The life of a restaurant, comes from the lives within it
Being invited to a faithful regular's wedding. Watching a young courtship blossom into a fortified relationship. Meeting my future wife. Having the privilege of getting to promote associates from within. Exceeding budget. These are just some of the honors that have come my way, and all because I work in hospitality. The New York Times article, "More Than a Meal" is a reminder of what dining out really means to us and our everyday lives.
I remember being a young child and sporadically being rewarded with dinners at Shogun or McDonalds and I can still taste the chocolate DQ shakes my father would bribe me with, when it was his weekend to have me. While these memories may be faint and filled with "flying" shrimp, Big Macs and ice cream, they indeed had a direct impact of why I wanted to be in the business of hospitality and food + beverage. It was a show. An event. A moment, no matter how brief, that transported me to another world. One that was filled with smiling people, high energy and the feeling of wanting more!
Throughout high school and after my enlistment in the Navy ended, I found myself always wanting to be around the energy, aromas and people that emanate from and work in restaurants. I mean, how amazing was it to work in a field that allowed you to sample the menu, work various hours and meet all sorts of people? Perhaps I got the Hospitality bug from my parents. While not together, they both could cook and mom was a restaurant manager for years.
My life in this business has had it's successes and follies. But, it has been rewarding for sure. And although I am on a long furlough, I wouldn't change much... if anything at all. From dishwasher to bartender, line cook to executive chef and corporate director of food + beverage, I have been blessed with being a part of so many lives. Lives that provide the breath, the heartbeat, the very life of a restaurant. With my use of the term "guest" being attached to those that dine, drink and stay, as well as those that make the establishment run, I can safely say that I have played a part (at least a minuscule one) in the lives of tens of thousands of amazing guests. How cool is that?
My reason for writing this still hasn't fully come to me. But, in my recent days of yard work on my future in-laws' acreage (how I'm spending my time right now) and sleepless nights, I have had one major repetitive thought. I miss working. I know that statement is a bellowing echo of a lot of hard working professionals right now, but for us in the hospitality business it means something different. Don't ask me to fully explain it. (I am not saying our field is more important than any other. In fact, we rely on low global unemployment for us to grow and thrive.)
If you are on furlough, or own/manage a business that is struggling right now - please remember the world needs you - its hospitality ambassadors. We will survive, as we don't know how to do anything else. We DO NOT give up...
Anyway, thank you for reading and doing all you do...