Does Hospitality See Race?
“Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side. Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those prepositions -for and to-express it all.” -Danny Meyer
The restaurant schema is all too familiar, however, what makes the experience most memorable is the interaction you have with your server. Most people cannot recall all the dishes they had, but they will remember their experience. Hospitality at its most purest is undeniably altruistic. In Greece, it is called philoxenia and in Japan, ometenashi. True hospitality is the ability to treat people without judgment, all the while nurturing their needs.
The hospitality ethos is practiced in millions of restaurants across the world and is the foundation of a quality experience. Serving is a challenging skill that involves dealing with a range of people. In a sense, servers are social scientists, studying and observing the behaviors of hungry humans. This knowledge can be used for the greater good or for their selfish needs.
The restaurant industry was hit hard in 2020 and to make ends meet, hospitality was put on the back burner. Prices increased, food quality lowered, shortcuts were being taken, and guests even had time limits on their table. Employees and guests were seen as numbers and not as humans. My hospitality spirit was slowly diminishing as I was forgetting my purpose as a server. The past year, I reflected on my hospitality journey and determined that I thrive best on passion. I genuinely love making people happy and enjoy persuading people to try dishes they wouldn’t normally order. That being said, income is important, after all it is essential for basic living needs, however, I believe making money can go alongside creating a meaningful experience for guests as well. People will stick to the restaurant schema if servers believe they will. On the other hand, guests can receive an elevated experience because the server guided them because they understood that it is for them.
The ability to put aside pride and ego for guests’ pleasure is indeed exigent. Working holidays, weekends, long and late hours can be rather exhausting. After almost two decades in the industry, I have become accustomed to the lifestyle. Needless to say, in all the restaurants I have worked at, the Latino community have always been present and their influence should not be disregarded. They are the backbone to the restaurant industry, and without them, I do believe that restaurants in America would fail to survive. According to Restaurant Opportunity Centers (ROC) United, “Latinx workers are the most represented racial/ethnic group in the restaurant industry”. Oftentimes, they are underpaid in contrast to White workers. Their skill sets are high in demand as they are placed in kitchens working as prep cooks, line cooks, dishwashers, and sous chefs. More importantly, other positions as server assistants, food runners, and servers are filled as well. The versatility and work ethic of the Latino community has certainly helped the success of many restaurants.
Modern hospitality has transformed as more people of color are experienced diners as well. Though, there are ongoing oppressive hierarchies that take place making the ability to deliver stellar hospitality somewhat challenging. I’ve always been taught that hospitality consists of treating guests as if they were in your home, but I don’t think that is entirely true as several factors take place. America is a multicultural country and the repercussions of hospitality stems from marginalization. For example, code switching and assimilation often take place in order to please White guests. Historically speaking, tipping practices began during the 18th century when Americans mimicked European aristocrats by giving money to their servants in order to gain prestige and flaunt their wealth. In the 19th century, restaurant owners upheld the tipping practice by hiring Blacks and immigrants to keep their wages low. Around the same time, the Pullman Company, a popular luxury railroad car service, employed the most Black men as well. The porter position paid more in comparison to other laborious jobs, yet they were paid significantly lower than the White porters. The position became the entry level to more prestigious jobs in upscale restaurants, which attracted many Black men to seek employment.
Evidently, there is a parallel of systemic differences that was prevalent a century ago. Restaurant workers “are more than twice as likely to be in poverty than the general workforce”, ROC United explains. As the majority of the staff are people of color, creating a positive and egalitarian workplace must be implemented for the wellbeing of employees. Restaurant openings are expected to increase, the National Restaurant Association states that “the foodservice industry workforce is projected to grow by 400,000 jobs, for total industry employment of 14.9M by the end of 2022”.
Hospitality is maintained from personal and emotional connection, regardless of whose home it is. Hospitality isn’t an exchange of give and take. Hospitality doesn’t involve overbearing gestures, but rather alludes heartfelt intention. Hospitality cannot be boastful because it is the foundation of integrity. Any server can take orders and deliver dishes, but by doing something separate from service is the significance of a server. The server is putting their own biases aside to please their guest and that is an extraordinary characteristic. The ability to unlearn biases is the very reason racism can be eliminated altogether. One with an evolved hospitality spirit does see race, but it does not let it define the individual.
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