There are specific virtues that working in the service industry instill in people after a certain amount of time. Through attempting to give customers the best experience possible and, in turn, being good customers when going out, service workers gain the virtue of compassion for others. These two sides of the same coin come from understanding both perspectives of the interaction. Someone who has never worked a service job does not understand the stress that goes into it. They see someone simply moving food from one place to another rather than someone balancing the multitude of tasks assigned to every restaurant worker. From taking orders to cleaning the restaurant, the saying goes, “If it’s not one thing, it’s another.” This makes industry workers some of the best customers possible, as they will always treat wait staff with respect.
An example of this in action is a story my coworker told me as we were swapping tales. He has twenty years of kitchen experience, and in this instance, was the customer at a busy pizzeria. He and his family were going out to eat for a family reunion, a group of eighteen people. They finally received a table and were met by a waitress who was clearly having a stressful time servicing her section of the full dining area. They ordered their drinks, and all was well until they placed their food order. Shortly after the ticket went back to the kitchen, they observed an angry cook arguing with their waitress. A few minutes later, a restaurant’s worst nightmare happened, and the cook walked out the front door.
Their server took a moment to compose herself before returning to their table. Teary-eyed and clearly trying to maintain a cheery attitude, she explained that a cook had just walked out, and their order would take quite a bit longer than expected.
While some people would have become upset with the waitress, demanding either a discount or not leaving a tip at the end of the meal, my coworker instead explained that he had plenty of experience and offered his services. The waitress immediately thanked him profusely and led him back to the kitchen. The scene that met him was one incredibly flustered cook running back and forth between several stations just trying to get things done. My coworker said that he was there to help and asked what he should do. The man yelled back, “Just start frying wings, man!”
On top of emphasizing just how genuine of a guy my coworker is, I believe this story exemplifies the best lesson that working in the food industry teaches people: Compassion. If you see someone in a bind and you are able to lessen the load at all, do the right thing and do so. While this can be learned through other experiences, the swiftest teacher that I have seen is working in the service industry yourself. If not that, talk to friends that have, listen to their stories, and try to be compassionate in the future.
