sws97sdg
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I did look out for you Wrightstuff when I was there, but I didn't see you 
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PeRu
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We are in the Catering business in a small seaside market town. We see the same faces year after year, and naturally are pleased to greet them as friends.
We hace seen small children grow up and come in with their children and so on.
It is just the same in Puerto Pollensa, and the rest of the world.
PeRu
We hace seen small children grow up and come in with their children and so on.
It is just the same in Puerto Pollensa, and the rest of the world.
PeRu
Chemical Dave
Member
Interesting views to my rhetorical question. What prompted it to some degree is the fact that many people in the UK don't even know the name of their close neighbours and even the name of their next door neighbour. Strange but true! Yet on here, many of the members are on first name terms with people the only see once or twice a year.
I think in PP the levels of service in bars and restaurants are generally a lot higher than at home for a couple of reasons. Many of the owners are front of house. They have a short season and have a vested interest in a successful season. They know that they will get return visits year after year and are on hand to make sure things run smoothly. Many places in the UK, especially in big cities will see so many people passing through it becomes impossible to remember them. In the bigger establishments, many will have managers front of house rather than the owners. Secondly, in PP I think many of the staff go into the business for a career and choose this way of life. In the UK I think many people take jobs in bars and restaurants as a stop gap, till something better comes along.
I liked Eleanors suggestion re the dossiers held on each customer but I think many don't need it - they seem to have a photographic memory. Remembering your name makes you feel special and in PP many of the bar and restaurant owners have got this down to a T.
So I think it is a PP thing.
Adios
Dave
I think in PP the levels of service in bars and restaurants are generally a lot higher than at home for a couple of reasons. Many of the owners are front of house. They have a short season and have a vested interest in a successful season. They know that they will get return visits year after year and are on hand to make sure things run smoothly. Many places in the UK, especially in big cities will see so many people passing through it becomes impossible to remember them. In the bigger establishments, many will have managers front of house rather than the owners. Secondly, in PP I think many of the staff go into the business for a career and choose this way of life. In the UK I think many people take jobs in bars and restaurants as a stop gap, till something better comes along.
I liked Eleanors suggestion re the dossiers held on each customer but I think many don't need it - they seem to have a photographic memory. Remembering your name makes you feel special and in PP many of the bar and restaurant owners have got this down to a T.
So I think it is a PP thing.
Adios
Dave
Gommar Goffer
Well-known member
I don't think it is a PP thing - I think it a part of the hospitality sector which the Uk does not do well. I have been to many places across the med and further afield and they are all the same. It could well be the fact that people - i.e. owners and waiters work on a time frame... a schedule. they get to know who comes at the same time of year and that makes it easier to remember - this week we've seen so and so, so next week we should see xy&z. Just a theory
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PeRu
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Yes GG, it's as you say. Rather like you knowing what your clients but and like.
The whole hospitality thing is taught in College, in fact there is a City and Guilds qualification devoted to it. In my humble opinion it'sall about interpersonal skills.
Living and working in a small community albeit very widespread we do know a lot of people.
PeRu
The whole hospitality thing is taught in College, in fact there is a City and Guilds qualification devoted to it. In my humble opinion it'sall about interpersonal skills.
Living and working in a small community albeit very widespread we do know a lot of people.
PeRu
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pollensafan
Active member
The answer is simple. In britain, waiting tables and kitchen work is seen as the "pits" and only to be done as a last resort. In spain it's looked on as a career and it's done with pride. Make no mistake when the job is done well it's an art form to be admired. How many of you folk on this site have said how your evening was ruined because of bad or surly service. It's such a pity that in this country it's not held in the same high esteem.
Belladonna
New member
You are absolutely right! Good service is definately makes the whole experience memorable in the right way. They work incredibly hard and to actually make it seem enjoyable is a wonder! And THATS what tips are for as well as return custom!
