The People Behind Your Dining Experience

Posted on January 13, 2012

Meet Tiffany Gillespie and Josh Grimes, two of the people behind your dining experience.

Who are the people behind your dining experience?  How often do you get to know your server?  Everyone has their own idea of what the dining experience should and shouldn’t be.  There are those diners who want a talkative and vivacious server and others that prefer a more aloof server.  Some people consider medium rare as red center with a little blood while an others pink in the center.  Some guests look at the menu by reading the right side first, the prices.  Others read the descriptions and order according to what sounds good.  Some people come to the restaurant to find something wrong and others expect to be blown away.  It takes a special individual to meet the expectations of the general public.

The restaurant business is not for everybody.  It takes a special person to have the humility to serve others with a smile no matter how good or badly he/she is treated.  A restaurant worker needs to be able to multitask and make quick decisions on the spot.  A restaurant worker has a diverse personality and has the ability to change their personality according the moment.  They need to work under pressure and keep up an appearance of control.  Restaurant employees  have so much more going on than just their work.  Many have chosen this career path because it allows them the flexibility to pursue other interests.

I have been working in the restaurant business since I was 16 years old.  The most valuable part of this career choice has been the opportunity to meet so many interesting and REAL people.  My friendships with past co-workers will go on forever.  In this section I would like to present to you those hardworking individuals, the people behind your dining experience.  For many, the restaurant worker is a servant.   I want you to get to know them as people.  They lead interesting lives and have a lot more going on than one would think.  A restaurant worker will always have a good understanding of humanity, listen to what they have to say.

Where did you grow up?  Helena and Missoula, Montana

What did you want to be when you grew up?  A television host, I loved Johnny Carson.

What was your first job in the hospitality industry? Orange Julius, I was 16 years old

How long have you been working in the hospitality industry?  15 years

What do you do on your time outside the restaurant?  I am a full time student studying Business Administration, or better known as accounting

What are your hobbies? Reading….Wine Tasting, Traveling….and taking the dogs to the park

Who is your greatest inspiration?  My grandfather, I called him Boppy. He was a Pharmacist.  He was born into a poor family and became very successful.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now? Working as an accountant for a restaurant company.

Where was your most memorable dining experience?   At Mama’s Fish House in Maui, Hawaii.  The ambiance was amazing right on the water. The dishes where all very fresh and the wine list was great.

What is your favorite wine?                                                             Chateau Mont-Redon Chateauneuf-du-Pape.             Cocktail? Grey Goose Martini with blue cheese olives. Beer? Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

If you could teach your guests one thing, what would it be? To have faith in your server, we will deliver the service you deserve.

What do you love about your job? Giving people the ultimate dining experience.

What do you hate about your job?  Very little, I suppose working with people that do not help each other and do not make it a team effort.

If you could visit one place on the planet where would it be?  Bora Bora!

Tiffany is just one of the many people behind your dining experience.  I hope that next time you are out for dinner you have a new found respect for your server.

 

Where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Imperial Beach, California

What did you want to be when you grew up?  Pretty generic, a fighter pilot

Where was your first job in the hospitality industry?   My first job was washing floor mats and trash cans at the Blue Crab on Shelter Island.

How long have you been working in the hospitality industry?  Off and on for 15 years. I started cooking at 19. I worked for 4 years re-building race cars.

What are your hobbies? Building computers. As a kid I used to take things apart.  I built my first computer an Intel.

Who is your greatest inspiration? My grandfather, he taught me how to cook. He was from Texas and taught me how to cook steaks and other meats.

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?  I see myself as head chef for a restaurant.

What is your favorite wine? Coppola Claret.

Beer? Guiness. Cocktail? Cadillac Margarita

* What was your favorite dining experience?  I don’t remember, but I just had my worst at _______________.  It was terrible, the food was overcooked, the portions were small and it was over priced.  It would be good to take a server there to show them what not to do.

If you could teach your guests one thing, what would it be?  There is more to food than just different styles or types of cuisine.  It is about combining flavors.

What do you love about your job? I love being creative and problem solving under pressure.

What do you hate about your job? Working holidays.

If you could visit one place on the planet where would it be? I’d go to the French Mediterranean for the food.

 * The restaurant was not mentioned because I know that all restaurants make mistakes.  I am not here to air dirty laundry, if you want that go to YELP.  I want to share with you the perspective of the restaurant worker.

Josh is just one of the many people behind your dining experience.  I hope that next time you are out for dinner you have a new found respect for those that cook your food.  Stay tuned for more!

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