The Waiters' Race: Servers show off their skills in Soho and in Paris
On Sunday, 21st July, waiters in London competed against each other to prove their serving skills. Soho saw nearly 50 professional servers come from all around to compete in the annual waiters’ race. This was no ordinary footrace though, these athletes had to prove their skills as a server.
The waiters had to navigate the course, lined out by the excited and mostly drunk crowd, as quickly as they could while sporting a waiter uniform and carrying a tray loaded with a wine glass, a bottle of fizz, an ashtray and a napkin.
Like any competition, rules applied; breaking anything on the tray during the race disqualifies the contestant, and cheating – using two hands on the tray or adhesive – also leads to disqualification.
Like any race, this is about speed, but as Takashi O’Rourke, the organiser, describes it, “This is about style as much as it is about going fast”.
Minutes before the start contestants could be seen stretching and squat-jumping, getting their hearts pumping in anticipation. Marco Selver, one of the contestants, told the New York Times “I’m making sure I’m loose and ready to go” adding that this was “the Olympics for us waiters”.
The competition pits pubs and restaurants in London against each other, with a waiter representing the establishment, although they compete individually. A version of this waiters’ race has been around since at least the mid-1950s and continues to grow as the years go on.
The race was hosted by the Soho Society, a charity in London, and included cash prizes, with the first-place prize being 100 pounds, as well as a costume contest which was awarded to the winners at the end.
The race was the main feature of the 49th Soho fete, a typically British outdoor public function, which included live music, good food and other fun activities throughout the day, including tug of war, a spaghetti-eating contest and a dog show.
The race is meant to celebrate an often low-paying and overlooked profession, with an emphasis on Soho and a celebration of its culture and residents.Time Lord, the chair of the Soho Society, said that they’re “trying to assert character and individuality in an increasingly bland and generic world of city centres”.
At the end, all contestants who passed the finish line celebrated their achievement by popping the cork and spraying their hard-earned Prosecco over themselves and the crowd in one big collaborative celebration.
Parisian ‘Waiter Race’ returns after 13-year hiatus to promote Olympic spirit
Waiters and waitresses have raced through the streets of the French capital for the first time in 13 years.
Balancing a tray with a croissant, coffee cup, and glass of water, the fastest competitors from Paris’ cafes and bistros took to the start line on Sunday, March 24.
The 110-year-old event was held for the first time after a 13-year hiatus and is being used to promote this summer’s Olympics held in the city. It took place along the streets of the historic Marais district, in a loop starting and finishing at Town Hall.
Around 200 participants, dressed in their uniforms, loaded up their trays with a regulation pastry, a small but empty coffee cup, and a full glass of water.
At the end of the race, they were judged on how much liquid they had spilt as well as their time.
The “waiters’ race” in Paris, also called the “Course des Garçons de Café” in French, has been a tradition since the early 20th century. It began as a fun and competitive event among waiters and waitresses in cafes and restaurants across Paris.
The exact origins of the race are a bit unclear, but it’s believed to have started around the 1920s or 1930s.Some stories say it was organised by cafe owners to draw in more customers, while others suggest it was simply a friendly competition among waitstaff to show off their skills and speed.
Source: External
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