I’m getting used to the hustle and bustle of work, I think. It’s just the menus that are causing me problems. We got the breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon tea, Saturday high tea, Sunday brunch, dessert, beverage menus and a 14-page wine list to familiarize with. And I’m supposed to be working in the hotel bar.
It’s more like an all-in-one operation, if you ask me. Bistro (we got a 12-table alfresco section too), bar, lounge, restaurant, coffee house… we are all of them. I hope when the restaurant side upgrading renovations are completed we’ll have less of a workload. We are, essentially, a hotel bar. Ah well. Gotta look at the big picture, I guess. Maximize use of floor space to maximize covers, seatings and average check with extensive choices of menu items and quick turnovers. And multiple menus. Argh. My left biceps are going to be so much more toned than my right. Carrying the tray on the left full of drinks, balancing it while holding a teapot/ afternoon tea stand/ tidbit stand on the right, trying to open the door and making it look like it’s oh-so-easy-peasy at the same time is no mean feat.
Basics aside, tomorrow is the line-staff meeting with the F&B director. No middle-management allowed. And because of it I get to clock 2 hours overtime. Awesome. And some regular guests are beginning to recognize and chat with me. (Mostly they’re intrigued by my funky spectacles or my fluent English because they can’t place me as a student studying in Singapore since primary school. Yes I’m living proof not every Singaporean-educated person must speak like a typical Singaporean.) My job is to greet them by name as far as possible.
There was no work today; it’s my turn to go for Team-building.. at the end of the 4 game activities we had to build a sandcastle and sell it as a potential new operation to the Director of Engineering, Training Manager, Director of rooms and the Sales & Marketing manager who were there as facilitators. My team put me in charge of the presentation. It was quite nerve wrecking even though it was only an informal presentation. The Hotel Manager was supposed to be there, but he wasn’t. But it went ok I guess. My team leader said he’s going to recommend me for the sales team to HR. LOL. He was joking of course, albeit in an encouraging way.
Well, so far so good I guess. Generally everyone’s been patient with me since I have no prior experience in the food and beverage industry, and I’ve got to know really nice people. I’m looking forward to the Dinner and Dance later this month and the familiarization stay (complimentary night for staff who have gone through orientation!!), and of course, my first official Pay Day! 
