5 Thumb Rules For Restaurants’ Staff

These rules are important for the correct functioning of the restaurant.

Being in the food business, you need to realize how important it is to create environments that’ll make your customers want to return every single time; to make them feel like the only ones, to keep the hospitality levels high through the feeling of familiarity and connection that will make them visit and recommend the place to their friends. And for the people in charge, it is also vital to ensure that they know that there’re not only the kitchen staff who makes quality food, but also the ones that work outside those revolving doors, taking meals to tables and serving and interacting directly with clients. So, in order to ensure that you get excellent results as a restauranteur, I offer you these basic thumb rules for restaurants staffs, waiters and bussers alike, to take care of the clientele that will make your business grow in time.

1- Be attentive but don’t hover

When you are working with clients, you don’t want to be a helicopter worker, meaning that you are always over their shoulders, hovering and waiting for them. Yes, it’s important to be at their disposition but staying too close is an invasion to their privacy and personal space. Besides, you wouldn’t like if someone was all over you while you’re enjoying your meals.

2- Don’t use electronic devices

When you are on your phone or listening to music, your mind is in another place, thus making you not as attentive as you should be towards your clients. Distracted staff is likely to drive clients away, and that’s a fact, so be aware that as a member of a restaurant, you should set the example and make them feel welcome, because after all, you are there to make them feel comfortable when eating whatever is offered in that place.

3- Remember the details

Details are what differentiates a good and attentive service from a great one, and you should focus towards that goal: to take your service to the next level. The importance of it relies on the fact that people underestimate how significant is the way you address your clients, and if a waiter uses the appropriate way, and succeeds on the specifications of their orders, they’ll instantly feel special. This makes customers want to visit again because they are regarded personally, and more often than not, that is something to be proud of and on the look for!

4- Bring the tab as soon as they ask

I often think of this as the deal breaker for my visits to restaurants. The fact that they take too long to bring the tab keeps me wondering if they are paying attention to all the things that are part of a service. If I have to ask it more than twice, I immediately feel like the service wasn’t nice enough and I will probably think twice before visiting them again. You have to remember that attentiveness or the lack of it affects your business directly and that as the business representative, you have to make sure that all things are covered in due time.

5- Express yourself properly

Speaking in public is gruesome to some people, and when you work as part of a restaurant staff, it’s easy to see why learning to communicate appropriately when addressing your patrons is key to make the service work smoothly. Communication is one of the things I look for in a restaurant, and when I see a waiter being specially expressive or really knowledgeable, I want them to be the ones I interact with. If you don’t know how to do this right away, look at the people who are already doing it, find what you’d like to be told when you enter a restaurant and put it into practice. You'll see the response right away.  

Implement these simple rules at work and you’ll see how it gets better and better, and how it will  increase your sales and make people recommend your place more. At RG Cocina Mexicana, these are applied along with the hospitality that makes an excellent service and the constant quality that makes people come back for more. Take a tour around North Beach Miami and see for yourself how you are received by their skillful staff!

 When you work at a restaurant you are responsible for the image you present to your patrons.

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Twitter: @RGCocinaMexican

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

Rgcocinamexicana.com

This is Nacho’ Average Nacho!

The guys at RG Cocina Mexicana create amazing Nachos and they are always wonderful with the clients!

My little brother is a fan of Mexican cuisine, he has  been since he first tasted a taco on a trip to Mexico when we were little. And now that he’s a senior high school, this love has only increased tenfold, even making him decide to take a leap year and travel around the country to get to know the roots of the dishes that are so close to his heart. And just last week, I realized that this was just the beginning of a great love story between him and this particular food.

Yesterday morning I had a lot of energy, and a great disposition to reach all my goals at work, and somewhere along the day it melted away, and I was exhausted as I was leaving the office. I just wanted to head home, sit down and eat a whole pint of ice cream by myself, watching a movie.But my brother surely had other plans, when I checked my phone I had 13 missed calls and 20 text messages from him. Since I’m responsible for him while my parents are away, I have to drive him anywhere he wants, so I immediately knew that my binge watching idea was off the table.

