A Day With a Dishwasher at a Top NYC Restaurant | On the Job | Priya Krishna | NYT Cooking

Wow Brooklyn on a Saturday is Fantastic [Music] Hi are you ready to order [Music] Yes Biscuit wedge salad our hamburger Sandwich so we're not just here at Gage And tolner for me to have an amazing Solo lunch I wanted to understand how a Restaurant runs through the lens of the Dishwasher the dishwasher is arguably One of the most important jobs at a Restaurant and a dish pit basically Keeps a restaurant running and Gage and Tolner has an amazing dishwasher named Dre how you doing boss man so I'm here To meet him and find out how he does his Job how was everything it was all so Good I think I'm going to take my own Dishes down so I can meet Dre but Everything was amazing Fantastic Busters they have a hard Job all right Hi D hello I'm K I'm dvon It's nice to meet you I got a stack of Dirty dishes we just place it down right Here first the utensils they're going to Go inside of the big boy right here and SCS we have this little small garbage Here and Gua you've got quite a control Center here yeah you see what I'm Dealing with and It's great timing cuz it's Saturday so You know it's crazy busy on Saturday

Busy lunch busy dinner busy lunch busy Dinner you are so tall yeah right like 65s like do I stop growing like plus the Hat height it adds like another inch or To yeah I look like a mannequin doing This right how was the food was it was It good was it Lov it was so good oh my God what time did you get in at 12:30 Okay I go downstairs and I like to check Downstairs first make sure that they Didn't hide in anything from us Sometimes it'd be dirty dishes down There going on up got to pick it up and You know bring it back up here cool Surprisingly it's dead right now but Around dinner time you're going to You're going to see it pick up really Fast I'm really Excited could you just walk me through The life cycle of a dish so it like Starts here dirty and then where is it Go basically spray them down right here Make sure we get it real nice and clean Before we put it inside of this machine Right here and it's just like a very hot Dishwasher basically basically yes after We will organize it and put it back to Where they belong this is where Keith Comes in and Keith takes it to where it Needs to go exactly you know this Kitchen so well I saw you sorting the Dishes out I mean that was amazing I Know back of my hand give me the one That's hanging up you guys seem like

You're a really good team yes Please he's fast too you know that they Say that about uh short People they move faster than us it's all Jokes we all we all laugh and cackle Here it's nothing personal was your all You just making me this small you and Keith could have like a great like buddy Comedy oh yeah Keith he's the comedian Out here ain't nobody safe for Keith When you wash dishes it's nice to have a Guy with a sense of humor exactly going To stay with that I'm staying with that That's golden who knows the kitchen Better I did you keep it here Longer how do you know where everything They're not labeled how do you know That's the tricky part I had to study it And you literally just by heart know Okay what's in this one that one is uh The song nice where are the fish Spatulas fish spatulas yeah this one Right here damn you're good we have the Pots just sitting right there you got to Announce yourself exactly say behind Behind Corner coming up right Behind going on up coming up we're going To head up to the suck Harbor you guys Have any dishes for me I do not this is The sunken Harbor kitchen it is not open Right now currently forgot to take the Garbage out going on down how many times Are you climbing the stairs every chance I get when it's clear or if I have to

Get the dishes from downstairs be every 20 minutes every 20 minutes that means You're going up and down the stairs like 30 times yeah it's a workout coming down So it's pastry station it's prep we have A variety of different stations down Here wow so you're going up and down up And down with wow so sunken Harbor Pastry and the kitchen you're managing All of their dishes it's one pit but There's six or seven places you're Pulling if you're not constantly working Checking monitoring you stop the kitchen Doesn't work it fills up going on up Were you interested in the restaurant Industry at an early age were you Interested in food at an early age I Wasn't I'll be honest um it all started Off with just wanting a job in general I Started packing bags at supermarkets and Stuff like that just to make sure your J Like the first side hustle as a young Kid that couldn't apply for jobs then I Ended up performing on subway train Stations I was one of the tallest people That was dancing in the subway sure I Had one unique move that no one still Does unique they swing they ankles from The top of the the middle railing it's Like a swing like a 3:00 to a 9:00 swing That takes some core strength but now You don't do that anymore I got arrested For dancing on a train like three times And couldn't do it again so how did you

Get this job this job I was recommended For my brother he was a great worker Here he was starting off as a dish ended Up doing prep work so it was super Amazing how he can just shift like that You know I admired that a lot and if I'm Here long enough and I'm committed I can Level up here and I can end up a lion Cook one [Music] Day hey bring them on In hi can R some little through oh yes I Got You Dre's been working for a little over 3 Hours now he's moving dishes from at Least a half a dozen parts of the Kitchen he's fast so so so so so fast if He can't keep up the kitchen just Doesn't work and this place does not Close before dinner Service as chaotic Things feel now I think they're about to Get even more chaotic right coming up Corner behind how's it going it's going Very well so far it must be almost time For family meal right 4:00 is family That's also when it starts picking up so That's the great time to start seeing How it Looks I'mma run water you can bring them Yeah [Music] Yeah what's he working on he has to uh Clean that Grill oh my god when these

