Every once in a while, we see art that portrays life so accurately, that we can’t help but feel called out. The Bear, which can be streamed on Hulu, is one such piece of art. The Bear is a workplace comedy-drama that feels all too familiar if you’ve ever worked in the restaurant industry, and we’re going to spend the duration of this article pointing out 10 instances in which the portrayal of day-to-day operations at a busy and struggling restaurant are 100% spot on.
Whether you’ve worked at a restaurant for six months or 20 years, you’ll see what we’re talking about when we get into the politics of ownership, the prep process, the pranks, and the payroll as we talk about all the things The Bear gets right about the restaurant industry.
Conflicts Between Owners
It’s revealed early on in the series that Carmy’s brother, Michael, left him ownership of The Beef in his will after committing suicide, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he has the entire situation under control. Not only does The Beef staff have their own system in place, Michael’s best friend, Richie, has been used to calling the shots while Michael was at the height of his addiction before his untimely death.
So even though Carmy is in fact the owner of The Beef, he’s met with obstacles every step of the way as he tries to revive the dying restaurant that he left his fine-dining job for after inheriting. Carmy faces resistance every single step of the way as he uses his expertise as a world-renowned cook to grapple with credit card processing, debt collectors, vendors, Michael, menu changes, and his staff.
The Dreaded Health Inspection
If you’ve ever worked at a restaurant, then you know all too well the fear that takes you over when you’re told that the health inspector is in the building. It doesn’t matter whether you’re doing everything by the book, or if the place is a total disaster of health-code and safety violations. Any line cook worth their salt will tell you that a visit from the board of health is never a fun time. Not only do you feel the need to change your gloves every four seconds because you don’t want to be perceived as unsanitary, but being followed around by somebody carrying a clipboard whose job is to look for infractions makes for an uncomfortable time.
In Carmy’s case, it’s clear that The Beef is worse for wear, and that would be an understatement. Not only does he get nailed for plumbing and gas issues, but somebody (either Carmy or Richie) left a pack of cigarettes on top of the range stove. When all the infractions are tallied up, the health inspector gives The Beef a “C” as the final score for their health inspection, which Carmy suggests stands for “chaos.”
The Desperate Need for a Cigarette Break
When lunch or dinner rush is in full swing, it’s difficult to get a minute to yourself. The ticket machine will keep printing off orders without giving a damn about your feelings. It doesn’t matter if you have to go to the bathroom, need to step off the line for a drink of water, or take a quick cigarette break; the orders will keep pouring in, and you really have to pick your moments, or you’ll be stuck on the line.
Throughout The Bear, we see Carmy, Richie, Lionel, and Sydney try to sneak off for a quick cigarette, or a breath of fresh air, and even though they’re only asking for five minutes, you can rest assured that their single moment of peace during business hours will surely be interrupted by some form of chaos or unwanted interaction. As relatable as this kind of frustration is, it’s probably for the better because smoking isn’t the best of habits to take on, especially when you’re working a physical job.
“Corner!”
The Bear has an attention to detail that is enviable in many ways, and it’s the small things that really make the narrative convincing. When you work in a crowded kitchen, you have to yell “corner!” every time you turn a corner, and “behind!” every time you walk behind somebody. It’s a common safety practice that is absolutely critical if you want to make sure nobody gets burned, splashed, cut, or pushed over. Even if you’ve only worked six months at a restaurant, and moved onto a different career path, you’ll find yourself announcing every time you’re carrying something sharp, turning a corner, or walking past somebody.
The reason this works so well in The Bear is that every single character shouts these things instinctively, and when they don’t, they immediately get called out by their co-workers. This makes us wonder if anybody in the cast has worked a kitchen line in the past, or if they’ve just gotten this detail hammered into their psyche by director Christopher Storer in an effort to give off an air of authenticity.
Too Many Cooks in the Pot
Just like we see the struggles between owners and de-facto managers play out expertly in The Bear, we also see the idea of too many cooks stirring the pot as Carmy tries to take the reins, and get The Beef back on track. Carmy Hires Sydney to help him run the business side of things while he helms the kitchen, and she immediately has good ideas to help steer the ship. But her ideas are frequent, and considered to be imposing by the rest of the staff, who are set in their ways.