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pollensafan
Active member
Quite right bella, Some time ago my niece completed a full university degree. While she was seraching for a job a friend said would she be interested in a few hours work at a private function waiting tables. To cut a long story short she took to it like a duck to water. She now covers functions and has been head hunted to cover all the formula 1 events for next year. She can easily pick up £40 an hour + tips. In passing i asked what part her uni degree had played in this work. Answer- None whatsoever.
Sparky
Administrator
I agree, of course there are two sides to the coin and here is the flipside.
A few years ago i was talking to some of the waiters in the Pollensa Park and i asked them how they could remember peoples names and faces, after all over the course of a season they meet thousands, one of the guys replied " Ah it's very easy.......we only remember the nice, friendly people". As someone who believes the adages, "You reap what you sow" and "What goes around, comes around", i thought it was a very interesting reply.
A few years ago i was talking to some of the waiters in the Pollensa Park and i asked them how they could remember peoples names and faces, after all over the course of a season they meet thousands, one of the guys replied " Ah it's very easy.......we only remember the nice, friendly people". As someone who believes the adages, "You reap what you sow" and "What goes around, comes around", i thought it was a very interesting reply.
B
Brooksy
Member
Very true Sparky. I cannot bear rudeness in any shape or form and I hate to see waiter/waitresses treated like second class citizens. Courtesy costs nothing.
Bernadette
Bernadette
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Stevo66
New member
Is it a PP thing£
My wife and I have been coming to PP every year for over 25 years.Over the years we have met up with different couples and had evenings out.One certain couple would always choose where to have a pre dinner drink and also where to eat.This doesn't bother us as we would probably end up somewhere new for drinks and/or meal.About five years ago I realised that,in every case,they were known by the management and/or staff and were extremely pleased to be called by their first names and were able to reciprocate . After a while it dawned on me that this was a form of one-upmanship and self-glorification.In a way they were boasting to us about being known in the Port and also the old town.We ended up in some pretty bad bars and restaurants just so they could greet the waiter who had worked in another establishment the year before.
Hand on heart,could this be you? There are plenty of good bars and restaurants out there that you havn't tried because the staff were all strangers to you.
Go on be brave...as Del Boy would say "He who dares wins"
Stevo
My wife and I have been coming to PP every year for over 25 years.Over the years we have met up with different couples and had evenings out.One certain couple would always choose where to have a pre dinner drink and also where to eat.This doesn't bother us as we would probably end up somewhere new for drinks and/or meal.About five years ago I realised that,in every case,they were known by the management and/or staff and were extremely pleased to be called by their first names and were able to reciprocate . After a while it dawned on me that this was a form of one-upmanship and self-glorification.In a way they were boasting to us about being known in the Port and also the old town.We ended up in some pretty bad bars and restaurants just so they could greet the waiter who had worked in another establishment the year before.
Hand on heart,could this be you? There are plenty of good bars and restaurants out there that you havn't tried because the staff were all strangers to you.
Go on be brave...as Del Boy would say "He who dares wins"
Stevo
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pollensafan
Active member
Stevo 66, For myself i frequent restaurants for the quality of the food and service The fact that they may know my name is neither here nor there. However you're comment that you went with this couple for 5 years into some bad places made me chuckle. Lifes to short. Why did you put up with it for that long?, and you tell us to be brave!!!LOL
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Stevo66
New member
Is it a PP thing.
pollensafan.....You have read my posting slightly wrongly.We have known this particular couple for about twenty years and it was only about five years ago that I became aware of what they were doing.Consequently we have endured many more poor restaurants than you obviously thought.
To put it in perspective,we are in the Port about four months of the year and we only meet up with this couple about three times each year so we put up with their choices without complaint as,apart from this trait,they are a delightful pair and we enjoy their company immensely.
As we eat out perhaps five times a week when we are in PP,there are many bars and restaurants that we go to which are our choice and obviously go to our favourites as well as trying out new establishments(which the couple in question rarely do,unless they know the proprietor or a member of staff)
With other friends that we meet up with we usually take turns in choosing where to eat and drink.
Stevo66
pollensafan.....You have read my posting slightly wrongly.We have known this particular couple for about twenty years and it was only about five years ago that I became aware of what they were doing.Consequently we have endured many more poor restaurants than you obviously thought.
