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If we "normies" have learned anything from The Bear, it is that working in a professional kitchen is not for the fainthearted. Perhaps there's less shouting and familial drama, but the stressful environment is definitely there. According to the National Restaurant Association, the restaurant and food service industry accounts for 10% of the total U.S. workforce.
But working in restaurants comes with its own joys and challenges. There's the high turnover rate, demanding customers, incompetent prep cooks, and accidental spills that make you want to crawl inside the Earth's crust and never come back. The folks at "Kitchen Confidential" have seen it all, and if you've ever cried in a walk-in freezer, these posts might be relatable to you, too.
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#1
Dishwasher Sheepishly Asked For Some Fries. This Is What I Made For Him
Started with a sour cream based avocado mousse followed by fries tossed in NC BBQ spice and topped New York strip, cheese, long cut pico de Gallo and chives.
We take care of our dishes around here.
RELATED:
#2
Server Came Back And Said They Had A Guest Who Was Autistic And All They Wanted Was A Tower Of Grilled Cheese. I Was More Than Happy To Oblige
When we're talking about the harsh demands of the restaurant industry, we're talking about the insane hours that the kitchen staff have to work. Chefs, for example, work 50 or more hours a week, and they don't get days off like regular office folks. Nights, weekends, and holidays are workdays, too. Some chefs work 12 to 14-hour shifts seven days a week.
Officially, a chef's workday is only eight hours, but hardly any chef can just clock out at the end of those eight hours. Working in a kitchen means you either have to cover for a sick or absent colleague, wait until all the diners clear out (sometimes there is a rush before closing), and stay overtime for an hour or more to clean up.
#4
The Dedication On My New Book
#5
I’m A Health Inspector (Sorry Everyone). This Restaurant Today Had A Walken Cooler
Earthquake903 13 hours ago
My son works at a restaurant that has a Christopher Walken cooler and an Ice Cube freezer.
#6
Good Morning 😃
You might think that it's not all that bad if you're making decent money. Well, it all depends on your position. Chefs and head cooks earn an average of $60,990 per year, or $29.32 per hour. But that's when you have five or more years of experience under your belt. Line cooks, for example, earn $35,760 per year, or $17.19 per hour. Those who work in fast food earn even less, around $14 an hour.
For some, it's worth it; some cooks are really passionate about their work and are, according to a common saying, "married to their job." Others, however, see how problematic it is: work-life balance is practically non-existent, the pay is low, the work hours are brutal, and there are few signs that indicate the industry is going to change.
#7
I Think I've Struck Gold, This Is The View From My New Kitchen's Smoke Spot!
#8
I Asked One Of My Cooks To Make Deviled Eggs
#9
Honor The Regulars!!!
Two things can be true at the same time: chefs love their jobs but find such a work model unsustainable. According to a 2026 survey of 460 chefs globally by Bournemouth University and The Burnt Chef, 69% of chefs think about leaving their current role often or all the time. Two-thirds also admit that they actively search for jobs online, and many do so often.
#10
Painfully Accurate 💯
Doug Moyer 3 hours ago
One summer, I was dishwasher at a truck stop restaurant. I never looked that good...
#11
Asked For These To Be Sliced In Half For Hot Dogs
#12
$700 Charcuterie Board We Prepped For A Client
A lack of work-life balance is an old and well-known issue in the industry. That same survey by Bournemouth University showed that 70% of chefs say that work interferes with their personal and family life a great deal. Many kitchen workers find that they often have to miss milestones and disappoint family members. As it becomes harder and harder to juggle family life and work, many decide to quit or pursue other careers.
#13
Eyeballed My Sugar In Front Of Chef. "That's About 600g". Chef: "You Sure About That?"
Stephanie Did It 11 hours ago
A good chef would insist on accuracy, so this one is a good mentor.
#14
Buddy Texts Me After A 12 Hour Shift
#15
God Bless
A professional kitchen is not a cushy office; there's often no HR to protect them from management taking advantage of their position. In bigger establishments, Human Resources might be present, but smaller joints don't even have such a department. That's why worker mistreatment is rampant in the industry.
#16
Carrot Brunoise Practice: The Final Cut
#17
Almost Cried On The Line Tonight
Laserleader 13 hours ago
We did the same. She wouldn't eat anything besides hamburger meat and we just fed her fast food burgers until she was stuffed, took one last walk in the park, and took her in.
