This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? Let's say I order
a grilled chicken sandwich. I assume the cook pulls a portioned
chicken breast out of the freezer. Maybe its already cooked, or even
partially cooked so it just gets heated? Was the bun fresh (never
frozen)? I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
fresh, right? I would guess if you order a plain salad that
everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). How
many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?

Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
right?

Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
needed?

Thanks for any info....

Mike

On 7 Feb 2007 08:40:29 -0800, "Mike" > wrote:

>Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
>seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
>I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
>in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
>right?
>
>Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
>items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
>needed?
>
>Thanks for any info....

I worked in a chinese takeout years ago... as I recall they got their
chicken and pork fresh, but their scallops and prawns came frozen in
big blocks - they'd thaw them in a bucket in the sink under running
water as they needed them. None of the food was pre-prepared except
the wontons (when it was quiet, the chefs would sit there and wrap up
a tray) - they would do everything else as the orders came in.

Mike wrote:
> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? Let's say I order
> a grilled chicken sandwich. I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> chicken breast out of the freezer. Maybe its already cooked, or even
> partially cooked so it just gets heated? Was the bun fresh (never
> frozen)? I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> fresh, right? I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). How
> many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?
>
> Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
> seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
> I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> right?
>
> Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> needed?
>
> Thanks for any info....
>
> Mike

Not sure why it matters much. There's this company called Palazoa Produce
in my area, they deliver fresh produce to restaurants every day, unless the
chef decides to go out and buy it himself which does happen in the
occasional place.

Then there is a place, the name escapes me, someone here will know the name.
They deliver meat, chicken, seafood. Some of it is frozen. Obviously where
you live has a lot to do with it. There's no such thing as freshly caught
shrimp or scallops in west TN (for example). Chicken, sure. Beef and pork,
sure. Location, location, location

Jill

Mike wrote:
> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? Let's say I order
> a grilled chicken sandwich. I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> chicken breast out of the freezer. Maybe its already cooked, or even
> partially cooked so it just gets heated? Was the bun fresh (never
> frozen)? I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> fresh, right? I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). How
> many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?
>
> Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
> seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
> I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> right?
>
> Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> needed?
>
> Thanks for any info....
>
> Mike
>
Most food in a (real) Chinese restaurant is cooked on demand. They
typically get frequent deliveries from food service vendors. The
industrial places such as Chilis are a lot more likely to be serving
frozen portion controlled stuff and sauces soups etc that came from a
big bucket or plastic pouch.

On Feb 7, 8:40 am, "Mike" > wrote:
> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? [snip]

It's not off topic. One way to research the question is to look at
the range of products offered by the major food service companies like
Sysco Foods. Here's a link to the Seattle branch. You'll find on the
first page links to twelve categories of products. Click on "frozen"
and you'll get twenty-seven (27) pages of menu items. We've all eaten
at restaurants from diners to chains whose menus contain very little
that can't go directly from the freezer to the deep fryer or the
microwave. No post-factory cooking involved. -aem

http://www.syscoseattle.com/

jmcquown said...

> Not sure why it matters much. There's this company called Palazoa Produce
> in my area, they deliver fresh produce to restaurants every day, unless the
> chef decides to go out and buy it himself which does happen in the
> occasional place.


I worked at such a place!

For a brief moment in time, while in my chef's hat disguise, I had to shop at
the local supermarket for the day's hams before work. The owner never lined
up a supplier. At least it was fresh, with maybe a small overnight bucket of
diced ham in the fridge.

He also kept beer in a metal cabinet outside under the deck. I'd stock the
fridge each day with a case and slip a 6-pack behind the cabinet and bring it
home after we closed. A self-reasoned bonus for shopping and dicing the hams,
slicing 40 lb. blocks of Monterey jack cheese, making a dozen cheesecakes,
making espresso coffee drinks, gourmet teas, fruit frappes, muld wine, fresh
squeezed OJ and dinner crepes... every night!

Yep, for a brief moment in time, in my chef's hat, I was on top of the world,
earning minimum wage.

Andy

On Feb 7, 11:40�am, "Mike" > wrote:
> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. *Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). *How is the food prepared there? *Let's say I order
> a grilled chicken sandwich. *I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> chicken breast out of the freezer. *Maybe its already cooked, or even
> partially cooked so it just gets heated? *Was the bun fresh (never
> frozen)? *I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> fresh, right? *I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). *How
> many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?
>
> Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. *Surely some of their
> seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. *After all, if
> I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> right?
>
> Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> needed?
>
> Thanks for any info....

