Family meal explained

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 (traditionally, but not always, the lowest in the pecking order) prepare the meal, often using leftover or unused ingredients. As a result usually the meals don't involve dishes on the restaurant's regular menu.^[3] Chefs may also use the family meal to experiment with new recipes, or simply whip up something from their own ethnic backgrounds.^[4]

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

External links

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

Notes and References

1. News: First. Devra. Chef's table. 29 August 2022. The Boston Globe. July 29, 2009.
2. News: Elder. Nina. The First Seating. 29 August 2022. Bon Appétit. August 4, 2008.
3. News: Bonesteel. Matt. What Your Waiter Had For Dinner. 29 August 2022. The Washington Post. May 16, 2007.
4. News: Rudalevige. Christine Burns. Restaurant "family" meals. 29 August 2022. The Philadelphia Inquirer. November 25, 2010.