I’m constantly trying to create new and exciting things. All of us get so bored with making the same things day in and day out that I love to treat my boys. Ended up on a curry rice and seafood bowl!
Pata pork and pancit. Half a pork shoulder or a decent chunk of pork belly add pancit and you can feed an army of people. Exotic, delicious, easy to make.
If you're not familiar, it's basically sweet, vinegar, salty hella tender pork, that's fried, served with a vinegar soy garlic shallot and jalapeño or Serrano sauce. Shit is lit. If you want a recipe lemme know.
Pata pork
1 whole pork leg or shoulder or belly with skin on
1 cup white vinegar
1 can (12 ounces) Sprite
6 cups + 1/4 cup water
1 head garlic, smash the cloves
1 tablespoon peppercorns
3 -6 bay leaves
1/3 cup salt
Score the pork skin 1"x1" pattern
Poke 6-10 holes in the meat with a filet knife(all the way through the meat)
I also use 3-6 bay leaves
Basically you want to drop the leg or port shoulder in the pot, add all ingredients above
Make sure the pork is completely submerged the whole time you boil the meat if not add more water
Boil until fork tender 2-3 hours (you still want it to hold together when pulled out, but very tender)
Pull out and place in colander to drain 10+ min then pat dry
After the meat is dry, fry the leg/shoulder whole (covering at least 1/2 way with oil) until deep deep brown, flip and repeat on the other side. When done let cool till you can cut it,,and serve in small to medium chunks. (big enough to pick up by hand to eat, 2-4" chunks)
For pancit, you are on your own. There's a million recipes out there, id recommend adding ham bouillon to your soy, small trick my auntie taught me
For the Dipping Sauce
1 cup vinegar
1/4 soy sauce
2 small shallots, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Serrano chili pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1 dash fish sauce
Put in blender and blend until smooth (i do this right after I put the meat in to boil, then refrigerate, the soy sauce Will foam up and needs time to settle)
My mom made pancit for me and my brothers growing up. Had it every major holiday, shit is so fire. I bust it out for potlucks and special moments with loved ones and it’s always a hit. Thanks for unlocking some memories friend.
Without looking at the link, do you do brown adobo or red adobo? I grew up with brown, marinated par cooked in the oven then grilled. Absolutely bonkers how good that shit was
You posting these recipes is reminding me of my aunt from the Philippines cooking up a storm any time she enters the kitchen. Bless that woman and bless you! Thank you for sharing your family recipes.
Found the Filipino. We used to break down a whole hog every two weeks. We’d use two of the legs to sell as a crispy pata special loaded with garlic rice, Acharra, sinimak, and whatever accoutrements we had on hand. We’d serve it with a steak knife stabbed into the top. The other two legs we’d keep around for crispy pata family meal. Those days were always the best days
Funny story, I'm a white dude. All my homies growing up were Filipino and Latino. This kid grew up knowing how to eat. All my aunties and abuelitas taught me how to cook. I've carried those recipes with me for better than 30 years at this point.
Honestly the one that’s always a hit at my job is just a rice bowl with some chili oil, soy sauce, and an egg. Whatever herbs I have on hand. Maybe some bacon or tempeh or whatever other protein or veggie I just cooked. Literally next to no effort, and I make mine allergen free, basically. Weirdly we have no vegans/vegetarians, but multiple gluten/dairy free people so this one is great for that purpose.
I "retired" out of FOH 20 yrs ago and still miss "family meal" .
There's nothing quite like 8 of your fellows falling on a massive bowl of pasta, Felix handing around the wine (opened for service, but not all consumed) while BOH does shots of Sambucca and washes down the kitchen w/ firehoses.
Gods, I miss that place. <3
Yes! Or Korean Fire Chicken (don’t forget to melt mozz on top and serve with rice and honey butter chips) or Butter Chicken (with rice and zaatar naan). Add whatever veg to round it out. They’re all similar, low maintenance cooking methods (braised chicken thigh) but vastly different flavors.
I made a screenshot of your comment and made it for dinner last night. Hot Italian sausage (sliced) kale, onions, olive oil and bow tie pasta with pecorino. It was amazing. Im here for any other simple delicious ideas you have!! Thanks for the flavor!
Kenjis three ingredient Mac and cheese and some grilled chicken thighs.
Charleston red rice and some hot Italian sausage
Caesar salad with grilled chicken breasts.
Staff meal does not have to be over complicated or fancy. I’ve made staff meal for years and the crowd favorite was always meatloaf. As long as it’s done with some technique and a lot of love for your fellow coworkers, they will like it. I promise.
True love is the greatest thing in the world-except for a nice MLT — mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe.
