From the McDonald's Grill to a Michelin-Starred Kitchen: Michelle Khare Works Both Ends of the Restaurant Spectrum
Michelle Khare
In this episode, Michelle Khare tries to find out what it takes to work at two very different restaurants: a McDonald's, which she calls a "$1 sign" restaurant, and Manzke, a one-Michelin-star tasting-menu restaurant at the "$4 sign" end. The McDonald's half carries a personal connection. Her father worked the same job when he first immigrated to America. She wanted to get a small taste of what he went through. Her conclusion by the end is that the two kitchens have more in common than she expected.
She is upfront about the limits of the experiment. The video is not sponsored by either restaurant, so each one let the crew in for only a single day, because a longer stay would have disrupted their business too much. She acknowledges this means she gets only a brief glimpse, not the full experience or the level of detail she would have liked.
A Kitchen Designed for Speed
At McDonald's she is trained by David Smith, who started at that restaurant at 15 and, 21 years later, runs it. He walks her through a kitchen that she says McDonald's has designed over decades to maximize speed and efficiency. Sauce guns are used throughout assembly. The landing areas are heated to keep burgers and sandwiches hot.
David says the restaurant's top two sellers are fries and Coke. He shows her three large tanks of Coke syrup, with the other flavors (Diet Coke, Sprite and the rest) supplied as bag-in-box. All of it is plumbed from the back of the store to the drink stations at the front. Michelle points to this internal soft-drink plumbing and the patented sauce guns as the kind of engineering that makes the chain so efficient.
She also notices that even with a camera crew in the way, the kitchen's traffic flowed smoothly around them. David calls it "kind of like a symphony" and credits it to his staff's hard work, years of practice and training. He stresses that the restaurant does not stop for the filming. It is normal operations, with an expected 1,500 or more orders that day, and Michelle will work a full shift across the grill, fry and assembly stations.
The Drive-Thru Window
Her first station is the drive-thru window, which she describes as notoriously difficult. The worker takes orders and talks with customers, and is also responsible for making every soft drink, coffee, ice cream and smoothie ordered. Her trainer, Ivonne, takes the first order while Michelle watches. It turns into a confusing exchange in which a family argues in the car, changes the number of the meal, and adds a kids' meal with six-piece nuggets, a double cheeseburger and medium fries. Ivonne also explains that she is already fulfilling a different order while taking the current one, because "you always want to be ahead of the orders."
Michelle is struck by how intense it is to hold a full conversation with a stranger you can't see, and by how gracefully and warmly Ivonne handles it. She reflects that she had never thought about McDonald's as a place where families come to relax, or about what it means for staff to bring their best selves to every interaction. Ivonne has worked there for five years. She started as a crew member and is now a shift manager.
Learning the Big Mac
Ahead of the lunch rush, Michelle learns to build a Big Mac, which she notes has kept the same seven-ingredient recipe since its national launch in 1968. On the grill she lays out the thin "10-to-1" patties in runs of six. The flat top cooks them from both the bottom and the top. She seasons them with what the trainer calls a secret blend of spices, adds onions, and stacks them with spatulas for the assembly line.
The buns have their own vocabulary: crown, heel and club. Each goes in a marked position on the toaster. Michelle toasts them the wrong way on her first try, and on her first completed Big Mac she breaks the box at the final step. Watching David and Ivonne excel, she says, made her realize how many varied skills hospitality involves at every level, skills she feels nobody, herself included, really appreciates when they get a meal.
The Fry Station
Next comes the fry station. Michelle says the general consensus on Reddit is that it's the most demanding and chaotic position. David says nearly every order includes fries, so she will be under pressure to keep up. She learns to drop the heavy baskets, start the timer (3 minutes and 10 seconds), pull and shake the baskets when they beep, and season with a tool called the "Accu-Salter," which she finds a clever name. When she asks how the equipment knows when to stop, or whether the store honors the secret menu, the answers are that it's "a secret" and "confidential." One employee then adds that they do honor the secret menu. The trainer sums up the place: "There is not one thing that we do that doesn't have a procedure."
Lunch Rush
For her final McDonald's challenge, Michelle works the line through the entire lunch service. Because David has won awards for his management, she feels her performance matters both to him and to the dozens of waiting customers. The crew normally works stations as a team, but since she has only one day, she chooses to cover all of them herself.
It gets hectic quickly. She lays out patties and a Quarter Pounder when a cowbell signals a new order. Then three Big Macs are needed, and she forgets her gloves, misplaces buns, and is told she needs to be faster "for the sake of our customers." One batch falls apart and goes into what the crew calls the "accident drawer," and two Big Macs have to be remade. Her trainer notes that she has left the grill dirty and the team has fallen a little behind. She is then guided through a Filet-O-Fish. She overshoots the tartar sauce because she "didn't know [her] own strength" with the sauce gun, nearly uses mayonnaise by mistake, and then centers half a slice of cheese and the fish patty on the bun.
Back at the fryer, customers need fries "like now, 2 seconds ago." She grabs a child-size container instead of a small and underfills cartons that the trainer has to approve before they can be sold. Overheated and overwhelmed, she says she can't even collect her thoughts to narrate. Her main takeaway is that each station has to be managed within an ecosystem that begins with the customer's order and ends when the bag is handed into their car.
Asked how she did, her trainer says she did "very good" and insists they're telling the truth. Michelle feels she barely survived the rush and has a long way to go to match the multitasking, situational awareness and hospitality that people like David and Ivonne have built over years of work.
