The new caller, due to her being inexperienced regarding the setting of the dishes as well as the order in which they are delivered to the customers, was obviously disoriented when she was hit with a barrage of orders. This, coupled with a record high number of walk-in customers, provided the ideal setting for a catastrophe of volcanic intensity. A small error, on the part of the caller, was sufficient to initiate a chain of errors and disorganisation from preparation to serving. Cooks began to screw up their recipes, and had to prepare the order all over again while servers outside were screaming for orders that took far too long for the diner’s patience to bear.
As a result, we had managers barking madly at us in a vain hope that this would somehow restore the smooth flow and impeccable perfection of work that was expected of the main kitchen. Runners, like me, were bound to suffer as we had to coordinate between sending ready dishes out to the servers, preparing special orders and desserts, topping up plates, cups and cutleries that were fast dwindling in the full-house restaurant, and not to mention, clearing mountains of used plates and cutleries
I don’t really blame the new caller entirely though; the girl is new to the task appointment and provision must be given for errors and setbacks. After all, the duos are among the best ways for one to learn the art of self-improvement as well as to gain invaluable experience and wisdom in carrying out the said task. The managers are forgiven for their ire, although unjustly unleashed upon us, since they are ultimately responsible for bearing the brunt of dissatisfied customers who are either irritated by a slight change in food taste or the unexpected delay of their meals. As for the waiters, one must understand that putting on a fake smile, supplicating to pernickety whims, saying nice things to nasty customers takes up a lot of patience, leaving little to spare when to interacting with the other staffs.
The experience of part-time watering has revealed to me a world that I had never ever seen. Behind the perfection of food, quality of service and extravagant setting in an expensive restaurant are the sweats of cooks, short and puffy breaths of waiters and the thumping hearts of managers. In other words, so much physical duress, mental effort and emotional resilience are involved in providing the near-ideal dining experience. I occasionally gave some time to self-thought, questioning whether such big sacrifice on the part of the restaurant sevice providers has to be made simply because the customers paid for it. Indeed, money can buy many things but should we use money to put others under such great ordeal to the extent that it almost bordered on a voluntary torture? Are we entitled to put the entire kitchen into havoc because we are unhappy with how the food is presented, despite that it is palattable?
It is true that as customers, we reserve the right to demand for the best quality of goods or services as our money can buy. However, as human beings, we should also understand that sometimes, money can bring unnecessary harm to the state of happiness of others and in this scenario, breeds suffering among the restaurant service providers. So, calling out to all consumers:
“Avoid being too demanding, be patient and close one eye to minor mistakes as they are not purposely meant.”
The waiters, especially, will appreciate this a lot.
Note: A caller is a person who receives orders from waiters, then informs or “call” the chefs to prepare the corresponding dishes. A runner serves as a “middle man” who delivers dishes from the kitchen to waitering counters outside, delivers special orders and clears out used plates and cutleries that are sent in by the serving waiters. A server, as the name implies, “serves” the guest by attending to their needs, taking down orders, serving ready dishes to them, and in some cases, doing cashiering work.
Note: A caller is a person who receives orders from waiters, then informs or “call” the chefs to prepare the corresponding dishes. A runner serves as a “middle man” who delivers dishes from the kitchen to waitering counters outside, delivers special orders and clears out used plates and cutleries that are sent in by the serving waiters. A server, as the name implies, “serves” the guest by attending to their needs, taking down orders, serving ready dishes to them, and in some cases, doing cashiering work.
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