Restaurant Olympics: Ethel's Lounge Tray Race returns to raise money for charity

Servers compete in ‘tray race’ in Waterloo You could call it the Olympics for servers – and it’s all for a good cause. CTV’s Sijia Liu explains.

You could call it the Olympics for servers.

On Monday, the annual Tray Race at Ethel’s Lounge in Uptown Waterloo returned after a three-year COVID-19 hiatus.

The 2023 race featured 21 teams from different restaurants across the region who were battling for bragging rights and raising money for charity.

“We've been doing this about 25 years. This is the first one since COVID so it's exciting to be able to get going again” said Glen Smith, owner of Ethel’s Lounge.

The rules to the game are simple. Teams have to balance water bottles on a tray while taking part in a relay race.

“The first team back without spilling their water wins,” explained veteran racer Devon Campbell.

If both teams spill their water, the faster team wins.

This year, the event raised money for Pound Dog Rescue, a local canine rescue and foster organization.

“We currently have about 35 dogs in foster care. We would take in more if we had the space for them. The need for rescuing dogs right now is outrageous,” said Kim Spitzig, founder of Pound Dog Rescue.

After an afternoon of racing, the reigning champs from Sole Restaurant took home the trophy for a third straight time.