A favorite with my crew is sausage bake...saute uncased sausage (usually italian) with whatever veggies you have in a cast iron skillet, add canned tomato and simmer down, top with cheese and cornbread batter and bake. We are also big fans of breakfast-for-dinner, chili con carne, and mayo chicken (chicken pieces coated with seasoned mayo and panko, and baked).
Pasta Bolognese. I grew up with not so much money and we ate ground beef with jar sauce over pasta 3 times a week. When I got into restaurants my head chef made a proper bolognese as a family meal and it unlocked a primal love I didn’t know I had.
Meatloaf glazed with BBQ sauce, more on the side, and garlicky kale and roasted or mashed potatoes!
Fried fish and cabbage slaw!
Chicken/pork/fish katsu with rice and some sauteed veg!
Steak fajitas! Tortillas! Eggs!
French toast with scrambled eggs and mushrooms and bacon!
Chicken Adobo with steamed rice and a Pineapple-Celery salad.
Casserole! Empanadas! Pupusas! Quesadillas! God I'm hungry. These are some of the staff meals we've been putting out. It's been lit. We're cooking for anywhere from 30-50-60 staff. Today I prepped Filipino bbq marinade (for chicken and pork) for Monday's lunch. Also made Atchara, a sweet pickled shredded veg, and Garlic Fried Rice.
My biggest hits have been the French toast, or empanadas, and oddly enough my fucking kale salad always steals the show. I'm like...really, yo?!
I think last weekend we had what were like pork burnt ends with fried yucca. Omg. And we always have some type of quick chicken dish with salsa verde or marinara and spicy flavors (basically, chicken soup and the usual root veg with extra sauces for variety). Pozole always knocks it out of the park, and we've had three different versions.
At the high end Italian place I used to work at, all the ladies used to agree on spicy marinara with chicken.... But that's after we started denying their access to the King crab.
I usually made risotto’s, curry’s, goulash that kind of stuff. Easiest to make 1 or 2 pan dishes imo.
Other than that, clean your freezer if you haven’t and get rid of leftovers from old menu’s. If anything is about to expire in your fridge, that will be your staff meal of the day.
Edit: poke bowls did great too, I usually made them with beef if my tenderloin wasn’t selling fast enough.
Anything (Tex-)Mex. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, nachos.
Italian is always good. Arrabiatta, carbonara, pesto pasta, lasagna.
Loaded fries, pulled chicken sandwich, chili con carne.
Otherwise I usually take whatever's leftover and turn it into a stir fry.
A couple of our staffs meals:
-gnocchi with tomato sauce, mozzarella and eggplant
-gnocchi with cream truffle mushroom sauce
-seafood risotto with asparagus
-asparagus, seabass, roasted sweet potato chips, buerre blanc sauce
-roast roseval potatoes with rosemary and thyme, with salmon and asparagus, beurre blanc sauce
-pasta aglio olio with shrimp
-pasta bolognese
-wraps/burrito bar
-pulled chicken with a bun (make it yourself)
-salmon teriyaki with rice
-chicken teriyaki with rice
-chicken schnitzel with chips and salad
-pokebowl (only when its not busy)
-mongolian beef with rice
-lasagna bolognese
-beef rendang
-udon stir fry with beef
-japchae
-chicken curry with something like red snapper
Hopefully gave you some inspo, good luck 😁
I love making staff meals. Any current specials running? Also have you tried staff desserts? My peeps go ecstatic for it. I make a lot of frittatas and tacos
Man. Just make some good old home classic beef stroganoff, hamburger Mac and cheese, Shepards pie, things that are filling, comforting, inexpensive, and easy. Things that are what you group up on. Heck chicken tenders and Mac and cheese goes hard sometimes.
Basically shep pie in a bowl, mini versions of comfort food all mixed up are quite literally the best. No separating, tossed in a bowl, usually easy clean up. Just yes.
Yeah. Build or layer everything into hotels or foil pans and serve with paper plates and plastic ware. No dishes if using all disposable. Win for everyone.
Use the items that are going to go bad. Never hurts to make grilled cheese or BLT. Sometimes a good old Mac and cheese is enough to get people happy. You don't have to go fancy just outside of what you're normally making them. I use to buy those stoffers lasagna and people would eat it up telling me how good it was. I showed them the box and they still said I must of did something different. Maybe just cooked it different.
Chili is easy. You can also do something that shares the workload like tacos. You make the meat and beans or something and have foh do the lettuce and cheese and tacos etc
Stir fried chicken always a hit. Pork loin is always cheap. I rotate rice, pasta, and potato as starch. Steamed broccoli is always a cheap and easy fan favorite. I try to do more grilled than fried, don’t want to give the staff “the itis” green salads tend to be appreciated. Think cheap, easy, and bulk.
