1
Had to pick between the flat top and the saute station for a Friday rush
Back in 2018 at my old gig in Buffalo, the sous chef told me I had to choose one for the night. I went with the flat top because I figured I could pump out burgers and hash faster. But about two hours in, I was drowning in greasy spatula flips while the saute guy had a steady flow of pan sauces and finished plates. He had way less mess to clean up after service too. Sure, the flat top cooks hot and fast, but it wears you down after the fifth hour of scraping. Ever since, I always lean toward saute for high volume nights. Anyone else pick a station that looked easier but actually wasn't?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
harper_foster1mo ago
...and that's exactly why I tell the new guys to stop romanticizing the flat top. They see videos of those perfect smash burger crusts and think it's all glory, but nobody shows the part where you're scraping carbonized grease off your forearms at 11 PM... I did a double shift once where I bounced between both and the saute station felt like a spa day compared to the flat top. Less sweat, less noise, and you actually get to plate something that looks like food instead of a hockey puck.
2
oh man the "scraping carbonized grease off your forearms" part hit me way too hard lmao. i did a summer stint at a beachside joint where i thought flat top was gonna be my ticket to fast money and ended up looking like i got into a fight with a deep fryer every night. saute all the way for fridays now, less chaos and i don't wanna scrub my skin raw after shift.
1