A typical month might look like this (40 hours total)
Week 1:
- Monday 7:00–2:00 (7 hrs): cook + meal prep production
- Tuesday 9:00–12:00 (3 hrs): portion/label + reset
= 10 hours
Week 2:
- Monday 7:00–2:00 (7 hrs): cook + meal prep production
- Wednesday 9:00–12:00 (3 hrs): office lunch pack + staging + reset
= 10 hours
Week 3:
- Monday 7:00–2:00 (7 hrs): cook + meal prep production
- Tuesday 9:00–12:00 (3 hrs): portion/label + reset
= 10 hours
Week 4:
- Monday 7:00–2:00 (7 hrs): cook + meal prep production
- Wednesday 9:00–12:00 (3 hrs): office lunch pack + staging + reset
= 10 hours
What DeShawn’s time at The Q feels like
Monday (7 hours) — Production day (the heavy lift)
DeShawn arrives with a printed production sheet and his packaging already staged. He signs in, sanitizes his work area, and sets up zones: raw prep separate from ready-to-eat. Then he moves in sequence: chili first (long simmer), chicken into the oven, rice started, vegetables prepped and roasted. He keeps the workspace clean as he goes because he knows the last hour has to be cleanup—Tier 3 is generous, but not sloppy.
By early afternoon, he’s got everything cooked, cooled appropriately for safe handling, and staged for portioning.
Tuesday (3 hours) — Portion, label, reset
This is where smaller tiers often fail operators—portioning and labeling takes real time. DeShawn sets up a clean assembly line, portions consistently, applies labels (menu name + date), and counts every container. He stages the finished meals for pickup/delivery, then completes the reset: sanitize surfaces, dish area cleaned, trash removed, spot sweep, and sign out.
Wednesday (3 hours, every other week) — Office lunch packaging
The office lunch is designed to fit the time: it’s not an elaborate buffet with ten moving parts. DeShawn uses a short block to portion slider meat, pack sides, stage desserts, and load sweet tea. He labels pans clearly, keeps hot items hot and cold items cold, and leaves the kitchen ready for the next operator.
Why Tier 3 is the right fit (and when it isn’t)
Tier 3 works because DeShawn’s business needs weekly, dependable access, but not daily production time. It gives him enough hours to run a real operation—without paying for unused capacity.
If his subscription count jumps from 20 to 40 per week, or he adds a second office lunch, Tier 3 starts to feel tight. That’s when Tier 4 becomes the natural move. And if he ever needs 30–40 hours per week, that’s not Tier 3 at all—that’s a Tier 5 operator using The Q as a primary production kitchen.
The Q - Commercial Kitchen & Commissary 