Family meal

A family meal or staff meal is a group meal that a restaurant serves its staff outside of peak business hours.^[1] The restaurant provides the meal free of charge, as a perk of employment. Typically the meal is served to the entire staff at once, with all staff being treated equally, like a "family".^[2] The restaurant's own chefs prepare the meal, often using leftover or unused ingredients. A chef may also use the family meal to experiment with new recipes.^[3]

Several cookbooks have been published describing family meals at well-known restaurants. Examples include:

• The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria by Ferran Adrià of elBulli (2011)
• Staff Meals from Chanterelle by David Waltuck (2000)
• Off the Menu: Staff Meals from America's Top Restaurants by Marissa Guggiana (2011)
• Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World's Best Restaurants by Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy (2012)

See also

• List of restaurant terminology

References

1. Frist, Devra (July 29, 2009). "Chef's table". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
2. Elder, Nina (September 2008). "The First Seating". Bon Appetit. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
3. Rudalevige, Christine Burns (January 11, 2012). "Restaurant "family" meals". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 9 May 2012.

• Bonesteel, Matt (May 16, 2007). "What Your Waiter Had For Dinner". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 May 2012.

External links

• Family Meal - A chef describes his experiences preparing staff meals early in his career.