Life lessons in restaurants

April 28, 2010

At a recent breakfast meeting, where we awarded the 2010 Haute Picks, we heard a timely and informative talk by Washington Restaurant Association President and CEO, Anthony Anton. He informed us about the magnitude of the restaurant industry in this country and locally, and reminded us that it all starts with a dream. In an inspiring video (watch at the end of this post) produced by the National Restaurant Association, it was noted that something like 80% of all Americans, including U.S. Presidents, have worked in restaurants. No other industry can claim such noteworthiness.

Well, I’m a president (so they say), and I worked in restaurants, too. In fact, my first job, at 15 years of age, was washing dishes in a soup kitchen. I went on to hold just about every other position in a restaurant, short of executive chef. I worked my way up from dishes to pantry cook, line cook on the grill, sous chef, beer maid, hostess and waitress. I’ve slung hash, chopped potatoes, peeled shrimp, dealt with nasty people, and in the process, learned to cook.

I learned a few other things, too. In fact, you could learn a lot about life from working in restaurants. Here are a few things I picked up:

The customer is always right.
A customer will share a good experience with about five people.
A customer will share a bad experience with about 40 people.
A bad experience can tarnish a customer’s take on an entire city.
See No. 1
There’s this basic law called supply and demand.
Supply and demand don’t always line up.
When you have a job, it’s important to show up on time and work hard for your entire shift.
Work harder, you get more money – or better yet, a bigger job.
Team work is a fine art.
On a night when everything’s clicking, there’s no better place to be than in the kitchen of a successful restaurant.
A really effective manager, one who puts together a great team and creates a supportive environment, is golden.
There is no greater heartache than failing at your dream.

So for all of our restaurateurs in Bellevue, for all that you do, you’ll always have a soft spot in my heart. And for all you patrons and would-be patrons, let’s keep them in our hearts and support them!