Manzke: The Cooking Starts at the Farmers Market
The second restaurant is Manzke, known for its ten-course tasting menu and led by chefs Walter Manzke and Margarita Manzke. Michelle says it earned its first Michelin star less than a year after opening, and she compares receiving a star to winning a culinary Oscar.
Her day doesn't begin in the kitchen. It starts at a local farmers market with executive chef Joe Garcia and Chef Walter, sourcing ingredients for that day's dishes. Joe says the goal is to give guests a true experience from start to finish, and that beautiful kitchen equipment is pointless if the food doesn't taste great. The chefs arrive with a general idea of what will be available, but they are also inspired by what the farmers bring. Michelle observes that they have clearly known these farmers for years. One farmer has them taste an unusual fruit that Michelle compares to a sour candy, and the chefs immediately decide it would suit a crab dish they're working on, so it goes onto the menu. As Joe puts it, they taste what's best and then decide whether it fits a dish in progress.
Her final challenge at Manzke is to prepare three dishes from the menu during that night's real dinner service, with guests in the dining room. The dishes are Norwegian king crab, Japanese hamachi, and a salted caramel chocolate cake. Joe will check that each dish looks right and has been prepared properly, and Chef Walter will do the final inspection.
Norwegian King Crab Under a UV Light
The crab lesson starts in a freezer under a UV light. A cook named Vince shows her how to pick out fragments of shell with tweezers, because shell glows differently from the meat under UV. It is a pain to do, he admits, but it's the standard they were trained to and the one their guests expect. They never know when a critic is coming, so they always have to be "firing on all cylinders." Michelle explains that Michelin inspectors are anonymous critics who visit under false identities, so chefs have to treat every guest as a potential inspector. She foreshadows that the restaurant would get an unannounced visitor that very day.
Chef Walter then demonstrates the plated dish. It is a tomato panna cotta topped with king crab flown in live from Norway, peaches bought at the market that morning, cornflowers for freshness and color, fresh mustard flowers, smoked trout roe and dill. He says he's looking for balance, "freshness and flavor and soul." He uses five of each flower because odd numbers look better, and he avoids burying the dish under garnish so everything can be seen from top to bottom. "Everything has to look like a beautiful picture," he says.
The Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake
The dessert is taught by Chef Margarita Lorenzana Manzke, whom Michelle introduces as the outstanding pastry chef or baker at the 2023 James Beard Awards. Margarita says she was honored and humbled by the recognition and calls it a win for everybody. She shows Michelle how to pipe a "fort" of caramel chocolate ganache, fill the center with salted caramel, cap it, and then ice and decorate it like a birthday cake.
The dessert has a particular role in the meal. Margarita explains that many guests come to celebrate special occasions, so the cake works as a surprise gift at the end, with "happy birthday" or "anniversary" and a card signed by the staff. She defines Michelin-level dessert as attention to detail and "elevating it." She predicts Michelle's challenges will be consistent piping, a perfectly smooth finish (any unevenness shows every imperfection), and evenly sized, evenly spaced rosettes. Michelle's practice cake is uneven enough that she jokes, "This is Michelin level. This is Michelle."
Hamachi and a Chef Who Started at McDonald's
The hamachi lesson begins with the melons from the market. They are sliced into quarter-inch planks and then cut with a punch shaped like a Michelin star, three per plate. Joe notes that a deli slicer would be more consistent, but "we're here to be craftsmen," so they cut by hand. When Michelle botches a plank and jokes about being sent to wash dishes, Joe says some of the best chefs in the world started as dishwashers. He himself didn't. He started at McDonald's at 15 as a cashier, kept an eye on the kitchen, and within a couple of weeks was making Big Macs.
Asked about similarities, Joe calls McDonald's "a phenomenal sort of model for training and consistency, which is everything that we do here." He says the common denominator in any successful enterprise is teamwork and a culture where people know they're there for a reason. He compares it to an orchestra, with the chef as conductor and everyone playing a role to produce one sound and one experience. He believes McDonald's does that well and says he tries to do the same with his team.
The Health Inspector Arrives
The lesson is interrupted. About 30 minutes before the doors open, a health inspector shows up unannounced. Michelle notes that California restaurants are usually inspected only one to three times a year, and that anything less than an A would jeopardize the restaurant's Michelin star. The kitchen scrambles to clear towels and tidy up, and the camera crew is sent upstairs to hide. A staff member explains that the space is divided between two restaurants with separate entrances, and Joe mentions working across République and Manzke. With dry humor, Joe calls a health inspection right before service "one of my personal favorite" challenges. The inspector estimates 20 minutes, then possibly 45. A staff member explains that inspectors arrive unannounced, that the restaurant needs many licenses to operate, and that any problem could get them downgraded. "We're all terrified," one says.
The show goes on with the nightly staff meeting while the inspector is still finishing. Michelle explains that the restaurant researches every guest in advance: dietary restrictions, birthdays, anniversaries and any detail that could make someone feel special. The briefing runs through specifics such as guests who won't eat lamb, oysters, goat cheese or cumin, and which tables are celebrating.
Judged at Service: One Pass, Two Fails
Because of the inspection, Michelle's hamachi lesson was cut short, and she learns the dish only minutes before her judged attempt. Joe shows her the sequence: a few drops of chili oil, gray sea salt sprinkled from high up for even coverage (she likens it to the Salt Bae technique), lime zest grated on a Japanese zester taking only the green and none of the bitter white pith, a quenelle of sorbet shaped with a temperature-controlled spoon, then the fish, sorbet, melon stars and herbs. On her own she loses track of the order, over-salts, and watches the sorbet melt. Chef Walter rejects it. Guests photograph these plates, he says, and hers looks out of place and "not flowing." He declines to taste it and calls it a fail. Joe reassures her that it took him 23 years of cooking before the team he leads earned a Michelin star.
