The beginning of December see a surges in excitement and hype for diners everywhere, in the office and blue collar worlds alike. Whether being out with your office teams or simply on a pre-Christmas night out with the family, the busiest time of the year for Catering & Hospitality staff is in full swing: the Christmas banqueting season. Venues large to small; local pubs to high end hotel banquet halls, dining areas are packed with (mostly) merry diners. They loudly chatter away whilst waiters and waitresses do their best to deliver many 2-3 course meals served on high-end crockery plates, accompanied with glistening stemmed glasses of champagne. Kitchens are bustling and filled with every possible chef available on the rota, stressfully yet expertly coordinating with each other in effort to meet the dining demands of their many guests, with no room for error. Whilst tucking into buffet chicken drumsticks, washing it down with a glass of beer with friends from the Finance Team or feasting on restaurant-prepared Christmas dinner with our loved ones on December 25th, there is an aspect to our festive dining experiences that is all too much taken for granted. We are, of course, referring to the unsung heroes of our merry celebrations, working tirelessly to fill our Christmas times with delicious cheer: the catering staff.
Regarding respect for the higher levels of management, silent pub owners or Hotel Directors for example, their own levels of praise are deserved in leading the charges on a successful Christmas season. However, credit and respect during this incredibly busy time in this industry deserves to be given to those in the brunt of it, on the front lines, if you will. The appreciation is essential because for any waiting staff; bar staff, pot washer & chef working in the Christmas-New Year Season, the catering and hospitality industries can be fast-paced and intense. Not only difficult because of the work involved but also due to the impact on their personal lives.
Working long, hard hours is part of the industry’s nature for full-time workers. With Christmas parties and meals becoming increasingly frequent throughout the month, so do the hours and level of work involved including pre-event staff meetings, large amounts of prepping dining rooms and equipment, evening-long banquets followed by hours of clean up. Staff can be working 12 hour shifts in order to help accommodate high demand, with overtime pay of course. This line of work being the majority of employees’ ideal career choice, it can be a pleasure to bring some tasteful joy to guests’ festive day: watching them happily munch down the turkey and pigs in blankets that were dutifully prepared for them. Although, it sadly takes them away from their families during the key dates of the Christmas season, being unable to celebrate until they come home to the leftovers, bundled into the fridge for them by their families.
Agreeing to hours on scheduled rotas is often what catering staff have signed up for. What truly makes these employees deserving of our respect is the dramatically increased intensity of the work accompanied with those hours. Dining rooms and banquet halls are packed to the brim, leaving little room to manoeuvre between tables, causing them to slide and twirl like ballerinas in order to serve multiple plates simultaneously. Even when all hands are on deck with all waiting and kitchen staff available, it can sometimes still not be enough. Demand can always be higher than expected and like most massive catering events, something can go wrong: plates being dropped; orders fulfilled incorrectly, equipment suddenly rendered dysfunctional, all whilst the catering personnel do their best to get food and drink out to customers on time, with a delightful smile on their face (the good staff at least). Also, you have to be prepared for a lack of commitment of a number of staff, leaving the rest of the team to pull up the slack.
Whilst we’re sat with our friends and families this Christmas, our worst case scenario being the local pub, serving our dinner, taking a few minutes too long getting the second course out, think about those who get the food out there to us. As we drink from our glistening flute glasses of Prosecco to go with our mince pies, remember those who won’t be able to enjoy any themselves until after their shift at 1am. What is a time of celebration and glee for many can be a time of exhaustion and stress for those who work so hard in this industry to ensure that the experience is enjoyable for all. Despite overtime pay or days off in lieu, working Christmas shifts in catering and hospitality can be a thankless task: not receiving any praise for giving up the time and relaxation with their loved ones.
Thank you to all of the chefs, waiting and bar staff for the tireless hard work you have been and will be putting in this Christmas season. You’re all part of why we’ve been able to enjoy the festive season to it’s fullest each and every year. On behalf of the Alliance team, we hope you’ll have every opportunity to do the same.
