Women Who Wait: Why waitresses in India are a rare sight

You may have adored Rachel Green in the much-loved American sitcom Friends, but would you do the job of a waitress? Uh-oh! "The general disrespect for wait staff is a culture and class issue because we expect servitude from them, not service," says NRAI president Riyaaz Amlani, offering part of the reason stewardesses are almost invisible at restaurants in India.

Despite society's outlook, 25-year-old Suchita Diwale, who works at Mamagoto's Kala Ghoda outlet in Mumbai, took it up after being rejected by airlines over her height. "I don't care about what people think. I know what the work is like."

Four and half years ago, she had started out as a hostess at Indigo Deli, where she later took to waitressing and was promoted to a Floor Manager's position due to her good performance at Mamagoto, where she has been working for three years.

This kind of growth is exactly what Seronica Colasso likes about waitressing. "Many girls don't want to pick up jhoota plates or wipe tables after guests, but working as a hostess was very boring. Waitressing allows you to learn about food and beverages, get tips and increments even in six months if you work well," says the 33-year-old who is currently with The Pantry, Mumbai.

Before this, Colasso had passed off a good offer by British Brewing Company because they required her to work late. "They didn't discriminate though I'm a woman, and were willing to give me a drop, but my husband is strictly against it. My in-laws are supportive, but you know how society thinks…"

Liana D'Silva (name changed), who has been recruiting staff for five-star hotels and up-market restaurants for the last five years, says, "Earlier, people thought if you work in hospitality, people will follow you, torture you..." Whether it's genuine concern, conservative attitude or fear of society, night shifts are a problem for many women, making them less desirable for restaurateurs, whose business picks up at night.

"A few years ago, the court passed an order that women mustn't be made to work post 10 pm and where they do, employers must arrange a drop. It led to a seven per cent decline in hiring of women," recalls Parijat Borse an F&B industry recruiter. "But the number is rising again," he adds.

Hospitality, Borse says, has been a very oppressive industry. "Traditionally, hospitality graduates weren't treated well. The hours have always been long and the pay is low. Therefore, convincing women was even more difficult." Most shifts are for nine hours, and extend by an hour on busy days.

Before the court's order, on the days that Diwale worked night-shifts at Indigo Deli, she would start at 6.30 pm and finish by 2 am, but would leave only by 4 am, when it was safe to take a train home to Mankhurd.

"Mumbai is quite liberal, but down south and in Delhi, forget waitresses, it used to be difficult to get hostesses," says Borse.

Considering starting salaries at the steward-level, which merely requires candidates to clear HSC, is about Rs 7,000 (tips fetch about Rs 6,000), many prefer working at call centres that pay much more. But shortage of women is low, right at the entry level. "They comprise only about 20 per cent of hospitality graduates," says Borse. But because stewardesses are hard to find, they sometimes get paid better than men.

Over the years, Borse has found women more loyal to employers than men, but D'Silva's experience has been that "after 6 months, women move to airlines, guest relations, etc and well-qualified ones also go abroad. With few women among the men, customers notice every time they leave or are replaced. It creates a bad image."

High attrition is the reason that though Mihir Desai, co-owner of The Bar Stock Exchange chain, believes that women "are more focused and organised", he has employed waitresses only at his Bandra outlet. In Borse's experience employers largely hire 18 – 25 year-olds, who agree to lower pay and more work. Colasso would agree. She recalls, "As a spinster, I could get a job in two minutes, but not after the nine-month gap post my son's birth". To return to the job market she demoted herself from her last role as a manager to a hostess. "In my first job after the baby, employers didn't promote me for three years despite my quality of work and the longer hours I put in, because I refused night shifts." 

While the numbers haven't risen drastically, more restaurants -- Hard Rock Café, Irish House and even traditional ones like Copper Chimney to name a few -- now have one or two waitresses at some of their outlets. The game changers were quick-service restaurants like Burger King and Mc Donald's. Its crew has 30 per cent women. "They brought a work culture of equal opportunity employment (EOE), mandated by law in their home countries," says Borse.

The burst of standalones has also had an impact. "A lot of new restaurateurs are professionals from various sectors, who have been groomed not to discriminate," observes Borse. Standalone restaurant chains also offer growth opportunities, making hospitality lucrative, points out Amlani, adding that "NRAI has been doing a lot of dignity campaigning with workshops on EOE and non-harassment".

Happy with The Pantry's respectful and friendly atmosphere, Colasso is confident they'll let her grow. Diwale, who liked her Indigo Deli experience, appreciates how Mamagoto's owners personally meet the staff. Both are positive that in time, we'll see more stewardesses. Well, let's hope so. As Amlani rightly says, “Having more women in the industry is what will encourage more women to be there”.