Working at an Industry Bar, and Why You Should Visit One
What an industry bar actually is, what I saw working at one in NYC for years, and why these late-night kitchens are some of the best rooms to visit.
Section
Industry
Restaurants, hospitality, and the business of food.
What a Saucier Is and Why the Station Still Matters
What a saucier is, why the sauce station was historically the most respected in the kitchen brigade, and what survives in modern restaurant kitchens today.
What a Chef de Partie Is and How Each Station Runs
What a chef de partie does, where the station chef sits in the kitchen brigade, and what the classical roles (saucier, garde manger, grill) look like today.
What a Chef de Cuisine Really Runs in a Modern Kitchen
What a chef de cuisine actually does in a modern restaurant kitchen, how the role differs from an executive chef, and what it takes to get there.
What a Sous Chef Actually Does on the Modern Line
What a sous chef actually does in a modern restaurant: running service, managing prep, coaching the line, and stepping in on any station that needs it.
The Kitchen Brigade System and What's Left of It Today
What the kitchen brigade system actually is, who's in it, and how much of Escoffier's structure still runs a modern restaurant. A walk through every station.
Being in the Weeds and the Ticket Machine Nightmare That Follows
What 'in the weeds' really means in a restaurant kitchen. A former NYC chef on the ticket machine, the panic attacks, and how you actually dig out.
Are Restaurant Reviews Still Credible in 2026?
Are restaurant reviews still credible in 2026? Critics, influencers, and crowd-sourced star ratings now compete for the same word. How to read each kind.
Why I Regret Leaving Corporate Dining for Restaurant Work
Corporate dining vs restaurant work: I left the first for the second twenty years ago, and I regret it. A former chef on the fork that defines a career.
Is Becoming a Chef Worth It? A Former Chef's Honest Answer
Is becoming a chef worth it? An honest answer from someone who did. What culinary schools and food TV don't tell you, what the trade actually costs.
How Restaurants Set Menu Prices
Food cost percentage, anchor pricing, the math behind a $35 entrée — and what diners are actually paying for when they pay restaurant prices.
The Real Reason Restaurants Charge for Bread
Bread used to be free. Now it's $6 a basket at the table. The labor, ingredient, and operational economics that turned bread from a courtesy into a billable line item.
The Economics of Wine Markups
Why restaurants charge three to four times retail for wine, what diners are actually paying for, and where the value sits on a typical wine list.
Why Most Restaurants Don't Take Reservations Anymore
The walk-only model is spreading across casual and mid-tier restaurants. The math behind it, what operators gain from it, and what diners lose.
Tips Are Going Away. What Comes Next?
Service charges, hospitality fees, automatic gratuity, and built-in pricing — the math behind the menu changes that are quietly ending tipping in American restaurants.
The Hidden Economics of Tipping Pools
How tip income is actually distributed in modern restaurants — the legal framework, the accounting, and who wins or loses depending on the pool structure.
The Lease Is the Recipe
Most restaurants don't fail because of the food. They fail because of the rent — and the lease terms that locked in their fate before the doors opened. A primer for diners and operators alike.
Why Restaurants Keep Closing in Their Second Year
Year one is the honeymoon. Year two is the bill. A look at the structural reasons independent restaurants disproportionately fail in their second year — and what the survivors do differently.