Heard a line cook call a dish 'chef-driven' and it made me pause

I was listening to a podcast interview with a restaurant owner in Austin, and he kept using the term 'chef-driven' to describe his menu. He said it at least five times in ten minutes. It got me thinking about how that phrase gets thrown around now, like it's a marketing word instead of just the normal way a kitchen should run. Does calling a place 'chef-driven' just mean the cooks get to make the food now? I feel like the real work, the specials and the daily fixes, always came from the chef anyway. Has anyone else noticed this term becoming a bit empty, or does it still mean something specific to you?

2 comments

2 Comments

reeseanderson8d ago

My buddy's food truck in Tempe has 'chef-inspired' painted on the side, but he just microwaves frozen taquitos.

gavincraig8d ago

My cousin paid $14 for "artisanal" fries that were just Ore-Ida crinkles from a bag. The fancy truffle salt was regular table salt.