Kitchen Smoke Clouds: It’s Always 420 Somewhere

Kitchen Smoke Clouds: It’s Always 420 Somewhere

Author: Kara Restaurant Group February 28, 2023 Duration: 10:30

Joe Mathis, a Kara Restaurant Group Chef, joins Yianni and George on this week’s episode as they hit on weed in the workplace. Along with some extremely outdated slang, you’ll enjoy the group’s answers to questions, including:

  • Do you ever smoke before your shift? If so, how the hell do you function?
  • How do you know if your coworker or employee is showing up to work high?
  • Does being high make it harder to get your side work done?
  • Have you ever eaten an edible? What was your experience?
  • Have you ever met a dishwasher that isn’t on coke?

Behind every great meal is a story that’s often messy, chaotic, and surprisingly funny. Restaurant Punk is that story, told straight from the trenches by the team behind Kara Restaurant Group. This isn't a polished, corporate guide. It's the raw, unfiltered conversation that happens after hours, where decades of hard-won experience collide with the absurd reality of running restaurants. You'll hear the kind of hilarious, cringe-worthy anecdotes that only come from a life spent in hospitality, paired with genuinely humbling advice on building a business that actually treats people well-staff and guests alike. Each episode feels like pulling up a stool next to veterans who have seen it all, offering a necessary release valve for the industry's daily pressures and a spark of inspiration for entrepreneurs brave enough to try it themselves. It’s a blend of business savvy, artistic struggle, and comedic relief, all served up without the pretense. Tune into this podcast for a unique mix of lessons learned the hard way and the unvarnished truth about creating a place where people want to be, all delivered with the kind of energy that keeps the kitchen-and the conversation-moving.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 219

Restaurant Punk
Podcast Episodes
Bean Counters: Unreasonable Customers & Cheapskates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:35
We've all been there – it's a regular day at work, about 5:15pm rolls around, and Judy arrives with her husband for the Happy Hour Specials. She notices that on your menu, you have a fresh sangria infused with a variety…
Can You Not: Using Canned Food in Restaurants [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:01
Whether you’ve been trained at The Culinary Institute of America, in your grandma’s kitchen, or behind the line at a restaurant, using a canned product – either by preference or necessity – is a nearly universal experien…
Love In This Club: Relationships in the Restaurant [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:07
In the wise words of Usher…you say you're searchin' for somebody that'll take you out and do you right. Our advice? Don't follow in the singer's footsteps by looking for that love in the club, restaurant, or bar where yo…
Restaurant Principles: Peter, Pareto, and Karapanagiotis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:16
While many people may get the impression that Yianni only takes his own advice, it turns out that he has some guiding principles that have gained widespread credibility. From providing new hires with the tools they need…
Calling All Employees: Cellphones in the Workplace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:23
First things first, where's George's shirt, and did he spend the day in the kitchen cooking that way? Besides that, we're talking about cell phones in the workplace. Ten, even 20 years ago, it wasn't unheard of for someo…
How To Hire: Language Barriers, Dress Codes, and Setting Standards [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:04
George, Peter, and Noelle are having a threesome, and by that, we mean hosting the podcast together…And on that inappropriate note, let’s talk about human resources and hiring standards.In the restaurant industry, partic…
Dash & Dine: Eating Out Internationally [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:52
Eating out internationally is a different world. Just back from a vacation in Greece, Peter and Noelle raise the topic with George. George says the service in Ireland is incredible. As for Peter and Noelle's dining exper…
Make or Break Team Members: Hosts and Bussers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:43
When it comes to a restaurant team, every member has a role. If they don’t know that role or don’t care enough to take care of their responsibilities, the whole operation can quickly fall apart, leaving you in the weeds.…
Ride or Die Restaurant Owners: The Dirty Work of Washing Dishes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:40
When you consider what a restaurant owner might be responsible for, you may think that “washing dishes” would only end up on their to-do list when hell freezes over. Well…pull out your parkas because winter is coming! On…
Hello, Goodbye: How To Greet Restaurant Guests [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:44
They say first impressions are everything, but what about the final impression before a guest walks out the door? Yianni, Noelle, and Liz discuss different approaches to greeting and saying goodbye to customers, which th…