Archived First day closing at Cafe/Food Ave with barely any training... Help!

[Sadie]

Hey guys! So I have an upcoming closing shift soon in Food Avenue and I'll be alone. I had a little bit of training months ago, but I barely remember anything so I'm just looking for any help anyone could offer. What do I have to do with the pizza/dough to prep for the next day? What about the pasta and breadsticks? How do I make popcorn if I run out? Is there anything I need to know about shutting everything down so I don't burn the place down? Lol. I literally know next-to-nothing, but they need coverage because someone just randomly decided to quit. XD If anyone has any routines or tips or anything really, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Planosss]

Hey guys! So I have an upcoming closing shift soon in Food Avenue and I'll be alone. I had a little bit of training months ago, but I barely remember anything so I'm just looking for any help anyone could offer. What do I have to do with the pizza/dough to prep for the next day? What about the pasta and breadsticks? How do I make popcorn if I run out? Is there anything I need to know about shutting everything down so I don't burn the place down? Lol. I literally know next-to-nothing, but they need coverage because someone just randomly decided to quit. XD If anyone has any routines or tips or anything really, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks for any replies!

Just incase no one replies to your post , please ask an LOD or a FA TL for details

 

[Sadie]

Just incase no one replies to your post , please ask an LOD or a FA TL for details

Unfortunately I won't have time, this shift is tomorrow and I just found out today I would be doing it to fill in.

 

[redeye58]

Search is your friend:
https://www.thebreakroom.org/threads/food-ave.97/
There's info from several different store types that should give you a running start.

 

[TargetLounger]

If it makes you feel better, I had a similar experience when I closed Food ave three Holiday Seasons ago. I was a seasonal hire then and closing and opening during my first week alone. It was easy breezy!

Check your temps, follow checklists. Make sure your mid doesn't leave until you finished prepping your dough for the next day in the cooler. Closing food ave is just wiping, cleaning and doing dishes mostly or at least that's what it feels like haha. Ask LOD!

 

[Sadie]

If it makes you feel better, I had a similar experience when I closed Food ave three Holiday Seasons ago. I was a seasonal hire then and closing and opening during my first week alone. It was easy breezy!

Check your temps, follow checklists. Make sure your mid doesn't leave until you finished prepping your dough for the next day in the cooler. Closing food ave is just wiping, cleaning and doing dishes mostly or at least that's what it feels like haha. Ask LOD!

Thanks for the advice! I'll reach out to the LOD and GSTL. Unfortunately I have no mid though. That's partially why I'm worrying. I come in right as they're off

 

[Sadie]

If it makes you feel better, I had a similar experience when I closed Food ave three Holiday Seasons ago. I was a seasonal hire then and closing and opening during my first week alone. It was easy breezy!

Check your temps, follow checklists. Make sure your mid doesn't leave until you finished prepping your dough for the next day in the cooler. Closing food ave is just wiping, cleaning and doing dishes mostly or at least that's what it feels like haha. Ask LOD!

Hey, how do you prep the dough?

 

[Militantagnostic]

Is there anything I need to know about shutting everything down so I don't burn the place down?

 

[buliSBI]

Are your completely working alone or will there be partial coverage?

I would get with your Food TL ASAP or request to get some impromptu additional training or cover breaks/lunches to gain experience. But you will need to know the closing breakdown specific to your store. Dating. Prep strategies. Cleaning duties.

The one thing that always bugged me was TMs getting scheduled for FA and not having any training. The good thing is that FA is actually not as bad as it used to be. Most things are pre-packaged. Prep is minimized compared to what it used to be.

 

[Sadie]

Are your completely working alone or will there be partial coverage?

I would get with your Food TL ASAP or request to get some impromptu additional training or cover breaks/lunches to gain experience. But you will need to know the closing breakdown specific to your store. Dating. Prep strategies. Cleaning duties.

The one thing that always bugged me was TMs getting scheduled for FA and not having any training. The good thing is that FA is actually not as bad as it used to be. Most things are pre-packaged. Prep is minimized compared to what it used to be.

No I'll be working alone, there won't be any overlap. The shift is tonight so I won't have any time to do that, but I'll do my best and reach out to the LOD/GSTL if needed.

 

[Sadie]

Are your completely working alone or will there be partial coverage?

I would get with your Food TL ASAP or request to get some impromptu additional training or cover breaks/lunches to gain experience. But you will need to know the closing breakdown specific to your store. Dating. Prep strategies. Cleaning duties.

