When the Ticket Machine Won’t Stop | How Chefs Stay Calm in Chaos

🎙️ EP156 – 700 covers. Tickets spilling to the floor. Grill in freefall. This episode is about the nights everything falls apart, and why that’s where real cooks are made.🎧 Topics Covered in This Episode:🔥 Friday-Night Meltdown — When the pass loses the plot and how to reset🧾 Ticket Tsunami — Reading, batching, and staying ahead of the board🥩 Grill Triage — “Fire everything” vs. perfect sear and rest🧠 Prioritize & Execute — Jocko’s playbook for the line🧘 Detach to Survive — Mind control under pressure🧮 Mental Mapping — Keeping six tables in your head without dying📣 Expo Done Right — FOH-led pass calls and flow🐻 The Bear IRL — What the show nails🍜 Din Tai Fung — Systems, speed, and consistency at scale🔥 Wok Logic — A la minute skill from Chinese & Japanese kitchens🇵🇪 Chifa Legends — Javier Wong, ceviche + wok, and doing two things perfectly📋 Small Menus, Big Impact — Why fewer dishes hit harder🏗️ Kitchen as System — Leadership, stress management, and getting your grip back📩 Follow & Support Us:🍽️ Everything in one place: linkin.bio/potluckfoodtalks/📸 Instagram: @potluckfoodtalks▶️ YouTube: youtube.com/@potluckfoodtalks📢 Want to advertise with us? potluckfoodtalks.com/advertise-on-the-podcast🔥 Enjoy!