The king crab goes better. Michelle says she feels much more confident, and Walter says it looks good, has soul, and that he would actually send it to a table.
The cake is her last chance at redemption. While she works, Joe reflects that the expectations differ between McDonald's and a Michelin-starred restaurant, but "in the end, it's the same thing. It's hospitality." His team tries to keep things organic and simple rather than sterile or regimented while still presenting them beautifully, because "you have one shot to make one party happy every single night." Michelle thinks her smoothing is better than in practice, but the final cake shows exposed cake on the side, dents at the bottom and uneven piping. Asked whether it could go to a birthday table at Manzke, the answer is no, so it's a second fail.
Same Orchestra, Different Songs
Near the end, the staff share good news and celebrate with "we did it," apparently the outcome of the inspection, with one remarking that they work hard for these things. Michelle says her biggest surprise was how alike McDonald's and Manzke turned out to be: "Both kitchens are like orchestras, just playing two different songs." What she took from Chef Joe is that a meal can be more than functional. It can be an art form that creates a special moment, achieved by a whole team striving for excellence.
To thank the team, Michelle presents a gift tied to Joe's first job at McDonald's. Joe says it's one of his favorite things in the world and frames the gesture in the restaurant's own terms: the kitchen tries to listen to guests and act on what they mention, and doing the same shows she has the hospitality mindset they had been discussing. His closing joke is to ask where his barbecue sauce is.
Over 9 million Americans work in the food service industry. And if you're one of them, you know that the job can be a little intense.
What are you?
An idiot sandwich.
It's part of the American landscape and a global icon. Biggest, most successful, most powerful fast food chain in the world.
This week, I'm stepping into the kitchen of a McDonald's, the restaurant that has employed 1 in eight Americans. And this was the same job that my dad had when he first immigrated to America. Do you guys honor the secret menu here?
We can't really talk about the secret menu.
But I'm not stopping there. After that, I'll be entering one of the most prestigious kitchens in America to see if I can survive working for a Michelin-star restaurant.
The health inspector's here.
So, I'm going to have to break away.
So, health department's here. Try to buckle this up. All right. Good evening, guys.
We are currently en route to the McDonald's I am going to be working at today. Now, because this video is not sponsored by McDonald's or Manzke, each restaurant is only letting us come in for one single day because we would be way too disruptive to their actual business otherwise. Now, I know this is not going to be the full experience or even the level of detail that I would have loved. But I am really, really excited to get a small taste of what my dad experienced when he first got to America.
Everybody say hi to Michelle, guys.
Hi.
So, this is the service area where you're going to be training some stations. Okay.
My name is David Smith. My first job, I worked at McDonald's. This one I started when I was 15 years old, and 21 years later, I'm running one of the restaurants.
Are you excited?
Yes, I'm excited. I've never gotten to see behind the scenes in the kitchen. This is so cool.
Over the last several decades, McDonald's has meticulously designed every inch of their kitchen to maximize speed and efficiency. And they thought of everything.
Sauce guns.
Throughout the whole process of making it. Wow.
And these are all heated.
Okay. Because I touched it and I thought it was burning my—
Oh, no. It's not going to burn you, but it's going to keep the burgers and sandwiches nice and hot.
Wow.
Yes. You come back this way. So, the top two things that we sell in this restaurant is fries and Coke. These three tanks is Coke syrup.
I thought you were going to say this is like the heating and cooling.
No, no, no. This is Coke, Coke syrup, Coke syrup. And all the other flavors are here. They're all bag-in-box. Diet Coke, Sprite, and all that.
So, you're telling me when you guys are getting drinks at the front, it's actually coming all the way to the back?
All the way pushed into the front. Yes.
And it's ingenuity like their internal soft drink plumbing and patented sauce guns that enables McDonald's to be ridiculously efficient.
Something I've noticed is that obviously we're here with our camera crew. And even though we're here with all of these people, the traffic of everything has just beautifully been redirected all the way around us.
It's kind of like a symphony. I mean, the synchronization that you will see in my kitchen is everybody's hard work, years of practice, training. McDonald's does not stop. Everything today is normal operations. Michelle is going to be working a full shift at McDonald's. All right. She's going to be in the kitchen cooking burgers. She's going to be in the fry station cooking fries. 1,500 orders today, guys. Maybe more. I don't know. Might call the whole city to come. I don't know.
My first task of the day is to man the drive-thru window, which is notoriously difficult because not only are you taking orders and interfacing with customers, but you are also responsible for making all of the soft drinks, coffee, ice cream, and smoothies that are ordered.
Hi, my name is Ivonne.
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
You're ready for this?
Oh my God. Yeah.
Yeah. Okay. So, I'll take one and then I'll learn from—
Yes. Okay.
Hi. What can I get from you? A what?
Cheeseburger was—
Cheeseburger was a what?
Yeah, you can hear families argue in the car over what they want to eat.
I need a number one. A burger of the cheeseburger. We need cheese. What is it?
Pickles. Hold on.
Cheese.
Cheese, pickles and onions. The cheese, pickles and lettuce.
Cheese, pickles, onions and lettuce, please.
Okay, so you want a number seven instead of the number one.
Yes.
And while keeping track of what can sometimes be a long and confusing order, you are also simultaneously prepping for a different order.
