To read as a team
Marc Alexis Pepin is going to spend a few services with us. He is a chef who keeps restaurant menus moving for a living, with new dishes every month and a kitchen that holds up, and we called him because we want the house to do better. Nobody here is doing a bad job; we just want to see what a fresh pair of eyes can bring us.
While he is here, he will watch you work, ask questions, taste what goes out and look at numbers you do not usually see. He will also suggest ways of doing things that are different from yours. That is why he is coming.
We know everyone has their own moves and their own pride in a kitchen, and that pride is what sends out a beautiful plate at nine on a Saturday night. We are asking one thing of you during his visit: try what he suggests, the way he suggests it. If something does not work in our reality, tell him straight to his face. He would much rather hear that than get a nod followed by a return to the old way as soon as his back is turned.
When he leaves, the kitchen will be yours again, like before. You will keep what worked for you and the rest will fade on its own. For it to be worth anything, it has to be tried all the way through.
Thank you for welcoming him the way you would want to be welcomed in another kitchen.
The management