It’s far from an easy job: Hong Kong’s top hospitality veterans spill the tea on why it takes intense training to serve professionally
Most people could probably name a celebrity chef, whether through media exposure or eating at one of their restaurants; after all, they’re one reason diners seek out restaurants near and far, globetrotting to eat at establishments helmed by chefs fêted in guides and awards such as Michelin or the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Celebrity front-of-house? Not so much. Although restaurant managers and wait staff might be recognised within the industry, they don’t get the same rock star treatment as chefs.
Yet service can make or break a restaurant experience. The best food can be ruined by poor service, while an average meal can be lifted by superb staff. For anyone who assumes waiting tables is child’s play, it may come as a surprise how much study and training can go into the role. Hong Kong’s top restaurants are in fact run by highly qualified and experienced managers who have cut their teeth at some of the finest establishments internationally and locally.
Among them is Mauricio Rodriguez, general manager at Michelin-starred Mono in Central, which won Tatler Dining's Restaurant of the Year and Best Service awards for 2023. His degree in gastronomy and the culinary arts in Mexico took five years to obtain, the same time as a law degree in that country. “It’s an integration of disciplines that include gastronomy, and how to build and manage a restaurant, how to cook, make wine, and design uniforms and menus,” he says of the course.
Initially, he had wanted to be a chef, but a front-of-house, customer-facing internship at one of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants, El Bulli in Spain, led to a full-time role, seeing him head down the service path—and he hasn’t looked back since.
Being a waiter is no easy gig, Rodriguez insists. In addition to long hours and low pay in many places, it takes real skill, dedication and passion to keep guests happy and anticipate their needs. To personalise service, he does background research on guests via the internet, social media and the restaurant’s customer relationship management system. He also makes it his business to be conversant in a broad range of topics that interest his customers, from watches and cars to books, music and art, and encourages his team to do the same. Some subjects are off limits, however, including football, religion, politics and whether Colombians or Venezuelans make the best arepas, a signature maize-based bread served at Mono.
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Victor Petiot also wanted to be a chef when he entered culinary school in France. But he discovered a love for wine during the five-year course, which led him to sommelier positions at the Four Seasons George V in Paris, then to Hong Kong, where he was recently promoted to director of Caprice, the three-Michelin-starred French fine-dining establishment at the Four Seasons Hong Kong.
Petiot oversees the operation of the restaurant, which won the Best Service award at the Tatler Dining Awards 2022. He says that increased knowledge about food and wine among guests and the prevalence of social media have fostered connections that sometimes lead to friendships. It’s a double-edged sword, however, with many VIPs and regulars contacting him directly to secure a reservation—this means being on call even on his days off, as people expect a swift response.
In addition to being there for guests, consistency is key to success. “When we start table service, we must follow a lot of small details and rules. For example, we cannot serve the starter if we don’t have bread and water on the table,” says Petiot.
Instead of bread and water, a meal at Yong Fu begins with tea and pickles. Overseen by industry veteran Yu Qiong, who moved from the original Michelin-starred Yong Fu in Shanghai to open the Hong Kong branch in 2019, the restaurant gets its share of tycoons and VIPs who will be secreted away in its warren of private dining rooms.
Yu, who is both general manager and a partner in the business, says success for her “is all about teamwork. A good restaurant will not highlight only the role of one or a few people, but involve everyone.”
She and her team are on a mission to educate diners about the delights and nuances of Ningbo cuisine. Although close to Shanghai, “it has its own personality and culture”, says Yu, who asks diners to put aside ideas that it is similar to Shanghainese cuisine and “discover new tastes”, including its exceptional marinated raw seafood dishes. If Instagram posts of the restaurant’s chilled mud crab with mashed ginger and coriander are any indication, the city’s diners have embraced the food. Yu credits customer palates for becoming more sophisticated, though she observes that their requirements for high-end dining are also greater.
Gigi Nicolas, general manager at Belon in Central, agrees that “diner expectations for exceptional experiences have increased [due to pandemic restrictions], and they are looking for a certain level of satisfaction every time they go out”. Nicolas, who oversees front-of-house operations, which involves everything from hiring and training staff to “leading the charge on the floor”, believes that “there is also new recognition for the kind of home-grown excellence that can be found in Hong Kong”.
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