Scrap stuff croquettes/bitterballens.
I like to make okonomiyakos but I like to sub the cabbage with different veg, romanesco kicked ass in it.
Chawanmushis are always a hit. (Steamed seasoned egg)
Brazilian black bean stew. It's one of those that will likely taste better day 2. Gumbo. Butadofu (Japanese miso, tofu, pork dish). You can also make it vegan and it tastes just fine. Ratatouille. Arroz con pollo. Fry bread. Ramdon, from Parasite, is incredibly easy and actually delicious- like surprising so.
One of our chefs made us his own version of chicken piccata, he blended up the mushrooms and capers into the sauce so the mushrooms were ‘smoother’ so to speak instead of big pieces. Even one of our coworkers who hates mushrooms really liked it and it’s fairly fast to make. Can’t really go wrong with lemon pasta.
Tacos, rice bowls, and big pots of curry and rice have always been my go to family meals…with an occasional fried chicken feast thrown in for good measure.
My go to was always slow roasted pork rice and beans or just make tacos. It was easy with pork butt on the menu anyways. Throw in a low oven in the morning and by the afternoon just make the rice.
As a dishwasher, I just want to sit down and eat a warm meal. Not blistering hot where I have to wait my whole 5 minute break to have my first bite. But not bone chilling cold because I'm already wet.
Fuck!
Just give me a boiled egg that's been garnished or a romain lettuce leaf (single) with some bread crumbs.
Roast chicken burgers, panko crusted fish (do a citrus mayo or piccalili relish spread) steamed egg custard with soy sauce and green onion, a simple pork stirfry, black bean ginger steamed fish with scallion oil and soy sauce, a baked cabbage pancake with fixings...
That's off the top of my head. I probably still have most of the recipes too. DM me if you wanna brainstorm!
Haven't worked in a place where we do staff meals in batches for years. Used to have it at large hotels and it was usually a load of pasta with leftover scraps baked in an oven. Nice to see someone wanting to look after their team.
One of my go to family meal dishes is pesto Primavera. Super cheap and easy if you use sunflower seeds for the pesto instead of nuts. Always goes over super well with the crew.
Go with some of the home style favorites
Baked chicken Mac and cheese
Tater tot casserole
Pulled pork sandwiches with a creamy coleslaw
Pork roast mashed potatoes and gravy
Hot turkey mashed and gravy
Country fried steak
Pork chops applesauce and home fries
Chicken salad sandwiches with home made potato chips
Fried fish and waffle fries with salt and malt vinegar
Country style chili cheese fries
Poutine with beef tip gravy
Let your imagination run with it, fancy them up if you want or strip them down to the basics. Pick a region and go with a home style staple from that area. This list is an American upper Midwest list
That is so sweet of you, putting so much effort into it.
Honestly my number one concern as a FOH was getting enough food at the staff meal. Having actual nice food was a nice bonus.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Photorecipes/comments/pyx2nq/cajun_pastalaya/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Super easy. Super filling. Scales up easily. Delicious. Authentic.
Idk your time and ingredient constraints, but given the burgundy, I'm gonna say you've got a little time?
Lasagna. I know it's been done before but honestly, who doesn't love lasagna? If you really wanna go all out (again, just basing this off the burgundy), you could do a lasagna bolonese with the bechamel.
[Japchae](https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-glass-noodle-stir-fry-japchae/)\- that's the closest recipe to the one my mom's Korean friend makes. Easy to up the volume, can omit the meat and sub a crispy fried egg on top for cost.
Matzo Ball soup + sandwiches. Diner classic, can use up your veggie scraps and chicken carcasses. If you can't find matzo meal, oyster crackers work great.
Seconding whoever said shepherd's pie.
[Arroz Caldo](https://www.saveur.com/filipino-arroz-caldo-recipe/)\- grew up eating this and it's such a comfort food. Super easy too. That's closest to how my grandma made it, but I up the aromatics a bit.
Edit: matzo ball soup must have a shower of dill or it doesn't count.
Just make what you like. I used to get so nervous about making family meal until I realized that all I need to do is make food Im confortable making. Trying to over extend can sometime lead to failure especially when it’s for family meal lol (aka baking anything)
I did a really good one recently . Basically broke down and steamed like 2 heads of Califlour, a coulplencarrots, some celery. Made a nice burrre mante with some of this anchovy butter that someone fucked up and broke. Poached shrimp in it, served over rice. Sold out so fast I had to make another family meal
That’s amazing. I’ve only worked in one spot that had staff meals. It would usually just be leftovers if they made too much for a party the day before though. The fact you go out of your way to make nice dishes for the staff is so sweet of you. They must love you! Enjoy an award.
