Towards the end of May the catering and hospitality trades will be joining forces to celebrate the hard work of frontline staff such as waiters and bartenders, whose efforts often get overlooked.

National Waters Day has been devised it pay homage to the profession’s skill and dedication, and to promote the amble career opportunities that are associated with front-of-house and service jobs within in the industry, from pulling espresso shots, to tending bars, right through to managing a team of waiting staff.

“The idea behind [the day] is to bring a spotlight on the [entire] industry and showcase what a great range of exciting careers the industry has to offer, and we’ll also be having a lot of fun in process,” said organiser and founder Fred Sirieix.

There will be a number of events taking place, but the celebration’s showpiece will be held in London’s Hyde Park on May 21^st and will be headlined by a ‘Waiters Race’ where competitors have to showcase their skills against the clock.

“The Waiters Race,” the official description states, requires entrants to run whilst “[balancing] a tray, cup and bottle.” Basically, it’s a souped-up egg and spoon race for catering professionals!

Additionally, workshops and educational seminars will be on offer to those in attendance.

All the proceeds raised from the events in Hyde Park will be donated to the Springboard Charity; a group who help young, unemployed and disadvantaged people find work and placements within the catering, hospitality and leisure sectors.

Anne Pierce, Springboard’s chief executive, commented: “We are delight to be part of this fantastic National Waiters Day initiative to promote front of house [roles] and the hospitality industry as a great career choice,”

For last year’s event, some 400 professionals descended on London to take part – and organisers are hoping for a similar turnout this time around.