Confessions of an F&B Manager

A restaurant’s ‘Special of the Day’ is usually an item that isn’t selling or one that we have got too much of

No, no one spits in your food, no matter how horrible you are. But we do make a lot of fun of guests. A downmarket customer is ‘Jignesh’, and a chap who needs lots of sauce is ‘swimming pool’. Waiters write code words on the Kitchen Order Ticket (KOT) so the chef knows too. If someone asks for more spice, the KOT reads ‘GFC’. (G***d F**king Chilli). The translation: spicy enough to set his ass on fire. And yes, we are judgmental. If a guest is badly dressed, we expect a low paying table, but if he orders Blue Label, then the KOT will read ‘VVIP’.

In the hospitality industry, we hate paying for food and drink. And we’re shameless about it. We prefer the restaurant food you eat to what is given to us. Waiters have many tricks up their sleeve. Say, you ask a waiter what to order. He will suggest what he wants to eat. That’s why some waiters suggest soup, salad, pasta, entrée and dessert, even if the customer doesn’t look like he can finish all that.

Also, we do lie a lot. For instance, here’s the truth about a restaurant’s ‘Special of the Day’. It’s usually an item that isn’t selling or one that we have got too much of. Also, there is a way we deal with complaints of patrons who consider themselves regulars—“It seems the chef has changed”. It’s usually not true, but, of course, you can’t argue with a customer. So the waiter will take your dish back into the kitchen, where it is warmed and given a dash of garnish and, voila, it’s just the way you like it.

We love to eavesdrop too. Every F&B manager and restaurant manager (RM) has a pappu or snitch. The F&B manager has one in every outlet, while the RM’s snitch is only for the restaurant he’s heading. A pappu is usually a waiter. Waiters know everything. Think about it: you’re on the phone or discussing something important at the table, and this stranger is around, serving you.

I accept my job is not exactly glamorous, but I love it because I don’t sit behind a desk making PowerPoint presentations or shuffling paper around. I deal with real people in real situations. And just one ‘Thank you’ can make all the difference to my 14-hour day.

This Food & Beverages manager has worked in the hospitality industry for seven years and served in several five-star hotels

About The Author

Manju Sara Rajan