U-Select Christmas Message 2019

By Phil Scoble

Christmas is a time for reflection, for quiet thanks and for family….

Unless you work in a cafe, pub, restaurant or for an event caterer, when it’s about long hours, stress, working as hard as you ever have against odds that seem insurmountable…

Here’s our countdown of the things that will happen in the next few days as you build up to The final Christmas madness….

5 – Work Christmas Parties

The three most feared words in catering. It’s all a pain: The organiser who arrives with a list of special dietary requirements as long as your arm the day before their group of 50 arrive in your restaurant, the fact that everyone drinks too much, WAY too quickly, and that those two guys who’ve hated each other since FOREVER will have a shouting match in the toilets…

You’ll deal with it all with aplomb, of course, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t something you could do without….

4 – The food delivery gone wrong

You will have at least one day when your carefully planned food delivery will be missing one, two or many vital things and you or a member of your staff will spend a frantic 20 minutes running around your local supermarket to buy twenty tiny packets of gravy granules, or carrots, or potatoes, or Aunt Bessies Yorkshires before sprinting into the kitchen twenty minutes behind time to try and still have the kitchen ready for the first booking…

3 – The table who turn up without booking

You accommodate them (because you’re so lovely)  and then they DON’T LEAVE. Let’s be honest this happens all year round, but at Christmas it’s even more annoying because you are SO TIRED…

2 – Bruises

You’re going to injure yourself. A lot. Cutting yourself, burning yourself, banging into stoves, walls, tables and even other members of staff, Christmas is a bruising time to be making and serving food, because you’re working longer hours and serving more people….

1 – Christmas “Flu”

You will spend at least a few mornings phoning round the whole kitchen staff to cover shifts when people call in sick when you know they’ve been out on the town the night before. You’ll be angry, but keep yourself in check – you need to get through the Festive season, so keep them on the team! 

You’ll contend with all this and much much more – you’ll keep smiling and make every customer feel special and looked after this festive season…and you know why?

Because you’re a hero, that’s why…

Cafes, Pubs and restaurant professionals enjoy your mulled wine and your pressies when you finally get to open them – you deserve it! We SALUTE YOU! Merry Christmas from everyone at U-Select…