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It doesn't have to be as bad as Bourdain makes it. He had a combative, machismo style and it's no surprise that he found himself surrounded with similar people. There are a lot of real, inherent difficulties. A kitchen is an enormous amount of work to do, and customers are very price sensitive. There is an enormous amount of overhead cost, and all of that makes the margins very thin. During service, discipline is paramount, because each table has a lot of things coming together at once, and any mistake makes for a less pleasant experience for the diner. Which is, after all, your job. It's a hospitality industry, not just a food industry. That makes it hard, but it doesn't have to be horrific. Unfortunately, the culture often makes it horrific: a staff expecting to be treated like Bourdain does creates hostility. They expect to change jobs often. That creates distance, and a self-fulfilling prophecy. A better-run kitchen pays well, keeps staff, enforces discipline fairly, and ends up costing a bit more for a much better service. And then goes out of business, much of the time. |