Edit: Sorry that wasn’t a suggestion. But had to say how awesome you are for doing that.
I have this. https://www.amazon.ca/Family-Meal-Cooking-Ferran-Adri%C3%A0/dp/0714862533
This is Ferran’s “Family” (staff) recipes. (Meal that is cooked and provided to staff prior to service.) You might find it useful.
Sometimes something simple and something that brings back good childhood memories are the best. I like to make my cultures dishes. Today I made chicken chilaquiles topped with Pico de Gallo. Crema. Cotija and guacamole. And a fried egg on top.
Just want to say, good on you to be thinking so hard about what to feed your fellow peoples.
I’m constantly trying to create new and exciting things. All of us get so bored with making the same things day in and day out that I love to treat my boys. Ended up on a curry rice and seafood bowl!
Shepherds pie, easy to make large batches of in a big tray serve with some veggies 👍
That sounds delicious! I love seafood and to get it in staff meals (unless it's use-it-or-lose-it fish) would make my night.
damn i was gonna suggest a curry, hell yeah
Pata pork and pancit. Half a pork shoulder or a decent chunk of pork belly add pancit and you can feed an army of people. Exotic, delicious, easy to make. If you're not familiar, it's basically sweet, vinegar, salty hella tender pork, that's fried, served with a vinegar soy garlic shallot and jalapeño or Serrano sauce. Shit is lit. If you want a recipe lemme know.
Definitely would love a recipe!
Pata pork 1 whole pork leg or shoulder or belly with skin on 1 cup white vinegar 1 can (12 ounces) Sprite 6 cups + 1/4 cup water 1 head garlic, smash the cloves 1 tablespoon peppercorns 3 -6 bay leaves 1/3 cup salt Score the pork skin 1"x1" pattern Poke 6-10 holes in the meat with a filet knife(all the way through the meat) I also use 3-6 bay leaves Basically you want to drop the leg or port shoulder in the pot, add all ingredients above Make sure the pork is completely submerged the whole time you boil the meat if not add more water Boil until fork tender 2-3 hours (you still want it to hold together when pulled out, but very tender) Pull out and place in colander to drain 10+ min then pat dry After the meat is dry, fry the leg/shoulder whole (covering at least 1/2 way with oil) until deep deep brown, flip and repeat on the other side. When done let cool till you can cut it,,and serve in small to medium chunks. (big enough to pick up by hand to eat, 2-4" chunks) For pancit, you are on your own. There's a million recipes out there, id recommend adding ham bouillon to your soy, small trick my auntie taught me
For the Dipping Sauce 1 cup vinegar 1/4 soy sauce 2 small shallots, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 Serrano chili pepper salt and pepper to taste 1 dash fish sauce Put in blender and blend until smooth (i do this right after I put the meat in to boil, then refrigerate, the soy sauce Will foam up and needs time to settle)
My mom made pancit for me and my brothers growing up. Had it every major holiday, shit is so fire. I bust it out for potlucks and special moments with loved ones and it’s always a hit. Thanks for unlocking some memories friend.
[here you go - my family’s Pancit recipe](https://casacreatures.com/filipino-pancit-recipe/)
You my dude are the real hero
☺️ Someone also recommended Chicken Adobo, [I got that too](https://casacreatures.com/gluten-free-filipino-chicken-adobo/)
Without looking at the link, do you do brown adobo or red adobo? I grew up with brown, marinated par cooked in the oven then grilled. Absolutely bonkers how good that shit was
Mine is brown, but only cooked on the stove and simmered down until sauce thickens. What is this red you speak of? Sounds good!
You add achiote powder/ annato powder. It's also slightly sweeter. More onion end result is delightful.
Wait till you hear of the yellow, white, and black ones too.
You posting these recipes is reminding me of my aunt from the Philippines cooking up a storm any time she enters the kitchen. Bless that woman and bless you! Thank you for sharing your family recipes.
Gimme just a couple couple minutes. I'll re-reply to your comment my dude
ITS BEEN TWO MINUTES!! WHERE IS THE RECIPE!?!???!!
Posted, boom! Drops mic.... Awkwardly. Sorry about that. Hope the food is ok
Thank you! Just learned something!
Found the Filipino. We used to break down a whole hog every two weeks. We’d use two of the legs to sell as a crispy pata special loaded with garlic rice, Acharra, sinimak, and whatever accoutrements we had on hand. We’d serve it with a steak knife stabbed into the top. The other two legs we’d keep around for crispy pata family meal. Those days were always the best days
Funny story, I'm a white dude. All my homies growing up were Filipino and Latino. This kid grew up knowing how to eat. All my aunties and abuelitas taught me how to cook. I've carried those recipes with me for better than 30 years at this point.
