First Dates Maître d’ Fred Sirieix said National Waiters Day should be celebrated, as the skills and staff shortage is getting bigger by the day.
The most famous waiter on television said there is a perception problem within the industry, but that its reputation is changing.
"Things are not like they used to be - people work sensible hours, pay is good, they've got good career prospects," he told Sean Moncrieff.
"If you join the industry now, you will go all the way to the top, if you are committed to quality and to your profession.
"It's not just about bringing a plate or pouring a bottle of wine. It's all about interpersonal skills [...] It's a skilled job."
"You only notice service when it's bad"
Sirieix said service is much more than serving people - it's about engagement and connection with customers.
"[It's about] reading people's minds - giving them what they want before they ask for it - is a very special skill and not everybody's able to do that.
"We all have it inside us, we just have to want to do it [...] It's up to you to engage, it's up to you to be charming."
In order to maintain your talent, Siriex recommends, like with any skill, practising every day. However, he has zero tolerance for negligence.
Hospitality - just like Avatar?
Sirieix compared customer-staff interactions to the James Cameron-directed movie Avatar.
"The people on the planet there, whenever they want to go on a horse or one of these birds, they plug their ponytail inside the animal and suddenly they're at one with the animal.
"It's the exact same with the customer - you have to plug your imaginary ponytail into the customer and you know what they want. But to do that, you have to want to do that. You don't just listen with your ears, you listen with your whole body."
Background
Sirieix was brought up in Limoges, France. His parents both worked in healthcare and says they inspired him to work in the service industry: "The conversation around the dinner table was all about patient care. It was about making sure people had a good experience.”
Sirieux began his career in the food industry at catering college, receiving some training as a chef, before quickly deciding to focus on front of house.
He trained at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France before before moving to London restaurant La Tante Claire where he worked as Chef de Rang.
Following this, he worked at Le Gavroche, Sartoria and Brasserie Roux. He is currently general manager at Galvin at Windows, a Michelin-starred restaurant on the 28th floor of the London Hilton hotel on Park Lane.