# Is it normal for line cooks to not get breaks?



## gnosh (Aug 22, 2007)

I've been in the industry for years (started out as dishwasher and have worked my way up to lead saute), and have never once gotten more then 1 or 2 breaks over 5-10 minutes per shift (alot of times not any break at all, even on 16 hour long shifts). Is it normal for line cooks to not get the "standard" alloted break times that other people in the working world get? (And I realize that the restaurant world is *completely * different then the rest of the working world, but after realizing this the other day, it would certainly make working the line a little more doable at the end of the day I think).


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## dillbert (Jul 2, 2008)

it is neither normal or legal.

how to handle that situation depends on . . . .


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

It's fairly common for line cooks to not take breaks, or not take as many as other professions.
Occasionally they are denied breaks, but that should be rare these days.
But many just don't take them.
They want to get the work done, don't want to lose their rythym.
They are also the ones who usually rise up through the ranks.
Not for their not getting breaks, but for the overall attitude that is shown, foregoing breaks just being one aspect, that "get the job done at all costs" attitude.

I have run into situations where I try to get a cook to take a break only to have them resist.
I finally tell them that they are officially on break....if they wish to spend it cooking next to me, that's their business.

Food service is somewhat unique....in a typical 9-5 job, you could usually take your breaks every 2 hours.
In a restaurant, customers don't come in according to that schedule.
You might get a couple of breaks close together, or at the end of the shift.

When I was rising up (once I got my head on straight), I wanted to spend as much time gaining hands-on experience.
Before that, I was just looking for an excuse to not work.

Basically, it's an individual thing.
You want a break?
Take one.
If they don't let you, you have a decision to make.
I won't bother to spell it out for you.


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## chefelle (Feb 17, 2007)

I have two speeds---basically full throttle GO and dead STOP. If I take a break it's game over for me so I'd prefer not to. And sitting down is the kiss of death. But as an employer I try my best to keep an eye on my staff and ask them if they need or want to take a break.


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

There's certainly a difference between whether you're granted breaks or whether you actually take one.


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

When I was young....my breaks were in the walkin or the bathroom...there just wasn't time to stop....or so they made you feel.....Work hard, work smart, and no good chef will deny you a break if you need it.....


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## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

I go from 6:30am - 3-5pmish depending on the type of day for a food service scene. I'm scheduled to go on break 10:00-10:30 and 1:30-2:00. I can tell you that this never happens as stated above, I need to get things done that is time sensitive and many other workers don't abide by the break schedule leaving me usually to cover. If I say no, they go to the manager and I usually end up having to do so anyways so its a no win for me (they're union, I'm not). I've done whole 12hour days without a break, not even to hit the bathroom. Last year opening day, I pulled a double (16hrs) to work night, close, and train in a new person to work nights while a large order (200+ pieces) came in which the dipsh1t left on the loading dock (1 floor above me). Didn't have time to stuff the order away, only stick it into the storage room, and I didn't even get a break. Manager argued it would have taken me 5mins to do when it took her almost a full hour first thing in the morning.

This is a typical day for me so even in a food service environment, we don't get breaks either. I think its a commonality with this whole industry. That and low pay.


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

the short answer is no. the long answer is, when you get your station down, you'll know when you can step out for 5 minutes and not screw yourself. I usually have gotten 2 breaks a shift in my jobs. I also didn't usually take em till i got comfortable enough with my station that i felt i was ready for any rush that may show up. If you have an employer that won't let you take a break, well......


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## chef.esg.73 (Dec 10, 2007)

My experience is that it is very common for cooks not to get breaks even on 16 hour days. I can even remember when i was 18 pretending to go to the bathroom just to get out of the kitchen :lol:...Even worse than not getting a break is cooking family/staff meal while the waitstaff/FOH managers eats it and we get to keep plugging away n the kitchen while they enjoy our cuisine. Maybe we get a bite out of the pan when they return a hour later as its lying on the dish table,. Just my experience


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## eloki (Apr 3, 2006)

Here it's the law that for every 6 hr+ shift, you got a 15-30 mins break. If you don't take one, then get an accident, you may not get workers compensation because not taking a break "increases your propensity to get hurt". The employer may not be able to claim insurance too, since it's illegal not to have break. Bottom line, everyone has one.


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## sleepy_dragon (Aug 30, 2005)

Break? What is this "break" you speak of? :lol:

Yeah, there's what the law says. And then, there's what people actually do. I am in one of the few kitchens here where all the cooks are salaried; we work 13 - 16 hours a day five days a week. We're allowed a fair amount of autonomy in our kitchen, but nobody takes breaks when there's work to be done. Given the choice between a break, and having service completely tank because we're not prepared enough, breaks go right out the window. Such is life for an ambitious self-driven lot!

