Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Food for thought

Last Word | September 14th, 2016

By J. Earl Miller

jearl@hpr1.com

For the last few years we have seen a change in the restaurant and bar industry in our cities. I am a veteran of the industry starting as a dishwasher when I was 14 and retired from the industry as a manager over 10 years ago.

It was a long road working through the ranks of the kitchen, which ended at a front of the house position. I learned from some of the best in the industry and some of my fondest memories working are from that time -- our crew always had a lot of fun, no matter where I was working. When the restaurant was working in unison, our crews were like a fine-tuned engine and there was never a better feeling than an after-shift beverage together.

Unfortunately, most people who eat out do not see the inner workings of this engine, they just get to see the output; the food, the drinks and the person who is delivering your items to your table or bar. This is so important because you -- “the server” -- just became the face of the franchise. So guilt by association occurs when you have had a bad experience with said server.

This is not the fault of the kitchen or the back of the house; it’s the fault of our job market in the F-M area. You can have good food at fair prices, but if you have great service and are treated well, there is a better chance the customer will come back.

There are not enough people in my mind who have worked through the ranks and appreciate what it takes to make the service industry run. Where is the pride in where you work? Not, this is a job while I am working my way through school. People are getting hired off the streets with no experience and thrust into a position that they do not deserve yet and once again I understand we are very short on workforce in this area. There was a time in the F-M area when if you got a bartender’s job, you had made it. It was the job that everyone in the service industry strove for. You had to have years of waiting tables before you even got a sniff of that position.

Back when I first got trained to be a server, it did not happen overnight. There was waiting list. You had to wait your turn. Here and there on a slow night, you had the chance to serve people but someone was always following you correcting your mistakes and teaching.

After years of serving and watching from the area’s best bartenders, I finally got an opportunity to mix off the rail. Was I making martinis? Hell no, I was pouring Dewars and water and all the heavy lifting came from the head bartender. Being the head bartender or server meant that you put more hours in a week than most can imagine, but that was because you were good, really good.

With the job market as it is, this is something we as customers will have to deal with. We do need to understand that at this time the service industry is playing catch-up. If you do get exceptional service tell your server and the manager on duty. This will spread like wildfire through the house and hopefully encourage the entire staff.

Also leave a better than average tip. The tip will sometimes get spilt between the entire staff, and yes, sometimes the back of the house reaps those rewards. Tell your friends about your experience so they can reward these establishments with new and more frequent business.

If your service is poor, still leave a tip but by no means stiff them or make it exceptional. Better tips come with better service, and working in the service industry is a hard job, so reward the people working hard.

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com Ten North Dakota communities will participate in the nationwide No Kings Day of Peaceful Action on October 18. The grassroots movement is a nonviolent protest against President Trump’s…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.edu I would like to recognize some of the scholarly Germans from Russia from Canada and USA shared on the GRHC website. There are additional names not included here. If you have suggestions…

Friday, October 31, doors 8 p.m. show starts at 8:30 p.m.The Aquarium above Dempey’s, 226 N. Broadway, FargoThe annual Aquarium Halloween Cover Show is back and it is stacked. And this time there are a limited amount of presale…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comThat old time religion, filled with love, is no longer good enough In the first “Inherit the Wind” movie about religion and evolution starring Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, and Gene Kelly, the…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Nichole Hensenrickgion@gmail.com The wait is finally over. Those who have visited Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe lately know about the recent major additions and renovations that have taken place over the past…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Dakotah Faye is a hip-hop artist from Minot, North Dakota, and he’s had a busy year. He’s released two albums. This summer he opened for Tech N9ne in Sturgis and will be opening for Bone…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Now available on Amazon Prime following its world premiere last month as the opening night selection of the Toronto International Film Festival’s golden anniversary, “John Candy: I Like…

By HPR staffsubmit@hpr1.com Mark the first weekend of October on your calendar. It’s the weekend of the Studio Crawl, which takes us all on a wonderful, metro-wide tour of our talented (and often wacky) arts community. On October…

Press release“Shakespeare with a sharpened edge.” To launch its 2025 – 2026 season, Theatre NDSU is thrilled to team up with Moorhead-based organization Theatre B to perform a co-production of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com When we are sick, all we want is a cure. You go to the doctor, they give you a pill, you take it for a bit, then you are cured. It happens. But unfortunately, it is not always the case. …

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.comMoral accountability and the crisis of leadership  As a recovering person living one day at a time for the last 35 years, I have learned not to judge others because I have not walked in…