04 Oct 2016

Like most, I’ve done my time in the hospitality scene. In fact I reckon I’ve dedicated thousands of hours to food, drink and customer service. I now know the industry from all angles–scrubbing dishes, sweating it out over a deep fryer, shaking up a sexy cocktail and forcing a smile for those customers who find a way to be particularly difficult.

Sometimes hospo is a stressful, sweaty and thankless mess that leaves you with sore feet and no sleep. At other times you’re a boss, scoring free food and booze, getting paid to chat with interesting people and bonding with your colleagues on a level far beyond the norm. Ideally, you want the latter situation–a job where you can have some fun and meet some cool people–so here are a few handy tips for you to get a feel for the ins and outs of #hospolyf. Some of these might sound a bit weird but bear with me, I believe these pieces of advice are essential.

Customers are the enemy

“Enemy” is maybe a bit strong, but I stand by it. I’m not saying you should be rude or provide bad service to them. Of course not, that would be unprofessional. But remember that they are the enemy, unequivocally.

You and the rest of the staff are on a team, attempting to make sure everything runs smoothly, but no matter how smoothly things run, there will always be at least one awful customer who wants more from you. The only way to stay sane in that situation is to bitch and moan about these customers with your colleagues, preferably over a cold beer at the end of the night. Sure, the customer is always right, but don’t let them ruin your day–they’re the enemy after all.

Hook the staff up

You’ve gotta look after the homies–simple as that. If it’s your job to cook the waiter his lunch, make sure it’s the best damn lunch you can make him. Sneak some avocado into his BLT and throw some extra fries on his plate. Don’t skimp on the aioli. By the same token, if you know the head chef likes her coffee strong, whack an extra shot of espresso in there. These little favours cost you nothing and they make all the difference to your co-workers.

Respect the dishy

The dishwasher is at the bottom of the staff hierarchy. (Trust me, I’ve done this job at three different establishments.) That doesn’t mean you get to be rude or condescending towards the dishy. They are nothing less than an underwater ceramic technician, and should be treated as such. People who take their frustrations out on the dishy are bad people. They forget that the customers are the real enemy.

The list could go on but I’ll leave it at that. Hospitality is fun when you make it fun. Usually, this is as simple treating people well and having thick skin. It also helps if you have a passion for good food and good drink.