That said, the smokers do manage them each day, and being one of the few non-smokers, I tend to go on popsicle/cold beverage runs for everyone, but again, it still comes down to getting as much done as possible as quickly as possible first. Nobody gets juice or soda or energy drink if I'm too busy, unless a server is on hand with a few extra moments to run to the store instead.

At the end of the day, we also all sit down to eat family meal together, table settings and all. So far, this has been the only restaurant where I've experienced this in my 4+ years of cooking. It's really nice, though I have to say it's awfully painful to get up afterwards and finish breakdown and cleanup!

Pat


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

IMO, if you can't take a ten minute break in a twelve hour day, you're doing a crappy job of managing your time. This is 2009- the macho stuff doesn't apply. No matter how much of a stud you think you are, you're subject to the same physiology that everyone else is. Sure, breaks won't come on a schedule like you'd get in a bank, and pace of sales dictates when they are, but no one should ever work for 8+ hours with no kind of break. In the US it's illegal, for starters. You may not take your breaks but if your employer doesn't permit them s/he will land in very hot water.

There's more to being a pro than hangin' N bangin' all night.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

It's not an issue of machismo.
It's wanting to work in the most efficient manner throughout the shift.
Given the choice, I'd rather work at a steady pace than to go all out, sit for 15, go all out, etc.
It's the same reason why on an opening shift I'd show up a half hour early and work off the clock.
It's so that I could get the work done with the least amount of stress.
I can easily work a full shift without a break.
My body rarely needs the rest unless it's balls to the wall all day long, which is rare.
It's typically an ebb and flow.
If my taking a break because I'm entitled, not because I need one, makes my job more stressful by backing up the work, it seems like an easy choice for me.
It's 2009, and people are legally entitled to breaks, and some people actually need one.
Maybe when I hit 50 I'll need them, but that's still a couple of years away.


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## rivver (May 13, 2009)

All my years of cooking I have never had a "real" break, nor have I seen another kitchen member take a break. Our breaks are completely different. My break along with others are "hey watch my station for 5 mins while I go get a smoke, then you can go get one" We do that about every hour, slammed or not.


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## sabbah (Jun 2, 2009)

I sneak out for a smoke after every rush. I've down that at every job I've had in the industry. In fact I usually look at the books and if I know we are going to be slammed I get the mise en place prepped, the soups and whatever else ready and sneak out before the rush as well. You should always be able to find a way to sit down for 5 minutes a few times in 16hr shift...


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## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

Then let me ask this based on this statement. 
Its common, to my ears at least, that many kitchen workers are doing jobs normally done by 2 or more people. Then how do you make time to take a break doing the job of 2 people in a single shift? 

I'm finding this true more so now then ever. I know that restaurants of most caliber don't make much money per meal so managers, owners, and the like push to squeeze as much work out of each person as possible to pocket as much nickles and dime as possible.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

The front line cooks that complain about breaks are probability complaining about everything else in the kitchen. You take your breaks when you can, you smoke when you can, you eat when you can. I have been in this business 30 years and the Cooks that know the knowhow are the ones that do well. The Cooks that worry about breaks and usually scratching their heads in the unemployment line sooner than later.
I'm not saying people don't deserve breaks, but in the Restaurant business only the strong survive.....................Bill


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## chefhow (Oct 16, 2008)

I dont think that anything said better descibes everything that has been said like this one sentence. Ive had the guys that NEED the break every few hours and the guy that works like a machine and let me tell you, the machine will always get ahead while the others are left standing still in their dust. It doesnt matter what year it is and what state you work in, somethings will never change and that is one of them. When I did smoke I learned how to put down a cig in 3 drags and then back at it in less than 2 minutes. When I owned my own place my rule was that if I was out smokin than you could be that was it, but if your station wasnt set and you walked off line to take a break EVERYONE paid and EVERYONE suffered and that included me as an owner. Nobody wants to be "that guy"...


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## rat (Mar 2, 2006)

Man you super macho guys just floor me, take a break for chrissake. That I have to work 20 hours a day every day is what keeps the kitchen in the stone age.

Wake up, people need breaks why are you not taking one for to make your boss money? It is just stupid not to. How can you say you are ready unless you have some time to get your head and your @#$% together before a busy night or after one.

Only the strong survive? what is this? Only the stupid keep doing it for years you mean.
As a chef it is your responsibility both legally and ethically to see your staff has something to eat everyday and time to eat it as well as poo and pee. Believe it or not it is true people will work harder if they feel you really give a crap about them.