When I called him, he was incredibly happy to hear my voice because he was stranded in North Beach Miami and wanted a lift. That meant I could be done pretty quick and that my plans could be achieved in the end! He texted me the address and I headed to the place he told me. When I arrived, I realized that I was just in front of a Mexican restaurant and that this wasn’t going to be just a pick up. I dialed his phone again and was meet with his chirpy voice, telling me to enter the place because he was just waiting for something to be ready. I got off my car and headed inside pretty quickly, I just wanted to get home as soon as possible, But instead, I was meet with the widest grin on his face and a blushing girl holding hands with him. That was my brother’s way of introducing me to his girlfriend of three months, the girl he thought we had no idea about! He introduced me to Fabiola and I was ecstatic.  

They were waiting for me to order dinner, and he proudly said that it was his treat. He ordered Nachos and we were talking when the food arrived. As soon as a piece of food touched his mouth, he made a fun noise, half-groan and half-laugh. His eyes were closed and the smile that splitted  his face almost in two was too much for me to hold back my own. Fabiola whispered to me that she decided to take him to her brother’s favorite Mexican place, she knew that he would love that particular plate. “I have been visiting RG Cocina Mexicana for the past 5 years, and my brother always orders the Nachos!” she chirped as soon as he was focused on her again. “I wanted to share it with him.” she said, and a faint blush crossed her face. My brother held her hand over the table and smiled to both of us.

“You know darling, this is nacho’ average nacho!” and I had to roll my eyes. My little brother is bad  jokes, and adores puns! As we finished the meal, I was looking at them with a smile of my own. My little brother was all grown up now, and soon enough he’ll leave our house to have the adventure of a lifetime. And I could not be happier for him. But as far as myself goes, I had RG Cocina Mexicana registered on my GPS and I can assure you that Fabiola and I will be visiting this restaurant frequently, because this girl and I have the most amazing person in the world in common, and we have to keep his love for Mexican food alive, all on our own! But for now, I’ll be ordering delivery and finally having my binge watch with a pint of ice cream and my brother because I ordered Delivery from the restaurant and I’m sure that he will be joining me for dinner!

They can send you those great nachos right to your door.

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Twitter: @RGCocinaMexican

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

Rgcocinamexicana.com

The Importance of Safety in the Kitchen

The use of protection while handling food is not just for hygienic reasons.

Workplaces have a dress code, and when it comes to kitchen staff, it’s implemented not just for the sake of uniformity in the looks, but also for the protection of staff members. Restaurants are places where fire and hot objects are used constantly, the safety of the people working in them is vital to the managers. It’s not only for the sake of safety, but also aids immensely in the cleanliness of the space, as well as the assurance of the correct handling of the products used to cook and clean the utensils.

One of the things that you can identify pretty easily is the use of a chef’s jacket, which is a piece of sturdy cloth in the form of a double breasted jacket. This jackets tend to be white for safety reasons, they are easier to clean with bleach and reflect the heat better because it is the most reflective color of the spectre, and they are long sleeved to protect them from the products that could be jumping from the different pans used to cook. Along the breastplate they often have the logo of the company, and is combined with a pair of pants made out the same material and safety boots. They have to put protection wear in their hairs too, and for females it isn’t just a hat, but a safety net to keep hair away from the preparations. This is also to keep the hygiene in the area, and more often than not, it is advised against facial hair in the kitchen for the male staff.

When it comes to the handling of produce it is specially important to keep the norms of cleanliness, using gloves to handle the ingredients that are going to be needed to be prepared. Making sure that the work surfaces are free of dirt, cleaning them often with special pieces of cloth that doesn't leave residues on the work areas. This ensures the customers that they will not get dishes contaminated with salmonella by cross contamination of the surfaces against produce that could carry this bacteria, such as poultry. The norms of safety placing in the kitchen is key also, putting the different pieces of furnitures in correct places, without the chances of those pieces tumbling down or without having the proper amount of walking space, and keeping water and fire away from each other to avoid incidents.

One thing that it’s necessary for safety inside a restaurant is fire extinguishers of two kinds: to blow out fire that comes from oily products such as cooking oil, and fires that originate from dry materials, such as cooking towels. Training the staff to know how to talk with them is important too, because they all have to be capable of helping each other in case of any incidents, while they wait for qualified help to arrive. This goes too when it comes to cuts and bruises, they need to acquire first aid knowledge to help their coworkers when an incident occurs inside the work area.

The personnel at RG Cocina Mexicana knows about all this rules, so they are on the ready to create the best dishes with all the rules of the safety required to create dishes that will amaze the people that walk into the restaurant. All the members of the staff make sure to keep their workplace hygienic and safe to ensure this!  Visit them!

