A Tasteful Way to Touch Everyone's Life

Around the globe, there were certain universal lessons that emerged from the pandemic. Among them was a realization of the significance of restaurants and those who staff them. If the quarantine itself did not teach this, the absence of food service workers afterward made it abundantly clear. The entire restaurant experience—gathering with friends in a comfortable, reputable dining establishment and sharing a fine meal with those whose company you enjoy—is an essential aspect of civilized culture around the world. Perhaps you recognized as well the reality that a restauranteur is a professional. Indeed, from those who greet diners to those who serve to those who prepare the food to those who run the business end, there are a number of professional positions involved in the foodservice industry. You might be interested to know how the next generation of these professionals is being trained in widely different ways.

In Norway, Restauranteurs Are Revered

Norwegians have a clear sense that restaurant service is a calling. Beginning when potential workers are in the upper grades of secondary school, they begin to make training available for every aspect of food service. Trainers tend to focus not only on the practical aspects of the industry but also the theories underlying culinary service. Interestingly, during the lengthy course of study, students are taught various schools of cuisine preparation. Distinct styles of culinary dishes are introduced and students receive weeks of practice with each. A major force behind training the upcoming generation of Norwegian restauranteurs is the famous Norsk Restaurantskole.

In England, Training Involves Knowing the Culture

British restaurants, while known for their independence, have a couple of priorities they are all intent on sharing. One is a mutual awareness of cultural culinary trends. Conferences are held on a regular basis in order for hospitality experts to compare notes about expressed customer desires. The second shared priority is consistent professionalism in service. Becoming a restauranteur in England, accordingly, is no simple matter. Tests are administered to potential candidates and the top recruits are plied with opportunities to train in all aspects of food service in one of the noted academies. Some of the upper-end restaurant chains operate their own very selective, no-nonsense training programs that cover every aspect of food service.

In Austria, It Is All About Hospitality

Austrians typically consider restaurants and hotels as part of one conjoint hospitality industry. They are strongly focused upon developing a specific type of individual as a restaurant worker. This person is often characterized as a younger woman, frequently from a migrant background. Because recent employment trends reveal that restaurant workers in Austria tend to remain only a few years in a particular position, the Austrian foodservice industry is working to make the profession more amenable so these workers can be retained. That is, the Austrians are intent on extending hospitality not only to their customers but also to their employees. There is growing interest in providing for the needs of food service workers.

In France, You Train at the Table

From the French viewpoint, there is no scholastic perspective better than immersing the potential server or chef in restaurant work from the very outset. Once accepted to one of the famous culinary schools in France, most of which, of course, are in Paris, a student immediately steps into a service role. The classrooms are the dining floor and the kitchen itself. At least one school of hospitality management and culinary arts offers four different restaurants for the training of the new century’s greatest restauranteurs.

The noble and necessary professions associated with restaurant service are now recognized across Europe for their true importance. As each nation has a different cuisine, so its training methods vary as well.