We visited a cafe in a small seaside village not so long ago, and nearly had an out of body experience. If it wasn’t for the Kiwi accents all around us, we could have sworn we were on the set of Fawlty Towers.
The menu was a little weird, tapas and burgers (no, not sliders), but being summer holidays, we were ready to go with the flow. Our dining neighbours were a little weird too. Maybe they don’t get out a lot, or maybe they didn’t like us? Whatever the problem, they weren’t comfortable with the cafe’s close table arrangement policy and pretty soon after we sat down, they stood up and moved to the other side of the restaurant.
We didn’t take it personally. We spread our elbows out and could talk above a whisper. Then a couple of share plates came along, nice enough, and more pleasantries were exchanged between dining buddy and me. Then the waitress arrived to clean the recently vacated table, armed with a squeeze bottle and an energetic can do attitude. We couldn’t fault her enthusiasm but before we could say Put Down Your Arms, she liberally sprayed the adjoining table with a strong-smelling chemical solution. My jaw dropped, then quickly closed again, to keep the offending particles from further invading my person, and we shielded our food from the the descending, misty chemo-cocktail.
It’s a common sight, staff working the tables with a cloth and a spray bottle, and it’s more common than not that the solution used would not have been designed to marinate food. With the focus very much on healthy eating these days, and sourcing organic produce locally – as there was on this menu – there needs to be a consistent focus on health issues right through the dining experience.
Using chemicals to clean tables at the end of a shift, or last thing at night, might be okay. Do check the potency of the product, though. And under no circumstances should a wait person ever spray chemicals anywhere near food. Hot water on a clean cloth should more than suffice to wipe down a dining surface, followed by buffing with a clean, dry cloth. Chemical-free cleaning – brilliant!
Next time I come across a ‘hospo’ situation like this I’m going to break my Buddhist motto of doing and saying nothing, but in a subtle way. I’m going to write a note. Our waitress on this occasion was delightful, and that’s a disposition to be encouraged. So, next time I’d give her a $5 tip slipped inside the note, thanking her for her pleasant service and pointing out the need to exercise caution with chemicals near food. She wouldn’t be dobbed in to the boss, and relations have remained cordial. Who knows, this young wait person might remain in hospitality, and even one day open her own cafe. And I’m picking she wouldn’t let her staff wipe down tables with a Napalm spray distribution technique.
Bon Appetit!