So, you're taking one order, but the one you're fulfilling is the one up there.
Yes, because you always want to be ahead of the orders.
Wow.
Then I'm also going to order a kids' meal, the six-piece chicken nugget, the double cheeseburger, medium fries.
Ivonne is doing such a good job managing them changing their minds and adding things. And she's so personable and lovely, too. All right. Does this look correct on the screen?
Yes.
Awesome. Drive around. See you soon.
Wow. That was a crazy one. Wow.
Hello.
Hey. Hey, how are you guys doing?
Oh, it's a long one.
No question.
Don't mind me. It's my first day. It's so intense to be having a full conversation with a complete stranger you can't even see. Ivonne handled it all so gracefully. That's just something I haven't really thought too much about when I go to McDonald's, is that this is a place where people come as a family and to relax, and having to show up and bring your best self every time.
Thank you. You guys enjoy the rest of your day. Too much.
The way you are multitasking, doing all of this, it's really inspiring.
Thank you.
Thank you.
And you've been doing this for 5 years.
5 years. Yes. I start here working as a crew member. So, the opportunity to grow, now I'm a shift manager. So, that's another thing that I—
She's going up.
Yes. Yes.
Better watch out.
Right? I'm going to be the next runner.
But with the lunch rush rapidly approaching, it was time for me to learn how to assemble one of the most iconic burgers in the world.
Beef patty, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and a sesame seed bun.
McDonald's Big Mac. Seven great ingredients working together to make one great taste.
And Big Macs have had the same seven-ingredient recipe since launching nationally in 1968. And that recipe begins with two beef patties.
Michelle, this is the grill area. We're going to be cooking two grill products today, which is going to be the 10-to-1 meats. And—
So those are the thin ones.
The thin ones. Yes.
Oh my God.
Speed is key. It's always a fast-paced environment over here.
You're going to grab the little meat patties.
Two, three, four, five.
You're going to do six. Yes. And a run.
Another one. Yes. And the last one.
Awesome.
So, the flat top, it cooks from the bottom and then it goes down and it cooks from the top, too. I'm going to give this to you. This is a secret blend of spices.
I love secrets.
Three. Four. Five. Six. Grab this one again. I don't think that one got one.
Awesome. All right. And then we're going to put onions in all six. Perfect. Now, spatulas. We're going to stack them.
Yeah. Get all the way down there. Yes. Beautiful. And then we are going to put it up here. If you turn around, it's like an assembly line. There's a lot of things going on here. You're going to be in the line today and I need you fast. The sandwich needs to be neat. The sandwich needs to be properly prepared. You got that?
Yeah.
So, you grab the Big Mac buns. We have specific names for each one. This is the crown. This is the heel and this is the club. So, we're going to toast it first. You can see that there are markings that says crown, heel, and club. And that's where we place.
So, they all each have a different type of toasting.
The other way.
I already messed it up.
Disappeared.
What did I do?
See how that turned out?
Yeah.
So, you toasted this part and not that part.
Okay. That was bad. Bad.
I'm going to give you another one. So, it's going to be this way.
Because the restaurant is only allowing us in for one brief day so we don't mess up their operation any further, I'm only getting a really, really brief taste about what it really takes to do this job.
Oh, is that bad?
That's perfect. You're good.
And when I see people like David and Ivonne totally excelling in their position, it makes me realize how much there is to hospitality and service at every level. It's a lot of varied skill sets that I don't feel like anyone, myself included, ever appreciates. You're never really thinking about what is happening to make your meal come to the door.
Oh no, I just broke the box.
Oh my goodness.
The last step. I was so excited.
Fortunately, we have a lot of boxes. Yes. So, that is a Big Mac you made.
Yay.
Yes. After learning the grill and assembly stations, I still needed to conquer what the general consensus on Reddit says is the most demanding and chaotic position, the fry station.
Michelle is going to be in the fry station. Cooking French fries is a big thing, which I think she's going to have a little pressure put on her. It's a very, very busy restaurant and we sell a lot of French fries. Every single order usually has a fry order. We're just going to have to keep up with the rush here.
There they go.
Yeah, there you go. Hey, they're going to keep going. I'm going to grab a basket of fries.
They are heavy. Drop it in. Very good. And then I want you to press a button.
It's very important that it cooks all the way throughout. 3 minutes and 10 seconds.
Something's beeping.
Both are beeping. So, I'm going to show you. We're going to press the pull where it says pull. Good. We're going to bring it up.
Yeah. Very good. And then we're just going to lightly shake it off. And I'm going to unload it here. And you can go and do yours. Yes. Very good. At this point, you grab our Accu-Salter.
Accu-Salter.
Because it accurately salts it.
Oh.
I don't come up with these names, but it's actually pretty clever. So, go ahead.
Does it automatically stop?
Wow.
Put it down here.
How does it know?
It's secret.
It's a secret. Secret. Okay. Do you guys honor the secret menu here?
We can't really talk about the secret menu. It's confidential.
Yes, we do. We do honor the secret menu.
There is a procedure for every single thing here.
There is not one thing that we do that doesn't have a procedure. We're going to need some large and then some child size as well. Okay.
That's okay.
Oh, do you need fries? Are you waiting on us? Wait, which one do you need? Okay, sorry. I didn't realize everyone was waiting. You guys should have said something.
As the volume of orders increases, it's clear that lunch rush is upon us. So, for my final challenge, I will be working on the line fulfilling orders for the entire lunch service. And given that David has received many awards for his management, my performance today is crucial in order to not only meet his expectations, but also the expectations of the dozens of customers in line right now.