As kids, many of us watched Gordon Ramsay rip young chefs a new one and called it entertainment. However, there's nothing entertaining about giving your subordinates ulcers, PTSD, and leading with fear. Sadly, this is still the reality for many kitchen workers. Some chefs shared their traumas with the researchers from Bournemouth University, with one recalling how his head chef verbally attacked a young chef for having a panic attack. "How dare you have a panic attack in my restaurant?" was the boss's reaction.
#19
I Just Got Hired As A Cook At A Nice Italian Restaurant. This Job Means A Lot To Me And My Girlfriend Just Surprised Me With This!! 😭❤️
Luke || Kira (he/she) 7 hours ago
I guess I'm getting old since I looked at all those beautiful knives and shivered in excitement
#20
Asked My Chef How He Needed Veg Diced
#21
Gm Told Me Cracking A Double Egg Means I Knocked Someone Up, And Brother I'm Shakin In My Nonslip Clogs
Deta Rossiter 4 hours ago
i saw on youtibe, there was a restaurant in Japan, that ony use double yolked egss, apparantly the farm they buy from has a notoriously high double yolk laying hens
Despite all of those hardships, professional kitchen workers seem to be pressing on. Maybe "Kitchen Confidential" helps them vent their frustrations so they can come to work with a clear head the next day? We certainly hope so! And we hope seeing the secrets and inside jokes from the restaurant industry helps you appreciate the work that kitchen professionals do. If you feel like you haven't seen enough of the inner workings of a professional kitchen, check out our previous publications about "Kitchen Confidential" here, here, and right here!
#22
Not Mine, Stolen From Facebook But Thought You All Would Appreciate This! "Malort... Cause These Pants Aren't Gonna Poo Themselves" 😂
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 hours ago (edited)
"Jeppson's Malört is an American brand of bäsk [Swedish-style liquor flavored with wormwood or anise] liqueur, a type of brännvin [old Nordic term for distilled liquor, generally from potatoes, grain, or (formerly) wood cellulose etc.] flavored with anise or wormwood. Known for its extremely bitter taste, Malört has been described as 'infamous' and 'the worst booze ever'."
#23
Got Sent Home For Not Taking Notes During Preshift. My "Notes" Every Day Since:
#24
My Coworker (Jack) Requested A Day Off
#25
Made A Waitress Some Grub Past Closed After A Busy Friday, Got This Message
#26
The Girl Who Usually Works Sauce Asked Me Why I Was Pan Frying The Cod... This Is An Absolute 116g Monster Of A Scallop
#27
Worst Spill I’ve Had To Date
#28
I Goofed Up
Stephanie Did It 11 hours ago
Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it Whospilledthebeans dammit!
#29
First Day At A Michelin Star Restaurant, Chef Had Me Whittle Some "Romaine Plugs" Is This Standard Practice Anywhere Else?
#31
When You Accidentally Happen To Be The Only Food Truck At A Massive Outdoor Market Event
Luke || Kira (he/she) 7 hours ago
The revenue gonna be heavenly but those poor guys gonna end with a PTSD at the end of the day.
#32
What Do You Call This Thing For Clearing The Fryers? I Got In Trouble With The Gm For Calling It The “Abortionator”
goshyarnit:
Lovingly referred to as "have you seen the fryer... stick... hook... thing" while vaguely gesturing it's size with your hands.
#33
Frick Doordash Special Requests Idgaf If You’re A Regular Or Say Thank You
Laserleader 13 hours ago
Regulars with these demands, need to find another place to eat. There's always better customers.
#34
I Got 99 Problems And A Touch Screen Fryer Is One Of Them!!!
Nicole Weymann 5 hours ago
Touch screens are overrated anyway - but nowhere moreso than in places where people need to work with their hands or gloves. And whatever could go wrong with installing them at hip height, and directly below a well of *hot* grease...? /S
#35
Cutting A Cup Of Chives Ever Day Until This Reddit Says They’re Perfect. Day 3
#36
Op Deleted It, But The 700 Bucks Vegetable Platter Can Never Be Forgotten!
#37
My Chef - We Don't Need A Dish Washer It'll Be A Slow Night
#39
15 Y/O Son Made This
#41
Psa To My Coworkers, The Plates Should Look Like This Before You Put Them In The Dishwasher
LakotaWolf (she/her) 6 hours ago
I'm not used to using a dishwasher (hand-washed all my dishes for over a decade) and I wasn't sure how much a normal residential dishwasher could "handle" XD So I basically pre-washed all of my dishes and silverware before putting it into the dishwasher. I'm still not sure how much my dishwasher can actually handle/how well it cleans, because even though I've stopped the pre-wash, I still rinse off my plates til they basically look like this before loading the dishwasher XD
#42
For Halloween, I Dressed Up As The Guy Who Spilled 4l Of Extra Reduced Down Lobster Stock
#43
Seriously, Michael. I'm Done
#44
Who Woulda Thought?
