An employee who honestly tells you a standard can't be achieved gives you valuable intelligence about your operations. This feedback reveals gaps between your systems and kitchen reality. Rather than dismissing their concerns, you can transform this honesty into better standards and stronger team collaboration.
Why honesty is valuable
An employee brave enough to say something doesn't work serves you better than someone who quietly struggles and fails. This gives you the opportunity to fix your standards before money starts bleeding out systematically.
💡 Example:
You establish that a steak should be 200 grams for €32. Your chef responds: "That won't fly, because then I'll get complaints it's too small. Everyone expects 250 grams."
This isn't pushback - this is market intelligence.
Investigate the root cause together
Examine the problem alongside the employee. From years of working in professional kitchens, I've seen three main reasons why standards become unworkable:
- Guest expectations: Customers anticipate larger portions than your standard allows
- Practical constraints: Equipment limitations or time pressures make the standard impossible
- Quality demands: The standard sacrifices taste or visual appeal
⚠️ Watch out:
Don't automatically increase your standard. First determine whether it's genuinely impossible, or if there's a practical workaround.
Develop solutions collaboratively
Bring the employee into the problem-solving process. They often have practical insights you'd never consider:
- Modify the standard: Perhaps 220 grams works better
- Ingredient substitution: A more affordable cut that still allows generous portions
- Plating strategy: Additional vegetables to make the plate appear fuller
- Price revision: Higher pricing to support the desired portion size
💡 Example solution:
Chef: "200 grams of steak is insufficient."
Collaborative solution: 220 grams of steak + additional vegetables. Food cost rises from €9.50 to €10.80.
New food cost: 36.8% instead of 32.4% - but actually achievable.
Test the revised standard together
Trial the modified standard for one week. Measure collaboratively whether it functions:
- Are customers content with the portion size?
- Can the kitchen execute it reliably?
- Does the food cost calculation align with reality?
- Do any other obstacles emerge?
Document what succeeds
If the revised standard proves effective, record it in your system. This prevents the same discussion from recurring. Tools like KitchenNmbrs help you document the new standard and food cost, ensuring everyone works from the same information.
How do you handle an employee who finds a standard unachievable?
Listen to the reason
Ask specifically why the standard isn't achievable. Don't argue, but try to understand what the bottleneck is. Often there are practical reasons behind it that you don't see yourself.
Investigate the cause together
Look together at where the problem lies. Is it a matter of guest expectations, practical limitations, or quality requirements? Measure for a week what actually happens instead of what should happen.
Find alternatives together
Brainstorm together about solutions. Can the standard be adjusted? Are different ingredients possible? Or does the price need to go up? Involve the employee in finding a workable solution.
Test and evaluate the new approach
Try the adjusted standard for a week. Measure together whether customers are satisfied, whether the kitchen can execute it, and whether the food cost is correct. Adjust further if needed.
Document the working standard
Record what works in your system so everyone uses the same standard. This prevents the same discussion from coming up repeatedly and ensures consistency in your kitchen.
✨ Pro tip
Track which employees consistently flag unrealistic standards within their first 30 days - they often become your most valuable operational advisors. Their fresh perspective catches problems veteran staff have learned to work around silently.
Calculate this yourself?
In the KitchenNmbrs app you can do this in just a few clicks. 7 days free, no credit card.
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Frequently asked questions
What if an employee is just being lazy and doesn't want to meet the standard?
The difference between unwillingness and genuine impossibility shows up in their reasoning. Lazy employees offer vague excuses. Honest employees explain specifically what's wrong and contribute solution ideas.
How do I prevent everyone from complaining about standards?
By being transparent about why standards exist (profitability) and involving staff in creating them. If people understand why something matters, they're more willing to cooperate. Make it a collaborative process, not a top-down mandate.
What if adjusting the standard makes it too expensive for my customers?
Then you have three choices: find a cheaper method to deliver the same quality, increase the price, or accept that this dish generates lower profit but draws customers. Sometimes a loss leader makes strategic sense.
📚 Sources consulted
- EU Verordening 852/2004 — Levensmiddelenhygiëne (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 853/2004 — Hygiënevoorschriften voor levensmiddelen van dierlijke oorsprong (2004) — Official source
- EU Verordening 1169/2011 — Voedselinformatie aan consumenten (2011) — Official source
- NVWA — Hygiënecode voor de horeca (2024) — Official source
- NVWA — Allergenen in voedsel (2024) — Official source
- Codex Alimentarius — International Food Standards (2024) — Official source
- FSA — Safer food, better business (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- BVL — Lebensmittelhygiene (HACCP) (2024) — Official source
- Warenwetbesluit Bereiding en behandeling van levensmiddelen (2024) — Official source
- WHO — Foodborne diseases estimates (2024) — Official source
Food Standards Agency (FSA) — https://www.food.gov.uk
The HACCP standards shown in this application are for informational purposes only. KitchenNmbrs does not guarantee that displayed values are current or complete. Always consult the FSA or your local authority for the latest regulations.
Written by
Jeffrey Smit
Founder & CEO of KitchenNmbrs
Jeffrey Smit built KitchenNmbrs from 8 years of hands-on experience as kitchen manager at 1NUL8 Group in Rotterdam. His mission: give every restaurant owner control over food cost.
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