You're making an all or nothing mountain out of a mole hill. Between
fresh and frozen there's refrigeration. THINK!

Sheldon Westinghouse

On Feb 7, 2:08 pm, "Sheldon" > wrote:
> On Feb 7, 11:40?am, "Mike" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> > restaurants. ?Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> > not "fast food"). ?How is the food prepared there? ?Let's say I order
> > a grilled chicken sandwich. ?I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> > chicken breast out of the freezer. ?Maybe its already cooked, or even
> > partially cooked so it just gets heated? ?Was the bun fresh (never
> > frozen)? ?I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> > fresh, right? ?I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> > everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). ?How
> > many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> > continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?
>
> > Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. ?Surely some of their
> > seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. ?After all, if
> > I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> > in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> > right?
>
> > Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> > items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> > needed?
>
> > Thanks for any info....
>
> You're making an all or nothing mountain out of a mole hill. Between
> fresh and frozen there's refrigeration. THINK!
>
> Sheldon Westinghouse- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I never said that I preferred fresh to frozen. Having never worked in
a restaurant, I'm just curious about what it takes to get the food on
the plate.

Mike

On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 11:09:18 -0600, "jmcquown" >
wrote:

> There's no such thing as freshly caught
>shrimp or scallops in west TN (for example).

Shirley....there has to be at least ONE airplane that flies in fresh
seafood from the gulf to Memphis? After all it is only 400 miles by
car. You could almost drive it.

"Mike" wrote:
> "Sheldon" wrote:
>
> > You're making an all or nothing mountain out of a mole hill. *Between
> > fresh and frozen there's refrigeration. *THINK!
>
> I never said that I preferred fresh to frozen. *

No one is saying what you prefer, nor does anyone give a rat's b-hind.

>Having never worked in
> a restaurant, I'm just curious about what it takes to get the food on
> the plate.

You're not THINKING!

Checking your profile answers why your thinker is broken... Mikey has
gotta be a guido.

alt.tv.american-idol
alt.guitar.bass 22 hours ago
rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic 2 days ago
rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic 2 days ago
alt.guitar.bass 3 days ago
rec.arts.comics.strips 4 days ago
rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic 5 days ago
rec.arts.tv 6 days ago
rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
-----

"Mike" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? Let's say I order
> a grilled chicken sandwich. I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> chicken breast out of the freezer. Maybe its already cooked, or even
> partially cooked so it just gets heated? Was the bun fresh (never
> frozen)? I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> fresh, right? I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). How
> many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?
>
> Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
> seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
> I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> right?
>
> Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> needed?
>
> Thanks for any info....
>
> Mike
>


I'll focus on the lettuce & tomatoes, and let others shred you on the other
subject: You assume they were fresh. What would be the opposite? Frozen
lettuce & tomatoes? Or, spoiled lettuce & tomatoes?

Mike wrote:

> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? Let's say I order
> a grilled chicken sandwich. I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> chicken breast out of the freezer. Maybe its already cooked, or even
> partially cooked so it just gets heated?

It's already cooked, complete with grill marks. They can be "re-thermalized"
(I love that term) by microwave or by other specialized equipment.

> Was the bun fresh (never
> frozen)?

Maybe, maybe not. Most of the time, the chains have contracts with the same
bread suppliers that visit the grocery stores. The bread truck pulls up and
off-loads trays of bread products every day or two.

> I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> fresh, right?

The tomatoes are whole, and are sliced by hand in a "tomato witch"
http://tinyurl.com/29phjx The lettuce comes pre-shredded in HUUUUUGE bags.
The croutons come in large cardboard boxes -- about the size of a case of
bananas -- which are lined with heavy-duty plastic.

> I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). How
> many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?

Usually two or three per week.

> Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
> seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
> I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> right?

I know nothing about asian restaurant kitchens.

> Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> needed?

Based on product popularity during rush times, there will be several
ready-to-go at any given time.


--
Dave
www.davebbq.com

On Feb 7, 2:20 pm, "Sheldon" > wrote:
> You're not THINKING!
>

I'm thinking that "Sheldon is a pain in the neck!"