If you slack you slack, breaks or not, I think most cooks cannot manage their time correctly so are constantly pressed for time. Work smart, work efficiently. Everyday I see the line go down in flames for not being prepared. Most people forget the rules of setup, timing and hustle.

Pat, seriously now your 4+ years of experience is overwhelming. Working doubles everyday does nothing for you except make your boss money because you have some twisted sense of machismo ("what are those breaks you speak of"). After 25 years in, I see the people who never take their breaks burn out and fade away. You need time maybe after another massive 4 years of experience you may realize that.

I am not sorry for the rant as this is where i would put my usual disclaimer, to advance this industry you have to stop all this super tough guy crap. The only one who cares if you worked 16 hours without any rest is your boss who will be laughing all the way to the bank. Even slaves got a break now and then. Boo hoo to all the people who would flame me here but than like I stated I've been there and done that, I'm better than most at what I do and it just kills me to see the restaurant industry is the only that hasn't advanced in the last 20+ years in terms of pay and hours. Get out of the stone age.


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## rat (Mar 2, 2006)

On a side note I do not condone taking a break when it is balls to the wall full tilt service, that was not my initial intent. I advocate taking one when it is practical and the station it ready to rock.


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## schuster (Apr 21, 2009)

As an additional question, for those who are paid hourly, do you still get paid for your breaks? Even if I'm working a double, I'm required to clock out if I want to grab a quick bite to eat or run out for a quick smoke. It seems ridiculous as I definitely work harder and faster overall when I can get 3 minutes to myself every few hours to sit down, think about what I have to accomplish in the next few hours, and just generally rest for a quick minute. It seems all too many restaurant owners, at least the ones I've worked for, view their employees as disposable and easily replaceable regardless of how good they are at their job. The 10 minutes I'm out smoking on a 12+ hour day is 10 minutes of their money wasted and they feel they could find someone else who won't waste it.

Rat,

Even though I agree with a lot of what you're saying, a lot of my peers can deal with working 16 hour shifts with no break. If I stand up and say I need a break, the owner will simply find someone who won't. Does the owner really care if a cook burns out of the industry in five years? Of course not, he cares about squeezing the most productivity out of his already underpaid cooks. Philosophy is one thing, but I don't see any real way to change things.


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

I guess I don't know how to answer that. If the management isn't capable of making money while staffing within the guidelines of Federal labor law then they simply aren't doing a very good job. Yeah, the economy is tough but that's not a legitimate reason to treat people in that manner. This isn't 1800's America where you can sit a 10 year old in front of sewing machine for 16 hours and lock the doors, nor a Malaysian sweatshop.

Are you really telling me that giving that overworked guy a ten is gonna put your restaurant out of business? If that's the case the place doesn't deserve to survive at all.

I'm 40, and I'll concede that generally only take a single break of maybe 5 minutes. But as a younger guy I didn't even need that. If I was working 12+ again, though, I'd take a break for a quick bite.


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

I was going to leave this one alone, but,.......one factor to consider.....after about 10 hours working hard.....virtually any line cook or chef's productivity and level of focus will start to suffer greatly. A sixteen hour day(7am until 11pm), just ain't practical. For smooth seemless service from the kitchen, you can't have a zombie on the line......10 hours OK....anymore is counterproductive. It goes like this....health, family, work....never forget it or you'll never be able to hang on to any of them....let me tell you....


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Hey Chef, I don't know about your kitchen but, The cooks that can manage their time and station are the ones that get their breaks. Happy to see your side note gets back to reality. Every Kitchen I have worked in took me time to learn the fastest ways of doing everything. Every Chef in here will say, get your station ready and take your breaks. No breaks during the balls out rush. I'm happy to see you agree with everyone else after your rant.
Every line cook that is worth his weight is always first in line for promotion. I don't think you got to be a Chef while sitting in the employee lounge......Bill


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

Honestly, a person, no matter how tough they are or how much stamina they have will hit the wall of diminishing returns when the work a long sustained period. The mistakes you start making will take more time to fix than the measly ten minutes you take to sit down and have a coffee or a drag over the long term when you do the long hours. Of course it's still important to figure out when to take a break and not do it when it's during service or when your day is especially busy.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

I don't get why a couple have chosen to liken this behavior to "machismo", when no one has come across in that manner, and especially when considering that this isn't a solely male occupation.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

This is getting wierd now.

One of the best run kitchens I ever worked in, was run by a Swiss chef who probably had a Rolex inbedded in his body. Start work at 8:30, at 11 everyone went for lunch--he'd ride your butt if you didn't. At 2:00 it was end of shift--split shift system, then the evening shift. No one worked more than 4 hrs full tilt. He worked you hard and rode your butt, but the end of every evening he bought a round of beers for you to drink while you cleaned up.

