A New Appreciation
/Years ago, while working my way through music school, I promised myself I would never wait tables. I wasn’t afraid of jobs that “faced the public” – gas station attendant and bank teller were roles that I filled. But the public is different when it comes to their food. We all like to have it “our way.”
This summer I retired from the music career that I prepared for long ago and moved to Oregon. To my delight, I was hired to work in a local winery’s tasting room. It is a small operation; usually it’s just the owner and me and we’re only open on the weekends. But it is a good place for me to start learning about a new industry. And it has given me a new appreciation for those who work in the service industry.
It takes focus
At the winery where I work, our “menu” consists of two five-pour tasting flights and two food items. People can also order individual glasses or bottles. It’s not a big menu. Still, I am surprised by how much concentration it requires to keep even a few tables worth of wine tasters on track. Then there’s mastering the reservation and point-of-sale systems – each filled with “land mines” of their own to discover. The first six weeks of this job have humbled me through their persistent “trial and error” method of learning… not my favorite way, but one that seems to get through. While I am only keeping track of wine pours, a restaurant server has a whole menu of food to keep track of. Each time I have dined out since arriving in our new state I have marveled at the grace with which servers carry out the task.
Gratuity
Proposals to end the practice of tipping arise from time to time. And I have traveled to places where gratuities are not expected, and it's refreshing. I am privileged in that I am not relying on my part-time tasting room job to keep a roof over my head. But it has given me a new appreciation for how much tips matter to servers who are struggling to make a living. I understand the resentment that comes with the obligation to leave a tip, especially when one’s expectations were not met. Given the current compensation system in our country, however, it is our obligation nonetheless. It needs to factor into our decision to eat or drink “out.”
A sense of place
One of the true joys of my new job is the place where I do it – on a hilltop patio above a vineyard, surrounded by towering fir trees with a view of Oregon’s Mount Hood. Some days I think to myself that I should be the one paying the winery owners for the experience. Many (most?) servers toil in much less pleasant settings and have little access to the decision-makers who could make meaningful improvements to their situation. The recent unionization efforts at chains like Starbucks and Chipotle are partly a response to this reality.
I will spare you a concluding quote about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. I have avoided the “shoes” of a server for decades. Having the chance to put them on here in my new Oregon life has opened my eyes to a part of the wine world that is not visible in glossy wine magazines or our certification textbooks. I have a newfound empathy for anyone who makes a living in food and beverage service. As fascinating as it is to make wine (or to write about it!), selling and serving it also require skill and great style.
