Its not the hours you put in but what you put into the hours

I have worked in hospitality since the age of 14. 

My very first job was in a cafe, making sandwiches, clearing tables and operating the till. Working 4 hours on a Saturday and sometimes 4 on a Sunday too.   Whilst this job was only temporary it ignited my love of the service industry, and was the starting point for a career that has now spanned 2 decades and 3 if not 4 continents.


Ive learnt a lot over the years and am constantly learning. This is one of the things I adore about this industry.   One thing that has stuck with me throughout though is, that when you work in the hospitality sector the job is never ever about you. 

It is not about how many hours you have worked, or how many days straight you do- something some if not most hospo workers like to wear as a bodge of honour.   Its not about what time you started your shift and whether you have had a break yet.  It's not even about the fact that the kitchen closes in 4 minutes but you have a line of 5 people waiting to order.

It's not about you. It's about what you put into those hours when you are at work, and what you deliver to the guest.

You are such an integral part of the puzzle, an essential cog to making the machine work.  But ultimately, when it comes down to it, it is about the guest and not about you.

In an ideal world, that we all strive for, there would be a perfect balance, between making the guest happy and still keeping all staff content.  This is the ideal.

I have worked in many many places that range on this scale, from not giving a flying fuck about their staff (or the guests for that matter), to places who invest in their staff ,who then go on to invest in their job and therefore the guest.  It is a sliding scale.

However the point I want to make is this.

Your attitude and how you approach your role can have the most significant impact on not only you, but your colleagues, the guests and also yourself.


When you make it about yourself, more often than not you end up disappointed. You get frustrated because things haven't gone how you expected, you get angry at the person who wants to order drinks whilst you are trying to do stock. You get resentful when someone else gets sent home before you when they started their shift after you.  All of which translates to the guest and your workmates.

So next time you find yourself in this situation, try putting yourself in someone else's shoes and seeing the situation from their perspective.  Maybe your boss hasn't given you a break yet because he or she needs you on the bar/ floor because you are a stronger team member.  Maybe the fact you haven't been sent home first is a good sign. Maybe your stock can wait whilst you give the guest your undivided attention as if they were the first customer of the day and not one of the last. Maybe that person who is ordering food 3 minutes before the kitchen closes has just been turned away from 4 other places in town and is so thankful you are willing to feed them.


Maybe, just maybe, it is not about you.

"Its not the hours you put in but what you put into the hours that count"- E James Rohn

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