Okay, follow me. Let's go. We're going to need the 10-to-1 meat. Okay. We're going to need two runs of those, please. So, that's going to be six in one and six in the other. Lay it two-handed. Perfect. Yes. Good. Place it nicely. That's good. Take off your—
Oh, the cowbell went off.
Oh, now there's a cowbell. Now we have to do the Quarter Pounder. Put it right in the middle there. Awesome. Now, that's going in.
Okay. Now, I'm over here.
You're on track. You're on track.
Yes. Okay.
We are not getting behind right now. You're actually keeping up. So, after this, we're going to need to jump on the line. Okay. We're going to make some Big Macs there. How many Big Macs do you guys need?
Three Big Macs.
Although the crew typically works together as a team from various stations, having only one day to work in the kitchen, I wanted to take on the challenge of covering all the stations all on my own.
All right, they need three Big Macs. Okay.
Freaking out.
Oh, gloves first.
Oh my.
Yeah, that's right. That's okay. We can still make it.
This feels like The Bear. I know we're going to the Michelin restaurant tomorrow, but this is The Bear.
Now, three Big Mac buns in. Remember the placement?
Yep.
We're good.
Nope, that's not it. Grab three more.
Okay.
Yeah, there you go.
All right, I can do this. I can do this. Okay, round.
I'm not trying to rush you, but you need to be a little bit faster, please. For the sake of our customers.
Okay.
That's okay. It's all right. Keep going to the next one. We can remake that. Okay.
So, continue with this. A trash can right there.
Good. Good. All right. You're still good on time. You're still good on time. Take all the time you need, as long as it's done in the next 10 seconds. Okay.
Great.
Perfect. Do I look panicked? Can everyone tell?
Just a little bit.
Now, we're forgetting something.
Yes. We go back. Yep. Oh, disaster. Okay. So, what you want to do is just take this, go over there. Now, there's a little drawer down here that you just pull out and then you scoop everything in. Scoop everything in. Yes.
Oh my gosh. Accident drawer.
Yeah, it's an accident drawer. And then we do have to double back and make two more Big Macs. That's okay, guys. We're going to be a little late. There was disaster that happened.
I'm so sorry.
There you go. Now, send it in. Very good. We need two more, man. Let's make this happen. Ooh, she left the grill dirty from the last time she did it. Michelle, don't be alarmed, but we are a little bit behind. Yeah, we're going to have to finish cleaning this flat top grill.
Okay.
Yes. As hard as you can. Go all the way back if you can. Very good.
And a Filet-O-Fish.
Okay. We can do that. Perfect. Now, we're going to circle around to the fish fillet before the customers get pissed off.
How do I do that?
I will tell you how to do it. Grab the buns. It's going to be a little hot. Now, this one was the Big Mac sauce. We're going to do tartar sauce. This is the tartar sauce. We're going to do one shot up here.
We need to redo it. That's going to be too messy.
Yep. Okay. You didn't know your own strength on that one.
Do it correctly. Sorry. I didn't anticipate it to be so strong coming out.
You have to take every moment just to breathe.
Take two.
Oh my God. And they're waiting for this.
Not that one. That's mayonnaise.
Oh, okay. Keep going. It's all right.
All right. We're going to aim right in the middle.
Good. Awesome. And then we are going to take a piece of cheese. And you're just only going to use half. Very good. Come this way. Grab one fish fillet patty. You are going to center it on the top bun. Very good. Close the box. Flip it over.
Oh, look at you. Okay. Very nice. Come this way. Send it over. Good. And now we're going to be on the fries. Okay.
So, go grab two baskets and then press number one.
And then number two right there. They're going to grab a lot of fries right now. I hate to rush you guys. We do need to do it fast.
Okay.
Can I get one more small, please?
We need one small. That needs to be done now. 2 seconds ago. Not that one. That's a child size. Small one is that one. Very good. Thank you. There's many ways to do it. That one's not one of them. That one needs more. That one needs more. Okay, we can sell that. I allow that to be sold.
Here you go.
Thank you.
Honestly, this is a lot to manage. There's beeping that tells you when to change the fries.
Shake. We need to shake it.
Oh.
Oh, yes. Yes. You got to do it. Drop what you're doing. Make it happen.
There's customers. There's people asking for things. It is a lot. This is crazy.
This gets crazy.
I can't even collect my thoughts and commentate on what's going on.
You're fine. Just keep going. Focus. Focus.
Oh my God, I'm so hot.
Customers are going to start revolting.
I cannot let Ivon down.
Ivon down.
Ivon, where's my large fries?
I'm sorry. Customer is waiting. Customer is waiting.
There you go. Thank you. Oh my God. It's managing your station amidst the ecosystem of everything else. That starts with the customer order and ends when you hand the bag to them in their car.
How did I do?
You did very good. I am telling the truth.
While I narrowly survived the lunch rush, it's clear I have an incredibly long way to go to match the service of people like David and Ivon, who over years of hard work have developed supreme skills of multitasking, situational awareness, and genuine hospitality.
David, you got to wish me luck tomorrow.
You know, my friend will do just fine. Good luck.
I know. We're going from the McDonald's to a Michelin restaurant. We'll be working at Manzke. Okay. And I am so glad that I spent today with you because you were such a wonderful teacher, and thank you so much.
I'm sure you'll do just fine tomorrow.
We'll see how this goes.