It's my opinion that if the Chef takes a break, the staff will follow. If the kitchen is not running like a rolex however, this can be difficult for the Chef to do.

Many places in N. America do not have communal staff meals, or do not supply staff meals. Meal times are an ideal break opportunity.


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## sleepy_dragon (Aug 30, 2005)

Yes, quite. (For the record, I'm a woman. And a now 37 year old career changer at that, albeit from a family who's always cooked professionally since three generations back. One grandfather in particular came up through the French brigade system in France to become a chef, so I'm hardly unfamiliar with the realities here.)

The kitchen I work in is a highly creative kitchen where the cooks enjoy a great degree of autonomy in terms of menu development, as long as we stay within the overall cuisine itself. I go into work excited about my day, every single day, because of all the ridiculously cool stuff we get to do. On our off days? Sometimes we come in anyway because there's some other idea we want to pursue, or some other skill we want to acquire.

It's hardly the slave labor situation people make it out to be, especially in light of our benefits, which mirror those enjoyed by the average civilian. We're one of the few (only?) kitchens where our owners provide 100% paid health insurance, as well as vacation and paid holidays, a much more equitable division of tips, plus other perks.

For myself, I've worked in places where I punched in and out for my hourly shifts for my 40 hours a week. While I don't regret anything I learned in those other kitchens, my current kitchen is the one where I've been happiest and most mentally engaged.

I'll ignore the ridiculous saber-rattling in this thread, and address the whole life-balance/burnout thing instead: when I was a clock-puncher, I sought out stages elsewhere all the time, just to keep learning, not get bored, and to learn faster. A few of us still do this on top of our 65+ hours a week, because food interests us, and we like it that way. Frankly, I wouldn't get to do all that we get to do in a place where all the cooks are on hourly, without seeking it out elsewhere anyway.

It's not for everybody, but it works well in this particular environment for these particular individuals. I'm more than content with my hands-on education, as well as the recognition we all enjoy for what we produce.

Yeah, I could go elsewhere where I only work 40 hours for x amount of dollars per hour, but I don't want to. This is way more interesting.

Pat


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## fstfrdy (May 9, 2007)

I am not saying you are, but if break time is more important than your station then you are in the wroung line of work. Customers and food have no respect for your needs, they each have their own time lines. as has been said you get the feel for when you can have one and when not to. To me a break is not an entitlement (no matter what the law is) It is an opportunity to restore focus for the rest of the shift and its up to meto get it timed rite.


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## petemccracken (Sep 18, 2008)

IMHO, a "break" is an opportunity to "relax and refresh" WHEN THERE IS NOTHING THAT HAS TO BE DONE NOW!

Every "job" has "time critical" and "non time critical" activities that must be accomplished. "Breaks" should be taken ONLY when "non time critical activities" are being worked on OR when someone else is available to accomplish the "time critical activities".

Firemen get breaks, BUT ONLY WHEN THERE IS NO FIRE BEING FOUGHT!

The equivalent for "line cooks" is "service time", your station MUST be manned when customers are waiting!

(BTW, the references to "man", "men", "manned", or any other term that might be misconstrued as "gender specific" is NOT meant to be gender specific!)

Smoke. pee, relax, what ever, BEFORE or AFTER service, but don't expect a break during service UNLESS there is someone available to cover your responsibilities.


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## bluesmkr63 (Jun 6, 2009)

Well I have to say Breaks are what the Walkin is for. If your station is running and you take a break, who is going to fill in for you, The Sous Chef? I don't know maybe its a personal pride issue but if im at a station On the line it would be a cold day in **** before someone would replace me. 

For a second opinion I just asked my son who is working his first Line Station at a High end restaurant in San Diego. (Away from my kitchen, Sniff). He tell me the only break he gets is when he resets the line or his shift is over.


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## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

My station is usually operated by 2-3 people regularly. I'm operating it by myself this summer. Though less business, the amount of work remains meaning 12 different vegetables needs to be cut 12 different ways, 5 different meats needs preping, all the equipment needs to be tend to, opening plus closing, cooking and serving, plus the paper work (hot food temperature logs, cold storage temperature logs, ordering, etc) add to this my regular responsibilities like inventory. My scheduled hours are 7am - 3pm but I obviously take more time.

