5am comes real early

We lost a pm server and a bartender in the last two weeks so we have been pretty short staffed this week, and becasuse of this I worked mornings all week.  It is very difficult waking up at 5am to be at work by 6am when you aren't used to it.  I typically work pm shifts, 2-11p, and I am still getting used to waking up so early.  It didin't help very much that I was sick this week and was not operating at 100%.  In the past I would have considered calling in so that I could get better quicker, but this week was so short staffed that it wasn't much of an option. 

This was a great opportunity to connect with the am team because I haven't had much of a chance to do so thus far.  It also allowed me the opportunity to learn breakfast and find areas where we can improve for our guests. 

Working mornings this week also provided me the opportunity to see what the bar looks like every morning.  Through this, I have found that when left alone, there is no sidework done in the restaurant at night and becuase of that the bar looks like a tornado hit it.  My next step is to create a closing checklist for the night crew so they can see exactly what needs to be done each night. 

This is my first six day week, and although I'm not looking forward to it, it doesn't seem to be so bad.  I enjoy what I do, and I am really working on different ways to improve the restaurant and drive business. I have a lot of pride in what we have to offer and I want to be a part of that team that really makes our restaurant stand out from any other airport hotel restaurant in Phoenix. 

One thing that was brought to my attention this week was the fact that I don't communicate with my management team as well as I should.  That is one area that I have been struggling with for the past year since I joined the management team at my hotel.  I just have to remember to include everyone on the emails that I send so that my assistant general manager and general manager know what is going on in the restaurant.  I'm thinking of putting a big sticky note on the wall so that I will remember!


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.