The Family Meal Podcast: Recent Episodes
Grace Guber
Stories and Commentary from the front lines of the changing restaurant industry in light of COVID-19.
If you start working in the restaurant industry at a young age, it can be hard to know just what you're getting yourself into. TLDR: Don't date your co-workers.
Join Grace on her soapbox as she rants about how we aren't out of the COIVD-19 woods yet. Let's talk about what we should do so that in the future none of us ever find ourselves in the state we're in right now.
Special guest Zayd appears for a gameshow episode where we play a restaurant themed round of Would you Rather. Our answers will definitely surprise you, if only because we actually managed to agree on a few!
Join me for a relaxing episode where we discuss Burnout, stress, and alcoholism. If you have been working during this pandemic in any industry, just know that I see you, I appreciate you, and I'm proud of you!
Chef Holly (my mom) joins us for a very special Valentine's Day episode! NYC is opening up for indoor dining on the 14th, but we've come up with even BETTER and SAFER ways for you to spend the evening. Kids or no kids, takeout or homemade, we've got a plan for you!
What is Comparative Optimism and why is it the most dangerous part of indoor dining? It's understandable to try believe that bad things in life PROBABLY won't happen to you, doesn't mean it wont happen to SOMEONE.
"Just send the starters out whenever they're ready!", "Tell the bartender to make it strong", "No, I want THAT table." Here is an extensive list of things customers always say that they think are going to achieve one thing while actually just making their entire experience worse.
Not to be confused with people who ACTUALLY HAVE life threatening allergies, some folks who are more accurately described as picky eaters put servers in a tough position of knowing who to trust. How do you handle someone with a life threatening allergy? And how can ego make a tricky situation go from bad to worse?
Trigger Warning: Discussion of Sexual Harassment at work.Sexual Harassment is an age old problem in the restaurant industry, but why is it even more present during COVID? What are the underlying issues that allow sexual harassment to continue and how can we as an industry change?
The Department of Labor now allows employers to put tips towards the wages of nontipped workers. Meaning they get to pay everyone less, and you as the customer are compensating for more through your tips. Newsflash: If you want restaurant workers to make more money, RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE!
With all these restaurants closing due to the pandemic, a lot of people are going to get the wrong idea that now is the time to fullfil their dream of owning a restaurant. I'm here to rant to you about why you really SHOULDN'T own a restaurant and why it really isn't as simple as you may think it is.
Even though I've been against this idea that there's no way to eat at a restaurant safely during a pandemic, I now am starting to change my mind. Coming to you from under 6 inches of snow, let's talk about how we've finally reached the dreaded winter months!
Why don't restaurant workers have health insurance? Especially on the front lines of a pandemic? And why is now the time to be demanding it? Please go support the Future of Food podcast and check out my feature on their latest episode!https://www.futurex.fm/future-of-food
Third Party delivery apps are officially the leeches sucking the life out of the restaurant industry during COVID. Let's talk about why you are definitely NOT helping restaurants like you think you are when you use a third-party delivery app. We deep dive into some of the shady business practices happening behind the scenes that could be costing your favorite places a LOT of money and how you can actually support local businesses. Go check out my interview on The Industry Podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1500357052
On this special holiday episode, my mother and executive chef Holly Guber joins us for some Thanksgiving cooking advice for those of you bravely attempting the holiday for the first time this year. And, in light of what a weird year it will be for many, we talk about other chaotic Thanksgivings we've had that now are some of our fondest memories. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
I talk about how Hostessing is one of the most overly complicated and under appreciated jobs in a restaurant and reassure you that no, the hostess doesn't hate you and yes, it really will be 15 minutes for a table.
To commemorate Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' win of the 2020 Presidential Election, I review Joe Biden's COVID-19 response plan in terms of what benefits I think it will have for the restaurant industry.
For a bunch of indefinitely furloughed 20 somethings in the midst of a global pandemic, we sure do know how to have a good time when we're together! My coworkers and I have a mini reunion where we share our experiences at our restaurant, talk about how much we miss our jobs, and laugh at the danger of squirrels. Thank you Madison, Emily, Zayd, Jenna, Rocky, and Donovan for being on the show.
With 61% of restaurants already permanently closed, what are some innovative ways restaurants can continue to do business that are sustainable in the long run?
Play along at home to Two Truths and a Lie where you have to guess which horrific story didn't actually traumatize anyone or leave them feeling sudden confusion. Your prize for guessing all of them right is empathy for service industry workers.
We review some statistics about the fast and permanent rate at which restaurants are closing nationwide and I hypothesize about why I think that's happening. Includes a bonus story about some obstinate customers at the end!
Follow Grace down an ego trip where she self-indulges in reading her own quote published this week in the New York Times article "They Chose to Stay Open and Fight" as well as read some other entires by other restaurant workers.
I feel like we're all friends at this point, let's address the kid in the dining room. I get it, you and your kids don't get out much these days, everyone needs a change of scenery at the end of a long day on zoom calls. Here are the Cardinal Sins parents are bound to commit when taking their kids out to eat and how to avoid them so that you don't drive the service staff crazy.
In this episode I talk about the recent articles popping up everywhere about the risks restaurant dining poses as far as exposure to COVID due to a recent CDC report. As always, this issue is complex and will require us to examine unemployment, immigration, work-share programs, and how we can change the culture around the profession of restaurant work.
Are overly friendly waiters annoying? Conversation with fellow overly friendly server Zayd where we basically complain about the industry and our previous jobs for 45 minutes.
NJ finally opened indoor dining this past weekend at 25% capacity, is this too little too late or too much too soon? How are customers responding to indoor dining suddenly being deemed "safe"?
Why are restaurants raising their prices? Simple, their costs have gone up. Let's break down how restaurants and their supply chains work using everyone's favorite part of eating out: the free bread.
NY state bans restaurants from having live entertainment and I rant about it because this is not the answer.
Featuring very special guest (my mom!!) Executive Chef Holly Guber who addresses mean OpenTable reviews about her restaurant and discusses the way this pandemic has changed her approach to crafting a menu and running a business.
How does tipping work? Why should you tip 20%? Do servers know when you undertip? (Spoiler alert: YES WE DO)
First ever episode of The Family Meal Podcast! Get to know me, get to know what we're going to talk about, and jump on board because we have a long reopening ahead of us!