All members of the kitchen should have the correct attire for the kitchen. 

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Twitter: @RGCocinaMexican

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

Rgcocinamexicana.com  

Picking the Perfect Knife for Your Kitchen

The use of the correct knife in the kitchen guarantees perfect results when making a dish. 

Chefs have all the technical and theoretical knowledge of food that will allow them to create dishes that will blow people’s minds when they take a bite of a particular piece of cuisine, but much like artist, they can not create things from scratch, and while inspiration plays a key role in the fabrication of meals, certain instruments are required to produce masterpieces that will satisfy even the most demanding palates. That’s why to them, as to any artist, the items that they will use for their craft has to feel comfortable and easy to handle, that will allow them to chop the pieces into the correct sizes swifty, with the correct thickness and consistently throughout the workday. With that in mind, I’m here to give you the advice of the experts and their tips to choose the perfect knife for your kitchen.

One of the main things you have to consider is that a knife is an extension of your arm, and it should feel perfect. Much like a car or a pair of shoes, the advisable is to try them, take them for a run if you must, and to buy them in a specialized store where you can get the assistance you need for this process. The idea is that you hold it to feel the weight of the piece since it is going to determine if you are going to be overworking your arms with it or not, this is because if it doesn’t feel right in your palm or while trying to place it against a surface as you would when you have to work, it will make you do extra effort and in a kitchen doing unnecessary efforts affects the performance. The size is also important in this department, the standard sizes for chef’s knives are 10”, 8” and 6”; the first one is preferred because of it’s big format and the possibilities it offers as far as working with big amounts of product, while the middle one strength lies on it’s versatility, and the smallest one is ideal for task that require agility but it lacks the dimension necessary to take on bigger tasks.

The shapes of knives also variate according to the use for each of them, from just chopping vegetables to meats or bread, to opening oysters and so on. You can use various or just one for all the tasks you face in a kitchen, but the ideal is to pack a special bag to carry them with all the basic pieces that will be needed to work comfortably. Pick the most frequently used for you, add a sharpener and you are good to go! However, there’s no point in investing in a piece that will just not fit within your hands, and if you have to kiss all the frogs in the knife section to find your prince charming, then you should. Try and experiment until you find all the pieces that make work comfortably and you’ll have a perfect meal every time.

Knives are a  key element in the fabrication of meals, and much like the heat or cold, the work is based on their performance. Be sure that they are durable too, because after all, you are marrying that particular piece of cookware, and it will be your ideal companion for every plan you have in the kitchen. The people at RG Cocina Mexicana know this, and invest in knives that make their ingredients take the desired shape to create wonderful dishes. Visit them and try the different combinations of fresh products sliced and diced to perfection that they have to offer!

 Ingredients taste better when they are freshly chopped. 

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Twitter: @RGCocinaMexican

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

Rgcocinamexicana.com

Learn the Basics of Mexican Cuisine

Fresh ingredients and love are the reason why people love Mexican cuisine.

One of the reason why I love Mexican food is the fact that there’s a certain mystique and secrecy right from the start; the products are as important as the end result, and the recipes are passed on from one generation to another to keep the traditional methods and weight of history alive. There’s pride and joy in the fact that you have a family recipe, and the fact that people are more interested in this than in the result shows how deeply we are interested in the culture from which those dishes originate. One of the reasons why people react positively to the mexican food is this, and I’m about to show you the basic principles of mexican cuisine.

Traditional Methods

Mexicans are proud to keep the tradition alive, and the fact that the process to fabricate their food are taken seriously shows it: the families have always a molcajete to prepare the dishes, and are always looking for the methods that allow them to keep the flavour of the food, from using ceramic traditional bowls to cook their food, or wrapping certain preparations in corn leaves, to making the tortillas from scratch, there’s always that factor in the mix when you are learning the mexican cuisine.

Fresh ingredients

One of the most important things for Mexican cuisine is the fact that all the ingredients have to be fresh, there’s rarely a recipe that calls for something canned. Unlike many cultures, the aztec culture doesn’t rely on vinegar or jams to create something, as they are very hands on with the food, they like every single element going in the preparation to be as fresh as possible, to maintains the strong flavours that this sort of preparations need to be perfect. Things like dried up chiles and so are specially made from fresh products, to guarantee quality in the resulting dishes.