We also see Marcus, The Beef’s bread maker, become enthusiastic about becoming a seasoned pastry chef, and he gets distracted when trying to perfect his doughnut recipe when he should be prepping cakes for the dinner rush. Tina gets in everybody’s face when they keep trying to change her process, but eventually comes around when she realizes that The Beef is starting to operate like an actual functional restaurant. And Richie gets called out by the handyman, Fak, in front of Carmy for selling cocaine behind the restaurant, so they could keep the doors open and the lights on. In other words, The Beef struggles in the first season because there are too many cooks in the pot, and they’re all trying to stir it differently.
The Never Ending Pile of Work
Putting in your hours at a restaurant is not easy work by any stretch of the imagination. Not only are the hours long, and the breaks sparse, but the work truly never ends. From Carmy’s perspective in The Bear, we see this play out on two fronts: the actual production of food, and then the administrative side of things. Not only does Carmy have to deal with vendors sending 200 pounds of the wrong type of meat to his restaurant, but he also has to make sure his staff is prepping, counting, cleaning, and plating the food properly.
And after an insane shift, it’s time to wash the dishes, mop the floors, count the tills, and wipe the tables. But the work isn’t done yet! Now it’s time to do the books, write checks, assess the labor costs, and take the inventory. Ready to call it quits? Carmy isn’t, because when he gets home, he’s going to pass out watching cooking shows, or reading recipe books. In order to truly excel in the hospitality business, you need to eat, drink, sleep, and breathe your business, and Carmy does just that. But it’s worth noting that this still isn’t necessarily the recipe for success, considering how thin of a profit margin most restaurants operate on.
Sense of Urgency That Rivals a NASA Launch
In the first season’s penultimate episode, “Review,” two terrible things happen at once. The Beef gets a rave review from a food critic, and Sydney is ready to implement a new to-go service. But what Carmy, Sydney, and the rest of the staff didn’t know was that she forgot to turn off the “pre-order” option on the app. When they open for business, their entire inventory gets wiped out by a never-ending stream of orders that they are in no way equipped to handle.
It’s at this point that we hear Carmy screaming at the staff as if his life (and theirs) depended on it. This just goes to show you the duplicity of working at a restaurant; at the end of the day, sandwiches and salads aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things, but when you’re truly in it, there are moments where emotions run hot, and you don’t necessarily show your best form.
Pranking the Prep Cook
In the first few episodes, we see Sydney try to implement her new processes with The Beef staff, and like Carmy, she’s met with a lot of resistance. After spending hours prepping onions, Marcus is urged by the rest of The Beef staff to hide them from her as a form of hazing, and she ends up flipping a lid. If Marcus caught her on a good day, the outcome would have been different, but he didn’t, so it wasn’t.
They were able to bury the hatchet quickly, because at the end of the day, it was an innocent prank, and one of the ways that cooks mess with each other to keep themselves sane.
Cooling Off in the Walk-In Fridge
Just like yelling “corner!” and “behind” becomes instinctual while working at a restaurant, so does seeking solace in the walk-in cooler. Throughout The Bear, we see staffers walk into the walk-in, not only because they have to grab supplies, but because it just feels so good to get that blast of cold air after manning the grills and fryers for a couple of hours.
Relentless Bullying as a Sign of Respect
A common through line in The Bear that mirrors real life is how line cooks build rapport and respect for one another through relentless bullying. Everybody always has something snappy to say in the heat of the moment, but at the end of the day it’s coming from a place of love. Even after Fak calls Richie out for dealing cocaine behind The Beef, they still very much depend on each other, and are willing to put their differences aside for the greater good. In one of the more comical exchanges, we see Fak and Richie escalate into a full-blown fight after Fak asks if he could get a job at The Beef instead of just being the resident handyman.
And when Marcus starts sleeping at The Beef to cut down on commuting time, so he could perfect his doughnut recipe, Ebraheim calls him out on his body odor, but also extends sympathy because he thinks Marcus is sleeping at the restaurant because he’s homeless. Though we see plenty of ball-busting at The Beef, they all still operate as a family; a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.