Many do not realize that life in the service industry can come with many sacrifices, long days/nights, early mornings, working weekends or even holidays, but one small sacrifice is that we do not get to enjoy the same regularly scheduled meals as our friends and family. When it is time to eat for most, it is time to work for us. That’s ok – it’s what we have signed up for. Some restaurants out there have adopted the concept of “Family Meal”. This is a time of day when the restaurant “family” gets to enjoy a meal (hopefully together). It is one of my absolute favorite moments of the workday. Whether this happens at the beginning of the shift or the end, whether it is a single meal put together by the kitchen crew for all to enjoy or a ‘choose your own’, it doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that the staff take some time to sit down and enjoy a hot and fresh meal.

Working at an Italian restaurant a mile or so away from my house when I was 16, I was introduced to the concept of Family Meal. At around 8:30-9:00 each night, each staff member would order something to eat and we would all sit down enjoying our food, enjoying the few moments being off our feet and sharing good stories and good food. I look back on my time at that restaurant and the thing that comes to mind first was family meal. We’d sit down and eat, have a few laughs, talk about the night, sometimes we would even share our food with our regulars at the restaurant, giving them a chance to try something new. Even as a 16 year old, I was one of the crew and I was treated with the same level of respect and reverence as any other team member and that meant something to me. I learned that my hard work was valued and that I made an impact.

I have always wanted to maintain this ritual and hold on to the notion that our team members are human beings who deserve a fresh and hot meal. At POPS our each team member gets to enjoy a free meal, anything from the menu, each day they work. I rather enjoy being able to sit down with the crew and get to know them and hear about their lives. Family is important and we think of our crew as an extension of our family and we love being able to offer Family Meal here for our hard-working and talented team members who make all of this possible!