Being a restaurateur. “A love story” by Francesco Panella

Jun 1 2020, 08:28 | by Michela Becchi
“Our job? We make people forget about problems and make them feel what they really are: special.” A message of love by restaurateur Francesco Panella.

Francesco Panella and his job

Work is not a job if it isn't done with passion. How many times have we heard this phrase? So many. For whom is it really so? Few. I am among these. Being a restaurateur is more than a passion for me, it is life. I was actually born in a restaurant and from that moment it has always been my home.The noise of the kitchen in full service, the screams of the chef, the waiters who move to the rhythm of the courses served, the voices of the diners, the laughter, the tears... you'll think "what a racket!", A noise that, to my ears , is better than rock'n'roll.

Restaurant business according to Francesco Panella

But the restaurant business is also giving up stuff: it means not having schedules, it means taking risks… a dish doesn't get a second chance and if you get it wrong, you fail. It means questioning yourself every single day, covering miles and miles to find the perfect ingredient... it's giving up on parties, on family... In short, you're there day after day, between kitchen, dining room, amid the customers and in the end you don't know what time it is and how long you've been there. You work while others celebrate, you focus while others relax, you don't drink while others enjoy a good glass of wine... Yet there is something that keeps you there, nailed to the job, that makes you get up every morning with the awareness that with your dishes you can make people happy. Yes, people. How important are they? For me they count more than anything else, and I try to please them by doing the simplest thing in the world, feeding them.

Restaurants at the time of Covid-19

For this reason I will continue to do what I do and I know it will be hard, that we will want to throw in the towel and give up, but I want to tell you one thing, my dear colleagues: even if Covid-19 has broken us and many of us can't reopen we must remember that what we do is important. We make people forget about problems and make them feel what they really are: special. We take care of them... that's why we can't give up.

by Francesco Panella

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