Ten years ago, as my friends were folding sweaters and chinos to the sounds of blaring Top 40 music at the mall, I opted instead to work for a small multiconcept restaurant company in Columbus, Ohio, where I got a crash course in business that ultimately shaped my entire career.
The value of working at Oscar’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, one of the company’s restaurant concepts, where I was first a hostess and later a food runner, server and office assistant, became clear recently when I had lunch there with an old friend. She once worked there too, and even after our paths led us to different colleges, different majors and different cities, that restaurant’s impact on our lives was hard to ignore.
She’s now a manager at one of Columbus’ award-winning Italian restaurants. And, well, you know where I ended up.
Aside from the obvious connection of following the industry each day at work, I often find myself turning to other on-the-job lessons.
From behind the hostess stand, I learned to think on my feet, trafficking parties through the tiny dining room and dealing with demanding customers. In the kitchen I witnessed the craft of constructing an eye-catching entrée without a moment to spare. And from my chair in the office, I got a front-row seat for the development of new wine lists, decorating ideas and marketing initiatives.
Then there are the less tangible things that continue to shape my daily life.
When I take a stand in meetings with colleagues, I think back to the teenage hostess in a skirt and heels finding the confidence to hold her own around kitchen guys twice her age.When I’m searching for the perfect word or fixing a grammatical error in NRN, I remember the restaurant’s attention to little details, such as how much water went into the flower vases or which garnish to choose for each plate. And it’s not hard to see that the industry’s fast pace, long nights and controlled chaos were perfect training for life on a deadline-driven copy desk.
As my friend and I ate and talked, I knew it was more than just the warm, buttery bread, decadent seafood chowder and to-die-for banana cream pie that brought us back. The restaurant, by offering two ambitious young hourly workers opportunities for advancement and development, had forged a powerful, lasting connection with us. In fact, we still recommend the restaurant to friends and family and keep a close eye on the company’s expansion.
Keeping employees engaged, involved and rewarded is the best way to keep a strong staff on the floor and good word-of-mouth on the streets, especially in the face of high turnover and a looming labor shortage.
Of course, many workers, like my friend and me, will end up leaving for jobs in other restaurants or other industries. But when a company has truly invested in its employees’ growth, there’s a good chance that someday in the future a couple of them will stop by, credit cards in hand, to return the favor.
