DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rob St. Onge, above, picks up a salad and poke dish from the chefs at Roy's Hawaii Kai -- Stefan Arai, left, Amy Yamaguchi, Noel Gomes, Jay Schoonover and Lorien Farris.
Winning servers
add to restaurants’
appeal
When it comes to assuring customer nirvana, a restaurant's first and best line of defense is the person serving the table. Efficiency, attitude and a genuine smile bring an immeasurable amount to the dining experience.
And it ain't easy.
Hale Aina
Awards dinnerWhen: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday
Place: Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom
Tickets: $150 ($125 with American Express card), to benefit culinary scholarships.
Call: 537-9500, Ext. 500.
"When you're on other side, you look at them, you don't really think there's a lot going on, but my goodness did I realize very quickly that it's a lot more than what you see," says Rona Reed of Bali by the Sea, voted one of the two Best Servers in Hawaii by the readers of Honolulu magazine.
"It's physically demanding. You're on your feet from the time you step on the floor. Mentally you've got to be very organized. You have to know how to prioritize all your duties and have the most patience in the entire world. ... My gosh do I appreciate it when I go out now."
This is the first time in 20 years that the annual Hale Aina Awards have included a category for waiters and waitresses. The two winners -- Reed and Rob St. Onge of Roy's Hawaii Kai -- were selected by readers of the magazine.
John Alves, vice president of Pacific Basin Communications, which publishes Honolulu, says it is notable that in the open vote -- no nominees were suggested, nor were any criteria -- Reed and St. Onge scored so much higher than anyone else. "These two really rose to the top."
Alves says the decision to add a server's category reflects the reality of the restaurant experience. "We realized that food was part of it, ambiance was part of it, but a good part of it was service. Service can make it all come together."
FL MORRIS / FLMORRIS @STARBULLETIN.COM
Rona Reed holds the day's Chef's Special Entrée at Bali by the Sea.
Reed has been at Bali in the Hilton Hawaiian Village for six years; St. Onge has worked at Roy's since opening day 15 years ago. Neither expects to leave any time soon, not to move up or out.
"There really is no negativity," St. Onge says about why he's made a career of being a waiter. "A lot of people gather their personal strengths from helping other people with their problems. But I think it's a huge high to help people forget their problems and have a good time."
And he likes the hours -- working nights gives him free time during the day -- and says the income, with tips, allows for living comfortably if he spends and saves wisely.
Reed says she had planned for Bali to be an in-between job, a way to pay the bills when she was burned out from a prior sales position. But it has suited her so well that she's stayed on part time, even now that she has a day job with the American Automobile Association.
St. Onge says successful serving involves anticipating what a guest will need, "and figuring out how to make it happen. Doing this for awhile allows you the efficiency to anticipate needs."
He says he never considers a guest "difficult," only that their needs can present a challenge.
Reed, for example, recalls one woman who was extremely particular about her cocktail order, from describing exactly how to mix the drink to specifying a certain type of orange, peeled and sliced, as garnish.
Bali doesn't serve any oranges, so Reed rushed over to another Hilton restaurant, plucked an orange off the buffet, had it prepared as described, then rushed back. "And then, I didn't do it fast enough, of course. But you have to smile, of course, and say, 'Thank you for waiting.' "
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