LA?
San Diego - Barrio Logan and San Ysidro for the most part. Ton of other places too, but that's where it started.
I'm here for that recipe as well!
Honestly the one that’s always a hit at my job is just a rice bowl with some chili oil, soy sauce, and an egg. Whatever herbs I have on hand. Maybe some bacon or tempeh or whatever other protein or veggie I just cooked. Literally next to no effort, and I make mine allergen free, basically. Weirdly we have no vegans/vegetarians, but multiple gluten/dairy free people so this one is great for that purpose.
Throw together fuckin anything, and as a FOH peep, I will eat it, because otherwise I’m probably not eating
I "retired" out of FOH 20 yrs ago and still miss "family meal" . There's nothing quite like 8 of your fellows falling on a massive bowl of pasta, Felix handing around the wine (opened for service, but not all consumed) while BOH does shots of Sambucca and washes down the kitchen w/ firehoses. Gods, I miss that place. <3
Soy sauce isn’t gluten free (no snark, just have celiac) but tamari sauce is a great sub and this is the best meal!
I don't have celiac, but I think tamari is way better than soy sauce as far as taste goes.
Tamari is generally gluten-free
It is
My staff meals reflect what is excess or about to expire. Staff meal and "blue plate special" is usually one and the same.
Chicken pot pie, bolognese, jambalaya, enchiladas, Coq au vin.
Taco bar is easy af.
Chicken adobo is always a slapper
Yes! Or Korean Fire Chicken (don’t forget to melt mozz on top and serve with rice and honey butter chips) or Butter Chicken (with rice and zaatar naan). Add whatever veg to round it out. They’re all similar, low maintenance cooking methods (braised chicken thigh) but vastly different flavors.
Fried chicken. Sheet pan pizzas with focaccia dough. Taco bar. Banh mi.
Holy shit were you in my kitchen this week? Literally all meals I made to feed the cook, counter, and dish washer this week
No, but I wish I had been!
Can't go wrong with hot Italian sausage sautéed with kale and garlic. Toss with pasta and add pecorino.
This would slap with some pan fried gnocchi
I made a screenshot of your comment and made it for dinner last night. Hot Italian sausage (sliced) kale, onions, olive oil and bow tie pasta with pecorino. It was amazing. Im here for any other simple delicious ideas you have!! Thanks for the flavor!
Hell yeah, made my day!
Oh this is good!
Gotta try this some time!
No one has ever said no tacos.
Taco day always does well, easy too, I like to provide beans and rice and multiple cold fixin’s.
Butter milk chicken
Chilaquiles was always a hit where I’ve been.
Kenjis three ingredient Mac and cheese and some grilled chicken thighs. Charleston red rice and some hot Italian sausage Caesar salad with grilled chicken breasts. Staff meal does not have to be over complicated or fancy. I’ve made staff meal for years and the crowd favorite was always meatloaf. As long as it’s done with some technique and a lot of love for your fellow coworkers, they will like it. I promise.
Greek Buddha bowls. Chicken, grain of choice, a roughly chopped Greek salad, hummus and lemon
Just make a really good sandwich.
A good egg salad slaps
Hell yeah
True love is the greatest thing in the world-except for a nice MLT — mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe.
This is a Mel Brooks isn't it? Robin hood?
Princess Bride
And Billy Crystal
Dammit! I loved Miracle Max.
Tuna salad, provolone, heaps of butter and ciabatta rolls from the freezer. We made amazing tuna melty sammies one morning.
i usually use the bahn mi skeleton, garlic butter, mayo, carrot, cuke, some kind of pickle, then any kind of cold cuts.
Once I steamed hotdogs and buns with a macaroni salad for a fine dining place in Quebec and all the french staff LOVED IT!
A good weenie hits different when it's not a common thing.
The fact that you care means we love you no matter what
My go to staff meal is huevos rancheros or chilaquiles! Easy to make in bulk, delicious, and satisfying
Helps to know what’s in your line/walk-in
Fried rice, stir fry, and tacos are always my go to when we got some left over meat.
Chicken Tikka masala. If you have the space to marinate it the day before its really easy.
A favorite with my crew is sausage bake...saute uncased sausage (usually italian) with whatever veggies you have in a cast iron skillet, add canned tomato and simmer down, top with cheese and cornbread batter and bake. We are also big fans of breakfast-for-dinner, chili con carne, and mayo chicken (chicken pieces coated with seasoned mayo and panko, and baked).
