Have you ever thought what it really means to have a bar?
No, I’m not talking about operational work… I mean on an emotional level.
Many people think that having a bar is ‘simple’. Nothing could be more wrong!
Having a coffee shop is not just about serving coffee… it is much more!
Those who decide to take this path have not just chosen a job, but a lifestyle.
Having a café means waking up before dawn, when the city is still asleep, to prepare the first espresso of the day and welcome one by one all the customers who need energy to start the day.
Having a café means knowing all the customers by name, remembering how they take their coffee and knowing from a glance if they need an extra smile today.
Having a café means hearing the sound of the espresso machine as a melody. The highest expression of music then comes during the frothing of the milk. In fact, a good barista can only whip it while listening with his eyes closed.
Having a bar, however, also means changing the rhythms of one’s life, adapting them to serve the many.
Having a bar is hard work and sacrifice, and often leads you to have to make sacrifices in your personal life.
But it is also satisfaction, when a customer tells you: ‘Here coffee tastes special’, or ‘With this smile of yours today the day will go well!
Having a bar means creating a little corner of home for everyone who enters, without ever discriminating against anyone, because a bar is not just a place… it is a meeting point, of stories and emotions.
Deciding to work in a cafeteria is pure passion.
I write this for two reasons:
Il primo e il più importante è
To thank all the baristas and barmaids who make their job, their mission, every day, who put their heart into every single cup and who greet us with a smile, never giving up in the face of challenges and fatigue.
The second is to show the real work behind the counter, not just the fictional work one imagines when one is a mere customer.
Owning a bar is indeed a popular dream for many entrepreneurs. The stimulating environment, interesting customers and fun events add to its appeal.
But as with any activity, it is important to compare all the pros and cons.
Below is an audio that has gone viral on various social media over the past year:
‘Make them wait tables for your children,
who to the sound of
‘thank you’
‘please come in’
‘welcome’
politeness becomes a conditioned reflex
and a smile a weapon to move forward.
Make them cook for your children,
that when they work with people of all ethnicities and religions
they will learn that racism is a lame thing
and that there are so many stories in cultures
not even Netflix…
Let your children be bartenders,
they will learn that with alcohol in their bodies
we are all the same,
from the rich entrepreneur to the starving man
and that what we want at the end of the day is just a bit of listening
in a world that has no more time to waste.
In short…
Make your children work in restaurants,
even if only for a couple of days,
just as they tell you to make them do team sports,
after-school activities and educational outings.
Here,
our camp is a hall and a kitchen,
our attack strategy is to spit blood
to give an emotion,
our goal
to steal a compliment, a smile, a pat on the back,
and our referee
is every person who sits at our tables.’
Sure, it is not written by Shakespeare, but the message it sends is very strong, and every time I listen to it, it overwhelms me. It hits me straight to the heart, because I have been there and I know exactly what he is talking about.
As I said before, this job requires sacrifice and it is not for everyone, and unfortunately it is not for me either, as I could not cope after the fourth year.
But I will never deny those four incredible years.
They formed me as a worker perhaps even more than the university.
It taught me at least half of the things I still use today.
It instilled in me passion and dedication.
And it taught me that nothing should be taken for granted and that there are no A or B jobs.
He showed me respect.
Anyone who knows me knows that I always tell all the young people struggling with their first work experience or all the parents I talk to: do at least a few months behind a counter or in a restaurant, it will change you forever and educate you about life.
È il lavoro più bello del mondo 💛
Marketing, E-commerce e Social Media Manager
Coffee Lover
