ON ‘MAYONNAISE, NOT MAYO’ AND WHAT GOOD SERVICE IS ALL ABOUT
Q&A with Jami De Witt,
Chefs Warehouse
Tintswalo Atlantic
GM
Food, food, food, chefs, chefs, chefs…that’s what most zero in on when talking great restaurants. But what about service? It’s often overlooked and undervalued in this food- centric era – partly because when it’s done well, it’s completely natural and unobtrusive.
Chefs Warehouse has a fine collection of seasoned general and floor managers, who impart their knowledge of service to staff and their passion for memorable dining experiences to customers. Jami De Witt, general manager at Chefs Warehouse Tintswalo Atlantic is one of them.
Jami first joined the group in 2016, starting up Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia with Liam Tomlin and chef/owner Ivor Jones. Previously he’d worked at The Bridge in Barns gastropub in Hammersmith, London where he was first bitten by the hospitality bug, before joining Giorgio Nava to open Carne SA, Keerom Street in 2008, and subsequently a slew of other restaurants before joining Chefs Warehouse.
Q: What makes a guest’s experience special and how do you try to make that magic
happen?
We want our guests to feel cared for, rather than just served. There are the more obvious things to consider – like is the table being topped up with wine and cleared efficiently -- but these are the bare basics. What’s important for us is to create more of an energy and feeling rather than set standard rules and regulations. Service should be attentive, personable, friendly, enthusiastic and authentic. We want our service team to feel a connection to the kitchen. Like they are part of telling the story.
Not only does this instil passion and excitement, it completes the whole experience for the guest, who feels looked after and valued. It’s also about reading the room…each table is different and our staff are schooled in how to read guests in order to give them the type of experience they will most enjoy.
Q How does your team prepare for service every day?
We have a meeting before every service, in which we look at all our reservations, and scrutinize them: what are guests’ dietary preferences and allergies, are they regulars or are they hotel guests, will they have just arrived after a long flight…basically any information that will prepare us to best welcome and serve them. We also go over any new or changed dishes, new wines, or anything that has changed. If there is a new dish, the team will taste it.
These meetings can take up to 45 minutes and are a vital part of setting up.
Q What is it that you want your staff to understand about the dining experience?
I think that dining is not just a plate of food; it’s now an experience and how we talk about food with guests is important. We’re aiming to paint a picture. We talk a lot about words to emphasize, not to say that it’s at all scripted. Every dish has that special nugget, and often it’s the front-of-house staff who first identify what that is, whether it’s an interesting fact about a local ingredient or the origin of a dish. This can help the guest to appreciate the dish even more.. On the flip side, there are certain words we don’t use, because they diminish an ingredient or technique. For instance, Liam always tells the team: “Don’t say mayo, say mayonnaise”.
Q You’ve worked in many restaurants. How is Chefs Warehouse different?
Chefs Warehouse service has a different feel because the relationship between the front and back of house is exceptionally strong, and this is rare in our industry. We’re all foodies here….and we want to present these wonderful inventive dishes in the awesome locations we have.