My service goes from 10am - 1-1:30pm. I prep between 7am - 8:30am, I cook between 8:30am - 10:30am plus cooking between service times to refresh. I stop all cooking at 12:30pm and try to do additional prep. Around this time, others take their breaks, I usually cover. Dishes and clean up from 1pm - 3pm. If I can get help, I can start inventory at 1pm and regularly takes me 2hours to complete cover to cover. Ideally, this is what should happen. 

I only get help maybe 1-2 per week. I can't say no to covering breaks (in the past, I've said no but the manager ends up with complaints about it so I now HAVE to cover). Some of the equipment are damaged and needs to be handled delicately, I've put in for a repair request a month ago to the manager. I also have no one to rely on who can run my station for me to walk away even for 5mins, the place was literally closed for the 2 weeks I was away on vacation.

Now is this bad time management or am I be inundated with too much to do with my limited time?


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## rat (Mar 2, 2006)

I mean machismo in the sense of "poor me, I have to work a double again and cover 2 stations because of poor staffing/mismanagement/preparation" If working your but off everyday 12 hours straight is job satisfaction then it is time for a new job IMO. There is nothing wrong with sitting down between service when you are ready, grabbing something to eat. Again I assume we are talking about taking breaks while service is not occurring. As a chef I insist all my crew get something to eat, and rest a bit every day, I see the payoff. Like a previous poster said the law of diminishing returns applies here.

The only time when you should be working like that is if you own the place-- period. Not that a kitchen is 9-5 in any sense but this outdated work ethos is what keeps our industry lagging behind in terms of pay, professionalism and sanity. How many chefs do you know who have missed their kids birthdays, their first steps or have destroyed marriages because they "have to work again, sorry honey". It is really sad this industry is still in this state. Cooking is not a matter of life or death but it will kill you if you let it.
It reminds me of a cook I once knew who was a meth addict, he would come in so high and tear up service all day and night long, the owner loved it and even condoned it because he was doing the work of 2 cooks while at the same time he was also destroying his life and body. He eventually burnt out and crashed, lost his wife, family and was fired because he couldn't perform like he did, a very sad situation. Otherwise he was a very talented creative person and a helluva guy.

PS I also know some women who can run circles around a lot of men and still have time to take a break.

PSS I still work on average 55+ so hours a week, take breaks and have time to see my kid everyday so don't tell me it cannot be done.


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## sultan123 (Jun 12, 2009)

I laugh as I read this forum because in reality, no one is really complaining about not taking breaks. It is just sort of an accepted practice in this industry. However, most of us DO take breaks. Just not the traditional "one hour" lunch break that most other professions have. Now granted I do not work the line, but I know what its like standing on your feet for hours on a stretch without sitting down, but as many people in this profession already know, sometimes sitting down is actually the worst thing you can do. Why? Well, because if you have to work a long shift, your body becomes accustomed to standing on your feet. Once you sit down, your body thinks, "OK, its rest time." But what your body doesnt know is that in 10-15 minutes (or less) it's time to get back up again and start working. And once you stand back up again, you feel more pain than if you didnt sit down at all. If you take a look at people who work in professions where they are on their feet all day (nurses, doctors, assembly line workers), most of them do NOT sit down when they take a break. If they want to go out for a smoke or read the newspaper, they will do it standing up so as not to throw their body out of balance. Its the same thing in the kitchen. DON'T SIT DOWN!!

However, that said, if anyone who has to work a 16-hour shift is not allowed a break (and I don't care WHAT the circumstance is), then as someone has already suggested, find a different job. Not only is that illegal, but it is cruel. Since when has the food service industry turned into the modern-day slave trade? I understand the economy is bad and people need jobs, but if you are forced to work under these conditions, then this is a sad day for this profession. Even though I am a trained chef, the first job I had was working in a deli for Target Corporation in one of their SuperTargets. Like many on here, I had a dedication to getting the job done at all costs, even if it meant skipping breaks. Most of the time none of the managers noticed, until one day the deli manager said to me, "ok, you've been working for 7 hours now, and you have not taken your break yet." I replied, "sorry, I still have a lot of work to do". He informed me that what I was doing is illegal and against company policy, so he wrote me up. He told me the next time he caught me skipping breaks I would be fired. I was fired the following week. I thought by skipping breaks I was provong my dedication to the company and would get rewarded with a corporate chef job. Instead, I got fired. 

For the individual who stated that "these chefs who skip breaks are the ones who go up the ranks in the kitchen", I have to respectfully disagree. These are the people who will be taken advantage of and be kept at the line cook level with perhaps if they are lucky, a $1 an hour raise.

