My boss is trying to make me give people poorly cooked/prepared food.

[spicyfood]

I work at a restaurant and bar, we sell a ton of chicken tenders. What I've done since working here is take the time to remove the tendon out of each tender. I was told it doesn't matter if I leave it in there I argued it definitely does especially if you bite into a piece of chicken and then feel something chewy like the tendon it's probably going to make you lose your appetite. None the less I still cut the tendon out and cook them the same way I would for myself at home. I use a thermometer as well and I throw out chicken that accidentally gets over cooked past 170. My boss has also gotten mad at me for doing this as well. I've tried explaining overcooked chicken tastes disgusting and is tough, but he keeps insisting on me serving people food I wouldn't serve my family. So I don't, but I keep getting in trouble although I don't really care.

Would anyone else do the same? Or am I the one in the wrong for caring about what people eat. My boss has even said one time they're drunk so they don't care, but I would even if i was drunk.

 

[brianshaw]

Your not in the wrong about caring what people eat, but you probably in the wrong for willful defiance of the boss’s directive. There’s a reason why he/she is the boss and your not. We all know the situation; we all have have bosses, right?

Why does your boss give that direction... have you really listened to the rationale?

As hard as it is to change jobs, maybe think that chicken fingers aren’t for you. If you want to call the shots it pays to be in charge... find a way to be in charge but it likely will be somewhere else.

 

[chefbillyb]

I served a lot of fresh cooked chicken tenders in all my accounts. We put them in buttermilk and then in Western chicken breading. When I trained my crew it was to always temp the largest tender in the batch. If that one was up to temp then you're safe. I wouldn't worry about throwing the tenders away if they are over 170 degrees. If someone did that in my kitchen I would have fired their ass. Fresh cooked tenders are 100 times better than prefab. If they are a bit over cooked they will still be better than any other chicken strip. When an employee argues with me about a procedure that I tell them to do I always tell them to do it their way when they open their restaurant. Until then do it my way......ChefBillyB

 

[spicyfood]

Your not in the wrong about caring what people eat, but you probably in the wrong for willful defiance of the boss’s directive. There’s a reason why he/she is the boss and your not. We all know the situation; we all have have bosses, right?

Why does your boss give that direction... have you really listened to the rationale?

As hard as it is to change jobs, maybe think that chicken fingers aren’t for you. If you want to call the shots it pays to be in charge... find a way to be in charge but it likely will be somewhere else.

Yeah I don't really care if I get fired, I'm lucky enough to not be struggling I just wanted to do something I love while getting paid.

Also he doesn't know what he's doing before I got here the kitchen was a mess and I even brought in my own stuff to cook with. He's a terrible boss, and he knows it thats why he tolerates me doing whatever I want because he knows I did a lot more than he pays me for. But again, I don't really mind since I like doing it.

I served a lot of fresh cooked chicken tenders in all my accounts. We put them in buttermilk and then in Western chicken breading. When I trained my crew it was to always temp the largest tender in the batch. If that one was up to temp then you're safe. I wouldn't worry about throwing the tenders away if they are over 170 degrees. If someone did that in my kitchen I would have fired their ass. Fresh cooked tenders are 100 times better than prefab. If they are a bit over cooked they will still be better than any other chicken strip. When an employee argues with me about a procedure that I tell them to do I always tell them to do it their way when they open their restaurant. Until then do it my way......ChefBillyB

Yeah I never threw one that was 170 away actually, it was over 200 degrees but I didn't want to say that lol.

 

[PoorlyChef]

Seems your boss and you have different philosophies about what is quality and what isn't. Maybe you should find an owner that shares your same passion for quality?

I'd agree that leaving the tendon in the tender isn't the best idea but it's also time consuming to pull each one out and time is money. You might suggest to your owner to use breast strips in place of the tenders. Not sure where you're from but in my part of the world tenders are more expensive than breast meat.

 

[Innocuous Lemon]

as a further example of how philosophies can differ, i would say that slightly overcooked chicken should sooner go to “my family”, myself, or anyone else really (being good enough for all 3, really) if the alternative is getting tossed into some bin

cooking mistakes are a shame and a thing to learn from, but in most instances they are still edible. i understand you have this idea of a reputation and serving food you are proud of, but ultimately:

1. your bosses is the name attatches to this food
2. wasting food, especially from an animal, is a crying shame
3. alcohol is the ultimate appetiser

 

[sgsvirgil]

From an owner's standpoint, I have to agree with you about removing the tendon. So, I'm with you there. Its all about the customer's experience. If it takes a little longer to remove the tendon, so be it. I'm paying you for your expertise to ensure that the customers who keep my doors open are getting the best possible experience.

As for tossing out 170'f chicken? No. That would cost the business money and its adds up. In that case, you are the chef. It would be be your responsibility to figure out a method of cooking that does not overcook the chicken. Again, that's what I'm paying you for.....your expertise and your expertise is to cook things properly.

As to the point made by @PoorlyChef about the tenders vs. breast meat, I agree 100%. Tenders are more expensive than breast meat and I think breast meat makes a far superior end product anyway.

Good luck.