Waitering emergency

Waitering is an old profession but one which today counts few professionals. Restaurants seek qualified wait staff but cannot find them. The situation in Matera is an example.

Matera is the 2019 European capital for culture and good taste but is not immune to the current waitering emergency. There is a significant gap between supply and demand for wait staff and it is becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified personnel. In other words, while there are jobs available, unfortunately, there are few qualified to fill them. Hospitality is not an inherent skill and eating is not just an act to combat hunger but also an occasion to create a rapport. The floor of a restaurant must serve as a voice for the kitchen.

Nicola Popolizio, the owner and operator of the Ego Gourmet restaurant, knows this problem first hand. After nine years working as sous chef alongside Felice Lo Basso in Milan, he returned home to open his own restaurant. It is located in the city’s historic center and seats 35. Its cuisine is creative and much appreciated because it exalts the area’s traditions and excellent prime ingredients. However, there is a disconnect between the kitchen and the floor, with the latter indecisive, in search of its own identity and does not live up to expectations. “I need a forward-looking staff that is ready to grow with us,” Nicola Popolizio said, adding. “I tried finding personnel through word of mouth among colleagues, through temp agencies and contacting hotel and catering vocational schools. But with little success. Everyone seems to know their rights but not their responsibilities. The pay is established by law and our aim is to create a team that will be given full-time contracts after a period of apprenticeship. The necessary requisites are friendliness, passion, spirit of sacrifice and a capacity to listen. For me, being a waiter is one of the best jobs in the world. Unfortunately, I am forced to reduce seating in order to maintain a high quality of service”. Up until now he has been getting by with the help of his partner, who has her own job, but this is not enough and his staff emergency continues.

This is a sector problem and finding qualified staff is not easy. Many prospective staff are youths new to the job world or seeking to earn something extra to make ends meet or who are available for only a season. The problem is one shared by Francesco Russo of the Dimora Ulmo restaurant who had worked at Osteria Francescana restaurant. “I am from a family of restauranteurs,” Francesco Russo said, adding “The floor is demanding and needs waiters who are patient, positive and smiling. Current scholastic training is inadequate and for the most part turns out people who are second-rate and unqualified”.

In order to restore a high level of professionalism in the restaurant sector, Dominga, Enrica and Marta Cotarella came up with the idea for Intrecci, a high quality vocational school. Here, hospitality is approached from every point of view, from entrepreneurial and managerial practices to examining to the smallest detail the daily aspects of waitering. The courses offered include enology, reception techniques, client psychology, public speaking, posture, style and manners, food science, foreign languages and much more. Enrollment is limited to 25 students, far below demand, with 1,300 hours of classroom time and 970 hours of apprenticeship. The cost is 10,000 euros and includes uniforms and room and board. The selection of candidates gives priority to motivation. At the end of the year, a new project will initiate in collaboration with India to train wait staff.