Sharing the meals

The fact that mexicans are so proud of their foods makes them want to share the experience of eating with people they hold close to their hearts. Sharing meals is deeply ingrained in their culture, and they love to do it. It’s usual to find them creating huge events to share the experience of their culture with others, showing the world what characterizes them as a country.

Now that you know the basics behind Mexican cuisine, you have to experience it first hand, and I know just the place for you to do that: RG Cocina Mexicana. They offer a modern twist of traditional recipes, and all their food is fabricated by people deeply ingrained in the culture, guaranteeing a great experience! Visit them at North Miami Beach.

Mexicans are proud to create something that represents their culture. 

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Twitter: @Rgcocinamexican

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

rgcocinamexicana.com

Behind the Scenes: Learn A Bit More About RG Cocina Mexicana

 A great kitchen and highly trained staff allows the products to be perfect. 

Restaurants are establishments that not only offer great food, but when they have a long trajectory in the business, they also give you a piece of their history through the images and tales of the employees. And places like RG Cocina Mexicana, that not only have a history that goes back as far as 1992, but that also gives you that familiar vibe that people look for when they want to share a meal with their loved ones.

In past articles we’ve talked about the history of the restaurant, and of the employees that make this restaurant one of the greatest examples of belonging and pride, because the people that are trained by George Rodriguez to work with him behind the doors of RG Cocina Mexicana can tell you that he puts love and effort into creating a great environment to work, to push his employees towards teamwork, instilling in them the need of creating an ambience where the customers feel the hospitality that distinguish them from other establishments of Mexican cuisine. One of the things that the clients that visit them comment when they leave their reviews online is how the place looks better after the renewal of its corporative image, keeping the same characteristic flavors that mix the appeal of traditional Mexican food with the modern techniques, colliding into dishes that blow their minds and that make them visit them all over again, to try the different combinations of ingredients that they use to pull their menu together.  

The people behind the scenes at RG Cocina Mexicana are trained to create the environment you will enjoy, transporting you to a place where you can feel the weight of the tradition and the mixture of love and caring that will make you want to know more about them. Visit the restaurant and see for yourself how the staff gives you the experience of a lifetime!

The staff guarantees a great experience every time you visit the restaurant. 

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Twitter: @RGCocinaMexican

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

rgcocinamexicana.com

Mexican Food to Wish him a Farewell!

 Create memories at your favorite restaurant.

There’s always that one member of our family that besides our parents and siblings, finds the way into that niche of deep trust and fellowship that no one else can quite reach. To me that person is my cousin, and while we were born almost 10 years apart, he’s been my support and confidant for most of my life. He’s also a very smart guy and such, many work opportunities had come his way, the most recent is from France and he jumped at the chance of getting a Masters Degree while working the field he loves. We were all excited when he told us, but the program requires a three years stay in Toulouse and an ocean of distance from us. That’s why I decided to make him remember us with a special dinner with all the family in his favorite place in Miami, RG Cocina Mexicana.

Our history with this restaurant goes way back to when I was in high school and he was home after graduating college. He picked me up from school because my parents were away on a trip and my aunt asked him to do it for her, and then run some errands for her. He told me that we had money to eat wherever we wanted to, and we decided to grab some Mexican because I was craving it. I have always been a picky eater and he’s with me on  that, and as soon as we walked inside some restaurants we turned on our heels and left because it didn’t feel right. But then we saw this place that seemed to have just the right aura and we decided to go in, and oh boy was perfect, the restaurant and the staff were nice with us and we sat down and ate happily and chatted. Ever since that day we tried to visit it as frequently as possible, but life always has it’s hiccups and I decided to study in another city while he traveled for studies. As soon as we were together in Miami we visited the restaurant to remember that no matter how much time passed, we had always a place to return.

 Share a meal with your loved ones at RG Cocina Mexicana.

That’s why we all gathered that day at RG Cocina Mexicana, to celebrate his life and to bid him farewell with his favorite Mexican food! We had a great time and I want you to create memories with your family and loved ones too. Visit the restaurant and learn how food can bring people together!

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Twitter: @Rgcocinamexicanan

Facebook: RG Cocina Mexicana

Instagram: @RGCocinaMexicana

314 72nd Street, Miami Beach, FL 331141

Phone Number: 305-864-7404

rgcocinamexicana.com