Waiters and waitresses keep a course with full trays

For example, they had to clean a table and empty an ashtray along the way. They also had to complete the 800-meter course as quickly as possible, while spilling as little drink as possible. Anyone who spilled would receive penalty points.

One of the participants is Kitana Vanhoucke from Aquamarine, last year’s winner. This is a piece of cake, she says. “The real work is actually harder, because then you cover several kilometers. I don’t know how many kilometers I cover per day. But I do know that I take 20,000 steps, so that is good for my fitness.”

For David Degans of Dolce Casa it takes some huffing and puffing. “It’s quite a long distance, and those three liters of drink weigh a lot. But all in all I didn’t do too badly.”

No major accidents occurred. The organizer also puts the competition into perspective. There are other things important besides speed and agility. Xavier Troisi: “I prefer a friendly, slightly slower waiter or waitress than a fast, gruff one.”