PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED BY WAITERS IN RESTAURANTS OF STAR HOTELS IN TAMILNADU

Waiters and waitress play a great role in customer service. Since they are the one who have direct contact with customers of diversified nature, everyday is a challenge for them in performing their job. The present study enquired about the challenges faced by the wait staff and tried to provide some implications. The researcher employed descriptive method of research and to collect data survey technique was used. There were 184 wait staff responded to this study. The sample was drawn through cluster sampling technique from 10 three star hotels in Tamilnadu. A Challenge Checklist with three alternatives was developed and validated. The findings reveal that majority of the waiters face moderate level of challenge in their profession, most of them face problem with running children, parents who don't care about their children's behaviour, lengthy working time, sore feet, Disruptive shift pattern, hands smelling condiments etc. The wait staffs significantly differ in facing challenges with regard to their age and the locality of the hotel. Implications were provided.