Behind every relaxing evening in a fancy restaurant, the sound of the glasses tinkling,
the bartenders shaking them, the martinis, people chit chatting and all of that.
There is a crew giving it their all to make you feel looked after.
I want our team to pass on to our guests the feeling of being at home away from home,
making them feel like, you know, they're the most important people in the world.
while bosses watch on with standards that are merciless.
How could you put a glass with a fingerprint smudge on it on the table?
How dare you?
And tensions are sky high.
I remember being kicked in a restaurant once in the shim because the Metro D was just nuts.
And I thought to myself, I'm just going to punch him.
This is the food chain from the BBC World Service with me, Ruth Alexander.
And in this programme,
we're talking to three service professionals from three different continents about what it's really like to wait on your table.
We'll be talking about the pressures of the job, the pleasures and the pay.
So joining me are Fred Syriacs, a maitre d'or head waiter by trade,
who trained in France and then had a long career in the UK.
He's also a TV presenter and has set up an industry training programme called The Art of Service.
Also, Michael Czecki-Azelina,
owner of Czecki's Bar and Grill in Manhattan and author of Your Table is Ready.