street sweepers and souffle bakers

"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"You are worthy of my best work." - Roy Yamaguchi

"I can't wait to quit this job!" - Waiting

A few years ago, the company that I work for scripted a mission statement entitled the Roy's Way. I remember the senior staff at the time scoffing at the way the suits in corporate offices had put into words what we were doing everyday. We were given little cards and booklets to read, defining Roy's way and were expected to have most of it committed to memory. I remember leaving the staff meeting and looking back at the tables and all the cards and booklets left behind like trash by most of the staff. They did not need a mission statement to define what was expected of them. Our corporate bosses had forgotten that it was us, the original staffers that defined Roy's Way, and not the other way around.

The service industry is harsh. Roy's is no exception. Kitchen staff are overworked and underpaid. Front of house employees are as easily disposed of as they are replaced. Despite all the negatives, there is something about the feeling of family that is refreshing. The corporate offices throw around words like Aloha and o'hana freely, words that have a deeper meaning in Hawaiian culture, but it is us, the staff that continually define these words.

I realize the struggle to balance family and business, community and commerce. However, fundamental Roy's Way is beautiful. At times, attempting to live up to its ideals in this system, at this present time may seem unrealistic, and and at the very least, extremely frustrating. Maybe I'm reading too far between the lines, but at the core of the mission statement I see love and respect for guests and coworkers. To treat everyone worthy of our best is a goal all should strive to live up to.

Realize that I struggle to balance frustration and fundamentals, that at my core is a desire to serve others. Tonight I skirt on the edge of burnout. I plan on leaving this restaurant job in a few months. As an ambassador of aloha, I will take the Roy's Way to whatever comes next. Expect great things from me. Even from a lowly position this Hoku hopes to shine. No matter what, I will try to give my best... you are worth it.