Working hard does not pay off in this industry. ***-kissing does. It's sad but true. Which is why I pity the poor young Culinary students of today who have NO clue what they are getting themselves into: long hours, hard work, and crappy pay, with little or no benefits. Bottom Line: If you choose to work in this industry: either open up your own restaurant/food service operation or if you want to work for someone else, go corporate. No, you wont be able to showcase your culinary skills in a corporate environment, instead you will be following a strict business model with no room for creativity. But at least you'll earn a decent "livable" wage and have benefits to boot. Plus, you'll get to take breaks.


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## sultan123 (Jun 12, 2009)

Wow! That sounds like a nice place to work!! Are you hiring?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Those people are usually called shop stewards or upper management.......


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## treehugger057 (Mar 6, 2009)

I budget in 2 breaks of about 5 mins. a day. I typically get one before service and one after service. I never know when it will be, but I certainly know when it is time to step out for 5 mins to collect myself.


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## sizlchest (Mar 29, 2008)

I work for a large hotel chain, and we have to force our cooks to take a break. It's a pain in the ***, because, as a corporation, we are short on hours as it is, but then, they force the employees to take a 30 min break. Say a guy has a 6.5 hour shift scheduled(I know, ridiculous,huh?) and they get done in 6 hours and 10 min, they habe to clock out for 1/2 an hour, then clock back in, then out again to be the way the executive comittee wants it. Some of my guys smoke, and they'll clock out for half an hour and work during that time, because they know they'll eventually take 30 min worth of smoke breaks during the shift. This is something that frustrates me. I would rather work the shift non-stop if I choose.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

This may have a lot to do with labour law in your State, don't know what State you're in, or what the laws are like.

That being said, in my part of the country (B.C.Canada) an employee can take the employer to the labour board and win compensation for breaks not taken. The employee may be a a scumbag looking for a buck, but as the the Labour Board here declares: "The onus is on the employer", in other other words, it is up to the employer to prove the allegations false. I believe California has similiar laws.

Say what you will about the executive comittee, and it's more than likely true, but the one thing they *do* know is how to cover their butts should a situation like I described above should happen. Hence the time clock, proof of break taken.


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## r hill (Jul 2, 2009)

Bing go this is how it was when was on the line:lips:


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## ras1187 (Oct 3, 2006)

Break? Maybe once every three or four days I will step outside for a quick breath of fresh air if time permits.

I know yes technically I am entitled to one, but I don't really care. If I am the only cook on the line, do I tell my customers they can't eat because I am on break? I'd rather work it all the way through and leave 30 minutes earlier.


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## sizlchest (Mar 29, 2008)

Most cooks I know feel this way, it's tough enforcing something you don't believe in.....


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## greasetrap (Jul 7, 2009)

i work in a truck stop, and it's by far the most unpredictable place i've ever worked. i'm normally the only line cook on duty during my shift, so i often don't get an official break. when the opportunity presents itself, i scamper off to the break room and suck down a cigarette, but that's only when there's nothing else to do. if i have something that needs prepped or a ticket in the window, my nicotine fix must wait. when someone on my crew starts whining about their break, i giggle. there's rarely more than three people in my kitchen at a time...line cook, prep cook and dishwasher. so if one's missing and we get hit, the whole machine gets outta whack. most days, it's not a problem getting my crew's breaks in. but there have been many days where we're balls out from clock in to clock out. i personally believe breaks to be discretionary.


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## chefbigdog (Jun 12, 2006)

By law we have to give breaks two 15 min and one 30 minutes for shifts over six hours. My cooks and myself do not take a straight 15 min or 30 min but through the course of a day everyone takes 5 min here 15 min there that all add up at the end of the day. Your not straight out for the full shift if you want to spread out the time 5 min for a smoke 10 min to run to the store so be it. We are all grown people take your time as it fits into your work day


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## line_grunt (Jul 1, 2009)

Personally, I find breaks are more of an interrupution than anything else. I rarely take my breaks that I am entitled too. I'd rather spend that time getting my head into gear for the oncoming service and making sure my mise en place is set up the way I want it. I just don't feel that spending 30 minutes outside or somehere else is the best way to relieve stress or prep myself, I'd be more stressed if I were outside constantly thining, "I've gotta do this then that then this...."

I gotta admit it is a little bit of a macho thing aswell, but only because I am proving to myself that I can tough it out. I love the long hours uninterrupted in the kitchen. I'm addicted to it and feel at home in the kitchen, so why would I want to leave.

