Earlier this semester, I began working at Steinkeller, a hole-in-the-wall German bar and restaurant in uptown Oxford. For you Miami students, if you’ve never stopped in, I highly recommend you to do so. It honestly feels like you’re in Europe when you walk in, seeing soccer played on the TVs, maps of German cities, and banners for German beer hanging from the walls. It’s a unique atmosphere with some darn good schnitzel and beer that always draws a hungry crowd week after week; and those are the people who give me work to do. I’m a food runner. My job is to hang out in the kitchen until orders are ready to go out and then I deliver the food to the respective tables. It’s a simple job, but nothing glamorous. But in the several weeks I’ve done this job, I’ve learned more in depth what it means to serve other people. I’ve come to further realize there are several lessons to be taken away from working in the food industry.

Last week, when I was putting some cleaning supplies away in storage closet in the bathroom at Steinkeller, one of the men in the restroom, seeing that I was a employee, said something to me that I thought was very true. He said that while working in a restaurant, you see the unpleasant, demanding, and dirty sides of people. He couldn’t have been more right about that. Observing how customers request their food and how they interact with the waiters and food runners who serve them is a prime setting to gain insight into their characters. They’re hungry and they can grow impatient while waiting for their food to be delivered to them. Or maybe their food wasn’t cooked the way they want it, or they want something more or different. This means that myself, the waiters and chefs must do their best to appease the requests or complaints of customers. This can certainly be stressful during high-demand times, such as on weekend nights.

This is humbling work. I’m there putting forth effort with the rest of the restaurant staff to ensure that dozens of restaurant-goers have their wants and needs met. In the midst of bringing about customer satisfaction, tempers flare and annoyance can easily settle in as stress accumulates. I’ve got to cooperate and communicate with my coworkers in the rush and mess of a small kitchen bearing the brunt of dinner hour demand. The customers don’t care how busy we are—all they care about is getting what they want and getting it soon. That’s the reality of working in the food industry. Not to mention the messes that waiters and food runners have to clean from time to time, such as puke in a bathroom, which I cleaned a few weeks ago. Not fun, but it was a good learning experience to know what it’s like to clean up other people’s filth.

I’m not asking for your sympathy by telling you all of the responsibilities and stresses I’ve undergone while being at Steinkeller. I realize there are people who do far dirtier, more demanding jobs than being a minimum wage food runner like myself. I’m just want to bring attention to the jobs that so many people perform in society for our everyday benefit or convenience. My experience of working at Steinkeller has made me think about these types of people, especially as it relates to the food industry.

So, the next time you’re at a restaurant waiting on your breakfast, lunch or dinner, appreciate the people who work to ensure your dining satisfaction. There’s a long string of work behind every plate of food.