If you are in secondary education now or are about to enter or have just completed secondary school, you may want to consider becoming part of a service profession that has become one of the most important in the world: restaurant service. Think about your last few experiences sitting down in a dining room where you were waited on and your food order was brought to your table. If the server and the meal were enjoyable, chances are the entire experience made for a better day. Did you know that a restaurant is actually staffed by half a dozen different kinds of professionals? Did you know you can train for any of those positions?
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Culinary Schools Offer Practical Higher Education
Every great European nation has a few universities that are known around the globe. In the same way, among restauranteurs and those who love fine dining, there is a knowledge that all around Europe there are a few highly regarded institutions that teach the culinary arts and hospitality. In Norway, the Norwegian Restaurant School is at the very top of the list. The French regard Ferrandi, the Parisian school with its four separate teaching restaurants, as the best they have to offer. In Spain, the Culinary Institute of Barcelona is the place to study if you desire to be a world-renown chef. Each school has its own way of teaching and many cuisines to share.
Surprising Careers Come from Culinary Training
When reflecting on a career in food service, you might assume that waiting tables is really quite simple and should not require any special training. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not only is real professionalism required of waitstaff but table service allows you to branch off into a surprising number of other careers if you have been properly educated in restaurant and food courses. These include:
- Catering management
- Nightclub operation
- Cruise ship hosting
- Military and hospital food management
- All types of restaurant management
- Teaching within the foodservice industry
A worthwhile training program includes two years of hands-on training followed by a two-year apprenticeship that results in a specialized certificate.
Further Career Steps Begin With Foodservice
Beginning with a food service certificate, you can branch out into a great number of other career paths as well. Restaurant service and hospitality are closely related industries. As a result, there are many possibilities to step from food service work into related hospitality careers, particularly if you have experience and certification. One of the more prominent common professions is concierge: the hotel or event host who makes a visitor’s experience pleasant and trouble-free. A similar career is travel or tour host, which could be understood as a concierge who travels with tourists as they explore and enjoy. You may also be interested in becoming a curator, that person at institutions such as museums, art galleries and historical settings who establishes the parameters of interaction between the site and its guest.
Every Culinary Profession Touches Lives
Not only is becoming a restaurant and food worker a fine career start and a possible entree into other career paths but, perhaps more importantly, it is a way to impact the lives of other human beings every day. It is said that, in the 21st Century, people live in the experience economy. This means that what is most important to the average person is the memory of an experience. In the digital world, powered by the internet of everything, being able to interact with another human being and have a beautiful, memorable dining experience can actually be life-changing.
You can accomplish a great deal for yourself and for many others through a career in restaurant service.
