CASH TIPS, BONUS PAY, FREE MEALS, DINING DISCOUNT!

Reports To: Kitchen Manager

Job Summary

Cook meats, fish, vegetables, soups and other hot food products as well as prepare and portion food products prior to cooking. Also perform other duties in the areas of food and final plate preparation including plating and garnishing of cooked items and preparing appropriate garnishes for all hot menu item plates.

Activities & Responsibilities

Primary

Promote, work, and act in a manner consistent with the mission of Montana Jack’s.

Mission:

To ensure that each guest receives prompt, professional, friendly and courteous service. To maintain a clean, comfortable and well maintained premises for our guests and staff. To provide at a fair price - well-prepared meals - using only quality ingredients. To ensure that all guests and staff are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. To thank each guest for the opportunity to serve them. By maintaining these objectives we shall be assured of a fair profit that will allow us to contribute to the community we serve.

• Inspect and clean, and maintain food preparation areas, such as equipment and work surfaces, or serving areas to ensure safe and sanitary food-handling practices.
• Ensure freshness of food and ingredients by checking for quality, keeping track of old and new items, and rotating stock properly. Rotate food from right to left, top to bottom.
• Knows and complies consistently with the restaurant’s standard portion sizes, cooking methods, quality standards and kitchen rules, policies and procedures.
• Responsible for the quality of products served. Consistency is key! If a manager asks you to remake an item because of inferior quality, it must be done.
• Stocks and maintains sufficient levels of food products at line stations to support a smooth service period. 
• Season and cook food according to recipes and restaurant standards.
• Weigh, measure, and mix ingredients according to recipes, using various kitchen utensils and equipment.
• Portion, arrange, and garnish food, according to standard portion sizes and recipe specifications set by Montana Jack’s. Recipes may not be changed without permission from the owner
• Observe and test foods to determine if they have been cooked sufficiently, using methods such as tasting, smelling, or piercing them with utensils.
• Follow proper plate presentation and garnish set up for all dishes.
• Wash, peel, cut, and seed fruits and vegetables to prepare them for consumption.
• Carve and trim meats such as beef, ham, pork, and turkey for hot or cold service.
• Substitute for or assist other cooks during emergencies or rush periods.
• Coordinate with and assist fellow employees to meet guests’ needs and support the operation of the restaurant.
• Fill-in for fellow employees where needed to ensure guest service standards and efficient operations.
• The most important thing to remember is that you were hired to perform a job and we expect you to come in everyday with you “A Game”. Leave your personal problems out the door and be ready to work with a smile once you pass through the door. SMILE, SMILE, SMILE…at everyone and greet everyone you pass.
• You must come in complete uniform for your shift. This consists of a black cook shirt or t-shirt, black pants, black slip resistant shoes, cook apron and a clean baseball cap or other hair covering. If your hair is not covered by your hat, you must wear a hair net.
• If you get behind, ask for assistance. You'll never get in trouble for asking. Ticket times are of upmost importance. 
• Keep yourself geared up so that you are ready for any rush. We get most of our complaints during the Restaurant's slow period.
• Punctuality is very important. If you get to work late, you start out behind. BE ON TIME. It is your responsibility to know your schedule. Do not call and get it over the phone because if someone give you the wrong information, it is still your responsibility. 
• We seat guests up until close. Do not complain if there is an order sent in right at closing time. 
• If you must go to the bathroom, eat or smoke during the shift, ask someone if they will please watch your station while you are gone, and inform a manager so that they are not looking for you. Never leave your station unattended without telling someone.
• Unauthorized persons are not allowed in the kitchen. If one appears, politely but firmly escort them out and get the manager, or whomever it was they wanted to speak to.
• No eating on line. If you have a drink, it must be in a cup with a lid. No gum chewing or smoking EVER.
• Before coming to a manager to ask if you can leave, you must do your portion of the E.O., your side work and check with the other cooks. If you do not clean your E.O. up to our standard, you will receive an additional cleaning duty to complete before you can leave.
• There are 2 opening cooks each day. One is responsible to get the line going including heating all steamtable items, turning on equipment and cooking as well as cooking bacon. The second cooks is responsible to completely stock all stations on the line to be ready for line check by 8am. Once the restaurant is open, there are no smoke breaks until the line is ready to go. Once the line is ready, the opening cooks also need to help with the prep list. 
• The 3rd cook in the morning is responsible to work on the bulk portion of the prep list. 
• There is normally a 12:00/ midshaft cook. When this cooks comes in, the first priority is to stock the line for the pm shift. Day cooks need to stay on line until this cooks is ready to go. Once the 12:00 cook feels confident the line is stocked, they will report to the manager so they can be assigned which station to take over to relieve a morning cook. 
• If you feel upset or angry for any reason, step into the walkin or off line and take a minute to pull yourself together. We will not tolerate physical anger such as throwing things or pushing things. We will also not tolerate verbal anger like cussing or berating other employees. You will be written up and lose your cook bonus and possibly your job depending on the severity of the situation. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
• All cooks need to help run dishes through the dishwasher. If this is kept up through the shift, there are not large amounts to do at the ends of the shift. All cooks need to catch up the dish pit before they leave. 
• All food waste needs to go into the food waste buckets. There should be one on the line and one in the prep area. No wasted food goes in the garbage. Any wasted food needs to be accounted for on the food waste sheet.
• You must get a manager to do a garbage check before you take the garbage to the dumpster.
• Chicken tenders or other foods should never be cut open to check the doneness. If you are unsure, use a thermometer. 
• Hash browns and fries need to be cooked to order during slow times. If there is more than one cook on line, make sure you give counts when it is busy. 
• Bacon and Sausage need to be cooked to order if possible Monday – Thursday. Never cooks more than 12 sausage at a time on slower shifts. 
• Quat buckets need to be out at all times. They also need to be changed hourly.
• All items for the steam table need to be reheated to 165 degrees and held at 140 or higher
• All items in coolers need to be stored at 40 degrees or cooler
• Mashed potatoes only take 5 minutes to heat up, so only put them in when you need them. Be careful with the amount of back ups you put in for everything. Each time you * reheat something, it loses quality.
• Do not mix old and new products together. Use up the old and change pan for the new.
• Work on side work and EO as you go. Do not leave everything until the end of the shift. If you have time to lean, you have time to clean. 
• Closing cooks need to get the manager on duty to check them out at the end of the night using the closing check list.