

Hand Signals in NYC fine dining - Stronico
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/02/opinion/sunday/20111002_Schott_Sign_Dining.html

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jtchang
While discrete hand signals may not mean much to a middle of the road dining
establishment you can bet that the people who implement these protocols do so
because they are effective.

They essentially communicate a level of professional behavior when working
around their patrons. Small things like this are what distinguishes an
apprentice from an artisan.

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invisiblefunnel
Agreed, I've noticed this type of signaling often in the hospitality industry.
I'd compare it to a DSL with which a leader can communicate unobtrusively with
those they lead. In certain cases it takes more time and effort to communicate
information or instructions verbally, and it's more noticeable.

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unoti
When I was a teenager, I delivered furniture with my dad, who was a furniture
refinisher. He used to pride himself on being able to deliver furniture
without ever saying a word between himself and his delivery partner, and
trained me to do the same. The reason, he said, was that it shows a level of
professionalism to be able to competently make the delivery, navigate the
halls without scratching anything, set everything up, and never talk at all.
Certainly it made the job more fun to do.

