One of the saddest sagas in all the changes that have taken place since Corona in the Israeli culinary world is the issue of manpower.
There is hardly a restaurant, from the most luxurious and famous to the branches of fast food chains in the north of the country, which has not been burned in one way or another by the known shortage of workers.
One of the reasons for this situation, apart from issues like salary that may not be high enough, is the matter of access to these positions.
In Israel, professions such as waiter, kitchen worker and, of course, courier, are considered "for young people only" professions, post-military jobs or while studying, certainly not the professions of the great.
Abroad, however, this is not the case, the ego does not seem to play a role and quite a few self-respecting restaurants have employees over the age of forty and fifty. Will we soon see such a change here in Israel as well? Doubt, but let's remain optimistic.
"Everyone changed, I stayed"
Now, let's talk about pizzas.
Try for a moment to remember the last times you ordered home food delivery - the messengers who brought it were probably young, even very young, right?
So on the occasion of International Pizza Day which took place today (Wednesday), here is your chance to meet a courier who has been through for quite some time since he was in his 20s.
Shai Avigdor, who will soon be celebrating his 61st birthday, has been working as a messenger for Domino's Pizza for 17 years, and he is considered to be the oldest messenger on the beloved network.
"I am very satisfied with the work, otherwise I would not have stayed there for so many years," he tells Israel Today, adding that although the work is not always physically easy ("especially in Tel Aviv, when most buildings do not have an elevator"), he still enjoys it very much. From her: "I like riding a motorcycle even in my private life, even from my youth. I was not able to work one day in an office job."
Shai Avigdor, Photo: Silk of the Bot
He says he came to work in 2005, quite by chance, when he was unemployed.
"I saw a 'Jobs' sign next to a new Domino's branch that opened, and since then I have been in the same branch - in Ibn Gvirol in Tel Aviv," he says.
"Of course everyone has changed since then, but I stayed. Even then I perceived this work as permanent and serious and not as something temporary."
Naturally, many of Shai's friends at work are young, some even at the ages of his three children (who are now 22, 28 and 31), and he says that while he does not make any assumptions about himself because of age, everyone accepts him very nicely.
"I have no problem with my 26-year-old principal, who is very mature for her age, giving me instructions. The branch has a good atmosphere and the chain is a bit like a family anyway, but I'm mostly in touch with the older guys, who worked with me in the past."
How do customers react when they see you?
"I do not feel they are too surprised, maybe because I look young for my age. Sometimes I am offered a glass of drink, and I feel like they are complimenting me on tips. Maybe it's because of my age, but I think it's because I bring something else with me. The delivery without a helmet on my head so that they can see my face and smile, and always try to give good service - in my opinion, the courier's behavior greatly affects the height of the tips. "
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