#45
This Is A Real Knife That Is Used By The Fish Cutter At My Current Job. He's Been Using It For 35 Years
#46
This Is Why We Hate People
Stephanie Did It 11 hours ago
But crab is considered shellfish? Who would order like that (or serve it)?
#47
Bleach To “Sanitize” Lettuce? Is That A Thing Or Is My Boss Poisoning People?
Satakans:
To my understanding (not in the US so check your local regulations), bleach in a MEASURED ratio is acceptable for things like cleaning produce and to serve as sanitizer solution during service.
But again, this should be measured not just chuck a capful in a sink of water and hope for the best.
Fransanchez 13 hours ago
I've done that before, years ago, and the lettuce will always got rinsed/washed afterwards
#48
I Was So Confused Seeing A $99 Kids Meal
Laserleader 13 hours ago
No. Thats not how kids meals work for a business.. and anyone who runs their business with that is failing. I order a kids meal because I can't eat a full meal and I don't believe in waste.
#49
Donning Her Bandaid Bikini As To Not Offend The Monks At My Job
#50
Asked The New Guy To Put Ice In The Soda Fountain Machine
#51
Meatball Braise…
Barbara Hill 13 hours ago
They don't know what they are serving, Not good, what if a customer asked about the sauce because they like it.
#52
Server Came To The Back With This Note Asking What We Can Make Her 😭
#53
This Is Staging Behind My Store And My Staff Just Dipped Out…
Mark Alexander 2 hours ago
Don't tell us. Get in the street and protect your coworkers, friends, and country.
#54
Mid Service Last Night, One Of My Cooks Slowly Walks Up To Me, Giggling, And Goes "I Made This For You"
He was cutting pork belly, this was all the rendered fat in the pan. Love this kid.
WindySwede 10 hours ago
Op"He was cutting pork belly, this was all the rendered fat in the pan. F****n love this kid"
#55
Just Witnessed Some Big Bug Kamikaze Directly Into My Fryer. Don’t Worry I’m Discarding The Oil
#58
Heat Stroke On My First Day
Laserleader 12 hours ago
I admit, I quit a place that had an average temp of 95f by the grill, and even worse when washing dishes in extra hot water. I nearly fainted, and walked off the job when my requests for a fan were ignored. Apparently since all my co-workers were fresh Phillipinos, they were used to it and were too afraid to complain, so management didn't bother to get a fan.
#59
I Work In An Upscale Seafood Restaurant And Get Order Like This All Day
Tobi Ornot 5 hours ago
When they tell their huge allergy stories and count up all they can´t eat. At last their question "What can you recommend?" You should answer: "A Taxi."
#61
This Is Insane I Just Got Handed A Laminated Allergy Sheet For 1 Single Person
Stephanie Did It 11 hours ago
This sounds more like "I have the palate of a toddler and I only like this stuff"
#62
Coworker Roasted My Knife Over The Burner So He Can Cut Styrofoam
#63
Drunk Man Was Convinced The Foh Woman Was His Soulmate
#64
My Dishwasher Is A Prisoner Of The Dish Pit
#66
Someone Cut The Front Off My Cake The Night Before The Order Was Due
#67
How My Italian Chef Responded Before Seeing I Dropped The News My Grandma Had Cancer😭
#68
Chef Burned A Case And A Half Of Duck
Nicole Weymann 5 hours ago
Hard to salvage that. Might be able to take off the skin and make fricassée from the rest as dish of the day? Pulled duck burger, maybe?
#70
My GF Wanted To Be Cute And Bought Me A Chef Knife
#71
Coworker Was Asked To Slice Strawberries. Now We’ve Got Six Quarts Of Anuses
#72
Apparently This Is A "Massive Mess" That Is "Wasting Product" And Will "Throw Off Inventory For The Week"
#73
An Allergy Notification Card I Received On One Of The Busiest Nights In December
#77
Weird Marks While Cleaning The Flattop?
Laserleader 13 hours ago
You mean you placed the sponge randomly in the surface while wiping it?
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