldom reviewed account like utilities expense)

 

82. Bookkeeper/manager creates fictitious vendors.

 

83. Bookkeeper holds the daily bank deposit for some number of days and uses the cash for their personal benefit.

 

84. Bookkeeper adds a “less cash” line to the deposit slip and receives cash at the bank.

 

PAYROLL:

 

85. Phantom employees-manager adds phantom employees to the payroll and cashes their paychecks.

 

86. Manager adds fictitious hours to the employees’ paychecks and splits the difference with the employee.

 

87. Employees overstate their hours. (for example, employees who work the lunch shift go home for a few hours and come back for the dinner shift, but may not sign out when they leave.

 

OTHER:

 

88. Use the phone for long-distance calls.

 

89. Keep funds from the vending machine.

 

90. Keep funds from the grease-barrel pick-up.

 

91. Steal silverware, glassware, napkins, tablecloths, etc.

 

92. Fake a burglary.

 

93. Give away or sell artifacts from the restaurant (such as pictures or statuary)

 

94. Keep cover-charge receipts.

 

95. Steal bar supplies (such as jiggers, detergent, linens, and shakers)

 

96. Steal cigarettes, which are intended for sale at the bar.

 

97. Revisit the restaurant during closed hours and steal whatever is available.

 

98. When obtaining change from another cash register don’t reimburse it fully and pocket the difference.

 

99. Borrow the manager’s keys and duplicate the void key, then void out entire or partial sales. (It has been reported that at one restaurant a ring of seventeen employees engaged in this practice.)

 

 

“Reproduced from Guide to Restaurants and Bars, by Walt K. Matysik; Edward M. Hynes, CPA; Howard, P. McMurrian, CPA, and Cherie W. Shipp, CPA, Fifth Edition, Practitioners Publishing Company, Fort Worth, TX 76107.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busser / Support Staff Memo (circa 2005)

April 20, 2009 in Training and Tips with Leave a Comment
Tags: Bussers, Restaurant Training, SA, Support Staff, Training

Bussers (rough copy)

 

Interaction with customers

• Bussers should limit verbal communication with guests to the following
  • Offering water: Sparking, Flat, or Natural (Iced)
  • Clearing: “May I clear for you?”
• If a customer asks you for anything other than silverware or water the response should be “Let me send your server over to assist you.” We are trained in selling our products and we will all make more money if we take ALL orders.

 

Clearing Tables

• Once EVERYONE at the table appears to be finished the busser should address the table asking, “Is everyone finished?” or “Is anyone still working?”
• Tables need to be cleared fully: All bread plates, silverware, empty glasses, sushi setups, paper napkins/other trash should be removed. If clearing appetizers the fork/knife should be removed and the knives replaced.
• Do not take plates from a server on the floor unless asked. If the plates are already in someone’s hands it is just a waste of time to pass it off. Check for more plates or trash on the table, also make sure the water glasses are full.

 

Idle Time

• If you don’t have anything to do – the first priority is to ask the server you are working with what can be done.
• It is okay to find a place in the dining room to stand if you are waiting to do something
  • It is not okay to stand with more than one other server or support person. It is also not okay to carry on conversations in the dining room.
  • Even when it is slow someone should ALWAYS be patrolling the dining room with a pitcher to fill water. People will notice if their water glass is always full and will reward us with better tips.
  • Communicate with other support staff and waiter when a big table is about to turn – clear in teams so the table gets fully cleared as fast as possible – this helps us turn tables and get more people into the restaurant.

   

Sections

• Bussers should divide into sections so as to interact with only one or two servers. If a server from another section asks for something either find another support person or take care of the task yourself. Do not say “I’m not your busser”
• If you have idle time, it should be spent in YOUR section – looking for water glasses to fill, plates to clear, etc.

 

Running food

• When you run food it is IMPERATIVE that the guest has all necessary silverware, sauces, side plates, etc. Sometimes you will be busy and will need to accomplish something else – but remember that it is most important to make sure that people can eat the food that you have just delivered.
• Pepper should be offered with all salads, steaks, and chowder.
• Place the food in its appropriate seat number with confidence. If you do not know the seat number – DO NOT RUN THE FOOD. Auctioning food is for Bickfords – we should pride ourselves in knowing where the food is going.
• Say what it is that you are serving when you drop the food. If it is a steak make sure to repeat the type and temperature. This will ensure that the guest has the right thing before they start eating.
• If you are the food runner and there is no food to run – you should be busy with polishing silverware or glasses. If there is nothing to polish patrol the dining room and try to clear plates or fill water.

 

Extra Special Service

• Whenever someone gets up to go to the bathroom their chair should be pushed in and their napkin folded. When the person returns to their seat it is very important for it to look properly set up. Straighten silverware and remove all glasses that are not in use.
• Saying “Yes Sir” and “Yes Ma’am” convey the respect that we have for our customers. Saying “Yup” or other slang makes us look unprofessional and people will reflect that in our tip.

