We talk with a lot of chefs, owners, and operators in our line of work. We know that most restaurants understand the importance of training staff, cultivating talent, and creating opportunities for career development.
But it is a not-so-well-kept secret that some of the most elite kitchens in the world are also absolutely toxic workplaces.
While it seems strange that we should have to say this, we believe that with a few effective training strategies, it is entirely possible to run a successful restaurant without resorting to violence.
Something Was Rotten in the State of Denmark
A recent article in the New York Times is creating a ton of buzz in the restaurant industry. Copenhagen’s Noma was perhaps the most renowned restaurant in the world, and its chef, René Redzepi, was among the most celebrated innovators in the industry.
But behind the Michelin stars and immaculately curated plates hid a culture of violence, abuse, and humiliation.
Noma voluntarily closed its doors in 2023 so Redzepi could focus on other pursuits. But the recent New York Times article details claims by dozens of former employees who tell stories of public shaming and physical assault at the hands of Chef Redzepi.
Likewise, employees describe an environment in which bullying was perpetuated from the top down, where Redzepi routinely used violence as a way of asserting his authority, and where other chefs copied this behavior.
For industry outsiders, the scenes depicted in the article are likely shocking. But for some veterans of the restaurant industry, stories like this are all too familiar. This is especially true for those who have worked in fine dining.
Few could argue with Redzepi’s results as a chef. However, to put it mildly, those who worked for him are divided on his restaurant staff training methods.
Training Under Fire
Many of the chefs who worked under Redzepi confirmed the stories of violence and abuse.
Some aspiring chefs lasted only briefly in Noma’s kitchen, quitting shortly after experiencing violent altercations. Today, they recall their time there as a traumatic experience.
Others said that what they learned in Redzepi’s kitchen was immeasurably valuable. To them, the exclusive education they got there was worth all the chaos and abuse.
An Australian chef and former Noma employee named Ben describes an atmosphere of “constant, frantic urgency.” He explained, “It felt like we were working in an E.R., or a submarine that was going down. It was hell, but I learned so much that I can’t say I regret it.”
That perspective is not uncommon in the world of fine dining. During a recent episode of our podcast – So You Want To Run a Restaurant – David Standridge shared a few similar stories about his time working under the late legendary chef Joël Robuchon.
Righting the Ship
At the time of his death in 2018, Robuchon’s restaurants had more Michelin stars than any restaurant group in the world. But Chef David told us, “Robuchon just tortured me. I was the new guy. And the culture there was very cutthroat. It wasn't like, ‘Help the new guy.’ It was like, ‘Trip the new guy and laugh while the chef beats him.’”
However, Chef David also admitted that after a while, he became accustomed and even desensitized to this type of behavior. Still, when he ultimately opened the Shipwright's Daughter in Mystic, Connecticut, he chose a very different approach to restaurant employee training.
He managed to win a James Beard Award without resorting to violence. Quite to the contrary, he told us, “What I actually really love about restaurants is watching people grow into bigger roles. We have such a talented team. It's a lot about what they want to do moving forward, because your team is your whole thing.”
Fortunately, that’s the perspective we hear from most of the people we speak to in this business. We also believe this is a far more sustainable approach to restaurant staff training than bullying and intimidation.
5 Tips for Training a Happy Staff
According to the National Restaurant Association’s 2025 State of the Industry Report, 32% of restaurant operators say they don’t have enough employees to manage current customer demand. It’s possible that bullying and intimidation are effective training methods if you are “the most influential, provocative, and important chef in the world,” as Anthony Bourdain once said of Redzepi.
But for the rest of us, who run restaurants where things like retention, turnover, and morale really matter, there is a much, much better way. Below are just a few best practices for restaurant staff training that can support positive morale while still producing excellent results from your team.
1. Create Cross-Training Opportunities
Employees who did manage to survive in the difficult environment at Noma say that the learning experiences there were incredibly valuable. One reason was that Noma created remarkable opportunities for cross-training.
Former chefs describe immersive restaurant staff training experiences not just in the kitchen but also in Noma’s famed fermentation lab and the outdoor spaces where employees foraged for the perfect natural ingredients.
To many, these learning opportunities made the difficult experience of working there worth it. But it’s also fair to say that these results are achievable without the toxic behavior. According to a 2024 study from the World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, there is “a significant relationship between [a c]ross-training program and its effect on the growth and retention of employees.”
