While we are all excited to enjoy the upcoming long weekend, we can’t forget what the Monday holiday signifies. It’s not just a day that marks the end of summer and the beginning of the school year. It’s not just a time to put away our white pants.

It’s Labor Day, a day in which we pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. We salute those who fought the battles for fair wages, workers’ rights and safe working conditions, and we honor their sacrifices with a day of celebration.

A day of rest at the end of summer seems to be a fitting way to honor all those labor movements that helped establish the rights of the American worker, so raise your glass and enjoy.

Restaurant workers probably won’t be celebrating. They will likely have to work this weekend. That’s the nature of the job — to be there for others to enjoy. That’s hospitality. They’ll make sure you get your last summer drinks or your final stuffie of the season.

But it doesn’t mean they’ll be excited to be putting on their aprons as they watch their friends pack for the beach. They’ll show up. They’ll smile. They’ll have fun, if they can. No matter how you celebrate this weekend, don’t forget there are people actually laboring on Labor Day. Tip them well. Be grateful. Be kind.

And if we’re showing gratitude this Labor Day, let’s not forget the people working behind the scenes in restaurants. It takes a lot of people to keep a restaurant running. It’s easy to thank your bartender when she makes that perfect cocktail or to show appreciation for your server when he makes a great suggestion. You literally tip them in gratitude.

And you offer up compliments to the chef when you enjoy your dinner and thank the host for giving you such a great table. But there are other people that don’t get the praise they deserve. Let’s sing their praises this weekend (and every weekend). 

Newport Food Scene:Here's what you can expect from the newest Thai restaurant in town: Newport Food Scene

Here’s to the prep cooks, the first ones into the kitchen every morning, They get there to make sure the cooking lines will be stocked for the night. Their symphony of chopping is the rhythm that sets the tone for the day. They are preparing the salad vegetables, peeling the shrimp, making the sauces and doing it all so the kitchen is ready for service. We thank them for their labors.

Here’s to the bakers and pastry chefs, the bringers of fresh bread. They are at their job while most of us are sleeping. Good baking takes time and space, and that’s usually only available when the restaurant is empty.

They patiently knead their dough or mix the batters, they let it rest and rise, then they patiently wait out their baking times. Their cakes, pies and pastries are getting "oohs" and "aahs" long after they’ve gone home. But we see you. We thank them for their labors.

Give it a try:Food Shack opens in revamped Middletown Grange

Here’s to the dishwashers, the hardest workers in the business. They man their spots at the hose and the dishes keep coming. Plates from the tables, glasses from the bar, pans from the cooks. They scrub and rinse and push it through the dish machine. Then they grab the scorching-hot clean dishes coming out of the machine and neatly stack them in place. And the dishes keep coming.

When they finally catch up, the end-of-night dishes come. Their area gets stacked high with pots and pans. They clean it all so the dish area is sparkling for the morning crew. Dishwashers keep the whole restaurant running and we thank them for their labors.

Here’s to the cleaning crew. When the doors open for business, they’ve given the whole restaurant a refresh. They’ve mopped, vacuumed, scrubbed, dusted, wiped and shined. They’ve scoured the parking lot. They’ve made sure the bathrooms are stocked for the night.

No matter what shape the restaurant was left the night before, the cleaning crew makes it shine for the new day. We thank them for their labors.

More:Owners of Stoneacre restaurants are being sued by the U.S. Labor Department. Here's why.

Here’s to the bussers. You see these people, but they will stay out of the way. They work like a pit crew, waiting patiently for a table to leave and then swarming in to get it cleaned in record time. They scoop up the dirty dishes, wipe it all down, clean the seats and floor and reset it, all so the next table will have a place to sit.

And they catch the emergency jobs, too. Did someone drop something? A busser is there in seconds, broom in hand, to clean it up.  We thank them for their labors.

Here’s to the barbacks. They are the ones carrying cases of beer up flights of stairs so your next one will be cold and ready. They are filling up the ice wells so your frozen mudslides can be blended perfectly. They are washing glasses and polishing them to a shine. They keep the bartender stocked so your beverage service is uninterrupted. We thank them for their labors.

We all deserve this weekend to enjoy, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be grateful for those still working hard. As we pay homage to the achievements of American workers, let’s salute those working hard behind the scenes.

We see you back there, and we are grateful for all you do!

Dan Lederer is a Middletown resident with 30 years experience in the food service industry throughout New England. He continues to work locally behind the scenes within the industry and remains a devoted fan of all things restaurant and hospitality related. His column appears on newportri.com and Thursdays in The Daily News. Cheers!