If McDonald's is a one-dollar-sign restaurant, then what is it like to work all the way on the opposite end of the spectrum at a four-dollar-sign restaurant? Welcome to Manzke, known for its 10-course tasting menu.
One Michelin star, Manzke. Chefs Walter Manzke and Margarita Manzke.
Manzke was awarded its first Michelin star less than one year after its opening. Receiving a Michelin star is essentially like winning a culinary Oscar. But before I can even enter the kitchen, our day actually begins at the local farmers market with the intention of sourcing all of the ingredients needed to prep today's dishes.
This is actually going to be one of the garnishes on one of our soups tonight. Smell that one.
Oh, and taste one of the flowers.
My name is Joe Garcia, executive chef of Manzke Restaurant. What we try to do is give the guests a true experience from start to finish. The flavor, it has to taste great. There's no point in having beautiful equipment in the kitchen if the food is not going to match that. We have a general idea of what's going to be available, but they might surprise us with something.
So, you're also inspired by what's available.
Oh, yeah. 100%.
Chef Joe and Chef Walter both have amazing relationships with all the farmers here. You can tell that they've known each other for years.
This is Alex. Alex.
Hi, Alex. It's so nice to meet you. I'm Michelle.
Nice to meet you, chef.
So, he specializes in the liquor potatoes. You want to sample?
Take a bite.
Just take a bite of a potato.
Can you do that?
Don't do that.
What do you want?
Don't. This is different. Something different.
What's this one?
The Bonny melon. Bonny. But try this.
Thank you.
Something different. Oh my God.
Wow. It's like a sour candy. It's like a...
How do you do that? It's magic.
I see a seafood dish.
Yeah.
Right. We're doing a dish with crab right now. This would be perfect for that.
See?
Are you going to add that in now?
So, it's going on the menu.
Yeah.
So, really the cooking begins here, and we're not even in the kitchen.
Yeah. We come and we see what's best. We taste it like this. We have good friends, and then we say, "Okay, this will work with whatever dish we're working on," and then put it on. But you see, we're over here having snacks. Chef Walter's doing all the real work over here.
What are we doing?
With the ingredients in hand, it was time to head to Manzke to begin my training. For my final challenge, I will have to prepare three Michelin-level dishes from the Manzke menu: the Norwegian king crab, the Japanese hamachi, and the salted caramel chocolate cake. And I will have to prepare all three during tonight's actual dinner service.
We will actually be open. The doors will be open. And there will be guests in the dining room while she's going to be plating with us in the kitchen. My job as the executive chef is to make sure that it looks right, that it's been prepared properly. And then the final inspection will come from Chef Walter.
But before I go full Jeremy Allen White from The Bear, I need to learn how to make the first dish, the Norwegian king crab. And that lesson actually starts in a freezer under a UV light. Oh my God.
Here's a pair of tweezers. What you want to look for here is anything that shines too brightly.
Like this?
Yep. So, right there. Basically, that's all the shell under the UV light. It glows very differently. It stands out from the meat of the crab.
Wow. This is so cool. And this is to avoid a disaster at the table, right?
Yes, absolutely. We're going to get this one.
Yeah, that looks like you got one. Yeah.
This is one of those things that it's definitely a pain to do, but this is the level that we've been trained at, and this is the level that we know our guests expect. We never know when a critic is coming, so we always just have to make sure that we're firing on all cylinders.
And what Vince is saying here is true. Michelin inspectors are anonymous food critics that show up to restaurants using false identities, and they secretly rate the quality and service to decide if that restaurant is deserving of a Michelin star. And because the restaurant never knows when they might show up, chefs like Vince have to treat every single guest as if they could be the secret Michelin inspector.
And little did I know that today of all days, Manzke would in fact have an unannounced, unexpected visitor. But before we get to that, I still need to learn how to complete the crab dish. And I was told I would be learning under the intense supervision of Chef Walter Manzke himself.
I'm Walter Manzke, and I'm the chef-owner of Manzke Restaurant. What I'm about to present you is a dish you'll be getting later tonight. We have tomato panna cotta and then king crab that was live from Norway. The other one we bought at the market today is these beautiful peaches. Cornflowers give it some freshness, some color, fresh mustard flowers, smoked trout roe, and then to finish it off on top, dill.
There's so much detail in such a small dish. What are you going to be looking for for success?
We're looking for a balance. It should have freshness and flavor and soul. You notice I put five of each flower. Odd numbers always looks better. It's important not to cover everything up with the garnish.
So, you can see everything top to bottom in the dish. Okay.
Everything has to look like a beautiful picture.
Having seen the impact of delicacy and precision from Chef Walter, I was excited to apply these learnings to my next course: the salted caramel chocolate cake taught by Chef Margarita Manzke, one of the most renowned pastry chefs in the country.
Chef Margarita Lorenzana Manzke was recently recognized as the Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker at the 2023 James Beard Awards.
Very honored, very humbled, very excited when I heard about that. It was a great win for everybody.
Thank you for having us. I've heard so much about your pastries, and you've won so many awards for your incredible work. I am very excited to taste this, but of course we're here to learn how to make it.
Today, Michelle will be making a salted caramel chocolate cake. In this bag, we have the caramel chocolate ganache. You're just going to build kind of like a fort. You want to hold it here, and that's for control. And then just squeeze.
Thank you. Okay, so here?
Yeah, hold it like you're gripping. Yeah, like that. Perfect.
Yeah, perfect. After that, this is our salted caramel. You're just going to... That was in the middle.
Fill that center.
Okay. Caramel. What do you think makes a dessert Michelin-level?
