Service With a Smile

By Chef Mark Wright, CEC, AAC

restaurant with a small banquet facility in Buffalo, New York. I enjoyed many memorable dinners there and was quite impressed by the ambiance, service and food. Although the food was spectacular, I was more impressed by the service, which was well executed by an efficient team of waiters, food runners and servers’ assistants.

One day, when the chef was opening the second-floor facility for small meetings and other gatherings, he asked me to come in to carve and oversee the food for the opening function. It was fun, but when we were done, he asked me to come in again on Friday. This time, he said, “Wear your Sunday best,” and put me to work at the door. I had never really done front-of-the-house work before, but I had taken classes throughout the years on all types of service. I wore my Sunday best that day and began what would become my 15-year tenure as maitre d’ of the restaurant.

Research indicates the No. 1 reason people go out to dine is to be served. Service —not to be confused with servitude — is a demanding but oh-so-rewarding career. The National Restaurant Association’s top four reasons for clients to go out to dine, in order of importance, are: service, cleanliness, food and price or value.

A few years back, an experienced chef friend of mine opened an upscale

I have a thing for dressing up — pressed shirt, tie and sport jacket or suit — so this was right up my alley. Buffalo’s men’s shops have not been the same since. I’m only slightly kidding. All jokes aside, just looking good, in my opinion, is not all that is needed when it comes to high-class hospitality. You need to have a certain personality; you have to have a sincere and cheerful demeanor; and frankly, you need to like people.

Many of us chefs spend most of our time in the back of the house. We know the time and effort taken to prepare certain dishes, the hours involved getting together your mise en place and, of course, the time spent researching the menu. We might think that servers, bussers and bartenders just walk in the door, punch a clock and wait for customers. Front-of-the-house work is not at all that easy. Changes to the menu need to be discussed, new wines on the list need to be tasted, and then there’s all the buffing, cleaning, ironing and station organizing that need to get done. This is all part of what I call front-of-the-house mise en place.

When I first started working the front of the house, I knew from my time as a culinary instructor that tables and seats had numbers, ladies were served first and so on, but little did I know that there is a science when it comes to serving guests that few people on the outside understand. Maybe “science” is not the correct word here; rather, maybe it’s the “art” of fine service that should be highlighted. We all know to serve the guest from the right, clear from the left and that beverages are served differently — but things like placing flatware and different dishes correctly and how the chef wants are just as important and also need to be followed to a T. Wine service in a fine dining establishment is also very important and can establish relationships with the guests to keep them coming back. Tasting the wine and being able to discern differences is part of this. You also need to be aware of the guests’ tastes, preferences and price points and make the right suggestions for that particular table. Even the most demanding customers require the utmost respect and service with a smile because they bring out the best in us. If you have done everything possible to ensure all guests have a positive experience, then you have done your job and that smile made it all worthwhile.

For a restaurant to be truly successful, in my humble opinion, there needs to be regular interaction and a lot of respect between both frontand back-of-the-house staff working together to build one cohesive unit. There might be real challenges with that, but things have changed and are going to continue to change. Right now, we all know the difficulty of recruiting staff in both back and front of the house. We need to give credit to the ACF for ensuring professionalism, education and respect in our industry and for opening up the doorways for employers to recruit trained, skilled chefs. Professionalism and a keen awareness of the unique workforce we encounter in our operations has been and continues to be a value we receive from membership.

The restaurant where I worked as maitre d’ — like so many across the country — was impacted by the pandemic and is currently on hiatus. Skilled front- and back-of-the-house staffers are slowly returning to the workforce, but many have found different careers. The industry is slowly and cautiously returning to normal but with a different mindset. I still believe that a career in our industry is highly rewarding. Until we settle on the “new normal,” I’ll keep putting on my Sunday best in dress and in spirit — and always, through the good times and the challenging — give service with a smile.

Chef Mark Wright, CEC, AAC, is a (partially) retired associate professor and former department chair in the hospitality management department at SUNY Erie Community College (North Campus) in Williamsville, New York, where he spent the last 25 years of his career. Prior to working in culinary education, Chef Wright served as executive chef at Transit Valley Country Club for 28 years. Most recently, Chef Wright served as ACF National secretary. He currently serves as ambassador for the American Academy of Chefs and has remained highly active in the federation for 50 years — since the early 1970s — when he joined the ACF of Greater Buffalo New York chapter as a junior member.

Robert Del Grande EXECUTIVE CHEF & PARTNER

The Annie | Houston, Texas

As a youth growing up in California, I thought that figs were little miracles that grew on trees. California Figs – how miraculous! Sweet and luscious with a mesmerizing flavor. Today, when I see California Figs in the market, I’m transported back to my youthful days of plucking a ripe fig from a tree and being transformed by that first bite. And with each bite, my mind still fills with a thousand possibilities for delicious sweet or savory dishes – from Prosciutto-Wrapped California Figs to California Fig and Fudge Cookie Sundaes.

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So cook more flavorfully with California Figs!