It’s all about you. And, that’s what I get paid for. At the height of the season, I may work five to seven a month, which means I may work forty to fifty a year. Many guests are socially seasoned and confident. Others look at wedding attendance as merely dutiful; obligatory. And then there are those who are excited, but nervous and afraid of committing a faux pas. And, I am there to tell them, “It’s not about which fork to use. It’s all about you celebrating the matter at hand. Like they say in football after scoring a touchdown, you may act like you’ve been here before. And, you have. You’ve eaten tens of thousands of dinners before and this is just another meal. Except, I’m going to do the dishes.” It’s true. There are so many “tells” that a guest is nervous. It’s not that he may have bad form at the dinner table; it’s that he’s AFRAID OF HAVING BAD FORM. He apologizes for wanting to keep his salad fork. He’ll lift his Bordeaux glass for a refill. There’s a fine line between being gracious and nervously deferential. It’s a joy to serve the head table. I know it’s the biggest day for the bride and groom, even though it’s just another day at the office for me. But, sometimes I’ll be serving table thirty-seven in the back corner; third cousins mixed with the bride’s coworkers from her last job. So much sensitivity and no conviviality. Then it’s game on. Time to put the guest at ease as much as a double Jack Daniels on the rocks would. There are few things in the world that are as rewarding as bringing a guest from a place of fear and worry to a berth of sincere joviality. Its not about the fork and all about you. And, sometimes that Jack Daniels helps. It’s no wonder we love bartenders. with Aaron Lowen, Kathleen ONeill, Robbyn Lang Sciullo, Tara Grey, Daniel Safford, Shannon Schweinof
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 17:20:42 +0000
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