HOW OUR RESTAURANT WORKS

Before I opened Mezzanotte (and way before I opened Capriccio) I used to eat at restaurants frequently. Actually the only good memory I have from my previous corporate life is the dining out with clients, vendors, partners, etc.

But, regardless of the restaurant or the event, I never thought of what goes on in the kitchen or in any other aspect of the operation. I just expected good food and good service.

I now have a totally different perspective and wanted to share bits and pieces of that perspective with you. It is a fascinating world and hope it fascinates you too.

This week I am starting with the dish washing area .

DISHWASHING - MOST CRITICAL FUNCTION

You may think that cooking is the most critical function in a restaurant operation. And you are right - at least partially. But what happens when the cooks run out of pans to cook on? what happens if we run out of dishes to serve the food? how about glasses for water and/or wine? You see what I am saying?

There are two main components to the dishwashing system: the dishwasher (the machine) and the dishwasher (the person that "feeds" the machine). Without a machine it would be virtually impossible to keep up with the volume on a busy night. And without the person then somebody from the cooking line needs to abandon the line to do the dishwashing. So then the line slows down, the dishes don't come out on time, etc. You see the criticality?

Dishwashers (machine) used in restaurants come in many shapes and sizes. They clean dishes the same way regular home dishwashers do, by using jets of hot water. However, the parts of a commercial dishwasher have to stand up to constant, repeated use, so they are heavy-duty. From the pump, to the racks, to the seals on the door, everything on a commercial unit must be strong. Commercial machines are also capable of washing dishes much more quickly, able to do an entire rack of glasses and plates in a few minutes. Most models use many gallons of water, but the water is reused within a given wash cycle, passing through filters before being pumped into the spray arms again. This is the machine we have at Mezzanotte (the unit at Capriccio is twice as big because the volume is higher):

Commercial washers accept standard commercial dish racks. In a restaurant setting, sterilization is much more important than it is for home use. Normal dishwasher temperatures are not actually high enough to sterilize the dishes completely. So we use 3 chemicals in our machines: Detergent, Rinse, and Sanitizer.

Here is a view of our dishwasher "line".

Here you see a 3 compartment sink where pots, pans, plates, etc. are scraped and rinsed before entering the machine (notice on the floor 3 large buckets with the chemicals needed to effectively wash and sanitize).

The dishwasher (person) job is not easy. It gets very stressful when the line starts running out of pans (and we have many, believe me) to cook or the bar starts running out of glasses, etc. So, as you can imagine, the dishwasher (person) is a very appreciated individual in our kitchens.

Hope this was interesting. Next week I will tackle another important restaurant function.