So this week I took a few different projects and called them my own at work. They aren't big projects, but I believe that they will help me to take a step in the right direction for the restaurant. This is what I have taken over so far:
-Guest Satisfaction Scores
-Guest Comment Cards
-Price Comparasion for in-house Starbucks
-Maintaining an atmosphere of great customer service
As with most hotels, we receive surveys that are completed by guests after they stay at our hotel. From these scores we can see where we are doing well and in what areas we need to improve in. I have taken on the task of contacting those guests who did not score us favorably to get their feedback so that we can improve and become a better and stronger restuarant. I will then pass this information on to the associates and work with them in these areas.
The restaurant receives comment cards specifically for our own purposes and with those comment cards I have compiled a spreadsheet with the scores, comments and email addresses so that we can contact those guests in the future to bring them back to our restaurant.
We are working on marketing our in-house Starbucks and I have also started working on finding out if our prices are too high comparatively. I have compiled a spreadsheet to analyze where we stand and if it is necessary to take a second look at our pricing model.
This was a busy week for me! I work everyday to learn more about the restaurant and continually ask questions. The hotel itself has been sold out this entire week so the restaurant itself was pretty busy itself. I feel that there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done!
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Learning about myself
I find it interesting that I am finding out things about myself that I never realized before at my hotel. I don't know if it is because I am growing and allowing myself to look at myself from a different perspective or what it may be, but I find myself learning more and more about myself as I move along in my career.
With the help of another manager at my property I found out some more things about myself today. I have been shown that there is a big difference between loving what do you and just doing what you do. Now that may seem like a simple statement, but life isn't always that simple. It has now been about a month since I have began this position, and I have been shown that I have not put forth the kind of effort that I have been known to do. This for me is a big deal. I do not like to have people doubt my abilities or wish that they had not given me the opportunities that I have been given. I know that personally and professionally I am better than that. As this other manager said, "Sometimes you just need a kick in the butt." So now my goal for the foreseeable future is to restore the trust in me that I know the managers at my property have had in the past.
This talk that I had also showed me that there are things that I am missing about myself. I thought that I have been headed on the right track as a manager, but I feel that I may have swerved a bit along the way. I have some personal issues in my life that I need to tackle very soon because I do feel that they are holding me back professionally. I have all of the tools that are necessary for me to succeed in this industry and it is only up to me to make sure that I use them in such a way to push myself forward as well as my department at my hotel.
I have seen other managers at my property grow and change, and I want the same for myself and for my department. I want to look back a few years down the road and know that I made a difference at my hotel, but that can only start with myself. I'm finally starting to see that it is much more beneficial for all parties involved if I just throw myself out there and pour my whole heart and soul into what I do. I've always wanted to love what I do, but I have been holding myself back for whatever reasons (I've had an excuse or two in the past). I realized today that I may be holding myself back from something that I could really love doing because I am scared of what it may bring....
It's time to stop making excuses and show everyone what I can really do, because I know that I have the ability to do it! This is the week where I will start taking on projects of my own and will begin to show some ownership in my department!
Look out for next week when I will outline some of the projects that I have taken on!!!!
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
With the help of another manager at my property I found out some more things about myself today. I have been shown that there is a big difference between loving what do you and just doing what you do. Now that may seem like a simple statement, but life isn't always that simple. It has now been about a month since I have began this position, and I have been shown that I have not put forth the kind of effort that I have been known to do. This for me is a big deal. I do not like to have people doubt my abilities or wish that they had not given me the opportunities that I have been given. I know that personally and professionally I am better than that. As this other manager said, "Sometimes you just need a kick in the butt." So now my goal for the foreseeable future is to restore the trust in me that I know the managers at my property have had in the past.
This talk that I had also showed me that there are things that I am missing about myself. I thought that I have been headed on the right track as a manager, but I feel that I may have swerved a bit along the way. I have some personal issues in my life that I need to tackle very soon because I do feel that they are holding me back professionally. I have all of the tools that are necessary for me to succeed in this industry and it is only up to me to make sure that I use them in such a way to push myself forward as well as my department at my hotel.
I have seen other managers at my property grow and change, and I want the same for myself and for my department. I want to look back a few years down the road and know that I made a difference at my hotel, but that can only start with myself. I'm finally starting to see that it is much more beneficial for all parties involved if I just throw myself out there and pour my whole heart and soul into what I do. I've always wanted to love what I do, but I have been holding myself back for whatever reasons (I've had an excuse or two in the past). I realized today that I may be holding myself back from something that I could really love doing because I am scared of what it may bring....
It's time to stop making excuses and show everyone what I can really do, because I know that I have the ability to do it! This is the week where I will start taking on projects of my own and will begin to show some ownership in my department!
Look out for next week when I will outline some of the projects that I have taken on!!!!
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
Gotta love technology
This week has been an exciting week for the Fire + Spice. InfoGenesis, which is the system we use in the restaurant had an upgrade that was completed on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, with this upgrade came a horrible nightmare for the restaurant. Apparently our computer system was not compatable with the new upgrade so we were without a system to track our revenue for about 3 days. This brought about so many different issues and problems for both the restaurant and our hotel.
