The 10 Commandments of F&B

By Karl Prohaska
Lewis Black is not happy. He’s terribly funny and wildly intelligent but decidedly less than pleased. He’s made a very nice living and has been paid handsomely for not being happy. He finds the foibles of everyday life to be irritating to the point where the viewer or listener is completely sure all the blood vessels in his head will simultaneously burst in such a spectacular fashion that if you played “Clair de Lune” when it was happening, it would rival the fountains at Bellagio in Vegas. Naturally, I’m a huge fan.

In his latest book, Me of Little Faith, he takes on organized religion, and about this subject, oddly enough, he’s not happy. Being an equal opportunity curmudgeon, he even takes issue with his own religion…lots and lots of issue. It got me thinking about “religion.” Now, this little missive is not about religion…well it is, but it’s not. Since we are all F&B professionals and it’s something we believe in and follow devotedly to the point where it becomes a matter of ethics or conscience, we can borrow certain tenets.

Most everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments. Even if you are not of a faith that believes in Moses and his stone tablets, it’s hard to argue with what they have to say. They are short, sweet, and to the point… kind of an early version of The Idiot’s Guide on How to Not Be a Dirtbag. Most of the things are fairly obvious, which makes adapting them to our current calling ideal. It’s nice to have things all in one place, so here’s your Top Ten. (I’ll spare you the sight of me in a long beard and flowing robes.)

1. Food and Beverage is thy Lord and Master. Get serious or get out.

2. Thou shalt not have any Lords and Masters before me. It’s cool, and indeed necessary, to understand that we are but part of a greater whole. We need to understand it because we are never going to be the big kids on the block regarding profit margin. We simply cannot sell our wares for what the Rooms Folks can sell theirs. There is a difference in knowing that and understanding that and drinking the sales Kool-Aid, Heads in Beds Flavor. Simply because we can accept that fate doesn’t mean allow people to “name their own price” and we don’t scratch and claw for every penny we have coming to us. As they have a room rate they will not go under, so must we have our drop dead dollar figure. Dip below that and someone owes me the difference.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of hospitality in vain. It’s not just the name of our industry, it should be the feeling of our industry. It’s interaction versus transaction. If you just want to function with “turn and burn,” then go work at the DMV.

4. Remember the Sabbath. Period. Many of us look at Sundays as our rightful day off. We’ve worked long and hard and advanced our careers for that privilege. But when you think about it, Sunday can be a GREAT business day. It’s generally the day you don’t have deliveries coming in, so you’re not really spending a lot of money, and there are generally fewer distractions from “everyone else” being there. It’s a good day to run specials, clean walk-ins, set up your week. What many consider a day of rest, the enterprising department head considers as a day to “get stuff done.” It’s also a great day to get in there and train your assistant managers, your captains, and your sous chefs. I’ve spent many a Sunday with my executive sous chef. It lets him know I care about his development, empowers him, gives him a sense of pride. It also keeps him from calling me in the future because Sunday is Big Daddy’s day off.

5. Honor thy mother and father (especially on the days named for them). Many places have gone away from traditional brunches because of the expense involved in the full-on “dog and pony show.” All that means is we need to be smarter. Spend less on the flowers; skip the ice carving. Use action stations as focal points and make them kid-friendly. If it’s still too expensive, do well-thought-out specials. The community goodwill is worth the time and trouble.

6. Thou shalt not kill thy kitchen staff, thy housemen, or thy banquet staff. Dear sales and catering folks, elaborate and complicated is wonderful. Creative timing, setups, and menus are a necessity simply to keep up these days. However, we should never outstrip the talent level of the people who are doing all this. I’m all for pushing limits and training to a greater level of excellence, but too much too soon equals failure. Most staffs have oodles of pride and won’t take kindly to being set up to fail. Make sure we can do it before you contract us to do it.


7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Don’t double dip, so to speak. Having a vested interest in a group we’re servicing is a dangerous thing. It can cause people to make bad decisions based on wanting to be “nice” and “supportive”. Everyone can read BEOs and see the deal being cut–your involvement with the group will no doubt be revealed either in a meeting or in the locker room. We’re going to find out, and everything about your actions will be called into question. It’s human nature to do so. One team or the other is going to suffer because of it. If you’re deeply invested in the group, stay out of it and let someone else service them.

8. Thou shalt not steal. This isn’t your money, food, or booze. Ask me before you take it upon yourself to help yourself. If you break a bottle, I’m afraid I need to see the broken bottle. Don’t clock in and then disappear for 20 minutes. Theft, whether it be food or booze or time, is a profit killer. Stealing clients from other joints, however, is perfectly acceptable. See below.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Thou shouldst, however, feel free to point out how much more banquet space you have, how much more talented your chef is, and how we might be able to work with you a little on that price. Thou shalt remember that much of what we consider “loyalty” is what they consider “a deal.” You may be friendly with your competition; you may even like them personally. But you need to be prepared to stand on their throats if need be, because that’s what pirates do. As was stated when the walls of Jericho came a’tumbling down… “it’s not personal, it’s just business.”

10. Thou shalt covet they neighbor’s…well, everything. Good ideas are good ideas no matter where they come from. Take a look at their equipment, setup, menus, space, and people. In order to overtake, one first needs to keep up.

Sources : Hotel F&B Magazine