The dining room can sometimes compensate for mistakes made in the kitchen, but the kitchen cannot compensate for mistakes made in the dining room

This competition was the grand finale to a day in which renowned chefs from across Spain, maîtres d'hôtel, sommeliers, and journalists all agreed on the fundamental role of front-of-house service in the hospitality industry, from the humblest tavern to the most ambitious haute cuisine restaurant. The first panel discussion of the day focused on the evolution of front-of-house service in fine dining restaurants. According to Pere Monje, director of the Via Veneto Restaurant in Barcelona*, a temple of classicism with over half a century of history, and winner of the National Gastronomy Award for Best Head Waiter, “in the last 20 years, everything has changed dramatically while maintaining the same core values. Now there is more warmth and a more personal touch: 40 or 50 years ago, only a minority with high purchasing power could afford to go to restaurants. Today, dining has become democratized and is part of everyone's leisure time.”

For her part, the very young Laura Fernández, head waitress at the Asturian restaurant Pedro Martino (Caces, Asturias), which updates the Principality's traditional recipes, is clear that the important thing is to please the customer "through service, not servility," because "we're playing with their happiness. They're looking for an experience and to be served by someone knowledgeable." The moderator of the round table, Alberto Fernández Bombín, a food writer, winemaker, and owner of Asturianos (Madrid), shared a fundamental principle for any waiter: "In a restaurant, there's a diverse clientele, so you shouldn't treat everyone the same."

Benito Gómez, chef and owner, and Marcos Trujillo, Head of Operations at Bardal** (Ronda, Málaga), focused on the restaurant's operations, whose tasting menu is characterized by the finishing touches applied tableside to many dishes, which they themselves define as "a final flourish." The chef explained that "it's done because the preparation requires it, not for show or to look cooler. And, obviously, it makes the dining room experience more enjoyable." Trujillo added: "There's no point in doing forced or spectacular things just for the sake of it. What is undeniable is that the tableside finishing touches are an opportunity to connect with the customer." As examples, they cited the tomato dish, which is finished with gold dust and a drop of oil, which "wouldn't be the same if it were added in the kitchen and had to be carried to the table," and the goat with seaweed, whose preparation is recreated tableside to explain it to the customer.

One of the reasons for the success of the three-Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca*** (Girona), proclaimed number 1 in the world by the 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013 and 2015, is its impeccable front-of-house service, a hallmark of Josep Roca's legacy. This legacy is currently championed by Marianna Suárez, Head of Service, and Marta Cortizas, Head Sommelier, who, with undisguised passion, revealed some of the secrets of service at the Girona restaurant. After praising the Roca brothers, they explained that the work-life balance of the team is the cornerstone of the establishment: all staff members work 40 hours a week (8 hours a day) and have two days off. Suárez offered gems like “gastronomy is an art, the intangible art of the dining room is also an art” and “cooking is loving, serving is caring.” Cortizas contributed some staggering wine statistics: he manages over 8,000 labels, which translates to 110,000 bottles, and each service uses 800 glasses from the 140 different types available. And, to conclude, they shared the ten commandments of a good waiter: Responsibility, Sincerity, Honesty, Tolerance, Learning, Communication, Camaraderie, Solidarity, Respect, and Self-Improvement.

'Pairing Connection: Kitchen and Dining Room' is the title of the presentation by Pepe Solla, chef and owner of Casa Solla* (Poio, Pontevedra) and one of the pioneers of New Galician Cuisine. A chef who was a sommelier before dedicating himself to the kitchen, the first thing he said upon taking the stage was that a restaurant is meaningless without the dining room, "even if we don't realize it." He recalled how, "not so long ago, restaurants were run by maîtres d'hôtel and managers; the chefs' role is relatively recent." Philosophical and sardonic, Solla offered a very insightful reflection: “The most important person in a restaurant is the diner, not the chef, even though we've reached the point of chef tyranny. Chefs don't save lives; we only know how to cook. A chef only makes dishes; a good restaurant is built on much more, and one of the most important elements is the front of house. In restaurants, there's no Messi to save a bad service; there's only a team. The front of house can sometimes compensate for kitchen mistakes, but the kitchen can't compensate for the front of house's mistakes. Balance is paramount.” To top it all off, he added emphatically, “I'm happier when people talk about my front-of-house team than when they talk about me.”

Juan Sahuquillo, one half of Oba*, co-owner and chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant in the Albacete region of La Manchuela, along with Javier Sanz, brought along the three members of his fermentation team, led by Andrés Vera, to explain, in a presentation entitled Natura, how they combine nature and technique to develop the low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages that accompany the dishes on their unique tasting menu. They have complete freedom in their creations, with only two requirements, as Sahuquillo confessed: "that they don't taste like mojitos and that they are drinkable."

How do I like to be served? This is the question that Benjamín Lana, journalist and Director of Madrid Fusión; Carlos Rodríguez Maribona, food journalist at ABC; Alberto Luchini, food journalist at 7Caníbales; and Esteban Bezanilla, gastronome and sommelier at the Pico Velasco Restaurant in Carasa (Cantabria), attempted to answer, in a discussion moderated by Alberto Fernández Bombín. Among the conclusions they reached were the need to differentiate the type of service according to the economic and gastronomic level of the restaurant, the importance of being friendly without being overly familiar and respectful without being stiff, the ability of waiters to "read" customers and adapt to them, and the importance of asking diners about their budget before recommending a wine.

There was no unanimity on the ever-thorny issue of tablecloths, yes or no, but there was agreement on large napkins… and cloth ones at that. As there was on other matters as well. When one of the attendees asked if the customer is always right, the answer was a resounding no, “even if we have to concede.” And Benjamín Lana summed up the general sentiment by stating that what he likes most is to be served well.

Hailing from Zaragoza, where he is a bartender and owner of Moonlight Experimental, Borja Insa surprised and provoked with his unique approach to the world of cocktails, starting with the very title of his talk, 'Drinking is not just about quenching your thirst'. Solid cocktails that you eat, mixtures with unexpected ingredients (for example, blood, or rice, borage and clams) or a tribute to the writer and chef from Zaragoza, Teodoro Bardají, serve as inspiration for his revolutionary creations, destined to shape the immediate future of mixology.