The famous maître d’ is crusading for the profession to be represented alongside other careers.
With the sixth annual National Waiters’ Day (NWD) taking place today (Wednesday 16 May) Fred Sirieix (First Dates (C4), Million Pound Menu (BBC)) is campaigning for a waiter emoji to be developed in recognition of the much-loved profession,which for some is a lifetime career choice.
National Waiters’ Day is the brainchild of Fred, maître d’ of Galvin at Windows at London Hilton Park Lane and is run by The Springboard Charity. It celebrates the excellence and dedication of the 2.9 million people working in the UK hospitality industry*, whilst also promoting the opportunities that exist to the next generation of front of house staff.
Whilst there are currently emojis for a variety of careers including teachers, chefs
and scientists, the waiter remains unrepresented. To draw attention to this oversight, Fred, along with a group of waiters, gathered at Hyde Park Speaker’s Corner to call on the powers that be to create an emoji for their profession.
Fred Sirieix commented on the campaign; “I set up National Waiters’ Day to celebrate the hard work of our nation’s food and service staff and to inspire young people to seriously think about a career in hospitality. This skilled, rewarding profession has so much to offer; meeting lots of different people, the opportunity to travel and most importantly, have tremendous fun whilst making others happy.
“With over five billion emojis used daily across the globe**, what better moment than National Waiters’ Day to campaign for our wonderful industry to be represented. There is a chef, so why not a waiter?”