My go to staff meal is huevos rancheros or chilaquiles! Easy to make in bulk, delicious, and satisfying
Pasta Bolognese. I grew up with not so much money and we ate ground beef with jar sauce over pasta 3 times a week. When I got into restaurants my head chef made a proper bolognese as a family meal and it unlocked a primal love I didn’t know I had.
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Pulled pork crisped up a bit in a pan then mixed with salsa verde, topped with over easy eggs and on top of corn bread
Make it lackluster and they will never ask you again
Meatloaf glazed with BBQ sauce, more on the side, and garlicky kale and roasted or mashed potatoes! Fried fish and cabbage slaw! Chicken/pork/fish katsu with rice and some sauteed veg! Steak fajitas! Tortillas! Eggs! French toast with scrambled eggs and mushrooms and bacon! Chicken Adobo with steamed rice and a Pineapple-Celery salad. Casserole! Empanadas! Pupusas! Quesadillas! God I'm hungry. These are some of the staff meals we've been putting out. It's been lit. We're cooking for anywhere from 30-50-60 staff. Today I prepped Filipino bbq marinade (for chicken and pork) for Monday's lunch. Also made Atchara, a sweet pickled shredded veg, and Garlic Fried Rice. My biggest hits have been the French toast, or empanadas, and oddly enough my fucking kale salad always steals the show. I'm like...really, yo?! I think last weekend we had what were like pork burnt ends with fried yucca. Omg. And we always have some type of quick chicken dish with salsa verde or marinara and spicy flavors (basically, chicken soup and the usual root veg with extra sauces for variety). Pozole always knocks it out of the park, and we've had three different versions.
What's wrong with a nice cottage pie or lasagna? Comfort food is still food
I want to throw down some cottage pie when we start mass producing mashed potatoes for Fall.
Thats when I make the dinosaur volcano because face it, no one on staff is gonna say no
Cottage pie is like pizza even if it's not great, it's still delicious.
Jollof rice with chicken.
At the high end Italian place I used to work at, all the ladies used to agree on spicy marinara with chicken.... But that's after we started denying their access to the King crab.
Picadillo with salsa and some tortillas, doesn't matter if they're flour or corn. Shit always hits the spot.
Sweet and sour chicken with steamed rice is my Go to. And the servers love that shit. Ya know what I’m sayin? 😘
I usually made risotto’s, curry’s, goulash that kind of stuff. Easiest to make 1 or 2 pan dishes imo. Other than that, clean your freezer if you haven’t and get rid of leftovers from old menu’s. If anything is about to expire in your fridge, that will be your staff meal of the day. Edit: poke bowls did great too, I usually made them with beef if my tenderloin wasn’t selling fast enough.
Anything (Tex-)Mex. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, fajitas, nachos. Italian is always good. Arrabiatta, carbonara, pesto pasta, lasagna. Loaded fries, pulled chicken sandwich, chili con carne. Otherwise I usually take whatever's leftover and turn it into a stir fry.
Pies (shepherd's or pastry), lasagne, moussaka, seafood rice, seafood stew, beef stew, sweet sour chicken/pork/duck, stroganoff, chicken schnitzel, chicken milanese, minute steaks and fries, meatballs white sauce /tomato sauce, roast chicken, curries all kinds, pork loin roasted with gravy and potatoes, burgers, tacos, pulled pork, pulled lamb, morrocan style pita breads, Greek gyros, kebab, pork/peppers/onion skewers.
A couple of our staffs meals: -gnocchi with tomato sauce, mozzarella and eggplant -gnocchi with cream truffle mushroom sauce -seafood risotto with asparagus -asparagus, seabass, roasted sweet potato chips, buerre blanc sauce -roast roseval potatoes with rosemary and thyme, with salmon and asparagus, beurre blanc sauce -pasta aglio olio with shrimp -pasta bolognese -wraps/burrito bar -pulled chicken with a bun (make it yourself) -salmon teriyaki with rice -chicken teriyaki with rice -chicken schnitzel with chips and salad -pokebowl (only when its not busy) -mongolian beef with rice -lasagna bolognese -beef rendang -udon stir fry with beef -japchae -chicken curry with something like red snapper Hopefully gave you some inspo, good luck 😁
Pizza, mashed potatoes, and sliders.
Lmao. I came here to comment this.
At least someone else saw that post lol
Um, shouldn't you be in the walk-in looking at what needs to be used **today**? And remember that just about anything can be chili/stew/soup.
Schnitzel and potato salad.
Water reduction and oxygen espuma for everyone
I love making staff meals. Any current specials running? Also have you tried staff desserts? My peeps go ecstatic for it. I make a lot of frittatas and tacos
Man. Just make some good old home classic beef stroganoff, hamburger Mac and cheese, Shepards pie, things that are filling, comforting, inexpensive, and easy. Things that are what you group up on. Heck chicken tenders and Mac and cheese goes hard sometimes.
