A family meal or staff meal is a group meal that a restaurant serves its staff outside of peak business hours.[1] 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".[2] 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 don't involve dishes on the restaurant's regular menu.[3] Chefs may also use the family meal to experiment with new recipes, or simply whip up something from their own ethnic backgrounds.[4]
Several cookbooks have been published describing family meals at well-known restaurants. Examples include:
