I received a conditional offer from PF Chang’s, a Chinese-themed upscale chain restaurant (if there is such a thing as an “upscale chain”). The Sous Chef took my first interview, Edgar, has been working in Chinese restaurants for the past several years, and really loves the camaraderie among the staff, who, from initial appearances, appear to be not too different from other San Diego chain restaurants, from what I’ve seen: mostly Hispanics working BOH, with a more racially diverse FOH. One of the kitchen staff came out to ask Edgar a question, and the conversation was completely in Spanish. I suppose I wouldn’t feel awkward if I understood the tongue, but from my experience at Milton’s, nobody in the kitchen is going to be helpful in my learning it.
Which brings to mind another personal, potential issue for me: Will I feel as isolated in this kitchen as I did at Milton’s?
I have an interview this afternoon at Pacifica Del Mar, an upscale seafood restaurant actually located on Camino Del Mar, which is the name for Route 1 in Del Mar. I don’t remember the name of the chef, but I think it’s Chris Idso, which reads, at first glance, more like a typical Anglo-American name. I’ll see when I get there.
One thing that I told Peter about working at Milton’s was that although the BOH staff was completely Hispanic (excluding myself), the FOH was much more racially and culturally diverse. I think that will be something that I will lean toward.
My experience as a temp has taught me that this is the pattern: lower- and midrange restaurants are dominated by Hispanic kitchens, with FOH staff a more diverse mix, and upscale restaurants, where there are actually Chefs de Cuisine, are typically more Anglo-American (even if they’re not culturally English, they’re much more mixed European descendants).
Case in point: at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar (a golf course-country club-housing tract), the kitchen staff is more diverse in general, with a predominantly white European population, with equally fair-skinned servers, though I did notice a few –very few-African-American servers, though, typically, I was the lone person of Asian descent.
Maybe it’s just the way that differences in cultural backgrounds tend to cleave people into different workplaces. I’m familiar with a several Chinese restaurants, mid-range, mostly, whose staff are Chinese-American (they speak Cantonese amongst themselves, which I hear in the dining room), and they speak with customers of Chinese descent in Cantonese, as well.
Well, I’ll find out this afternoon if the pattern holds, and will write again about it.
nkpyallinone 