Inside 11 Madison Park

While the world’s top 50 restaurants’ list was doing the rounds, I could not help but reminisce being lucky enough to have worked for one, 11 Madison Park – 5th on the list.
However, when I was working there I was too naive to actually gauge the stature of the place. Plus, I was too starry eyed, with the glitz and the glamor, the people, the opportunities, the experience – it was all so overwhelming as well as so satisfying – to focus on 11 Madison alone. Well, now I know!

For a student in New York City, part time jobs are always desired, required, and enjoyed, for that extra moolah to spend at that suave wine bar at Columbus circle or that new arrival on the shelf at A&F or that trip to Vegas. Some of the easy-to-get jobs are the front positions at restaurants, florists, motels, and neighborhood grocers. However, a hostess position at 11 Madison Park, or places of the same genre, is not at all easy. You require reasonable experience, working for similarly ranked establishments, education (being a grad student helps!), language skills and/or last but not the least, recommendations. The interview is a blur. After a series of questions, checking on references, and showing me around the establishment, I got hired for a few shifts (mostly weekday lunches) at the restaurant.

Readers who are well acquainted with the New York restaurant scene would know and understand how different it is from India. A restaurant, especially the fine ones, are selling a brand, a product and a service, not just food and beverage. So, customers are top priority and hence, service is as important as the food is. It is always a sales pitch for the restaurant, from the time a customer makes a reservation till the time they leave to wave down the cab or walk down to the subway. Every person, on the restaurant floor, has to provide an experience for them that firstly, they feel comfortable, relaxed, happy and hence spend more, and secondly, they keep coming back, themselves as well as bring/send their friends/family. It is like a show, a presentation that convinces you to.

The floor staff (servers, food runners and busboys) are always segregated into separate teams and assigned different sections before the beginning of the shift. The server leads the team for the shift. The floor managers oversee the operations and service, initial complaints, requests, or issues. And the General Manager ensures the smooth functioning of the entire crew, sync between the kitchen and floor, the bar, and takes care of the escalations. The bar is usually serviced by, apart from the bartenders, by a runner and busboy who has a smaller, less busy areas. Sometimes, for busier bars, they have designated runners and bussers. Different restaurants have different strategies for the segregation plan, but overall the model is similar. Depending on experience and time spent at the current restaurant, the servers and the team are given sections (busier, premier) and/or days (weekends).

Before any shift, there is always the briefing. This is an extremely important session for all of the floor staff. In some of the best restaurants, including 11 Madison Park, the floor staff, including the hosts, hostess and maitre ‘d, are tested on their (precise) knowledge of the menu being served, wines, wine pairing, and more. The staff is questioned on what ingredients go into making each dish, the process of cooking and plating. Everyone should be aware of any ingredient in any dish which may cause allergic reactions. Everyone gets to taste all the dishes at least once. There is training from the chefs and kitchen staff to ensure absolute knowledge. Everyone is checked for cleanliness (clean shaven or not), neatness, uniform (dry cleaned for every shift), shoes, accessories (bling to be at a minimum), body odor, etc.

When servers walk up to any new table (a new customer or a regular patron), they begin a service beyond expectation, feel the pulse of the customer, the occasion, the people he/she is with, and start the service accordingly. A server would know which wine to sell, most appropriate to the occasion and company. However, a customer’s privacy is well respected as well.

I have seen some celebrities (from Hollywood, White House, and the sports industry) come dine at 11 Madison Park. None of us were allowed to even look/feel excited; no pictures, no autographs, and no going up to the table to say hello. They had to be made to feel as comfortable as any other diner at that time.

Any account of 11 Madison Park is incomplete without mentioning Chef Daniel Humm or Mr. Daniel Mayer (previous owner of the restaurant). The menu at the restaurant would keep changing, with the 4 seasons, including wine suggestions/pairing. So, one would never feel bored too soon, while dining here. Chef Daniel is a star, and everything that comes out of his kitchen to the table, is beyond perfect. He uses mostly locally sourced ingredients, mainly from farmer’s markets and creates absolutely stunning (yet simple, flavorful) experiences on the plate. He earned 3 Michelin stars with 11 Madison, several James Beard Foundation awards, as well as other accolades. Today he owns the restaurant along with his partner Will Guidara, bought over from New York’s top restaurateur and the head of Union Hospitality Group, Danny Mayer.

My experience at 11 Madison Park was overwhelming, to say the least. Although nostalgic (been over 8 yrs now), it has been difficult to pen down the entire experience in one write-up. You have to experience it to believe it! And maybe my experience here has set my standards for the hospitality industry too high.