Fred Sirieix of First Dates fame fronted National Waiters Day, sponsored by Bunzl, in Hyde Park on 20th October 2016. The event, organised by The Springboard Charity, saw waiters racing through Hyde Park in celebration of front of house professionals and their career path.
As well as the flagship event in Hyde Park, races took place across the UK, at Wivenhoe House (Colchester), Tameside College (Manchester) and The Grand (Eastbourne).
Fred Sirieix, general manager at Galvin at Windows, said: “As the founder of National Waiters Day I was very proud to lead the celebrations on 20th October – it was a truly wonderful day that celebrated the ocean of career opportunities in hospitality, as well as the hard work of all front of house professionals. There has never been a more exciting time to both join and succeed in this very special industry. If you can dream it, you can do it.”
For the National Waiters Day race, the fastest waiter and waitress both went to Prezzo Restaurants. Muki Hashahi won fastest waiter, and Julia Kazimirova won fastest waitress. Kensington Roof Gardens won best dressed.
Students visiting London’s Hyde Park took part in a range of activities which showcased hospitality employers and the skills needed to succeed in front of house roles. Hospitality businesses also opened their doors with careers talks, taster days and social media campaigns as part of National Waiters Day and Front of House Festival, which has promoted hospitality front of house roles (17th – 21st October 2016).
Anne Pierce, Springboard’s CEO, said: “The Front of House Festival was created to increase awareness of the range of roles available in front of house, and this year it encompassed National Waiters Day.
"National Waiters Day was a great opportunity for young people, jobseekers and businesses to showcase the profession and the great opportunities available, with activities ranging from skills challenges to talks, and of course the Waiters Day Race! It was great to see front of house professionals represent their industry and all it has to offer.”
The senior team at Thai Leisure Group, operator of Thai restaurant brands Chaophraya and Thaikhun, also took part, swapping their suits for aprons.
The team spent the day serving in front-of-house roles at its Glasgow and Liverpool sites on the day, with an open invitation to all of its front of house staff to dine at the restaurant for free, using Thai Baht to tip the staff based on how they found the service.
Ian Leigh, managing director, said: "At TLG we do all in our power to guarantee career progression by upskilling employees with the necessary training across all parts of our business. And the system works – over 40% of our current managers started their careers with us, in front-of-house roles.
“Naturally, when the opportunity arose to put our work to the test by joining the other senior team members for a day on the frontline, I jumped at it. It was a worthwhile day, reinforcing the important role front-of-house plays in the overall customer experience.”
In addition to Ian, the waiting teams comprised commercial and finance director Christian Hall; operations director Chris Williams; and brand development director James Hacon.