Christopher William 李俊龍 409595617 IB English Burnt Movie Reflection In my opinion, a drama movie about food and hospitality in and of itself is already quite rare and as a person that doesn’t watch a lot of movies myself, especially that of the drama genre, i think that the movie presents a moral value that can be learned both by enthusiasts and average watchers. In short, the movie “Burnt” talks about a former top chef who is reluctantly hired as the head chef of a fine dining restaurant in London and with his perfectionist nature tries fulfilling his ambition of earning his restaurant a third Michelin star. My own verdict of the movie is that although the actors did an excellent job on playing their respective roles and the message that the movie gives to us is quite clear, the movie feels average. In terms of the plot, it doesn’t seem really enticing and feels quite monotonous with confusing parts at the beginning of the movie. The ending also feels a bit rushed and there are one or two scenes that some might view as disturbing. The ratings also support this, as the movie receives 28% out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes. Negative critics aside, I think there are a couple of key points in this movie related to the operation of high end restaurants that I want to highlight. Firstly, regarding how difficult it is to run and the pressure felt by the staff members when faced with world famous food critics, and secondly, regarding the importance of teamwork between every staff member of the restaurant. Since the entire focal point of the movie is about getting a Michelin star award, which is one of if not the most prestigious award a restaurant could have, there are many requirements that the restaurant should meet whether it’s at the front door or at the back door. Furthermore, since the inspectors always keep a low profile and always pay attention to every little detail as displayed in the movie, the staff members would certainly feel pressured and need to display a consistent level of hospitality towards all of its guests. Such requirements usually include the use of high quality ingredients which would cost a fortune, mastering flavors and cooking techniques which would take a lot of experience and creativity, the consistency of food and dining experience and many more. For example, in the movie the staff needs to be on guard at any time to the extent that the manager keeps track of the inspector’s behavior and habits even as minute as placing a fork underneath the table with no noise waiting to be noticed by the waiter/waitress. Another example shown in the movie is regarding how strict the examiner’s standards are, as the restaurant got denied the award just because the food is too spicy for them as a result of it being sabotaged by the Sous Chef. This brings me to my next point which is the significance of teamwork between the members of the front and back door to ensure the consistency of the service. Perfect collaboration between staff members, such as those between the head chef and his/her crew and also between the kitchen and the waiters is the key to running a successful restaurant especially a high end one that is seeking for a Michelin star award. Effectiveness of teamwork in a restaurant contributes to smoother operations on a day to day basis, and when employees feel like they belong to a team, they become more supportive to each other thus increasing their overall morality. Aside from the benefit within the staff members, ineffective teamwork will also negatively affect the overall guest experience, as it could translate to slower service, rude staff, and many more. Also from a business standpoint, flawless teamwork can increase overall profitability for the restaurant. Because of this, the leader of the team, in the movie’s case the head chef, needs to set aside his/her individualistic and perfectionist behavior and give more consideration to his/her co-workers. The leader also needs to be calm and not get caught up in the pressure of the situation, otherwise as i stated earlier the co-workers will not like the leader and would “rebel” in their own manner. For instance, in the movie, Adam refuses to acknowledge the mistakes within his co-workers, demanding the food preparation to meet his own standards, which highlights his perfectionist nature and instead of forgiving and encouraging his crewmates to do better, he verbally abuse them which in turn causes them to distrust Adam and leaving him alone, including his most trusted Sous Chef that betrayed him during the movie’s climax. It wasn’t until Adam realized in his self-reflection about the importance of cooperation in the kitchen that he finally earned his co-workers’ trust again and ultimately his third Michelin star in the movie.
