Family meal

{{Short description|Meal for staff at a restaurant}}

A family meal or staff meal is a group meal that a restaurant serves its staff outside of peak business hours.{{cite news|last=First|first=Devra|title=Chef's table|url=https://archive.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/07/29/at_the_chefs_table_before_you_arrive_is_the_hungry_staff/?page=full|access-date=29 August 2022|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=July 29, 2009}} The restaurant provides the meal free of charge, as a perk of employment. Typically the meal is served to the entire staff at once, with all staff being treated equally, like a "family".{{cite news|last=Elder|first=Nina|title=The First Seating|url=https://www.bonappetit.com/people/chefs/article/the-first-seating|access-date=29 August 2022|newspaper=Bon Appétit|date=August 4, 2008}} The restaurant's own chefs (traditionally, but not always, the lowest in the pecking order) prepare the meal, often using leftover or unused ingredients. As a result, usually the meals do not involve dishes on the restaurant's regular menu.{{cite news|last=Bonesteel|first=Matt|title=What Your Waiter Had For Dinner|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051500407.html|access-date=29 August 2022|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=May 16, 2007}} Chefs may also use the family meal to experiment with new recipes, or simply whip up something from their own ethnic backgrounds.{{cite news|last=Rudalevige|first=Christine Burns|title=Restaurant "family" meals|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/food/restaurants/20101125_Restaurant__quot_family_quot__meals.html|access-date=29 August 2022|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=November 25, 2010}}

Several cookbooks have been published describing family meals at well-known restaurants. Examples include:

• The Family Meal: Home Cooking with Ferran Adria by Ferran Adrià of elBulli (2011)
• Staff Meals from Chanterelle by David Waltuck (2000)
• Off the Menu: Staff Meals from America's Top Restaurants by Marissa Guggiana (2011)
• Come In, We're Closed: An Invitation to Staff Meals at the World's Best Restaurants by Christine Carroll and Jody Eddy (2012)