Scheduling
WokChow utelizes an online scheduling system called “When I Work”. It is free to use and view your schedule on any internet conencted device.
Requests Off: Should you want to request a day off, it is necessary to enter any requests into the “When I work” application atleast 2 weeks ahead.
Calling In: As you can imagine, WokChow has a specific number of team members assigned to every shift. When someone does not come to work, it puts extra strain on the remaining staff and could cause negative guest experiences. It’s important that if your unable to come to work, it is a serious issue. If you are a habitual offender, it is the option of the manager to require a doctor’s note before you can return to work. Becasue we rely on employees to come to work, failure to do so could limit your sceduled shifts etc.
Kitchen Positions
WokChow runs a kitchen with 4 main positions. This is what they are called and what they do:
- Drahma… This chef reads the tickets when they come in and gathers all ingredients for the dish. This would include meats, vegetables, and sometimes rice.
- Expoditor/Rice Man… This chef takes the items the Drahma chef has prepared and hands it to the chef. He communicates what is being prepared. Once the chef is done, this person gathers the appropriate rice selection and sells the entree.
- Wok 1… This is the most specialized position in the kitchen. This is the main Wok Chef that not only prepared all meats, but cooks dishes at well. It is very demanding and a lot of skill must be present to work well in this capacity.
- Wok 2… This position also cooks food and works together with the wok 1. Because wok 2 has less to do, he will be tasked with filling sauces and keep the area clean.
The most important thing to consider about WokChow and the way our kitchen operates, is that it take san entire team. A typical restaurant has many stations that operate independently of one another. For example a grill cook would cook burgers, while a pasta guy would prepare the pasta. WokChow does not work like this.
Who’s the boss?
It’s important to remember that we are all working as a team. Every team has a head coach. What the coach says goes. The coach on the line is the Expoditor/rice guy. Their coach, and the top dog of any shift, is the Quality coordinator. This is a front of house team member, usually a shift leader or manager that is responsible for checking the quality of the dishes the kitchen prepares. No matter what they say, their decision is final. We will never argue with them.
An Assembly Line
WokChow works just like an assembly line. Consisting of 2-6 cooks, 90% of all items pass thru the hands of each cook. The first one pulls the ticket and prepares the protein, passes it to a vegetable chef that readies the veggies. Then the Rice Chef passes the food to the cook and tells him what he is preparing. Finally a chef sells the food.
Because of this style of cooking, it is important to remember many factors.
- If there is a single slow cook, this slows down the entire guest experience.
- You must be able to move with a sense of urgency
- Following procedures is a must! You have to do everything the same way everyone does it. This allows us to help one another and know what is going on at any given time.
Dish Area
It doesn’t matter which position you work, your probably going to have to wash dishes from time to time. This spot is no less important than Wok 1.
The title says it all. “Dishwasher” They are responsible for ensuring that dishes are clean. Here are some things to consider about washing dishes.
- Dishes should be well rinsed before washing
- Extra debris should always be removed before washing
- Dishes should be allowed to dry in the rack before putting away. This takes about 30 – 60 seconds.
- Our machine is small, but that doesn;t mean you have to move slow. Since the machine can wash a rack every 60 seconds, and the typically employee can load a rack in about 20 seconds, in order to maximize efficiency the dish machine should always be running. This means when one rack is done washing, another is immediately ready to load into the machine.
Please watch this video on dish machine maintenance.
Prepping foods
Each position in the kitchen will be responsible for preparing items. All recipes can be found in the recipe tablet affixed to the wall close to the hand sink in the prep kitchen. Use the search field to find the recipe your looking for. If a video is included, please be certain to watch the video the first time you prepare the item. If you need to review the video at a later time please do so. It is important to ensure that all items are made correctly.
Once an item is prepared it must be labeled. Label the item with designated labels. Place the date you made the item, the item name, and your initials.
Food Handling
WokChow follows F.I.F.O.
F- First
I- In
F- First
O- Out
This is an acronym that means the first item we received from the vender, is the first one we use. It’s important to always rotate stock.
Proper cooling techniques are simple as well. Food should be kept out of the danger zone. If we are not prepping items, they should go into the cooler. If we prepped for example a hot sauce, it to should immediately go into the cooler. We never let items rest at room temperature unless we are working with that item.
Drinks
Kitchen employees can have drinks. There is only one designated place that drinks must reside. The location is directly above the prep area hand sink on the shelf. No food items should be stored on this shelf. Storing a drink in any other location is a health code violation.
Handwashing
It’s important to wash your hands often. The number one cause of food borne illness is dirty hands. Wash them often. Always wash them when entering the kitchen, after using the restroom, or after handling raw food.
Please watch this video on how to wash hands.
Towel Maintenance
We have a limited number of towels. It’s important to use them only when needed. Rinse them out in sanitizer water if necessary.
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