Shareen Campbell and Phil Saunter, owners of Los Gatos and Bistro Les Chats in Wood Street, talk about life in the restaurant business.

WRITING from Pennsylvania, USA, on Sunday, where last night it was -18ºC and today it’s not expected to rise above -10ºC, it occurs to us that you’d have to be mad, or expect something very good, to venture out to a restaurant when you could enjoy a nice home cooked meal in the warm.

Nevertheless, many will be out today for brunch or lunch as they do much more often than we would consider normal.

Part of the reason is because when you eat out here you feel cared for. Service in America is, for the most part, incredibly good. Almost every worker who has contact with you sets out to make you feel welcome and comfortable.

They are usually very well trained, can answer your questions about food and drink in detail and make you feel as though nothing is too much trouble. We think there are two reasons for this.

Firstly the pay and reward structure for restaurant workers is very different from in Europe. Since 2007, the US federal government minimum hourly wage has been set at $7.25 (about £4.50.) However, employers can pay “tipped labor” as little as $2.13 (£1.30.) Expectations are clear on both sides, the server has to earn the tips in order to survive, and the customer is aware that they are expected to tip the server about 20%.

If you are good at your job, you can make a healthy living. If not – you’d better find something else!

Incidentally, in some states, sales tax is not included in menu prices either, so your expenditure, with tax and service can be 30% higher than the menu price. Eating out is not cheap.

Secondly, there is still a strong work ethic here. The American Dream – that if you work for something you can achieve it – lives on. It’s not unusual, even for professionals, to have two jobs, if that’s what’s needed to support family or lifestyle. Yes, there is unemployment and there are social problems, as everywhere, but in the main there’s a “go for it” attitude which has to be respected.

Have a nice day y’all!