To put it in perspective,we are in the Port about four months of the year and we only meet up with this couple about three times each year so we put up with their choices without complaint as,apart from this trait,they are a delightful pair and we enjoy their company immensely.
As we eat out perhaps five times a week when we are in PP,there are many bars and restaurants that we go to which are our choice and obviously go to our favourites as well as trying out new establishments(which the couple in question rarely do,unless they know the proprietor or a member of staff)
With other friends that we meet up with we usually take turns in choosing where to eat and drink.
Stevo66
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Pollpott
New member
Fascinating subject.
Chemical Dave said "Remembering your name makes you feel special and in PP many of the bar and restaurant owners have got this down to a T."
Too true. When the beautiful owner of Pescadores called me 'Senor Tony' and gave me a big hug and a kiss I felt like a million dollars. And I had only been there 3 or 4 times before. It turned an ordinary meal into a special occassion. And I will keep going back there, which is what they want. It's also what I want.
Peru said "The whole hospitality thing is taught in College..."
I find this a very cynical comment. You can't teach manners and genuine friendliness in a college. Ok, they can turn on a smile or two for the punters but I believe that the staff and the owners of most of the PP restaurants really are sincere. They want to please you, they want you to have a nice experience and want you to return next year. So do I.
Sparky quoted one of the local waiters as saying..."We only remember the nice, friendly people." Which is why I am always nice and friendly, which is not difficult to do.
If I have a bad experience in a restaurant, I very rarely complain, I just won't go back there again. But I have only ever had one bad meal in PP after 8 years of going there.
What I normally do when I book a table in PP is to just give my name as Tony, and not mention my surname. When they come to take my order, or when I have to pay the bill, they call me Tony! I love it. It feels great, as if I am a friend.
I will be out there 2 weeks tomorrow, twice this year! Can't wait.
T
Chemical Dave said "Remembering your name makes you feel special and in PP many of the bar and restaurant owners have got this down to a T."
Too true. When the beautiful owner of Pescadores called me 'Senor Tony' and gave me a big hug and a kiss I felt like a million dollars. And I had only been there 3 or 4 times before. It turned an ordinary meal into a special occassion. And I will keep going back there, which is what they want. It's also what I want.
Peru said "The whole hospitality thing is taught in College..."
I find this a very cynical comment. You can't teach manners and genuine friendliness in a college. Ok, they can turn on a smile or two for the punters but I believe that the staff and the owners of most of the PP restaurants really are sincere. They want to please you, they want you to have a nice experience and want you to return next year. So do I.
Sparky quoted one of the local waiters as saying..."We only remember the nice, friendly people." Which is why I am always nice and friendly, which is not difficult to do.
If I have a bad experience in a restaurant, I very rarely complain, I just won't go back there again. But I have only ever had one bad meal in PP after 8 years of going there.
What I normally do when I book a table in PP is to just give my name as Tony, and not mention my surname. When they come to take my order, or when I have to pay the bill, they call me Tony! I love it. It feels great, as if I am a friend.
I will be out there 2 weeks tomorrow, twice this year! Can't wait.
T
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PeRu
New member
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- Feb 13, 2008
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- 188
Hi Pollpott,
I wasn't being at all cynical. When I was at college we studied Hospitality and sat a City and Guilds exam in it. OK, that was 40 years ago, but I'm sure they still do it even though it might now be an NVQ of some description. All these things have changed so much since I was at College.
Believe me, we welcome our clients with the same warmth as the traders in Puerto Pollensa do, though perhaps not quite with the same level of hugging and kissing - but with exactly the same gusto.
PeRu
I wasn't being at all cynical. When I was at college we studied Hospitality and sat a City and Guilds exam in it. OK, that was 40 years ago, but I'm sure they still do it even though it might now be an NVQ of some description. All these things have changed so much since I was at College.
Believe me, we welcome our clients with the same warmth as the traders in Puerto Pollensa do, though perhaps not quite with the same level of hugging and kissing - but with exactly the same gusto.
PeRu