But ****, when close is finally done I love that first smoke of a marlboro red and a glass of red or white wine, wind down time


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## canadatogo (Mar 3, 2007)

I was working in a 72-room hotel, with two function rooms (seating 100ish and 175-200). We started off with 8 people working the kitchen. Head chef only did prep sometimes if we were in the sh!t, so make that 7. One chef walks out. One chef's wife has a stroke and passes away so he goes on sick leave for about six weeks. One chef heads to college. Wedding season starts. Suddenly I become the pastry chef, the pastry chef is on breakfast, and my split shift (10-2 and back for 5-10) turns into a 12-hour shift. I'm the lucky one; one of the guys does breakfast some days straight through til the end of service. No one new is hired. If anyone gets a break it's usually to run down to the shops to get soft drinks for everyone. Yes, you take a break when you can, but sometimes it's better to just work through it instead of only having 3 brulees and no petit fours left for service on a friday night. Then I left the hotel (visa expired, not much I could do). The kid who left for college comes back for a couple months, but the only person that they've hired in this entire time was a 16-year old apprentice going for his svq2, and he went on holidays for 2 weeks on the same week that I left.

When wedding season really started up we had to get agency chefs to come in every weekend to help out. That alleviated the problem a bit, but with some of them you really had to keep an eye on what they were doing, and with others they'd become the chef's pet and you'd be stuck doing the work anyway!

Most people who were working in that kitchen (in fact, everyone who wasn't working breakfast) were supposed to be on split shifts, but it would be rare to find anyone leaving for more than an hour unless we had everyone on.


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## ljokjel (Jul 1, 2009)

Nothing is like the wind down time after service... Nothing. 
If I can take a break and want to, I do it. I dont have my **** together, unprepped and so on, I dont. Being unprepared costs me so much more than not taking the break.
Bu prepping vedgetables and etc is kind of a chill down time for me. When you can disconnect and do the no-brainer prepping. Or baking bread or something. Those kinds of jobs are relaxing to me in a way.
I dont know how the laws are here in Norway, but I dont think I can sue my workplace if I dont take my breaks. Seems pretty harsh.
But again, its you guys. The land of lawsuits.


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## kitchenchef (Jul 27, 2009)

If the kitchen station is running well, take a break, if you are under pressure don't.

Nobody can stop you going to the "toilet", and no chef will stand for 16 hours straight


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## horton79 (Jul 29, 2009)

I met Thomas Keller about twelve years ago during a special event. Later that night when he saw me walking past when all the chefs were outside on the pateo he stopped me and invited me to join him with a glass of wine. 

How often does Thomas Keller sit a young chef in training to give him advise? I think the conversation went on for a few hours. He told me of a time when he was in France working in a restaurant 16 hours a day and there was lull in the afternoon so he sat down on the counter for a moment. He was reprimanded by the chef and was told that a chef never sits down.

That's right. According to Thomas Keller, "A chef never sits down." Don't forget it.


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## jubal (May 23, 2008)

If time doesn't allow for a break, a break can't be taken. How is this not normal? In the middle of service your head chef will stop and say "table 28 can wait, the fry cook has been on his feet for 5 hours straight!"?


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## natividad (Aug 4, 2009)

In the past, during banquet season in a nice hotel I will often work 16 hour shifts 5 or 6 times a week, with just quick smoke breaks and quick meals in , part of the dues you pay as a chef. If there was a big breakfast to be done I was the one to be there to open up at 5 am and still work my lunch and dinner shifts. I say suck it up or someone hungrier than you will be there to take your place, in my career I have often been that "someone" I worked longer and did better work than everyone else and it has paid off in a big time way. Now I call my own shots and I look for that next hungry young chef. I realize there are labor laws and such but the culinary career is a whole different world. This is a marathon and if you don't have the stamina, as well as the talent, you will be left behind in the dust. Thomas Keller was right.


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## line_grunt (Jul 1, 2009)

well said Natividad. Agreed bud


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## drekington (Aug 18, 2009)

While I do agree that breaks should only be taken when at all possible, as a sous chef running my line back in Toronto, I had to be aware of my staff. I have seen guys who will refuse to take a break while hovering over the grill for 12+ hours. It can be very bad, I have seen a guy almost pass out on the grill. I will try to shift people around my line to either give the guy a break or at the very least get him/her into a lower key station, such as salads to at least cool off.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

At the restaurant I work at we are paid for our breaks and are entitled to a half an hour break as well. That just said I think I have only taken a full half hour break a handful of times. Most of the time I take enough time to gobble something up and then I'm washing my hands and I'm back online.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

On Mondays and Tuesdays we have two of us on the line and one on the lunch so breaks are a little hard to come by at times. I'm the opener so I usually get a break and most times it's just enough time to eat and then I get right back at it. I'll take it at 9am when the lunch person comes in so that the other line cook has someone he can look to for help. The fruiter we have in on that day does know the line as well (we're corporate) and the location he came to us from trained them on all the stations so he can help as well. Our place can be pretty unpredictable too.. Tuesdays are usually deader than dead but not this past Tuesday and we got clobbered... and that was the day I worked from open to close because I couldn't leave them with so much prep to do.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

