A top restaurant relies on the food, service, the guests and the atmosphere.
The atmosphere makes or breaks a restaurant even when the food and service is mediocre. What really matters is the ambience and the atmosphere and that comes down to the maître d’s – they set the mood and keep it going.
As maître d’ legend Fred Siriex says, “If you get the hospitality right, the food tastes better.”
Teachers have to be the maître d’s in their own classrooms. They have to manage the environment and boss the place. We know they have to be the chef as well. In fact, teachers have to be the whole kitchen and front of house.
Maître d’ is short for Maître d’hotel which is French for “master of the hotel” and is reserved for highly skilled members of the hospitality field.
They wear many hats and do lots of jobs. This is a Russian doll of a job.
Maître d’s supervise everything that may affect the guests’ experience, such as the room’s temperature, lighting, and overall appearance of the restaurant. Yep, teachers do that.
Maître d’s are the first and last contact of the guest in the restaurant, dining room, or lounge. That’s the same for teachers.
The maître d’ communicate with their guests and get their feedback in order to ensure they are getting things right. They assess, anticipate and address customer needs and always strive to provide a better service.
They ensure that all information provided to the guests is current and accurate. They speak to their guests professionally and with respect.
They act as a bridge between the kitchen and servers so that a common vision is shared and maintained at all times. They oversee the activities in the dining room and they inspect everything all of the time t make sure the ship runs smoothly.
They can control their emotions, manage stress and maintain a positive frame of mind for most of the time. They are friendly and tactful, they smile, they can handle awkward situations. As Diego Masciaga says:
It’s personality, it’s touch, leadership – and honesty.
Does this sound like the work of a teacher in the classroom? It does and that’s why every class teacher has to be a maître d’ or master of the classroom.