Attention to detail is very important. Elevating it. People come here a lot of times to celebrate a special occasion. So, at the end of the meal, this is like a surprise gift to give them. Happy birthday or anniversary. Comes with a nice card from all of us at the restaurant.
You all sign a card?
Yes, we do.
That is so kind. My gosh.
With that, we cover it with another top, and then we're going to pipe it, make it look nice, make it look like a birthday cake. The challenges that Michelle will probably have is to get a consistent piping of the icing all around the cake, on top of the cake.
Yeah, that's not bad. And then obviously the smoothing of the cake is super important. If it's not smooth, you're going to see all the imperfections, because the objective is that it's perfectly smooth across.
Yes.
Yep.
Instead of going so many times, just give it one clean... Yeah.
Oh, no.
And then the last step would be piping the rosettes on top, getting a consistent size and evenly spaced rosettes.
Tonight I am going to attempt to remake this for Chef Walter, and I've got to nail it because dessert is the final impression. I have to nail the dessert. Oh no.
This is Michelin-level. This is Michelle.
Yeah, that's a good one.
And for my third and final dish, I will have to learn how to prepare Manzke's Japanese hamachi dish. And that actually starts with the very melons that we bought this morning at the farmers market.
All right. So, we're going to cut these little planks like this, about a quarter of an inch thick. And what we're going to end up doing with these planks is we're then going to take a punch in the shape of a Michelin star, and we're going to punch them. So then we'll have our little punches. Each dish will have three of these. So you and I are going to go ahead and slice these guys. To be truly, truly consistent, you would do it on the deli slicer, but we're here to be craftsmen. We're here to learn a craft. That's why we do things this way.
It's okay. Just grab another one.
I am so sorry.
If this was The Bear, you'd get yelled at right now, right?
You want me washing dishes?
Would you like to? Some of the best chefs in the world have started as dishwashers.
Did you?
No. I started at McDonald's.
You started at McDonald's?
Yeah. That was my first job.
No way.
My first job was at McDonald's. I was 15 years old. I was a cashier, but I always had my eye on what was going on in the kitchen. Within a couple weeks, I was making the Big Macs and doing all that stuff in the back, and I really enjoyed it.
What are the similarities? Are there any?
Honestly, McDonald's is a phenomenal sort of model for training and consistency, which is everything that we do here.
Really remarkable.
Honestly, the common denominator in any successful enterprise of any kind is teamwork. So it really comes down to that, just teamwork and a culture where people know that they're there for a reason. Just like with an orchestra, everybody has their role, where the chef is the conductor, but all together as one, they form one sound, one experience. McDonald's does that really well, and I feel like that's what I try to do with my team here.
Okay. Let me grab a punch for these.
So, you're now going to use the knife.
Yeah.
Health inspector's downstairs.
Great.
What does that mean? The health inspector?
So, I'm going to have to break away.
Okay. Yeah.
Isaac, put these down though. Health department's here. Let's try to buckle this up. Get rid of towels.
Literally 30 minutes before doors open to the public, the health inspector made an unexpected visit, which is crazy because restaurants in California are usually only inspected at a frequency of one to three times a year.
Is there anything I can do to help?
It was then an all-hands-on-deck mad scramble to prepare the kitchen for the inspector's arrival. And this inspection is crucial because getting anything less than an A would jeopardize Manzke's Michelin star.
He's coming up. He's coming up.
Go. Go.
Our camera crew basically got thrown upstairs to hide.
Yeah. So downstairs is basically... Up here is Manzke. So they have separate entrances.
You guys are filming?
Yeah. It makes it extra interesting. They were asking me, "What kind of challenges do you face on a day-to-day basis?" Well, having the health department show up right before service is one of my personal favorites. Will it take longer than 30 minutes? We'll be open in 30 minutes.
Maybe 20 minutes.
Just maybe 45 minutes.
Oh my God, that was crazy. The health inspector just shows up 10 minutes before service.
They will show up unannounced. Everything has to be in order. There's so many licenses that we need to have to make sure that we can operate the restaurant. If they see something wrong, we could be downgraded. Now you think...
Yeah. So, how long have you worked here?
I've worked here for a year and a half, but with the Manzkes, I've been with them for almost four years.
That's awesome. Wow. And so now you've been at Manzke for a year and a half.
Yeah. République, Manzke, Bicyclette. I've been retaining all three.
Yeah.
Terrifying job.
We're all terrified.
But that's the reality for everyone.
We're just minutes away from opening, and the health inspector is still conducting his final evaluation. But the show must go on, and it's time for the nightly staff meeting.
All right. Good evening, guys.
Every night, the restaurant does detailed research on every single guest who will walk through those doors. This includes their dietary restrictions, birthdays, and any other details that would make a guest feel special.
Two guests will not eat lamb. They will not eat game, no oysters, no goat cheese, and they don't want cumin. Anniversary and birthday being celebrated there. Next, 7:30, our last reservation. Two people, no allergy. A birthday. Thank you.
Cool. Sorry, I apologize. I didn't introduce Michelle. Michelle is going to be joining us in the kitchen. Welcome, Michelle.
Thank you.
And despite the health inspector, it was time for the restaurant to open. For my final challenge, I will have to prepare three dishes for Chef Walter to inspect, and he will be the deciding factor if they are worthy of going out to a table. But because of the health inspector's unexpected visit, my hamachi lesson from earlier was cut short, meaning I will have to learn the dish minutes before the judged attempt.
