Miguel Reyes, from Lanzarote, is currently the director of the restaurant group La Cascada, in Puerto del Carmen, which includes, in addition to ‘La Cascada steak house’, other successful establishments such as Arenas Lounge and Long Beach Club.
In an interview with the radio program Más de Uno Gourmet on Radio Lanzarote Onda Cero, Reyes reviews his career of almost 40 years and the evolution of tourism on the island.
Reyes began working in tourism at 17 years old at the Las Salinas hotel in Costa Teguise in 1987. "I started due to family circumstances, my father had an illness, there were nine of us siblings and to help my mother, I started working at a young age," he explains.He was juggling work and high school at the time and recounts that when the **King of Jordan** arrived at the **Salinas** Hotel, "they rented out the entire fourth floor of the hotel for him.""I was in room service at first, and we drew straws to see who would be the waiter to take up his tea and pastries, because I can guarantee you the tip was incredible," he shares.
The current director of Grupo La Cascada worked for several years in hotels in Puerto del Carmen, in the dining room, until he decided to study English and German, thanks to which he worked in both Germany and England during the 90s.
Then he returned to Lanzarote and worked for Jameos Playa “with great professionals, a great school,” for 25 years, until 2022, when Cristobal Sánchez offered him a position in the La Cascada group.
"Sometimes we don't realize it, but we have tourism that is very much in love with Lanzarote"
With a long and successful career in tourism, Reyes believes that "whatever profession you choose, you have to put a lot of love into it. That's why the La Cascada group has triumphed, because they do things thinking about what the customer wants and how we can help them".
The director of the La Cascada group, recognized in 2009 as the best maître d' in the Canary Islands by the Tejeda school, explains that "over the years you realize that everything you learn is welcome, courses, languages, and above all, putting passion into what you do".
"Learning always opens doors for you, not only for your professional future but for yourself as a person," he adds.
Reyes believes that there is always room for improvement: “We must value what was done before, but we must continue to innovate. Generations change, and so does technology. Things can always be done better”.
And that's despite the fact that "sometimes we don't realize it, but we have a tourism that is very much in love with Lanzarote. There are people who come four or five times a week to have dinner with us," but "we have to keep surprising the customer," he adds.
Customer service is key to good service, according to Reyes: "There are customers who need more attention, there are customers who want to be left alone, and that's one of the things you have to learn. That's super important in the sector."
"The best client is one who leaves satisfied, because they will speak well of you, they will recommend you to friends," Reyes opines.“When you have a problem with a customer, you have to take a breath and think that this person is a customer, that they come to enjoy themselves, and if we have made a mistake and haven't satisfied them, it's enough to apologize and keep listening,” he adds.