Have a heart for waitrons

Published Feb 7, 2018

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Opinion - A fortnight ago, this newspaper highlighted a Durban couple who opened a Facebook site dedicated to all things food.

Imran Omar and Kelly Jade did not expect the tremendous response their site attracted. 

The Appetite group now has more than 160 000 members, and it increases daily.

The members love interacting with one another, sharing recipes, displaying their culinary talents and having fun.

It has motivated housewives to up their game in the cooking arena and has challenged many of their spouses to rise to the occasion, put on an apron and create good food.

It seems to have awakened the cooking consciousness of South Africans here and those living abroad.

Much discussion goes on every day and some themes are recurring. 

The most popular one is which establishment in Durban makes the best curry.

A few names pop up with regularity. I will reserve my comment, other than to say that I love my surname and one very particular variation of that name.

This brings me to a topic that is also discussed widely on social media. 

The total apathy some restaurateurs have towards their clientele. 

When a problem is brought to their attention regarding the quality of their offerings or the presentation, some owners take offence.

Yet others get defensive and deride the complainant. That does not augur well for future support from the aggrieved patron.

Cooking is not an exact science and mistakes do happen. 

An apology, a replacement dish or a refund will go a long way and you can be guaranteed a satisfied client who will spread the word positively about the great service received.

This brings me to the key employee of a restaurant - the waiter or waitron, as the politically correct term nowadays is. 

These are the faces of the establishment. Although usually subservient in demeanour and character, they wield mighty power. 

They can make or break your eating experience.

Hence it is a good idea to always treat the waitron with respect and courtesy. 

I am in no way advocating the acceptance of bad service or bad manners. 

Kindly remember if you send your meal back for it to be done to your liking and you take out your frustration on the waitron, you will only have yourself to blame for the end result.

The walk to the kitchen and back to your table can be a long one. 

In between, plenty of culinary sabotage can be wrought on your poor dish. 

The famous saying is “revenge is a dish best served cold”. 

In this case the waitron’s revenge for your anger could be served piping hot.

If a waitron’s service was not to your standard, you do have recourse. 

However, it should be done at the end of the event. Your tip for services rendered can be tailor-made according to your experience.

The word “tip” is known to mean “to insure promptness”. 

So if your service was anything but prompt and mediocre, then you do not have to stick to the standard practice of tipping 10% to 15% of your bill.

Waitrons can be weird and wonderful. 

Some can be super attentive, which annoys certain diners. 

For instance, before you have taken in a forkful of food, said waitron enquires: “Is the meal to your satisfaction, Sir?”

Then you get the other extreme. 

The waitron that stands out of earshot and never comes back to your table until it is time to bring your bill so he/she can see what tip he/she has earned. 

It is jokingly said, that a fitting epitaph on the grave of a waiter of that calibre would be, “God, finally, caught his eye”.

Modern-day waitering has a rich and proud history in this country. 

The Indian waiters of the 1960s and 1970s were legends of the time.

Earning meagre wages, and working long hard hours, they were extremely loyal and faithful to their employers. 

Wearing their penguin suits and spit and polished black shoes, they did their work with fierce pride.

Some worked punishing shifts which meant that they would not be able to catch public transport, go home and come back to work again. 

Many were known to sleep on public benches and on the steps of the Durban City Hall just to get some rest. Then it was back to the grind again.

Through all the deprivation and sacrifice, many put their children through colleges and universities. 

These are amazing stories of the triumph of the human spirit.

They were the forerunners of the modern-day waitron. 

Even these days, many of them are ill-treated and abused. 

Some get no basic wage and rely on tips alone. Many are made to pay the bill when customers bilk: that is absconding without paying their bills.

Consider all of these factors before unleashing your anger when things sometimes go awry at your outing. 

They are only human, too.

It is a hard life for these long-suffering souls. 

Despite it all, the majority do a splendid job and are all smiles when you visit their establishments and they wish you “Bon Appetit”.

* Ravi Govender is an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

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