Former chairman of the Academy of Food and Wine Service Jeremy Rata laments the low reputation of front-of-house service in British culture
MANAGING DIRECTOR of the luxury Bovey Castle hotel Jeremy Rata does not come across as somebody who could ever be described as servile. And yet the former head of the Academy of Food and Wine Service, who manages a parallel career as a photojournalist in war-torn Afghanistan, complains that the front-of-house industry is the victim of negative stereotypes that reveal much about British culture.
“Nobody wants servile people running around bowing and scraping. That’s not what service should be and it never has been, but that’s what the industry seems to have been labelled with.
“It all comes from British history,” he says, explaining the root of the lowly reputation of service in Britain. “If anywhere has an imperialistic past it’s this country – it’s Lords and masters, and if you’re in service you’re seen as a servant.”
He feels that this historical equation of service with servility is reinforced by modern popular culture, with waiters mainly appearing in the media as hapless comic characters such as Manuel from ‘Fawlty Towers’, or as “dish pigs” to be shouted at by the more glamorous celebrity chefs.
Such stereotypes are damaging, according to Rata, in that they create the misconception that service is not a prestigious career choice but rather “something you fall into.”
Rata says that careers advisers too often see service as a back-up option: “The careers service will sit somebody down and say, ‘you’re not academic, how about becoming a hairdresser or a waiter?’ They don’t see it as something that talented people can aspire to.”
All this negativity can contribute to servility if front-of-house professionals suffer from low self-esteem as a result.
He explains: “Servility is the back-stop of low confidence, it’s what you resort to if you’re frightened that the customer will hurt you. It’s a dangerous thing and it isn’t good for anyone – not for the customer, nor the staff nor the manager. Servility is obsequious, embarrassing and vile.”
Rata’s antidote to the spectre of servility is training, and he insists: “Training breeds confidence, which empowers people to serve in a way that works for them.
“Knowledge is power. Staff need knowledge of the products they are serving, they’ve got to know the place, they’ve got to know the ingredients and the guests’ needs. Strong confidence in that knowledge allows staff to serve in a way that doesn’t seem servile but appears interactive and fun but not too casual.”
The key to great service, for Rata, is style, and that style can only come from the waiter’s confidence in his or her knowledge.
“Someone like [managing director at The Goring] David Morgan-Hewitt has so much confidence, presence and style. That confidence is essential – servility is the refuge of low self esteem.”
Call the Academy of Food and Wine about professional training on 0208 661 4646 or click here to find out more.
