MARBLE

STAFF DINNER burgers At David Higgs’s open-fire restaurant in Rosebank, the team has to line up at the serving station at a certain time every night. Even if they have thoughts of adding an extra task to their lists, they are swept out of the kitchen by the designated cleaner who needs to scrub the decks before dinner service begins. (Later, the floor becomes a charcoal-covered homage to the evening’s performance.)

At 130 staff, this is one of the largest I’ve seen operate. A briefing of the front-of-house team looks like a scrum as the group huddles and pays attention to the announcement of dietary requirements and diners’ personal preferences.

Feeding a team this size every day is no small operation. Tonight, chips are hand cut and burger patties are freshly pressed in the butchery section downstairs before being entrusted