Orientation Guidelines

General Format:

  • 10AM -- start with a few minutes of silence
  • Circle of Sharing, as introduction with a moment of generosity (15 minutes)
  • Pass out the menus, have people read the frequently asked questions, and then go through the menu for the day. (5 minutes)
  • One of the anchors can through a overview of the rough process, and also announce the roster as you go (10 minutes)
  • At the end of the process overview, have someone read out the check just so everyone is clear on it; also go over the theme for the day, and talk a bit about potential tag ideas. (5 minutes)
  • Split into three smaller orientations -- servers, platers/dessert, dishes and have each anchor take on a specific orientation. (20 minutes)
  • Open the restaurant at 11AM by turning on the 'Open' sign.

Remember To Share:

  • Inspiring stories from the last time you were serving! Or read up on the latest from our site.
  • Names of staff who will be working with us (they graciously let us into their space and we want to respect their ways of working, if you're working in the kitchen make a point of introducing yourself to the chefs as well as Sanjog and Juan)
  • Policy of volunteers not eating while in the process of serving out front
  • If you're tired or need a chai break or some nourishment don't push yourself, just make a plate for yourself and take a seat at the Volunteer or Community Table out front, or eat in the kitchen area. (Be sensitive to food quantities, if we.re running low on something save that for guests, if naans are backed up hold off on ordering any for yourself until the end. The restaurant is really generous about feeding us, but since we.re serving such high numbers we want to make sure we have enough food for our guests first)
  • No food or drinks on the altar areas: The idol, and the wooden ledge where the cash register is are special to the staff and we want to make sure to respect that. Keep things as clean as possible while you.re working.
  • When moving tables around in the restaurant don't push them, as this tends to weaken their foundation. Get someone else to help you lift it up.
  • The chairs alongside the corridor to the bathroom are not so stable and are not meant to be used for guests. Make sure not to add them in the mix.
  • If you run into any kind of situation that you.re not sure how to handle, the Maitre Ds & the Interface are your Go-To people, so feel free to go to them with any questions at any time!
  • At Karma Kitchen we make an effort to distinguish between Free food and the gift of a meal. There.s a subtle difference between the pay-it-forward intention of KK & the pay-if-you-want-to concept that some people mistake it to be. The core idea here is to help connect other people and ourselves to the fundamental generosity we all have. Sometimes tags are a brilliant way to do that, and sometimes -- not. If you need some help figuring out how to more deeply engage a table you're serving feel free to rope one of the Maitre D's in to help!

Recent Tips to Share:

  • Volunteers should avoid using their cell phones, and keep them on silence/vibrate. And if they do, they should wash their hands again!
  • Everyone is asked to stay until the end (4pm) for the closing lunch and circle; prior to his, everyone also sets the restaurant back in shape for the evening shift.
  • Server Aprons: these always tend to be misplaced each week! Please ensure that these are put back in the set-up bin/drawer in the back please.
  • We aim for 9-11 volunteers; so based on how the stars line up, please improvise. 9 is doable but a stretch; 11 is sometimes too much.
  • The items in the big box can be placed on the kindness table (which is often perceived as "free" community gifts); but rest of the gifts in the back (some of which are listed here) are for "tags" -- which are more effective because its personal and servers have greater context for delivering the right thing for the right person.
  • Either Nipun or Richard will be there to pick up the money around 3:30PMish. Interface will handle the money during the shift but as you know, we don't tally up the money and share the totals, since past experience has showed that its confuses the gift-economy experience for most volunteers.