In the heat of the bar La Plata bar, in the Gòticone not only finds practically the same brief repertoire (rich and imperishable) of market tapas as his original proposal from 1945, but also wraps himself in the warmth that pepe gomez radiates since one fine day he entered the payroll 50 years ago. That little miracle, that of the loyal staff of a bar or restaurant, to which he links his entire working life, is a phenomenon in extinction in Barcelona. The pandemic and its forced furloughs have encouraged an avalanche of early retirements and withdrawals that leave many bars and restaurants even more orphans of smiles and professionalism. They also occur in the midst of an unprecedented labor crisis in the hotel industrydue to personnel shortages in hundreds of local businesses, little trained talent and insufficient vocations.
The case of La Plata would not be so surprising in Madrid, or in Andalusia. There it is common to run into waiters or chefs with tradition, those who know the name of the diner. But Barcelona, with a whirlwind of gastronomic novelties where most of its restoration is less than 10 years old (as this newspaper reported on the 31st) and the weight of fashions and high rents leave little room for rooting, it suffers like never before the lack of professionals. Hospitality schools insufflate quality but little quantity, while the rest of the demand has to be fed by a lot of young people passing through, who serve dishes from time to time, but could be working in a Zara or selling mobile phone contracts. The hotel industry does not attract because it has always been considered sacrificed in schedules and insufficiently paid, something that the most professional entrepreneurs try to reverse.
“trades are lostthere are few vocations and little professionalism & rdquor ;, sighs Ramon Bofarull, fifth generation at the helm of The snails, which until recently lined up workers with more than 30 and 40 years of resume in the house, recently retired. “Some spoke seven languages, always with a smile, ready for the customer to have a good experience & rdquor ;. The health crisis has forced adjustments and transfers are becoming more complicated every day; It has cost him but now he boasts of a template.
Like at home
For Pepe, from La Plata, who entered as a recommended assistant for a salary of 6,000 pesetas, life has paraded through the charming bar manned by Anna Marjanet, whose parents began a modest adventure to feed the port workers who every day Today it appears in all tourist guides. This Malaga native, who has successfully transplanted to Poble Sec, speaks to them in a thousand languages, while he serves a display of freshly fried fish (Mari has been embroidering it since 2009), sausage, anchovies and tomato and onion salad. All local, affordable and addictive.
Knowing that they had a jewel in the trench, Pepe has been pampered so that he does not leave. He leads the day to day, sweats to find faithful staff and despite his privileged schedule (since the pandemic they have adjusted the day), he shows up daily in advance so that his 40 kilos of daily fish or his own label vermouth are not lacking. Only “has failed & rdquor; during the military service, and even then they sent him 300 pesetas in a money order to mitigate it. “I have endeared myself to the people& rdquor ;, sentence. “Do not bring anyone else that we do not fit & rdquor ;, he jokes before the clients, on the verge of half a century in the house.
If before it was already difficult to run into “lifelong” staff in the Catalan capital, after the pandemic it is even more so. in the historical Salamanca and in La Barca del Salamanca until a few months ago they almost had the wikipedia of the local hotel industry, many decades in the house, staff “like family”, now retired. In Can Miserias, which changed course a few years ago, there was also a generational change. The same in Los Caracoles, and it adds up and goes on. After these retirements, long-term professionals are scarce.
In Can Culleretes (1786), the oldest in the city, Juan Gil still has the rope for a while, the chef who at 55 years old, adds 40 before some stoves that he discovered by chance and dazzled him. He lived in Vallirana and began to cultivate a small garden that Siscu Agut gave him, until he proposed to jump into his restaurant, where he gave her all his recipe book and a professional career. He counts the tens of thousands of cannelloni that he has made over the years. “I liked it right away, it is a very slave profession, it has to conquer you & rdquor ;, he summarizes. He has never been tempted to change ships, because he feels “at home. That is perhaps the key to loyalty in the hotel industry: good human treatment, reasonable conditions, recognition.
His family has spent Christmas alone, like that of all those who illustrate this report, but over time the conciliation has been improving. Hours from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., he already without nights. Closed on Sundays. He is also happy to see that the usual stews, which he embroiders, also conquer the new generations, beyond the loyal customers for life, and that the business is recovering again after two dark years.
In the case of Javier Requena, who has spent 36 of his 60 years in the hall of the Port Set, no temptation has been more powerful than anchoring in the emblematic local Porxos d’en Xifrè. He worked in a hotel until trying his luck as a waiter’s assistant, for 500 pesetas at the time in the establishment that has dispatched the most paellas for decades. And he grew until he became a metre 24 years ago, commanding a symphony of service that involves up to 250 simultaneous diners, and that reaches its zenith when a customer appreciates the evening and promises to return: “That comforts & rdquor ;. “Now we are looking for waiters but there are none, nobody wants to.” And that they sign 40-hour weekly days, full vacations, weekend rotations…
With fewer and fewer historic restaurants, other more recent ones also subscribe to merits but maintain the original staff. In O’Peregrine, one of the best seafood restaurants in Barcelona, which is experiencing a second youth with its new owner, Alejandro Sanahuja, they have preserved Miguel Martínez, who has been masterfully running the room for 22 years, and Jordi Valcárcel, with 22 as head in the same kitchen.
Identified with the client
Martínez is one of those who knows what wine Mr. X will drink as soon as he walks through the door, and how his partner likes lobster. He details the details of each dish, with passion; he recommends, even if something is excessive; he cares about the details, whether the shrimp is from Sant Carles de la Ràpita, whether there is suckling pig today. “I love that the client remembers how well they have been treated, that he leaves happy. And that someone comes recommended & rdquor ;. Taking off Sunday nights and Mondays is a routine of life, which is compensated with tight shifts, summer vacations… or feel recognized and valued. His colleague, who turns every fruit of the sea into a delicacy, has never been tempted to move to another place, for the same reasons. A stable and happy environment that allowed him to start a family after a few years.
In Windsorwhich champions contemporary Catalan cuisine from its elegant space on Carrer de Còrsega, its director Joan Junyent (National Gastronomy Award 2022 to the best head of the room), is very clear that as vital as a delicious menu is a first class team. That’s why they pamper continuity. They opened in 1996, but they maintain personnel in different areas with up to 22 years on the payroll, such as the essential dishwasher Narciso Soto or chef David Rodríguez, who has 18. The latter, now on vacation, has been in charge of the kitchen for four, after spending for all functions and tanning at Arts or Botafumeiro, among others. He enjoys interpreting traditional dishes, where “you see what you eat”.
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The argument for not moving anymore is broad: Above all, humane treatment. “It’s like a family, good atmosphere, meetings, work without shouting…”. And of course, that the business closes in August, Sundays and bank holidays, and has adjusted and humanized schedules since the pandemic, with a conciliation difficult to find in the ring of the hotel trade.