Just hit my 200th station rotation on the line at an open kitchen downtown

I do this thing where I work a different station every shift to keep things fresh (and honestly, to avoid getting bored). Last Tuesday night during a nasty dinner rush I looked up at the ticket rail and realized it was my 200th time moving stations since I started counting two years ago. That number surprised me because I thought I'd only done maybe half that many. It matters because rotating that much taught me how every station talks to each other in ways you don't see when you're stuck on grill every night. Like I finally figured out why the expo guy always yelled at me for my garnish timing (turns out I was holding up the whole pass by 45 seconds each plate). Has anyone else ever tracked how many times they've hopped stations or am I just the weirdo with a tally counter in my apron pocket?

3 comments

3 Comments

parkerp801mo ago

Gotta disagree with you on this one. Tracking station rotations with a tally counter just sounds like overcomplicating something that should be about feel and flow. I've been on the line for 11 years and never once counted a single move. You pick up the same lessons about timing and communication just by paying attention and asking the right questions now and then. Maybe instead of counting, you just get to know your crew better and let the experience sink in naturally.

grace_white1mo agoMost Upvoted

@parkerp80 I get where you're coming from, sometimes the best way to learn is just being in the thick of it and letting it click on its own.

vera3081mo ago

Wait, 11 years and you've never once counted a move? Like not even once? That honestly blows my mind. I've only been on the line for 4 years and I can't imagine just winging it like that. Our crew used to have this one guy who'd always lose track during a rush and we'd end up with three times the same station station and nobody on expo. Counting stops that chaos cold. I get wanting it to feel natural, but sometimes your gut is just wrong when things get loud and messy.