First, the Wednesday afternoon lunch crowd:
This time of day can’t be labeled as a lull, but bustling isn’t exactly fitting, either. However, at your local neighborhood Tatte, an omnipresent herd of people is always expected.
I noticed that not a single chair was left unfilled and each was occupied by someone different, turned over the very minute it was left vacant. This is cafe culture: controlled chaos and crossed paths, with people from all different backgrounds settling in one building for some time.
Perhaps a businessman is getting his fill of caffeine for the day, or a family is having an outing because the fridge has been lacking in supplies. Maybe you even encounter a student journalist who is observing a sector of their beat. Nevertheless, every person in the place has their own story and it all intertwines at this singular moment.
Two tables down, two middle-aged women were catching up over a croissant and a cappuccino, speaking loudly of their children’s recent accomplishments. The world bustled around them, privy to their every word, while the women talked as if they were the only ones in the place. The man next to them, however, may not have seen it this way. He was nose-deep in a textbook, trying (but failing) to cram for his upcoming midterm.
“You could buy a horse farm for that kinda money!” one of the women said, her words sandwiched by laughter.
It was almost beautiful to witness these women’s ignorance and their absolute lack of awareness of the people and places around them. They embodied what is so beautiful about the food industry, that everything falls away for an hour or two, and it’s just you and your companions sharing a meal in an ornate environment.
This particular type of beauty spreads, I’ve noticed, to all areas of the food industry. Each stressor melts with every bite you take, every laugh you share paired with a carefully curated drink. It doesn’t get better than this.
Then, the Barcelona Wine Bar Thursday night dinner rush:
Now this can certainly be labeled as a true rush. Even with a reservation, it was still a 30-minute wait for my party.
Again, surrounding me was a plethora of people with various backgrounds, all in the same place for different reasons. For me, 18 of us were gathered to celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday.
For the couple in the dimly lit booth in the corner, it appeared as an awkward first date. For the large party packed into the back room, it was a ‘cheers’ to their girls’ night out. For the four men in suits, it was an attempt to reach a million-dollar deal for their companies.
While the customers were invested in their own little worlds, the staff was running rampant, managing a packed house and an influx of orders in the kitchen. And the waiters, living off of the un-promised generosity of their customers, were trying their best to make the most of their situation.
If you sit in any busy restaurant on a Friday night, you’ll likely observe all of the things that I have.
A restaurant serves as a crossroad for unique experiences, sitting pretty at the intersection of business and pleasure. While this is an intersection many may aim to avoid, a restaurant will welcome the chaos with open arms.
This is the beauty in the industry: experience, companionship, and hopefully some good food to go along with it!
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