 

Server Contributions

• The servers will try to do the following to assist support staff
  • Polishing glasses and silver at the end of the night
  • Ensuring that linens are stocked in all server stations at the beginning of the shift
  • Making sure there is sufficient butter cut and in the service fridge
  • Assist in clearing plates.

 

March 24, 2009 in Training and Tips with Leave a Comment
Tags: customer service quotes, sales quotes, Sales Training

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us – we are dependent on him. He is not an outsider in our business – he is a part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him…he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

Sales Training 101

March 21, 2009 in Training and Tips with Leave a Comment
Tags: Cold calling, heiman miller, Sales Training, Vince Gebhart, Vinny Gebhart

Here are 7 tips for even the experienced sales pro. Remember them by the simple phrase “SELL MORE”

Vince Gebhart

S – Spruce up your look. Don’t forget that first impressions are lasting ones so give yourself an advantage that you have definite control over. Look polished and neat, ready to serve your customer with professionalism and respect.

E – Be Enthusiastic. If you don’t believe in your company and its products your customer never will. This includes all telephone contact. Your voice and manner of speech reveals volumes concerning your interest in your customer. Don’t go over the top with high-pressure hype, but a genuine enthusiasm for your company, its products, and its services will go a long way to establish trust and credibility.

L – Learn about your customer. Don’t just “show up and throw up” all over him with reasons to buy from you. If you are really interested in meeting his need you must learn everything there is to know about his business that relates to your product. Know his products and customers, his problems and strengths. Ask him open ended questions in your initial discussion and then…

L – Listen more than you talk. Listening well is absolutely the number one quality of every successful salesperson. Once you have asked the right questions sit back and listen to the answers. Then you can present a product or service that meets the needs expressed. Let the customer tell you what his buying motive is. A closed sale will not be far away.

M – Manage your time. Maximize your day so that every activity is focused on selling more. For example, plan your calls to limit windshield time and keep office and paperwork time to a minimum. Make time in every day to prospect for new customers. Take time to study your competition and find ways to overcome their strengths and capitalize on their weaknesses.

O – Set Objectives. A specific set of objectives will provide direction and a course for all your activity. Set objectives for the number of initial contacts per day/week/month and the number of appointments and presentations per day/week/month. Then set your dollar sales goals. They will be much easier to attain.

R – Establish Rapport. Develop a rapport with your customer to build trust. Trust is a powerful sales motivator. Customers buy from people that they like and believe that they can count on. Get to know your customer and build on that relationship.

E – Endure. Remember the old adage, slow and steady wins the race. There will always be set backs and disappointments but successful sales pros bounce back, plough ahead and always see opportunities in their sights rather than obstacles.

Micros San Diego Announces new Sales Executive

February 15, 2009 in News and Info with 1 Comment
Tags: long beach, micros 3700, micros e7, micros res, micros san diego, Vinny Gebhart

February 16, 2009

The San Diego district office would like to officially welcome Vince Gebhart to their team of Sales Executives. Vince will be servicing the Downtown and South Bay region of San Diego County. Vince brings 2 years of implementation experience to the team as well as a full understanding of the full complement of Micros products and services.

Implementation Specialist • MICROS Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA (2007 to Present)

Lead implementation, customization, and support of information management systems for enterprise and small business customers. Consult with business owners and management teams to define initial scope of work, functional requirements, and design specifications. Train clients’ management teams and staff in best practices for increasing efficiency and profitability, including payroll integration, labor management, forecasting, and cost controls.

Develop custom databases, reports, and applications. Deploy relational database management systems (RDBM) for high-volume, transaction-oriented environments. Configure, test, and troubleshoot complete information management and operating systems. Ensure PCI compliance mandated by credit card industry.

•    Support 300+ business accounts with expert consulting, training, and technical services, including San Diego Zoo, Legoland, San Diego Airport, San Diego State University, Hilton, Sheraton, Hard Rock Hotel, The Ivy Hotel, and The Grand Del Mar Resort.

•    Managed enterprise IT implementation for second-largest university campus in California: MICROS 9700 HMS for San Diego State University. Integrated retail and restaurant information management systems campus-wide. Configured custom application to export MICROS 9700 data to SDSU’s accounting system.

• Successfully executed 30 implementations of information systems for varied business clients, from small, specialized operations to enterprises spanning large geographic areas.

•    Recognized expert on MICROS information management systems, documentation, support, databases, and implementation workflow for retail and restaurant customers. Authored several articles for MICROS internal knowledge base and provided expert commentary for MICROS dealer forums online. Trained 2 new hires in implementation, project management, and customer business processes.