In photos: Hundreds of waiters descend on Hyde Park for National Waiters Day race
In pictures: National waiters day kicks off with race around Hyde Park.
Spare a though for the unaware tourists spending a Thursday in Hyde Park, only to be faced with hundreds of waiters, trays in hand, sprinting through the foliage.
The event contrasted with the protests happening elsewhere, with many waiters complaining about low pay.
National Waiters day is an event aimed at promoting the profession, and is now in its 25th year. Over 200 waiters raced the course, complete with trays, glasses and bottles of water with all fighting to be the ‘fastest waiter’ or ‘fastest waitress’.
The National Waiters Day initiative is supported and co-ordinated by The Springboard Charity and the funds raised are used to promote front-of-house careers in schools.
Fred Sirieix, who inspire the first Waiters Day, said:
The idea behind National Waiters Day is to bring a spotlight to the hospitality industry and showcase what a great range of exciting careers the industry has to offer, whilst having a lot of fun in the process.
The calm before the storm:
The race heats up:
The fastest waiter, Edgar from the Hilton London:
The fastest waitress, Hattie from Aqua restaurant