Gratitude is a big subject for a post and today’s message is only a soundbite. But it feels important to share.
Have you ever come across those receipts that black cab drivers hand you at the end of your ride – how they’re always printed with a message that reads, “Received with thanks”?
My question to you is this: how often do you look at the tickets in front of you and feel that same sense of gratitude? In the heat of the kitchen, it would take a pretty enlightened chef to feel anything other than stress from looking at those orders quickly piling up. But you have to be grateful for every one of those tickets. Those orders are helping you put your kids through school. They’re getting you closer to that much-needed holiday. They’re paying for your bus ticket home tonight. Those orders are giving you a chance to share your gifts with the world every day. And remember, not everyone has that luxury: if you’re an architect, your orders or commissions can come few and far between.
I have to admit, I did get as annoyed as any other chef in the kitchen when those fiddly, bespoke orders came through. My colleagues would launch into something of a tirade when a waiter appeared with an allergy-friendly meal request.
But what if we just receive every ticket with thanks? How would that change your game, chef?