Here we are. Showtime. This is a mockup of Japanese hamachi. I always wish I had these when I was a little kid, when I would go to sushi or something.
Oh, I thought you were going to say for eyebrows, because that's what I would definitely use them for.
So, the first thing we're going to do is you're going to dress it. This is that chili oil that we spoke about earlier. A few drops on each of that. This is gray sea salt. It's a little...
I learned about the Salt Bae technique.
Yeah. What is that?
Just evenly salting.
Yes. Exactly. So, you want to go up nice and high. And then we're going to hit it with the lime zest. We're going to grate. It's a Japanese zester. What you want to do is you want to remove the green, just the green flesh, none of the white. The white becomes very unpleasantly tart. So just gently rub this on. Then from there we will get you the sorbet. So, quenelle, you start like this.
Oh, it's the away and back. They did this in The Bear.
Oh, we need to do that too.
That's so pretty.
It's all about temperature control with your spoon. Now with your wrist, and extract it.
Look at that. That's great.
Thank you, chef.
So, we're going to put the fish, sorbet, melons, and then the little herbs. And remember, Chef Walter has very high expectations of both of us. So, I'm counting on you.
Yes, chef.
Okay. I got a kitchen to run. So, I'll check in on you in a second.
Thank you, chef.
Cool.
Okay. Lime. Lime was the first. No, oil was the first thing.
Am I already doing it, Rocky? No.
I didn't say anything. I'm going this way.
Okay. I've literally never made anything like this before. What is this?
Nice and high.
Way too much.
Okay, we don't have time. We don't have time for this. Okay, put this one in the middle.
Hi, shovels.
She's sneaking at me.
This is so stressful. Oh my God.
Everything is melting and it is not going well.
All right, Chef Joe. Chef Walter, I'm ready to show you what you think about the presentation. Could this go to a table?
No. Like I said, everybody's going to take pictures of this. They take a picture of it. It looks like things are out of place. It's not flowing.
Wow, that looks so much better. You make it look so naturally placed. Would you like to taste it? Is it worth tasting or you just like it?
I think you need to work on it.
So, is this a fail?
This is a fail.
Thank you, chef. I'll work on the next one.
All right. Well, don't worry. Joe, I apologized before and I'll apologize again.
Do you know how long it took me to earn a Michelin star?
How long?
23 years of cooking before that Michelin star was earned by the team that I lead. So, it's okay. So, we're going to set you up for the next course.
Everything is here.
Okay.
Make us proud.
Yes, chef.
Every single day that we're in here, and in fact, it's a common term that we use in the kitchen. It's a dance because it's a concerto where the chef is the conductor and then everybody else has their role. So just like with an orchestra, everybody has their little role, but all together as one, they form one sound, one experience.
Okay.
How are you feeling?
I'm feeling so much better about this one.
There you go. I have one more color flower.
All right.
Good. Let's call Chef. See what he thinks.
Yeah, Chef. Hello, Chef Walter. This is my second dish. What do you think?
It's looking pretty good.
Does it have soul?
It does. It looks good.
Would you send this to a table?
Actually, I would. I would. Looks good.
Are you serious?
Yeah. Looks good.
Yay.
Lost one. Got one.
You're on the right track.
I would love to get the next one. So, next is the dessert.
All right. Feeling confident going into the cake?
Yeah.
So, let's not make any poop-looking cake decorations and we should be good.
Yes, chef.
Here are your tools. Have fun.
Yep. Thank you, chef.
This is my last chance at redemption. I've got to do this right.
When you walk into McDonald's versus when you walk into a Michelin-star restaurant, the expectation is a little bit different, but in the end, it's the same thing. It's hospitality. We try to make it as organic and simple as possible so that it's not too sterile, too sort of regimented, but it's still presented in a beautiful way.
Trying to make it as smooth as possible. I think this is actually already looking better than the first time I did it.
You have one shot to make one party happy every single night. And that's ultimately our goal. What we try to do is give the guests a true experience from start to finish.
And now is the hard part because you have to make them all perfectly the same and perfectly even. This requires so much focus and care. God, I'm so stressed.
Damn.
Chefs, I am presenting my birthday cake.
There's some cake exposure on the side and some dents on the bottom and the piping is a little uneven. Not as consistent as it should be. Would this go to a table at someone's birthday at the Manzke restaurant? I would have to say.
Sorry.
No.
So, this is a fail. It's not servable. So, failed.
We're going to get out of the way now.
Cool.
Yeah. If there's one thing I learned from Chef Joe, it's that making a meal can be more than just for function. It can be an art form to create a special moment or memory. And this is achieved by not just one, but a team striving for excellence at every turn.
So, we have good news.
Yes.
Hey, we did it.
Passed with flying colors.
It's a big deal. Work hard for these things. So, it's good when it works.
Yes.
Take care.
We did it. The biggest surprise for me was discovering how alike both McDonald's and Manzke kind of actually were. Both kitchens are like orchestras, just playing two different songs. And though I won't be cooking professionally in a Michelin-rated kitchen anytime soon, I am excited to take the few lessons I did learn and give a little something back.
This whole week, you've been so generous with us, and so as a thank you, we wanted to present something to you.
No way.
These are one of my favorite things in the whole world.
Really?
Yeah. Something that we try to do in the kitchen is really listen to our guests and if we pick up on something that they mention and we can make something happen, we'll do it. So, just very much in the spirit of hospitality, like we were talking about earlier. So, the fact that this was my first job and you're bringing it all together shows that you have that mindset, which is great.
Thank you.
Thank you. But where's my barbecue sauce?
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