Retrospect: the staff meal

Self-tutoring about people and events from the past: the tutor recalls a custom at a place he worked.

Several lifetimes ago I worked in an upscale restaurant – it was my first real job, and a doozy.

Uniquely, we had staff meals: we were always fed before we started work. Everyone working that night could plate up and eat. While not everyone did so, I always did.

The meal was usually lamb stew of some kind, made by the chef, from what he called “scraps.” With it, you could have as much French bread and butter as you wanted, plus, I think, Caesar salad. Sometimes, the main course wasn’t lamb stew, depending on what was left over from prep. It was much better food than I’d eaten anywhere else, and I never left the staff table hungry.

There were some key things about that staff meal that, though they happened spontaneously, seemed organized. One was the “meal time.” If you started work at 4pm, you could have a staff meal, but of course you ate off the clock, so sometime before 4pm you’d have to show up. If you hit the “sweet spot” – about 3:45pm – everyone would be at the staff table eating. This was never planned or explained; it just happened.

For me, yet a school boy (I started there the summer between grade 11 and 12), the conversations were fascinating, since most of the people present were adults. They would talk about trying to save money, car payments, dating, the party last night…whatever. It was fun having that window into the adult world.

Although, during service, there could be division between servers, kitchen, host staff, and management, none existed around that table. Even the chef managed to be civil. It was like being part of a family.

Victoria would change a great deal not long after my days at that restaurant. It was nice while it lasted, though:)