300 waiters gathered to celebrate National Waiters Day

London’s Hyde Park saw over 300 waiters gather last Thursday (21st) May to celebrate National Waiters Day which, inspired by Fred Siriex the General Manager at Galvin at Windows, aims to not only celebrate food and beverage staff, pub and bar workers, hard working waiters and baristas but to also showcase front of house careers as offering valuable skills.

The day aims to represent the idea that front of house careers can lead to a career that is rewarding, boasts good progression routes and one that can provide massive rewards. The National Waiters Day Campaign is led by the Springboard Charity and is now in its 25th year.

It aims to provide insight and truth about the great career opportunities that the hospitality industry offers and change the misleading perceptions associated with a career in front of house. Over 300 waiters took to the course, complete with trays, glasses and bottles of water with the aim of being crowned the ‘Fastest Waiter’ or ‘Fastest Waitress’.

The National Waiters Day initiative is supported and co-ordinated by The Springboard Charity alongside key sponsors: Bunzl Catering Supplies, GOJO and ISS. The funds raised from the initiative go towards enabling Springboard to continue to develop and run an exciting programme for schools to encourage young people to consider a career in front of house. Springboard is committed to providing a range of opportunities for sustainable employment or vibrant careers in hospitality, leisure and tourism.

Fred Sirieix commented on the event saying: “The idea behind National Waiters Day is to bring a spotlight to the hospitality industry and showcase what a great range of exciting careers the industry has to offer, whilst having a lot of fun in the process”.

CEO at Springboard, Anne Pierce said: “It was a fantastic event and one that captured people’s imagination. It perfectly embodied the professionalism, and dedication of those in the hospitality industry.  The National Waiters day initiative is a great way to promote our industry and encourage people into the dynamic and vibrant range of careers within hospitality”.

The winners were:

Fastest Waiter- Edgar Qudrhasous, Hilton London Metropole

Fastest Waitress- Hattie Clark, Aqua Restaurant group

Fastest Male Student- George Hiley-Jones, Edge School

Fastest Female Student- Zongjue Pan, Swiss Hotel Management School

Fastest Team- Prezzo

Best Dressed- Fabio Ricca, The Berkeley

For more information on how to get involved with National Waiters Day 2016 visit www.nationalwaitersday.com

By Leanne Nichol