Next Post W hat a refreshing article on the state of play with regards to service in the 90's. However, I would like to put a cultural perspective on the 90's waiter as viewed through the eyes of an ex British waiter now a lecturer within the Technical and Further Education system in Adelaide, South Australia. Not an uncommon occurrence. One issue in your missive I will take exception to is the selling role of a waiter. The culture in Australian restaurants is very much an interaction between waiter and guest to create a relationship and ultimately satisfy a range of needs.
Customers come for an experience and the waiter is there to help with that.
Speaking slightly more seriously, selling has, I would say, a subtly diverse profile in Australian restaurants due to the pay structure of our waiting staff. With the higher wages that a restaurateur has to pay a side effect of this, on occasions, could be service and profit margins falling. To conclude, it is all down to attitudes and standards. We have a bit of a push with TQM at the moment and introduced appropriately, will definitely help hospitality establishments. However, if the initial approach of staff and management is wrong then our industry will always be open to criticism and we will be guilty as charged.