Why Your Kitchenhand Keeps Forgetting Things(And It’s Not Their Fault)

A relative of mine recently started as a kitchenhand at a busy local pub. He’s done five Saturday night shifts so far, and he added a Thursday shift to the mix this week. On the shift, the chef, who also works Sundays, looked at him and said, “So you’re the kitchen hand who leaves the plug in the dishwasher.”

He had, in fact, forgotten to remove it. But here’s the thing—he was shown how to do it once, on his first shift. After that, he was left to remember it all. No checklist. No clear handover notes. No training reminders.

Relying on memory is a recipe for inconsistency in a fast-paced food and beverage environment. It’s unfair to the employee, frustrating for the team, and ultimately costly for the business.

The best-run hospitality businesses understand this: train through systems, not memory.

A simple cloud-based checklist for kitchen hands would have prevented the dishwasher issue entirely. Documenting daily open/close tasks, cleaning procedures, and machine instructions not only improves training but also accountability. When expectations are written down (using systems like Operandio), new team members don’t have to guess, and managers don’t have to repeat themselves.

This is why we coach businesses to systemise every role—especially entry-level positions with high turnover. The more you rely on verbal instructions and “you should know this by now” culture, the more you risk mistakes and poor team morale.

Systems don’t replace people—they support them.

If your business is still running on tribal knowledge and crossed fingers, it’s time to start documenting. A checklist might seem small, but it could be the difference between smooth service and a frustrated chef on Sunday morning.