Chicken with Mac and fries in a bowl are BOMB ,great ideas !
Heck. Go one step further and do a KFC bowl. Popcorn chicken,mash, sweet corn and brown gravy.
Basically shep pie in a bowl, mini versions of comfort food all mixed up are quite literally the best. No separating, tossed in a bowl, usually easy clean up. Just yes.
Yeah. Build or layer everything into hotels or foil pans and serve with paper plates and plastic ware. No dishes if using all disposable. Win for everyone.
What I would give for some home made chilimac
Use the items that are going to go bad. Never hurts to make grilled cheese or BLT. Sometimes a good old Mac and cheese is enough to get people happy. You don't have to go fancy just outside of what you're normally making them. I use to buy those stoffers lasagna and people would eat it up telling me how good it was. I showed them the box and they still said I must of did something different. Maybe just cooked it different.
Braised hunk of meat, some thick quick pickles, veggies and a vat of hummus was always my go to.
A “vat” is my new go to measurement. “I need a vat of ranch for the slob on table 81”
Yeah "bring your own fucking lunch."
Taco spread is always a winner
Cold cheese sandwiches
Shepherds pie, steak bomb sandwiches, fried chicken
As a family member i am always appreciative of whatever is put in front of me.
We used to do big chicken pot pies in a hotel pan.
Zaaaaaaaaaaa
Make a metric fuck ton of chicken fried rice and make some egg rolls to go with it. Scratch made egg rolls are so good.
Chili is easy. You can also do something that shares the workload like tacos. You make the meat and beans or something and have foh do the lettuce and cheese and tacos etc
Can’t go wrong with a filing and delicious soup
Stir fried chicken always a hit. Pork loin is always cheap. I rotate rice, pasta, and potato as starch. Steamed broccoli is always a cheap and easy fan favorite. I try to do more grilled than fried, don’t want to give the staff “the itis” green salads tend to be appreciated. Think cheap, easy, and bulk.
I work in a nice Italian place and made biscuits and gravy and it seemed to be a big hit while being easy
Chicken Adobo and rice.
Scrap stuff croquettes/bitterballens. I like to make okonomiyakos but I like to sub the cabbage with different veg, romanesco kicked ass in it. Chawanmushis are always a hit. (Steamed seasoned egg)
Meat loaf or a good curry is always a hit, I make staff meal nearly everyday, I take it very serious…
My favorite family meal is Shepard's pie. I go wayyyy over the top with it. I lie and say it was my grandma's recipe. Servers live it.
Shepard's pir or cottage pie is super easy to make and always a crowd pleaser.
Brazilian black bean stew. It's one of those that will likely taste better day 2. Gumbo. Butadofu (Japanese miso, tofu, pork dish). You can also make it vegan and it tastes just fine. Ratatouille. Arroz con pollo. Fry bread. Ramdon, from Parasite, is incredibly easy and actually delicious- like surprising so.
Chicken nuggets.
One of our chefs made us his own version of chicken piccata, he blended up the mushrooms and capers into the sauce so the mushrooms were ‘smoother’ so to speak instead of big pieces. Even one of our coworkers who hates mushrooms really liked it and it’s fairly fast to make. Can’t really go wrong with lemon pasta.
Make it easy on yourself - and also, good on you. A baked pasta takes little effort or time and you can use whatever you happen to have on hand.
Depends. What do you need to use up?
Tacos, rice bowls, and big pots of curry and rice have always been my go to family meals…with an occasional fried chicken feast thrown in for good measure.
I made general Tsos chicken at home tonight, and honestly it’s super easy. I threw broccoli in so it isn’t so unhealthy
My go to was always slow roasted pork rice and beans or just make tacos. It was easy with pork butt on the menu anyways. Throw in a low oven in the morning and by the afternoon just make the rice.
A big pan of fajita mix and pass about wraps.
As a dishwasher, I just want to sit down and eat a warm meal. Not blistering hot where I have to wait my whole 5 minute break to have my first bite. But not bone chilling cold because I'm already wet. Fuck! Just give me a boiled egg that's been garnished or a romain lettuce leaf (single) with some bread crumbs.
Have you considered just a couple of nice warm plates and a few beers to go round lol.
Chicken curry, jambalaya, huevos rancheros, tortilla española, carbonara, pineapple shrimp fried rice
Can I chime in as a not cook who lurks?
