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.

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