Hospitality Woke & #MeToo. Is it not enough?

As if hospitality didn't already have enough problems, the popular woke wave swept towards us with the firing of head chef Christian Jürgen from Althoff's Hotel Tegernsee (Germany).

"Previously, the “Spiegel" (German News Magazin) had reported on allegations by former employees against the three-star chef for inappropriate behavior. Other media also took up the case"

According to "Spiegel", Jürgens rejected the allegations as "untrue" via a lawyer. The events described did not happen "at any point in time".

Tageskarte.io

Should it actually be true, of course, that cannot be excused, but shouldn't one first clarify what really happened before condemning and destroying someones life in the media? In particular, Der Spiegel, whith questionable journalistic criteria with the invented reports by their journalist Claas Relotius, should better hold back.

Fictitious facts, fictitious scenes: Three years ago, the fraud scandal involving reporter Claas Relotius shook SPIEGEL and called the credibility of the magazine into question. What has changed since then?"

By Brigitte Fehrle01/04/2022

What has changed since then? Good question.

The tone in the kitchen and all areas behind the scenes in hotels and restaurants has always been harsh. It is an valve for people who work hard and to the limit. The fact that limits were often exceeded is certainly correct, but it is the responsibility of the operators, directors, managers to prevent this and to protect the employees.

Behind the scenes, with the hard work in the catering trade, the smiling mask sometimes has to fall for a moment. Anyone who knows the work will understand. Even open kitchens visible to the guest do not change this. There is still the dishwashing area that cannot be seen and screaming in the cold store is soundproofed and has the advantage that the opponents cool down faster.

It goes without saying that abuse must not be tolerated, but I see the management as responsible there. In hospitality we have been much more tolerant and understanding for a long time because we have always worked well with many different nations and cultures.

The US is by far more advanced (not in a positive way though).

The JBF (James Beard Foundation) stunned foodies last week when it announced it wouldn’t announce its award winners for 2020,

New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells this week uncovered the main reason: Although some black chefs were nominated, there was none among the 23 unidentified winners.

Never mind that Beard winners are chosen in polls conducted among thousands of food specialists all over the nation.

Restaurantbusiness online & New York Times 2020

It may be going a bit too far if no prize can be awarded just because there is no Black Chef among the winners. Is that racism? Or just bad cooking?

San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Soleil Ho banned from her vocabulary any number of innocuous words that might be taken as “microaggressions” — for example, “addictive” for anything delicious, Berceuse it might somehow offend minorities for who knows why.

New Orleans-based Tunde Wey, whose stunts have included charging white customers twice as much as nonwhites, recently posted an Instagram essay in which he rooted for the death of the whole restaurant industry for its “racist” practices.

Restaurantbusiness online & New York Times 2020

Perhaps we should take such excesses as an opportunity to ensure that such conditions do not develop further here in Europe.

Author: Stephan Busch, for many years Academic Director at the State University for the Humanities RGGU, Faculty of Tourism & Hospitality and the Swiss International University earned his Master Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University, USA. He has a diverse experience in launching operations, business development and service training- for hotel and cruise companies in Asia, Europe, Canada and Russia.

www.itsjusthotelsservice.com, contact@itsjusthotelsservice.com