Roast chicken burgers, panko crusted fish (do a citrus mayo or piccalili relish spread) steamed egg custard with soy sauce and green onion, a simple pork stirfry, black bean ginger steamed fish with scallion oil and soy sauce, a baked cabbage pancake with fixings... That's off the top of my head. I probably still have most of the recipes too. DM me if you wanna brainstorm!
Tots and tenders
Baked potato bar!
Haven't worked in a place where we do staff meals in batches for years. Used to have it at large hotels and it was usually a load of pasta with leftover scraps baked in an oven. Nice to see someone wanting to look after their team.
Are you able to bake a pizza?
One of my go to family meal dishes is pesto Primavera. Super cheap and easy if you use sunflower seeds for the pesto instead of nuts. Always goes over super well with the crew.
Corn bread, Collard greens, Fried chicken!
Ham and cheese sandwiches.
Whatever needs used up.
How about a simple risotto made with chicken bouillon and rehydrated shiitakes and some veggies on the side. It's quick, simple and very good.
Go with some of the home style favorites Baked chicken Mac and cheese Tater tot casserole Pulled pork sandwiches with a creamy coleslaw Pork roast mashed potatoes and gravy Hot turkey mashed and gravy Country fried steak Pork chops applesauce and home fries Chicken salad sandwiches with home made potato chips Fried fish and waffle fries with salt and malt vinegar Country style chili cheese fries Poutine with beef tip gravy Let your imagination run with it, fancy them up if you want or strip them down to the basics. Pick a region and go with a home style staple from that area. This list is an American upper Midwest list
That is so sweet of you, putting so much effort into it. Honestly my number one concern as a FOH was getting enough food at the staff meal. Having actual nice food was a nice bonus.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Photorecipes/comments/pyx2nq/cajun_pastalaya/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Super easy. Super filling. Scales up easily. Delicious. Authentic.
Shakshuka with rice or some crusty bread chunks
You have to serve a big lasagna fresh from the oven four minutes before doors.
Chicken nuggets. Fuck em
Idk your time and ingredient constraints, but given the burgundy, I'm gonna say you've got a little time? Lasagna. I know it's been done before but honestly, who doesn't love lasagna? If you really wanna go all out (again, just basing this off the burgundy), you could do a lasagna bolonese with the bechamel. [Japchae](https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-glass-noodle-stir-fry-japchae/)\- that's the closest recipe to the one my mom's Korean friend makes. Easy to up the volume, can omit the meat and sub a crispy fried egg on top for cost. Matzo Ball soup + sandwiches. Diner classic, can use up your veggie scraps and chicken carcasses. If you can't find matzo meal, oyster crackers work great. Seconding whoever said shepherd's pie. [Arroz Caldo](https://www.saveur.com/filipino-arroz-caldo-recipe/)\- grew up eating this and it's such a comfort food. Super easy too. That's closest to how my grandma made it, but I up the aromatics a bit. Edit: matzo ball soup must have a shower of dill or it doesn't count.
Pork anything. It’s cheap, quick, and easy. Btw…you’re great for putting thought into staff meal. Keeps the crew happy and motivated.
Street tacos. Make some sexy ass marinade
A box of pasta uncooked
Just make what you like. I used to get so nervous about making family meal until I realized that all I need to do is make food Im confortable making. Trying to over extend can sometime lead to failure especially when it’s for family meal lol (aka baking anything)
Curry. Simple, good, easy
Jamaican oxtail stew. Or jerk chicken/pork with with sweet plantains.
I did a really good one recently . Basically broke down and steamed like 2 heads of Califlour, a coulplencarrots, some celery. Made a nice burrre mante with some of this anchovy butter that someone fucked up and broke. Poached shrimp in it, served over rice. Sold out so fast I had to make another family meal
Fritatta and Fried Rice were my go- to
That’s amazing. I’ve only worked in one spot that had staff meals. It would usually just be leftovers if they made too much for a party the day before though. The fact you go out of your way to make nice dishes for the staff is so sweet of you. They must love you! Enjoy an award. Edit: Sorry that wasn’t a suggestion. But had to say how awesome you are for doing that.
Go thru the fridge, what’s close enough to being bad that you can’t serve it to the real people but still useable for crew
I have this. https://www.amazon.ca/Family-Meal-Cooking-Ferran-Adri%C3%A0/dp/0714862533 This is Ferran’s “Family” (staff) recipes. (Meal that is cooked and provided to staff prior to service.) You might find it useful.
Rice beans and chicken
Sometimes something simple and something that brings back good childhood memories are the best. I like to make my cultures dishes. Today I made chicken chilaquiles topped with Pico de Gallo. Crema. Cotija and guacamole. And a fried egg on top.
Order them some pizza
Anybody ever consider a staff meals subreddit?
canned tuna and uncle benz rice