2. BarrieLicious is an event that I had never heard of before we were assigned this
assignment. That being said; BarrieLicious is a food festival that runs fro two weeks’ time
(January 22nd – February 7th 2016) at multiple different golf courses and restaurants in Barrie
Ontario and slight surrounding areas. The festival stay that I took part in was at Barrie Country
Club. The Barrie Country Club took part for the entirety of the festival and had varying menus
dependent on the day when you were there. The dining rooms were filled for most of the night,
and the staff there said that it would likely be the same for the continuation of the event. The
guests appeared to have had a delectable time with the exception of a couple of plates that were
sent back for one reason or another everyone liked their food. This just goes to show the talent of
the chefs at Barrie Country Club and the impact that the BarrieLicious festival has on the
customers.
Being there on the first day allowed me to view the first menu. The menu had three full
courses, appetizers were as follows; Smoked Tomato Bisque with Basil Foam, Mushroom and
Tarragon Strudel, lastly there was a Signature Caesar Salad. Main Courses, or Large Plates,
consisted of; a Grilled New York Sirloin Steak, Chicken Supreme, Swordfish Fillet, and
Butternut Squash Ravioli. Lastly for desert the patrons has the option between two dishes;
Traditional Home-Style Carrot Cake with Warm Toffee Sauce, or White Russian Infused Crème
Brulée. One of the key features of the menu however was the designation the country club was
able to put on their menu; each menu item was designated a (v) or (g) depending on if they are
vegetarian or gluten free so that their diners know.
While partaking in assisting with the event I was subjected to a few different
environments. Firstly, and most commonly, I got to experience the mad rush of working in the
kitchen; while working BarrieLicious I spent a lot of time in the kitchen waiting for food to be
3. ready so that I could “run” it to the appropriate dining room, therefore I was able to see first hand
the many different elements that go into making the food for such a huge night like this. Next I
was able to view the different ways that different dining rooms operate. Because this was such a
huge event Barrie Country Club was able to open up both their main dining room and their
casual lounge below the dining room. While both place serve food and drinks regularly they
operate differently; while the main dining room has four different servers and a bar tender, the
casual lounge has only one server who also bartends.
Thirdly I was able to see all the work the “runners” put into their job. I believe that, by
the customers, it may be one of the most under appreciated jobs in a dining room. The servers
and bartenders they see first hand so they are obviously appreciated, the cooks and chefs make
their food so they are constantly getting compliments, but the “runners” especially at an event
like this are there simply to place the food on the table, nothing else, and because of that they are
not typically given the recognition they deserve. Not only do these workers run food from
kitchen to dining room, on both floors, but they also run people, dirty dishes from dining room to
kitchen, ensure that each table constantly has bread sticks, and even water.
In my observation I would say that the entirety of the event, at least the night I was there,
was a success. The guests were pleasant and for the most part seemed happy with their service
and food. That being said there are a few things that could have been improved. The set up of the
dining room was slightly confusing for most of the servers and runners, in order to improve this,
they could have decided on a table set up sooner than the night of the event in order to give their
staff time to learn the new set-up in order to make the night run smoother. Also if they were able
to smooth out their reservations to keep it all in one dining room rather than both then the night
could have run smoother as people wouldn’t be running up and down the stairs with food.
4. When there was an evident challenge it was excellent to see the way that they deal with
it. For example; if a plate was sent back for one reason or another the cooks handled it very
professionally, they simply made a new plate with the correction and moved on. There was not
real upset reaction of any kind because the customer did not want the food they were provided
they simply moved on with the evening. That same concept was evident in the way they dealt
with every challenge; they took the challenge head on, fixed it and continued on with their
nights.
This exercise was very beneficial in my opinion. Immediately after I arrived I had a new
appreciation for all that goes on in the kitchen and dining room on a nightly basis and even more
what goes on during a festival or event such as this. I learned that when there is a menu it is a
good idea to list everything that is going to be on a dish so that people know what they need to
ask the plate not to have rather than send it back after the dish has been served. I also learned that
people appreciate the little things, such as the gluten free and vegetarian designations on the
menu. I also got the unique opportunity to learn how the kitchen goes crazy when they are
serving dinner in the dining room and a large event in the event room.
I think the most important thing I learned from this experience was the interaction
between staff. The managers at the club were very considerate and kind to us and the other staff.
Despite the fact that we were simply guests in the kitchen and dining room during this event the
managers and other staff treated us like other staff members that had been there for longer than a
few hours. Having never worked in a kitchen or dining room before the interaction between
kitchen staff was also new to me so it was an excellent learning experience for me. This is
especially true if I am to work in a kitchen again.
5. Overall this experience has truly changed the way that I view kitchen and dining room
services. I now see them less as a customer that simply wants to be served and like someone who
can see all of the working parts behind the scenes. This will be very beneficial in my future as
there may come a time when I will need to work a kitchen or a clubhouse overall and that will
likely involve working with people who were doing the same things as myself that night and the
same thing as others who were working so hard for so little recognition.
6. References
BarrieLicious Festival - Barrie Country Club $25 Menu week 1. (n.d.). Retrieved
February 12, 2016, from http://www.barrielicious.com/index.php/the-restaurants#25-menu-
week-1
BarrieLicious Festival - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved February 12, 2016, from
http://www.barrielicious.com/
