post 12

I think that Mirabelli’s research question lies in the idea that waiters/servers at restaurants are unintelligent people that are not skilled.  It is evident that he is trying to dispel this concept by stating: “…I hope this work will contribute to the development of understandings and policies that build more respect and recognition for service work to help ensure it does not become equated with servitude” (541).  By saying this, he proposes his main idea that he believes the work done as a waiter is hard work that requires thoughtful thinking but is typically written off as unskilled and repetitive in nature.  Mirabelli does his research at a diner in which he worked himself called “Lou’s Diner.”  While there, he studied his own personal experiences of working as a waiter and also observed fellow waiters at the restaurant in there interactions on busy weekend nights.  He helped answer his research question by explaining the menu and how complex it can be for a waiter.  Not only must a waiter have the ability to know everything on the menu, they must also have knowledge of how the food is prepared and what ingredients are used while making the food.  This is essential due to the questions that are asked by patrons regularly during the shift and by being able to appropriately answer questions in different situations, requires certain skills and intelligence.  Having knowledge in the field of serving does not solely involve reading what is on the menu and knowing the ingredients, but rather mastering the situations that occur often.  Knowing how to read people and being able to interact with them in a positive manner are crucial for being able to perform as a successful waiter.  It is explained early in the article that waiting tables is said to only require a 9^th grade level of education to do the job, Mirabelli disproves this by showing how complex the work can become.