Hey random question - I remember the closer telling me that when I'm prepping the pizzas for the next day, put the dough in the retarder overnight. Is this right? Is the retarder just a fridge unless it's turned on?

 

[buliSBI]

Sorry..Its been 13 years since I did a FA+PH shift at my first store.

Any current TMs FA+PH give insight into the current process

 

[TTGOz]

Hey random question - I remember the closer telling me that when I'm prepping the pizzas for the next day, put the dough in the retarder overnight. Is this right? Is the retarder just a fridge unless it's turned on?

if I remember from my days of working at Subway, a retarder is where you stick frozen dough to unthaw in the cooler, at least that's how it was. It just held the dough.

 

[redeye58]

Hey, how do you prep the dough?

If you're doing pizza dough, put 1-2 pumps of veg oil (in the big pump jugs) in each pan, put a frozen pizza crust (they look like small frisbees) in the pan & twirl it around to spread the oil, spray around the inside edge with the quick release cook spray & put the lid on.
You'll do this in stacks of five with a lid separating each pan & one on top & bottom; place the stacks on the rolling rack in the retarder (the cool case). The number of stacks you prep depends on your cafe's volume (ours is 110-120 pans/ea day).
With bread sticks it's 3 pumps of oil in each pan, 9 frozen sticks each pan, spray around the inside edge of the pan like you did on the pizza dough & top with lids in the same fashion.
Make sure you fill out time cards for each stack (day prepped, day proofed, toss date, etc).
Once you have all your dough pans on the rack, they'll spend the night thawing in the retarder. The next morning pull the rack out & let the dough come to room temp while your proofer is warming up (mine takes about 25-30 minutes). Put the rack in the proofer & set the timer (ours proofs in an hr). Don't set it too long or the rising dough will stick to the lids & pulling it apart can render it unusable.
Once the dough has risen, return the rack to the retarder; this keeps the dough from rising any more but ready to press & prep.
Pull out stacks to press & prep as needed.

 

[Sadie]

If you're doing pizza dough, put 1-2 pumps of veg oil (in the big pump jugs) in each pan, put a frozen pizza crust (they look like small frisbees) in the pan & twirl it around to spread the oil, spray around the inside edge with the quick release cook spray & put the lid on.
You'll do this in stacks of five with a lid separating each pan & one on top & bottom; place the stacks on the rolling rack in the retarder (the cool case). The number of stacks you prep depends on your cafe's volume (ours is 110-120 pans/ea day).
With bread sticks it's 3 pumps of oil in each pan, 9 frozen sticks each pan, spray around the inside edge of the pan like you did on the pizza dough & top with lids in the same fashion.
Make sure you fill out time cards for each stack (day prepped, day proofed, toss date, etc).
Once you have all your dough pans on the rack, they'll spend the night thawing in the retarder. The next morning pull the rack out & let the dough come to room temp while your proofer is warming up (mine takes about 25-30 minutes). Put the rack in the proofer & set the timer (ours proofs in an hr). Don't set it too long or the rising dough will stick to the lids & pulling it apart can render it unusable.
Once the dough has risen, return the rack to the retarder; this keeps the dough from rising any more but ready to press & prep.
Pull out stacks to press & prep as needed.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[Times Up]

How did you do last night?

 

[commiecorvus]

I always feel bad for people who get scheduled for a closing shift in cafe or SB with little or no training.
It is stressful and unfair.
But you know who I feel much worse for?
The person who has to open the next day.

Not training people properly screws everybody.

 

[Sadie]

How did you do last night?

Pretty good actually There was someone at the front lanes who used to work food ave, so he stepped in to help me part of the time, so without him it would've been much harder and I would have left a LOT of dishes... I feel like I learned a lot. It just seems nearly impossible to get everything done and get out of there 30 minutes after we close! And I had to throw away so many pepperoni pizzas lol

 

[Kartman]

It just seems nearly impossible to get everything done and get out of there 30 minutes

It IS impossible unless you get a good pre-close in.

 

[Sadie]

It IS impossible unless you get a good pre-close in.

Yeah, I'm doing a mid shift today and it's nuts. How do people do this alone!? Omg lol

 

[redeye58]

How do people do this alone!? Omg lol

Practice.
And coffee.
Lots & LOTS of coffee.

 

[redeye58]

And I had to throw away so many pepperoni pizzas lol

Expected.
When you've worked enough during the different times of day, you'll learn to gauge traffic & when to keep a lot in the case vs having a couple in the front.