"Mike the WOP" wrote:
> "Sheldon" wrote:
>
> > You're not THINKING!
>
> I'm thinking that *"Sheldon is a pain in the neck!"

Think lower down... your brain is in your ass, WOP!

Mike wrote:
> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there

Not off topic at ALL! NICE to see something "on topic" around here for a
change... lol.

Not an answer to your question but more just a comment: When I go to
Sam's Club, I get a tad depressed seeing all the foods sold there that
I'm sure many, many restaurants just buy and pass off as prepared by
them. Good stuff, mind you...but I could buy it myself, y'know? When I
go to a restaurant I want food cooked there, not just reheated there. <sigh>

On Feb 7, 2:09 pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
>
>
>
> The tomatoes are whole, and are sliced by hand in a "tomato witch" http://tinyurl.com/29phjx
>
>
>
I never knew such a gadget existed and it certainly would get the job
done. Wellllll, learn something new everyday! Thanks!

"Sheldon" > wrote:

>"Mike" wrote:
>> "Sheldon" wrote:
>>
>> > You're making an all or nothing mountain out of a mole hill.
etween
>> > fresh and frozen there's refrigeration. HINK!
>>
>> I never said that I preferred fresh to frozen.
>
>No one is saying what you prefer, nor does anyone give a rat's b-hind.
>
>>Having never worked in
>> a restaurant, I'm just curious about what it takes to get the food on
>> the plate.
>
>You're not THINKING!
>
>Checking your profile answers why your thinker is broken... Mikey has
>gotta be a guido.
>
>alt.tv.american-idol
>alt.guitar.bass 22 hours ago
>rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic 2 days ago
>rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic 2 days ago
>alt.guitar.bass 3 days ago
>rec.arts.comics.strips 4 days ago
>rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic 5 days ago
>rec.arts.tv 6 days ago
>rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
>-----
>

At least the guy's got hobbies you washer-woman, busy-body! Too bad
they don't have a group like "alt.seniors.long-past-use-by-date".
You'd be a big hit, Sheldon.

Ward Abbott wrote:
> On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 11:09:18 -0600, "jmcquown" >
> wrote:
>
>> There's no such thing as freshly caught
>> shrimp or scallops in west TN (for example).
>
> Shirley....there has to be at least ONE airplane that flies in fresh
> seafood from the gulf to Memphis? After all it is only 400 miles by
> car. You could almost drive it.

If you want to drive seafood 400 miles, go for it. Of course there are
planes that fly in here. FedEX was founded here. But the fact is most
restaurants use frozen seafood, even if they thaw it out first. Ditto the
grocery store. The seafood has been previously frozen. Tastes just as
good, not sure why it matters to this person so much. I had some wonderful
Icelandic cod in Dickeyville, Wisconsin. Sure wouldn't expect that in WI
but there you have it and it was quite tasty

Jill

In article .com>,
"Mike" > wrote:

> This is slightly off topic - I'm thinking about the food served in
> restaurants. Take Chilli's or T.G.I.Friday for example (a chain, but
> not "fast food"). How is the food prepared there? Let's say I order
> a grilled chicken sandwich. I assume the cook pulls a portioned
> chicken breast out of the freezer. Maybe its already cooked, or even
> partially cooked so it just gets heated? Was the bun fresh (never
> frozen)? I have to assume the lettuce and tomato that came on it were
> fresh, right? I would guess if you order a plain salad that
> everything in it is fresh (croutons, bacon bits notwithstanding). How
> many deliveries would a chain restaurant get in a week in order to
> continually have all the fresh ingredients they need?
>
> Now think about the local Chinese restaurant. Surely some of their
> seafood and meat offerings have to come to them frozen. After all, if
> I order sesame chicken (essentially chicken nuggets fried then covered
> in a nice sesame sauce), it had to be frozen until I ordered it,
> right?
>
> Procedurally, does a chain or local restaurant thaw out all the frozen
> items it thinks it will need in a given day, or just thaw them as
> needed?

Years ago when I was in college, I worked in a local mom & pop takeout
seafood place. Almost everything we sold was prepared from scratch at
the restaurant. We made our own breading for the fried foods. All the
fresh was delivered by a local fish monger every day. We would bread one
or two trays worth of flounder, scallops, shrimp each morning, then
replenish the trays as we used them.

The only frozen items we used were lobster tails, french fries, and
chicken nuggets. Even our cocktail sauce was made from scratch.