The very first thing that went wrong was the lack of communication. We did not know about the upgrade, and therefore we were not prepared for the system going down. Then once it did go down (and not come back up) we were like deers in the headlights. It took about a day to shift gears and bring out the old 'knuckle buster' (the manual credit card reader), but through communication and collaboration we were able to get a system in place to ensure the least amount of leakage in revenue.
Something that this event showed me is the need to always have a back-up plan. As with many industries, things change and shift everyday and it is imperative to be able to be flexible in how things are done.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
The very first thing that went wrong was the lack of communication. We did not know about the upgrade, and therefore we were not prepared for the system going down. Then once it did go down (and not come back up) we were like deers in the headlights. It took about a day to shift gears and bring out the old 'knuckle buster' (the manual credit card reader), but through communication and collaboration we were able to get a system in place to ensure the least amount of leakage in revenue.
Something that this event showed me is the need to always have a back-up plan. As with many industries, things change and shift everyday and it is imperative to be able to be flexible in how things are done.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Long Weekend!
This last weekend was my first weekend on my own in the restaurant! My manager was out of town and coincidentally this was one of our busiest weekends to date. We had several college athletic teams as well as a few President's Day tournaments that were staying at our property. This translated into lot's of people for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This was also my first weekend working a "splitsie" in the words of my manager, Richard. I have worked long weekends before but this was most definitely my longest weekend. On Friday I worked from 10a-12a, Saturday from 6a-1p & 4p-12p, and Sunday from 6a-12p & 5p-12p. I think I got 11 hours of sleep the entire weekend! Even though I didn't get much sleep I was very proud of myself because the management team felt that I was ready to take on the weekend on my own. This was a good learning experience for me in terms of patience and understanding. By the end of the weekend I was definitely feeling the 11 hours of sleep, but I could not let this affect me or my associates. This weekend also taught me a lesson in time management. I could have left work on time on Saturday/Sunday night but I left several things that needed to be completed for the last minute and ended up working on them after the restaurant closed at 11pm. This week I will work on completing tasks in a timely manner so that I don't end up suffering for it after.
We have a very busy week coming up for the hotel as we are sold out everyday this week. I am looking forward to having the restaurant full with guests. The best way I've come to find for me to learn is to just jump in and learn while I go. I am very fortunate to have associates who are willing to work with me and answer any questions that I might have, and because of this I am becoming more and more comfortable with the restaurant.
In the next two weeks I hope to start taking on more challenges on the managerial side of the restaurant. I plan to start taking over the beverage side of F&B so that Richard has more time to invest in our breakfast restaurant as well as some of the other aspects here in the hotel. I also hope to start taking over the schedule in the next month so that I can have a few more responsibilites in our department.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
We have a very busy week coming up for the hotel as we are sold out everyday this week. I am looking forward to having the restaurant full with guests. The best way I've come to find for me to learn is to just jump in and learn while I go. I am very fortunate to have associates who are willing to work with me and answer any questions that I might have, and because of this I am becoming more and more comfortable with the restaurant.
In the next two weeks I hope to start taking on more challenges on the managerial side of the restaurant. I plan to start taking over the beverage side of F&B so that Richard has more time to invest in our breakfast restaurant as well as some of the other aspects here in the hotel. I also hope to start taking over the schedule in the next month so that I can have a few more responsibilites in our department.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Managing
I have now completed two complete weeks in this position and I still feel like there is so much that I don't know. One of the most frustrating things for me to deal with is the feeling of uselessness. Being new to the restaurant (I have never actually worked in a restaurant before!) there is so much that I don't know from processes and procedures to how to carry a tray with four plates on it. I really do not like not being able to do my job without having to follow someone else's every step. The feeling of not being able to assist is a very big reason why I do not change jobs often. This feeling of uselessness has only inspired me to work diligently everyday to learn my position so that I can become a leader for my team and someone who they can come to with any questions or needs.
I have noticed that my management skills are already becoming more refined. At the Front Desk, I did not really give myself the opportunity to step up and become a leader for my team for various reasons and I see that now. This is why I have pushed myself to continuously work daily on really becoming a manager for my associates. It is very easy when working with people my age to just slide in and become a friend to them, but I have seen through myself and other managers at my property that there must be a line between my associates and myself. By doing this I have seen that it is easier for me to respect my associates and them to do the same for me.
Richard and I have begun working on our marketing campaign to bring more people into the restaurant. We have put together lunch and happy hour specials for the local businesses in the area and will soon be reaching out to these businesses and encouraging them to come in, and to come in often! We have also worked on coming up with ideas to promote the Starbucks that is in our hotel. From day 1 Richard has told me that we are a team in this and share the restaurant 50/50, and he has really held to this. He has picked my brain on how to bring people to the restaurant which has inspired me to really work on ideas for both the restaurant and Starbucks.
One thing that I am very proud of is that we have had our most successful day in Fire + Spice ever this last week! I am very lucky to be a part of a team that has accomplished this. I have now also experienced what a very busy day in the restaurant looks like, which will only serve to help me in the future when I don't have my manager Richard on the floor with me.
Disclaimer: The purpose of this blog is to document a college internship experience. Content published on this blog represents the author’s ideas, opinions, and experience. This does not necessarily represent the views of the internship organization.
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