Last weekend my family ventured eastward to the Whitehorse Pub & Restaurant, which is located on the square of Ye Olde Towne of St George.

It vas vell

From the minute we were met at the door, until the time we left, it was first-class service every step of the way.

The drinks were good and the food served had great presentation, proportions and taste.

I am no food critic, so I won’t even attempt to use big words to describe the explosive emotions that emanated from each forkful of professionally prepared plates.

Therefore, I will sum it up in the great Bermudian vernacular of “It vas vell”.

Service not servitude

For me, what was that much more special was that 95 per cent of the staff were young Bermudians. You can see and feel their passion in serving others.

It was almost a step back in time, when local restaurants were wall-to-wall full with Bermudians of all walks of life.

A cacophony of conversations, ranging from birthday greetings, mini family reunions and sports talk could be heard. All of which helped to let one escape from the reality of nearly one year of life with Covid.

With smiles and laughter warming the halls, on an unusually chilly January night, it truly was a family-friendly atmosphere.

Clearly, what stood out the most was the attention to each set of guests that was given by Dennie O'Connor, Lee Richardson, Zarai White, David Charles Souza, Jakila Maybury, Marcie Smith, Damian Simmons and their respective crews.

Any resident of Bermuda over the age of 50 could attest to the “good old days” when Bermudians were the mainstay of the hospitality industry — from bar porters, busboys, waitstaff, all the way up to maîitre d’hôtel.

There is no way to fully encapsulate the feeling of being served by someone you know, are related to or who can relate to you.

Without a doubt, this Bermudian hospitality is what put us on the map with millions of tourists over the course of several decades.

So, as a Bermudian, it really filled my heart with pride to see all of that "young local magic" in action.

I encourage any Bermudian wishing to get into the hospitality industry to pay a visit to those restaurants in the east — Whitehorse, Wahoo’s, The Wharf or Tempest Bistro.

They have all focused on heavily investing in Bermudian staff, and it is paying off in spades. They truly deserve a round of applause.

Rave reviews

In talking to other persons via Facebook, it seems everyone who has patronised Whitehorse recently may have picked different meals from the menu, yet had the same comments about the service they received.

Here are some of the words of patrons or soon-to-be patrons:

“Dennie and his crew do a good job there. I had New Year’s Day breakfast there a few weeks ago. Rusty G was spinning and it was a good time!”

“I want the waffles and chicken, but I’ll wait till next Saturday!”

“I have been hearing really good things about Whitehorse. I am so happy about this and cannot wait to go!”

So, in closing I will leave you all with this “tip”:

Everyone in Bermuda should book a reservation. You will enjoy the food and drinks; more importantly, you will experience the Bermudian hospitality that put us on the map decades ago.

• Christopher Famous is the government MP for Devonshire East (Constituency 11). You can reach him on WhatsApp at 599-0901 or e-mail at carib_pro@yahoo.com