By Bill Grover
I have been in food service one way or another for over 40 years. I have worked in the kitchen, from bus boy to chef, and in wholesale selling seafood and pre-cut produce. I currently work aboard an oil production platform off the coast of California as a “Camp Boss” or “Steward”. I am in charge of the catering and housekeeping from 17 to as many as 140 people depending upon which platform I am on.
When I began working in the “Oil Patch” I discovered that most of my peers had little or no formal training. I am a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and that education combined with real world experience enabled me to run an offshore “galley” as it should be run. After my first 12 months of working aboard a very busy platform my boss told me that I had saved over $60,000 in food cost after taking over from my predecessor.
I admit that it was an easy act to follow because the guy before me did not know how to buy properly, portion control or plan his menus properly. Let me explain what I did.
Purchasing – This is where it really matters. Once you have spent the money you better use every bit of what you purchased to its full advantage or you lose profits. I purchase cheaper cuts of meat, such as chuck neck roll instead of rib eye, because they have more flavor and the leftovers are easier to use. Buy only what you anticipate that you will use for your ordering period. For us, we get a delivery only once a week so you have to know how many people you are feeding on a daily basis and what kind of appetite they have. Keep an eye on who has access to your storage areas and keep them under control.
Portion Control – If you are serving 80 drilling hands you can expect to serve 1 ½ chicken breast per person as some will eat 2 and some won’t eat any. Some inexperienced chefs will prepare 3 per person just so they don’t have to worry about running out but then they let the dishwasher throw them away when service is over. This will absolutely kill your budget and food cost. The goal is to keep everyone satisfied while ending up with minimal leftovers.
Menu Planning – There is a reason we have Mexican night every Sunday, leftovers! If you have meatloaf one night then you better plan on spaghetti sauce or stuffed peppers in the next day or 2 to use any leftover beef. Soups are a great way to use leftover meats and vegetables. If you are running a restaurant this is where you use your creativity to make your lunch and soup specials and your profits. Squeezing the last few dollars from leftovers and still making great tasting food is as much art as skill.
Running a food service establishment on an oil platform is no different than running a small restaurant except there is no cash register. The menu is the same for 4 out of 7 dinners and 3 out of 7 lunches so there is plenty of flexibility to use leftovers or fresh ingredients that you have paid for but have not used yet. Creativity means profitability.