That’s because cross-training creates opportunities for career development and ultimately helps to forge more restaurant industry lifers. This carries some clear benefits for your restaurant as well.
As Back of House consultant and podcast co-host Spencer Michiel notes, “When you give your team members the chance to learn a variety of skills, it gives you more flexibility when staffing, it encourages better collaboration between team members, and it even helps to identify future leaders from within.”
2. Open the Lines of Communication
In order for cross-training to be effective, it must involve team members at every level. You’ll need seasoned veterans who are willing to share their knowledge and experience with newer team members.
As Spencer says, “You really want to foster an environment where communication can flow freely between team members, where people feel free to ask questions, where people feel approachable.”
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That kind of restaurant employee training culture starts from the top down. Remember, the chefs at Noma perpetuated the bullying and abuse modeled by Chef Redzepi.
Train your team leaders to model positive behavior such as offering constructive criticism, speaking respectfully to one another, and voluntarily seizing on-the-job opportunities to teach new skills to less experienced team members.
In a more general sense, creating open lines of communication can make it a lot easier for your staff members to do things like request time off, swap shifts, or respond to last-minute call-ins. These added efficiencies can reduce short-staffing, provide staff members with more scheduling flexibility, and create a sense of connection among team members.
A number of tech-based staffing solutions, including platforms like 7shifts and Pivot, are designed to facilitate this type of open communication.
3. Start a Mentorship Program
A mentorship program can be another great way to build connections among team members while helping new team members learn new skills.
“One restaurant staff training strategy that I’ve seen a lot of restaurants have success with is shadow shifting,” says Spencer. “First, your trainee will shadow a mentor and observe this more experienced team member at work — maybe with knife skills, food handling, cooking temperatures, whatever it may be.
“Then,” Spencer explains, “the mentor will shadow the mentee as this new team member practices these new skills in real time.”
This creates natural opportunities for constructive criticism, Q&A, and assessment of each trainee’s progress in mastering new skills. It’s also a great way to show your veteran employees that you value their knowledge and experience.
4. Lay Down the Law
No matter how structured your restaurant staff training program is and how hard you work to cultivate a positive work environment, kitchens can get intense. Spencer acknowledges that as a leader in the kitchen, sometimes you have to match that intensity. You have to keep your team in focus.
“It can't always be overly positive reinforcement. Restaurants are stressful places. Things need to happen quickly and without hesitation,” says Spencer. “Of course, this can be done without any violence or intimidation.”
In fact, your intensity will carry far more weight with your team if you only reserve it for special occasions. As we learned, many of the chefs who worked in kitchens with Redzepi or Robuchon ultimately became numb to verbal and even physical abuse.
On the other hand, says Spencer, “When the usually mild-mannered and calm chef decides to raise his voice to motivate his staff, that should get people moving!”
5. Modernize Your Training Methods
In order for restaurant staff training to be effective, it has to actually reach your employees. How sure are you that your current strategy is doing that? We recently spoke with Danielle Casilio, founder of a digital restaurant training platform called Yelli. She told us that a surprising number of restaurants still rely on hard-copy handbooks to train new employees.
This method of training is both outdated and inefficient. For one thing, Danielle explained to us, most younger employees are taking that handbook, throwing it in their trunk, and never looking at it again. Why?
“Because everybody's on their phone all the time,” says Danielle. “They don't read the long handouts. If you want them to be able to retain that information and look at it more than once, then the app-based route is the way to go.”
There are a number of other digital training platforms (such as MISEbox, Shifty, and Trust20) that offer app-based training in areas like food safety, food handling, management, and even workplace behavior.
The right option for your restaurant may depend on the nature of your operation, but ultimately, using an app-based approach to training is simply more effective and intuitive than the old-fashioned hard-copy method.
Get Tech To Help With Staff Training
There are actually all kinds of affordable and accessible tools designed to support training, internal communication, staff scheduling, and much more. The right solution could significantly improve morale, retention, and career development among your employees and help you create an internal culture where team members feel valued, connected, and committed.
Not sure which solutions make sense for your restaurant? Reach out and schedule your free, personalized consultation today. Spencer will work with your team to figure out exactly what you need.
