I've worked in the culinary industry for most of my adult life, but many people have never seen what goes on behind the scenes in restaurants. While strategically placed windows and primped servers may give guests a glimpse into how a restaurant kitchen runs, there is a whole world behind those swinging doors. With this in mind, I thought it may be interesting to peel back the curtain and let you in on a few restaurant kitchen secrets.

Some Workers Arrive Well Before Sunrise

As a line cook in a small cafe in college, I arrived at 7 a.m. to open our two lines—one hot and one cold—and start prepping for service at 8:30 a.m. Later, while working as a baker in New York City, my days started at 4:30 a.m., and I always knew service was about to begin when the sun rose through the bakery windows.

For Nayomie Mendoza, co-owner of Cuernavacas Grill in Los Angeles, CA, and crew, life is no different. "A typical day starts before the sun’s even up," she says, "We’re in the kitchen by 5:30 a.m., roasting chiles, simmering sauces, and making tortillas by hand. By the time we open, it’s a full rhythm—music playing, steam rising, everyone moving like clockwork."

Prepwork Takes Longer Than You'd Think

Even though opening is an everyday occurrence, that doesn’t mean it goes by quickly. For Executive Chef Samuel-Drake Jones of Hudson VU in NYC, "opening takes about 2–3 hours, depending on the day." And Jones says the opening isn’t just about setting up kitchens. It’s making sauces and marinades, slicing vegetables, prepping sauces and stocks, and breaking down proteins all before kitchen walkthroughs to check sanitation and supplies, and pre-service meetings covering specials, covers for the day, VIPs, and any other news specific to the day's service. All of this has to happen before the restaurant even opens.

Once service starts, prepping doesn’t end. "Honestly, we’re prepping all the time—24/7," Mendoza says, "It’s a constant cycle of hustle, heart, and handmade everything."

Not Everything Is Homemade

There’s no guarantee that your favorite restaurant is making everything from scratch and fresh to order. I’ve worked in several restaurants where frozen fries and burger patties, boxed pasta, and even jarred sauces hit the table under the guise of "made with love" handmade cooking.

George Blackwell Smith IV, Creator, Chef, and Owner of Lucky Cajun LLC, has seen the same. "Many restaurants depend on premade items because they give consistency and ease to the less skilled and under-motivated staff," he says, "Large food distribution companies have tons of premade products that are in a wide variety and made to look like they were made from scratch."

While not at Hudson VU, Jones has seen the same. He says in some restaurants, "some 'house-made' items come from a vacuum-sealed bag with someone else’s label on it," as a means of cutting costs and corners while trying to maintain the illusion that diners are getting a truly special, hand-crafted experience.

But You Can Spot A Scratch-Made Kitchen

"Scratch-made kitchens will generally not have expansive menus," Blackwell Smith IV says. "If you see burritos, baklava, and lobster on the same menu, walk out. You are not getting from-scratch cooking." He also notes that in many restaurants that make everything from scratch, the servers will be happy to discuss the food with you. Passionate people tend to work in passionate restaurants.

Some Restaurants Operate With 'Military-Style' Precision

Passion for the job doesn’t mean things can’t get hectic, though. Rocco Carulli, Executive Chef and Owner of R House, says the key to success is in preparation. "You can’t wing this. It’s taken years of iteration, drills, and military-style precision. Each cook has a defined role, and every tray, portion, and movement is accounted for," he says, "The kitchen line feels like a battleground—but one we’ve trained for like athletes."

Mendoza likes to remember the reason behind the madness. "We remind each other why we do this: to preserve our cultura, to serve our community, and to carry on a legacy," she says, "And honestly, sometimes we just blast music, yell '¡sí se puede!' and power through. It’s not always pretty, but it’s always full of love."

But Not All Restaurants Are So Meticulous

At the end of the day, restaurant kitchens run the gamut. Behind some lines, you’ll find college students, still actively on a bender, tossing frozen fries into an improperly cleaned deep fryer. Behind others, you'll get highly trained professional chefs working on tasting menus that are as much art as they are food.

So next time you head out to the restaurants for dinner, try to take a longer peek behind the swinging kitchen doors. You just may be able to see who is calling "five-second rule" and picking spoons up off the floor, and who can list off the count of each protein prepped and marinating off the top of their head.