THE RESTAURANT SMELLS I DETESTED

A restaurant kitchen is loaded with odours. Unfortunately, some are bad. Two really got under my skin though, so to speak.


Coffee pot

A lot of coffee is poured in a busy restaurant. Quite often a pot with just a bit of coffee was left on the warmer and the water evaporated. If left too long, the residual coffee charred, and that rancid smell would always catch my attention as I walked through the kitchen. It seemed that staff were unaware.

Rankled, I would soak the pot and hope that the bitterness would be removed.  The integrity of the glass pot was also compromised.


Dishcloth

 The other smell that made me cringe was a dishcloth that had been used for too long. In a restaurant kitchen, that could be just an hour. Being moist and full of food particles, putrid best described it.  

Busy staff could miss changing them on a regular basis. The kitchen, bar and dining room required different procedures, but were no less important in the overall operation.


Mise en place is important to an efficient foodservice operation, but so is the ongoing cleanliness that goes with it. If not, I can smell it.