Economist Podcasts The Weekend Intelligence: Mise en masse
16 snips
Nov 29, 2025 
Join Gary Thomas, the Culinary Director for Royal Caribbean, who oversees food operations for thousands at sea. He shares the secrets behind feeding thousands on the colossal Star of the Seas, detailing the choreography of dining, staggering protein volumes, and the use of AI to minimize waste. Discover the high-stakes world of kitchen logistics, the immense pressures on crew, and the fascinating connections between modern dining rooms and factory lines. Gary also reflects on the challenges of crew life and his culinary philosophy.
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Make Mise En Place Data-Driven
- Dial mise en place precisely to avoid over- or under-preparing and protect thin restaurant margins.
- Use data-driven forecasting rather than intuition to match prep to real demand.
AI Predicts Exact Demand
- Royal Caribbean uses an AI-powered ordering system, Crunch Time, to forecast exact ingredient needs per sailing.
- The tool predicts granular needs like '1,422 portions of calamari' to minimise waste and shortages.
Inventory: $1.5M And 25,000 Items
- Randy Nicholas manages inventories worth about $1.5 million per seven-day sailing across 25,000 line items.
- He scans and restocks vast fridges and freezers down I-95, the ship's long internal corridor.
