Restaurant Families
October 12, 2009
Professional food people need to eat too. Restaurant owners and managers know that food sustains us, that good food makes us feel better about life. Even more than the food, restauranteurs are aware of the social climate surrounding a meal. Sharing a good meal makes us feel better about the people we are with, and builds a sense of the group.
That is why, before the lunch or dinner shift, the management typically serves what is called the staff or family meal.
Putting this meal together is part of the job of the kitchen staff. In very large establishments, there are people whose sole job is to provide this benefit. But these meals are served with several constraints. The meal is a business expense, not a revenue-producer. It is often composed of left-overs or scraps, and it should not take an inordinate amount of staff time to produce.
Still, in the best-run establishments, these family meals are delicious and light-hearted; a place where the work family can come together before the real work begins.
Mealtimes Matter Video
from Miriam Weinstein
About Miriam
Miriam Weinstein is an award-winning documentary filmmaker. As a journalist, she has won several awards from the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in Boston Magazine, the Boston Globe magazine, Hope, and ParentSource. A former staff member for North Shore Weeklies and freelancer for Essex County Newspapers, she writes restaurant reviews and food columns as well as features on a wide variety of subjects. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her husband and has two grown children.
The Surprising Power of Family Meals
In her book, The Surprising Power of Family Meals, Miriam Weinstein shows how this basic human institution helps nourish and strengthen our families today. You can buy this book from our friends at Smucker's® Online Store.
