Great food, Yes. Great music, Yes. Great ambience, Yes. Great service, Yes. Great waiters? Wait a minute.
What's that got to do with a food place? Isn't that the same as service?
The answer is yes and no. Yes, service includes the waiting staff and the guy who takes your orders and the guy who cleans up after you have burped, dropped tissues on the floor and let out a silent fart to make space for paan. Waiters are an entire new breed in themselves. Rarely are waiters born. It takes skill, talent, girt, determination and ladles of patience to become a waiter.
He is the fork and spoon between the manager, the cook and the guest. He gets a fork inserted into his bum from all three for no fault of his. Unruly customers, out-of-control kids, goofy manager and a lousy cook; his problems never end. He has to wear uniforms which don't exactly suit him or his style.
His problems at home may be many, from an obese wife who demands he steal the food and groceries to kids who remind him his mistake of buying cheap condoms. Yet, he sticks a smile on his face and shows up to work. Show me any chef, banker or stock market analyst who can remember the ever changing dishes, their ingredients,what customer at which table ate what. He trains himself in having a cybershot memory. That makes him really special. And to think most of them have never seen a school, let alone culinary showoffs college.He is not your average joe who brings you food. Remember, he doesn't get to eat the food served to you. If you leave something out, and it is palatable, he'll have it behind the doors. He understands the value of food.He is the reason why restaurants work and some burn out.
The best of these waiters are found in corner hotels, where you don't have a menu and the crowd is the ever complaining middle class.The best of the waiters and the worst of the customers are found in India.
So the next time you visit a hotel, 5 star or half star, remember to smile at the waiter. He doesn't know how the food's cooked, but he knows for sure that you are to go with a full stomach and a burp.
And my friend, coins or notes, leave behind a tip. That may be the only thing to remind him that someone cares.
What's that got to do with a food place? Isn't that the same as service?
The answer is yes and no. Yes, service includes the waiting staff and the guy who takes your orders and the guy who cleans up after you have burped, dropped tissues on the floor and let out a silent fart to make space for paan. Waiters are an entire new breed in themselves. Rarely are waiters born. It takes skill, talent, girt, determination and ladles of patience to become a waiter.
He is the fork and spoon between the manager, the cook and the guest. He gets a fork inserted into his bum from all three for no fault of his. Unruly customers, out-of-control kids, goofy manager and a lousy cook; his problems never end. He has to wear uniforms which don't exactly suit him or his style.
His problems at home may be many, from an obese wife who demands he steal the food and groceries to kids who remind him his mistake of buying cheap condoms. Yet, he sticks a smile on his face and shows up to work. Show me any chef, banker or stock market analyst who can remember the ever changing dishes, their ingredients,what customer at which table ate what. He trains himself in having a cybershot memory. That makes him really special. And to think most of them have never seen a school, let alone culinary showoffs college.He is not your average joe who brings you food. Remember, he doesn't get to eat the food served to you. If you leave something out, and it is palatable, he'll have it behind the doors. He understands the value of food.He is the reason why restaurants work and some burn out.
The best of these waiters are found in corner hotels, where you don't have a menu and the crowd is the ever complaining middle class.The best of the waiters and the worst of the customers are found in India.
So the next time you visit a hotel, 5 star or half star, remember to smile at the waiter. He doesn't know how the food's cooked, but he knows for sure that you are to go with a full stomach and a burp.
And my friend, coins or notes, leave behind a tip. That may be the only thing to remind him that someone cares.
Pic courtey: British Raj days
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