I worked at a small cafe before the place I'm at now and there I was the cook and by the cook I mean the ONLY cook, so I had to take my breaks on my feet and I agree with what's been said here... sitting down is bad! Sometimes you have to sit down ... I have just started opening and because I don't drive (I can but I hate it) I have a fifteen minute walk uptown to the GO station and then a twenty minute walk when I get off the GO bus in Burlington, so it's taken some getting used to. I made the mistake of sitting down yesterday to eat and it was even harder to get back up onto my feet again!


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## jmw5283 (Aug 13, 2009)

Every restaurant I have ever worked in, whether it be as a Pantry Cook or a Line Cook, I have always been told to use my own judgment. I don't smoke, so I don't go outside before or after each rush. I generally eat my staff meal on my station, while getting prep done for the shift. So when it comes down to it, I am ok with not getting a 2- 15 minute breaks and 1- 30 minute for lunch, like a normal Monday-Friday 9-5.


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Wasn't Thomas Keller sitting down when he told you that story.................So much for advice from Thomas Keller.............................As for line cooks getting breaks....A line cook is hired to manage his/her station. That also includes breaks...............A Chef worth anything will make sure their cooks get a break. Going back years ago all cooks smoked, I'll tell you one thing they made sure they got their smoke break every hour....Bill


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

"A Chef never sits down".

This was brainwashed into me as well.

I completed a 3yr cook's apprenticeship in Luzern, Switzerland waaay back in the '80's. We were reprimanded if we ever sat down, if we stood on one leg during long mundane vegetable peeling sesions, the other leg was kicked out by the chef de partie or Sous.

Later, during my Swiss army bootcamp, I was detailed to the kitchen--same attitude prevailed, a cook never sits down.

25 years later, I can not-so-proudly state that I suffer from flat feet, plantar facsicitis, and must wear custom orthotics--but I still find it hard to sit down......


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## chefbillyb (Feb 8, 2009)

Hey Foodpump, Sitting down isn't the problem, its getting up........Bill


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## dusty (Aug 12, 2009)

i have not had a break in 29 years....:lol:suck it up!

(by the way i am 29yrs old)


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

Yesterday was a classic example of the day in the life of a line cook. (see my post what a day for more info) and when the storm had finally ceased I did make sure the other two who were online with me were able to take a breather for a few minutes.

It was funny.. after the first wave they were telling me to go and finish my lunch but unbeknownst to them I had eaten it on the fly.. every time I had to go to the walk in I did a detour and grabbed a forkful and then went back at it!


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## Mentally Ill (Nov 14, 2017)

* Ok... *Here We Go. My last job was actually a line cook job. I have experience as a Sous chef and kitchen manager as well as lead but blah blah blah....Ellis Island Casino in las vegas. Right off the strip everything on the menu was like under $10. So we were always slammed. from 3-11 everyday. i was lucky if i had enough time to run to the bathroom to piss. 3 guys on the line and i was actually working 2 stations,
*(supposed to be 4 guys on the line smh) Ive done doubles 3pm-7am no break. 
* They were gonna promote me to a *Sous Chef Position. Until...... *I came up with the idea of. ... whoever the *chef on the shift to take over each station on the line one at a time for an hour, So that each cook could get a 20 minute break. At this place most of the stress was on the line. *The *chefs *had easy work and *took breaks themselves. *There were so many times where I was *getting my ass kicked and not only did the chef not have my back but was nowhere to be found. I would punch shit and throw shit. and yell at every server in there lol.* *My nickname turned into Tornado. *after 8 months of that and 6 months of a promotion offer that never came. One day they slammed me so hard as soon as i got there. i walked in to 30 mins of tickets piled up. i fought it for like an hour and it kept getting worse. So then i packed up all my knives and tongs and just walked out and didn't say a word to them. Then came back in the next day and gambled lol. *and now I'm 86'd lmmfao 
i came up with the idea of the chef help g us take a break because if i could just get away from the line for 5-10 mins i wouldn't turn into a psycho at work. its stressful
*


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## Mentally Ill (Nov 14, 2017)

dusty said:


> i have not had a break in 29 years....:lol:suck it up!
> 
> (by the way i am 29yrs old)[/QUOTEi bet u get paid decent though? naw man suck it up so these greedy bfs can work us like horses. how bout they suck it up when an irritated overworked cook throws a metal bowl across the room at their face


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