By JAY HOWSER
Almost all returned missionaries who come to Provo to finish school have jobs on the side to earn money. Consequently, many local restaurants which specialize in foreign food employ returned missionaries and then reap the benefits.
Returned missionaries have often received extensive training in foreign languages. This is one of the biggest advantages they bring to the restaurants, said Stacy Fife, general manager at Los Hermanos in Provo.
“Most of our male servers here, about 90 percent of them, are returned missionaries, ” Fife said. “We have a mostly Hispanic kitchen and we use the returned missionaries a lot to help communicate with them.”
Other restaurants also use returned missionaries to communicate with employees … and sometimes even with the owners.
This is the case with Brian Drummond, 22, a sophomore from Chico, Calif., majoring in international business. Drummond works at Demae Japanese Restaurant in Provo, and he said it is very important to be able to speak Japanese there.
“The owners are Japanese and it helps me to speak to them,” Drummond said. “Also, a lot of the people who come in are Japanese and it’s good to have a waiter who can speak to them in their language.”
In a restaurant serving Italian food, it is also beneficial to have waiters who speak Italian, said Trisha Martinez, a hostess at Ottavio’s Restaurant in Provo.
“We are an authentic Italian restaurant, and having servers who speak the language helps give us a more authentic look,” Martinez said. “Our Italian customers can also relate more with them, so they feel more at home.”
Employers at restaurants are also impressed with the integrity of the returned missionaries. Martinez said the returned missionaries at Ottavio’s make good employees because they are reliable and trustworthy.
It is for these qualities that returned missionaries are hired at the Thai Chili Garden in Provo, said manager Nan Indra.
“There aren’t that many language barriers with employees or customers here, but before August all of the servers except me were returned missionaries,” Indra said.
“They are good with people so they help customer relations. They are hard-working, honest and have integrity,” she said.
