Spanish Restaurants

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by DorineH on February 29, 2008 at 3:29pm

Me sorprende oirlo. When I lived in Spain in the 1970s, it was my introduction to excellent waitstaff service and elegant plating in contrast with the restaurant wasteland that the US was then.

Permalink Reply by Iñaki Zarate on March 4, 2008 at 6:07am

Ah... I am afraid I cannot compare US to Spain, never been around there, but in terms of nearer neighbour, the Europeans, I can assure you there is still a long way to go before they can even get close in waiting skills.

Permalink Reply by DorineH on March 10, 2008 at 8:41pm

I have never found the French and Italians to have the gracious professionalism of the Spanish.

Permalink Reply by Paul Paz on August 12, 2009 at 12:24pm

Hello...
I have not yet traveled to Europe but much of what I've read in news stories has not reflected generally well for restaurant service. Other than the top-dollar, dining locations it would appear that restaurant service is relatively poor.

Here's my take on this topic:

1. While I have heard many American's say that in Europe being a waiter is considered a legitimate and noble career choice, I've yet to hear that from a European. However in the last century that does not seem to be the case. The waiter positions seem to go to immigrants who will do the hard work for meager pay. And as is the worldly case, immigrants are often disliked, disdained, and taken advantage of by unscrupulous business owners.

2. Tipping: this is not a customary practice in many countries throughout the world. In fact, some cultures consider tipping an insult! Regardless of your opinion on tipping, earnings have a direct influence in performance. So if I work in a job that’s really hard, not respected (as a career path or craft), and doesn’t pay enough to sustain myself... then there is no incentive to excel.

3. To the best of my knowledge there are no "trade-schools" that offer any formal certification for restaurant service. That presents a challenge as the rituals of dining can vary widely from county/culture to country/culture.

4. The American culture and ritual of dining service evolved over the last 150-years by making the restaurant business very profitable and relatively easy to enter as an entrepreneur. The American restaurant industry, I think because of the melting pot of cultures, took the best of the best from English, French and Russian dining rituals and transformed them into attractive business models for restaurant service.

Thanks for the opportunity to visit with you.

Paul