Kitchen Red Flags 🚩

Not my section. We’ve always done it like this…

Every kitchen has them.

Those little warning signs that make you stand there, look around and think:

“Am I actually seeing this?”

Sometimes it’s one thing.

Sometimes it’s five things.

And sometimes you walk through the kitchen door and realise you’ve entered the hospitality equivalent of Jurassic Park.

Nobody knows who is in charge, nobody knows what the prep list says, and something in the walk-in has been there long enough to qualify for a pension.

So, here are a few Chef Hub kitchen red flags…

🚩 “Not my section.”

Ah.

The famous words.

Usually followed by:

“That’s not my job.”

Except it is.

It’s a kitchen.

We’re supposed to be working as a team. Supposed to be.

If the fryer is on fire, the answer isn't:

“Sorry mate, I’m on larder.”

It’s putting the fire out.

🚩 “We always do it like this.”

Possibly the four most dangerous words in hospitality.

Why?

“Because we've always done it like this.”

Great.

And how long have you been doing it incorrectly?

Just because something is traditional doesn't mean it's right.

Sometimes “we've always done it like this” is simply another way of saying:

“Nobody has challenged it since 1994.” Eye roll emoji, too too much.

🚩 Forever on a smoke break

Some chefs smoke so much you'd think they were being paid by the cigarette.

Service starts.

Chef disappears.

Prep starts.

Chef disappears.

Delivery arrives.

Chef disappears.

Someone asks where the chef is.

“Smoke.”

At this point, the cigarette has more management responsibility than the chef.

🚩 More energy drinks than prep in the fridge

If I open your walk-in and find:

14 cans of energy drink

but only:

2 portions of prepared vegetables

we have a problem.

The fridge should contain food.

Not the entire drinks portfolio of a motorway service station.

And if your mise en place consists primarily of Monster, Red Bull and good intentions, we're probably going to struggle.

🚩 Prep is non-existent

“Don't worry, we'll prep during service.”

No.

You won't.

You’ll panic during service.

There is a difference.

Mise en place literally means everything in its place. Including you.

Not:

“We'll see what happens.”

That isn't a prep system.

That's culinary roulette.

🚩 The head chef has nails dirtier than a mechanic

Exaggeration? No, witnessed this too many times.

There are few things more reassuring than watching someone handle your food with fingernails that look like they've just rebuilt a gearbox.

Clean hands.

Short, clean nails.

Simple.

It's not a fashion choice.

It's basic hygiene.

OR - professionalism, if you like.

And if your chef's hands look like they've just been excavating coal…

maybe don't let them plate the scallops. OR any thing at all.

🚩 Payday = suddenly everyone needs cash

Funny how some people are completely fine all week…

Then payday arrives and suddenly:

“Boss, can I get some cash?”

Followed shortly afterwards by:

“You got any work for next week?”

Coincidence?

Absolutely.

Obviously.

Then vanish for 2 days, sound familliar?

Moving swiftly on…

🚩 The 5pm personality transformation

At 10am:

“I'm absolutely exhausted.”

At 2pm:

“I might go home early.”

At 5pm:

👀

Suddenly they're fully alert. with some kind of nasal problem.

Moving faster than a commis who's just heard the words:

“Chef is coming round.”

Interesting.

Very interesting. 🏴‍☠️

Then crash at 8.30pm and its everyone elses fault therafter, fml -

🚩 “I'm not using scales. I know the weights by eye.”

Of course you do.

You're a chef.

You have apparently developed X-ray vision and a built-in set of digital scales.

“That's 180 grams.”

Really?

Because it looks like 247.

And when consistency matters, eyeballing isn't a system.

Especially when the recipe says 180g.

🚩 The hand-wash sink is suspiciously clean

This one is possibly the biggest red flag of all.

You walk into a kitchen.

The hand-wash sink is immaculate.

No soap residue. Or no soap whatsoever.

No water.

No paper towels.

Not a single sign that a human being has washed their hands there since the building was opened.

Why is it so clean?

Because nobody is using it.

The cleanest hand-wash sink in Britain is probably the one nobody actually washes their hands in.

🚩 “We don't need a thermometer.”

Ah yes.

The chef's finger.

The original temperature probe.

Apparently capable of identifying:

3°C 5°C 8°C 63°C and “yeah, that's probably fine.”

Food safety isn't a guessing game. Which makes me wonder about the paperwork, that miraculesley turns up at the end of the shift perfectly completed, never with any food marks, or spashes, its just perfect, like the chefs fingernails...

Use the thermometer.

Your finger isn't calibrated.

🚩 The walk-in contains something labelled “Tuesday”

No date.

No year.

No name.

Just:

Tuesday.

Which Tuesday?

Last Tuesday?

Next Tuesday?

Tuesday 2019?

Nobody knows.

At this stage, whatever is inside the container has probably developed its own management structure.

🚩 “The fridge is only a bit warm.”

Only a bit warm?

Excellent.

Does the chicken know that?

Because bacteria don't care about your optimism.

Temperature control isn't about vibes.

🚩 “That's how the last chef did it.”

And there it is.

The ultimate kitchen excuse.

It doesn't matter whether it's inefficient.

It doesn't matter whether it's outdated.

It doesn't matter whether it makes absolutely no sense.

The last chef did it.

So naturally, we must continue.

Forever.

Until the end of time.

Or until someone finally asks:

“But why?”

🚩 The same specials have been on the board for six months

They're not really specials anymore.

They're residents. With extra prep, extra time, and extra work that isnt required right now.

You might as well give them a parking permit.

So what's the biggest red flag?

It's rarely one thing.

It's the accumulation.

The dirty hands.

The missing prep.

The mystery containers.

The constant smoke breaks.

The lack of structure.

The excuses.

The “we've always done it like this.”

The complete absence of accountability.

Because a kitchen doesn't suddenly become dysfunctional overnight.

The red flags usually appear one by one.

And the longer they're ignored, the more normal they become.

Until one day nobody even notices them anymore.

That's when you've got a problem.

🚩 The Chef Hub verdict?

If something feels wrong in your kitchen, don't wait until it's completely broken to fix it.

Good kitchens aren't built on shouting.

They're built on:

Preparation. Consistency. Standards. Communication. Cleanliness. Training. Accountability. And people who actually give a shit.

Because ultimately…

you can't make a great service out of poor preparation.

And you definitely can't make a good kitchen out of bad habits.

So if your kitchen has more red flags than a Formula 1 race…

maybe it's time for a pit stop. 🏎️🚩

And remember:

Mise en place isn't just French for “panic earlier.”

Although, let's be honest…

some kitchens have absolutely perfected that version.

Did i miss something? Anything That is your particualar stand out point? Let us know!!!

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