Halloween ninja- A person who has the necessary skills and experience but lacks the knowledge or ability to execute tasks properly. The term Halloween ninja is a reference to a child who dresses up as a ninja for Halloween but lacks the actual training and skills of a real ninja.

I can tell you that everyone has that one person who can say that they can do it but doesn’t have the skills to back it up. And if you tell me that you never seen a person that does that, then that means you’re not aware of this happening or you haven’t met any new people. Everyone knows the saying, “You gotta walk the talk.” But at the end of the day, the walk matters more. Anyone can talk, but if you don’t have the necessary skills or training to back it up, you’re just all bark no bite.

In any industry, we always have that one person that they can do it better than everyone else. Or they know what to do because they got a promotion at work or they are above you. Or telling you that you’re wrong knowing that they are unable, incompetent, or just simply have no knowledge of the task. I’m pretty sure you guys get my point. In my experience, I, unfortunately, have to handle a handful of Halloween ninjas. From cooks, and front of house, to even management (yes. Management). What I’ve found is that no matter what title you have, if you don’t have the necessary skills for the job, then people will overlook that person and will drift away. They will end up looking up to a different person. It could be their second-in-command, third-in-command, or even a different person that is outside that department. That can lead to a slippery slope of losing your trust with your co-workers, clients, and upper management. As I always said, the #1 currency in the kitchen is your cooking ability. If you don’t know how to cook or run a kitchen operation, you have no business being here.

I had a worker one time that she thought she knew how to run a kitchen operation. While my manager was away on her days off, she decided to take over the brigade. She wanted to fill up the store with our products. This a reminder that this was the time when my kitchen was short-staffed and we’re already stretched thin. I told her that it was not possible to accomplish that amount of food in such a short time and it would result in more products in the bin. She said “ Doesn’t matter. We’re doing it anyways.”. A quick fact: the most expensive thing in the operation is the stuff that is going in the bin because you’re generating $0. We go through this shit for a couple of months and I am already losing my patience and trust in that person. If you know me or ever worked with me, it takes a lot to piss me off.

Is there an answer to this issue? To be brutally honest, no. There’s no silver bullet that can solve this issue. It’s part of human nature. In my experience, when I’m working with cooks, I always establish boundaries. Every worker has boundaries that you don’t want people to cross. If they crossed it once, I kindly asked them to stop. The second time, I tell them (not ask them) firmly to stop. The third or fourth time, I would be starting to get frustrated at them. Because by the third time, they actually choose to cross that line. Like always, there’s the exception to the rule. If someone wants to help or provide feedback, they are welcome in a friendly manner.

When it comes to running an operation, I always tend to have an open mind with people who have a good understanding of running a kitchen. But to people who just want to critique and complain just because they want to, I always just nod, say “Yes. You’re right”, and then walk away. Letting them win and be “right” is a good way to ease tension and end annoying conversations you don’t want to be a part of. I always say to myself whenever I get criticism and complaints from a Halloween ninja “I’m being judged by people that have less knowledge than me.”