Guys are shifting mid shift like at Around 4:00 they bring this grill that They were using since this morning we Clean it real good and we uh bring it Right back to him Is it meditative for you to scrape the Stuff Off yes cuz I kind of like know how to Get it yeah you know how to get in there Yeah it's a proprietary technique you've Got going here Yeah I honestly think I could watch you Clean this grill for like Hours this is very relaxing for Me oh oh sorry sorry sorry just Miz Watching him clean the grill this say s With the gloves by the time I'm ready to Go home my hands just pale and wrink oh What do they look like Now they look pretty nice yes when I go Outside they Ashy but that's really about it what a Masterpiece and you did that so fast and In 2 hours you got to do it all over Again yes but I'll be on my way home by That Time Dre when do you think you're going be Able to take family meal I feel like There's no LOLs it keeps going yeah it Keeps going it's nonstop I can't abandon Ke can't abandon ke can't leave Byow so What right sorry about that it's going

To be done in the next two minutes I got You do you see your job as as as a Difficult job no I I I've told everybody In the P this is an easy job and I know I told you this too But you know you you see it as a Otherwise as a hard job you know I see It as a hard job it's a lot coming your Way you running up and down the stairs I Look at that as just an exercise you put Two and two together you just move at a Fast Pace [Music] Metaphorically family meal beyond the Meal itself it's like we're a family and We're all coming together it's hard to Keep up with that and then go back into The kitchen to keep up with that the Cooks and the preps continuously work The dishes are never put on Paws Exactly y Ke I'm going go ahead and check Downstairs all right all Down we go going on [Music] Down [Music] Voila so he opens up the elevator he Takes the clean ones out he puts the Dirty ones in the dirty ones goes up he Cleans those he comes back down he gets More dirty ones and he puts back the Clean ones

[Music] And around and around he goes when are You going to eat Dre I'm worried I eat Around like I'll say 4:30 that's when Everybody pretty much got their food and My guys should already be coming in at That point are you the last person to Have family meal usually I wouldn't say I was the last but I want of the last Few people that what he is and if There's nothing left I just go buy Myself some food outside I know it's all Good you good over there you want to Switch whenever you ready I'm going to Get that stuff out the elev Doesn't your shift end at 4: I got to Stay till like 5 maybe 5:30 then I'm out it's okay I am Out cuz the family meal is going to be Coming in all the plates and the spoon And all of that the family meal that Neither of you have partaken in yet That's okay we busy right Now those are the family meal dishes Right Yeah [Music] Oh don't threat me with a good Time yeah this one's talking to [Music] Me we're going to go and grab some food I got to make sure my energy is right Before we go back into this tornado of a Dish pit man we got to got to make sure

We got our energy right all righty you Guys have a great day [Music] You get to be in [Music] It minutes after [Music] That 33 rip SL hash spinach and ting Ring [Music] [Applause] He [Music] [Applause] [Music] Dre has been here for close to 6 hours Now he is as energetic and smiley and Excited as ever the scene in the dining Room is it's filling up but the dishes Are very managed Corner oh my God nowhere is safe in this Kitchen Dre how's it going it's going Really well it's like fully oh it's Getting okay let's see what it gives Let's see what it brings are you seeing It in the dishes being brought like is The is the Rhythm picking up for you a Little bit it's kind of picking up a Little bit more cool so surprised me you Know honestly you all in the dish pit Are like the heartbeat of this Restaurant thank you so much leave me Weet try what do you think makes a good Dishwasher at this restaurant you got to

Be focused you got to do what we got to Do and get it over with the work has to Get done you have no option Yeah what do you like the most about Your job here it motivates me to see Other people do the right thing or Respect each other it gives me a Perspective that I've been truly looking For since I was a young Child or came in early I'll be out about Like N I got a nicer tomorrow Though Team the teamwork shows here it really Does you got to be there for each other That's what it's about it's about that Way in life in general I really love That I [Music] Agree what do you think is the job of The dish pit in the broader Restaurant the top and the bottom is the Most important parts of keeping a system Running you got to make sure sure that Every dish in this place is washed just As much as it's food on the table two Mix greens she crab soup chicken Le you See how Sydney she takes her job super Seriously that's very very Important in the end we all go into Battle with each other it is a family Regardless of where you come from or What your role is or what you're doing We're all helping each other to get the Product out and to make the guests happy

In a kitchen it always feels like there Is a hierarchy and the dishwasher is Very much at the bottom of that Hierarchy and yet they play this very Essential Role traditionally the hierarchical System that exists in kitchens it's kind Of there for a reason that doesn't mean That every job shouldn't be respected We're all spending countless hours here And particularly in the dish area it is Thankless but also no job is lesser than Any Other could you ever see yourself Heading up a kitchen like Sydney I Believe that's very possible I told them Even when I started if you guys need Anything like a bus or a server or Anything like that I'm here you guys Need a dishwasher I'm here I can be on Any level of this place and show you Guys that I'm 100% for this place what Do you see for Dre where do you think he Could fit in moving him more towards Daytime so that he can start doing Production with us learning how to work With another team that's probably the Next step for him and I know he's very Eager for That shift is done shift is done from 12:30 to 9:00 oh my God how do you feel Uh feel a little little uh like I'm Still generated I I still want to keep Going tomorrow is going to happen fast

And I'm just ready to return just back And do it all again tomorrow like I Never Left I'll see you tomorrow see you tomorrow You guys have a great Night how do you feel about where you Are in your life currently I'm not in a Place that I want to be in life still Living with my brothers I'm still living With my mom I'm 25 years old we not in a Position we always want to be in in life Not at the very moment can be a Superstar overnight you have to keep on Working on yourself until that Opportunity comes your way so you can be Ready for this opportunity [Music] It