Boiling Point: 5 points every restaurant worker can relate to
By Jonathon Redden
Promotional Picture of “Boiling Point” (Credit: BBC)
Boiling Point is a brilliant new BBC drama that portrays the chaos of kitchen life in four thrilling episodes which see a team of chefs, waitresses and bartenders trying to keep a jam-packed restaurant running smoothly under serious pressure. Each episode does not follow a complex and confusing story so viewers do not need to worry about dozing off and needing to rewind the last minute of dialogue, making it a great series to multitask to! The idea of Boiling Point is to resemble the real-life food industry as closely as possible so viewers can feel the connection, but what is it that makes this series hit so close to home? Here are the five main ingredients:
1. When the restaurant is packed, everyone panics
Each episode begins in a relaxed and steady manner, with head chef Carly and her workmates preparing for the day ahead while having a friendly joke with one another. But with just a few rings of a bell, disaster unfolds as the orders pile up, and everyone becomes irritated with each other.
Colleagues raising their voices when asked to repeat a command, smiles wiping off faces, speed walking to each area, reminding your colleagues that you are too busy – the job suddenly becomes too much, and you would rather be anywhere else. Kitchen stress is portrayed in Boiling Point through swearing, particularly from Bolton, who easily gets frustrated, but with the pressure they are working under, sometimes you just cannot control your anger.
2. That one workmate who is always on your side
When young chef Jamie begins at Point North restaurant, he quickly forms a brotherly friendship with kitchen porter Jake who immediately bond thanks to their similar interests and easy-going personalities, and soon begin to greet each other with bro fists. As a former dishwasher myself, someone who I worked with immediately sprung into mind, who completely and would start discussions from the struggles of our jobs to films we’ve watched. As long as you respect everyone else, there will always be someone who has your back at work no matter how many others mistreat you.
3. You have the urge to punch someone who irritates you
Unfortunately, although you will always form a special friendship at work, there will no doubt be that one person you really dislike and must deal with every now and again. However, putting someone in their place at work is not easy as you are tired, under pressure and in front of other people who can just back them up. This means that ignoring them would be the better option, but inside, you would very happily slap them across the face if you could.
Boiling Point portrays this problem very well, particularly in a scene where Robyn, a waitress who already happens to be having a bad day, accidentally serves soup to a loud, arrogant customer without a spoon who, as a result, creates an awkward scene by asking her if she could try his soup. Here, you can tell by her face that she would like to give him a piece of her mind, but unfortunately, there isn’t much she can do as a waitress. I'm confident that the whole of the UK had bad flashbacks as they watched this scene.
4. When you start a new job and your workmates are getting frustrated with you
Starting a new job is like stepping into a strange new world, and it takes a good few weeks to settle into the workplace. During chef Johnny’s first day at Point North, he asks Carly a question but there is a very mild hint of frustration in her voice showing that she is annoyed inside but must hold it in to treat her new worker with respect.
Foul-mouthed chef Bolton later takes advantage of the new worker by asking if he is smart enough to know how to boil an egg. This is very common, and is a reason why starting a job is intimidating – being afraid to ask for help in case your workmates think you are stupid.
5. Sneakily eating food
Ah, the store room. It’s full of every sort of food you can imagine, just sitting there waiting to be picked up like they’re saying “Just have one, no one will notice.” Well, pot washer Jake speaks for every restaurant worker in episode one when he fancies a quick snack during a trip to the store room and stuffs his face with as much as possible while he has the chance. But KPs will find this especially relatable since they take full advantage of not being looked after as well as other staff. Small details like this are the cherry on top to Boiling Point’s genius.