Food/Hospitality Opportunities

Bed and Breakfast Staff

Description:

The everyday work consisted of arriving in the morning an hour before the scheduled breakfast time to start the coffee and put the breakfast in the oven. After checking to see that the table was set correctly by the staff the day before, I brought the newspaper in and checked the phone messages. I wrote down the important ones and made note to call them later. I proceeded to cut the fruit for the fruit cup and cook the eggs, bacon, or sausage. Once breakfast preparation was finished, I waited for the guests to come to the table. I then served however many guests breakfast. While they ate, I did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I printed out the guests’ bill and had them pay for it whenever convenient. When they left, I called those that left messages and booked reservations for the nights requested, if available. The next hour or so was spent doing the paperwork for the reservations. Then I would clean the rooms that had been slept in the night before and prepare them for the next night’s guests. I set the table and made a treat for the upcoming guests. I put dirty towels and sheets in the washer and did a few loads of laundry. After checking that everything was prepared for the next day, I left. The hours were quite flexible and the shifts were as long or as short as needed.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

The manager of the bed and breakfast was a good friend of my parents. She was looking for extra help on the weekends and I was hired. Before I could start working, I had to obtain my food handler’s card and go through training. As I proved that I was a hard and loyal worker, she extended my hours and hired me on full-time for summers.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

The first main challenge I faced was with my coworkers. Because most of the employees were college students and I was still in high school, I felt quite inadequate. Nevertheless, the older girls were happy to help and became some of my closest friends. As I worked hard and did my best, I became less of a burden and more of an essential asset.

Another challenge faced was the 4-star quality work expected. I had to meticulously refold sheets and napkins. The counters always needed to be spotless and the food needed to taste wonderful. Once I learned how to perform at such a high level, it was almost second nature to fold the toilet paper ends into triangles or smooth the hiccups in bedspreads. The work actually became enjoyable as I saw my efforts turned into something beautiful.

What I learned:

Through my work at the bed and breakfast, I learned essential lessons on cooking and cleaning. I also improved my secretarial skills as I had to be professional on the phone as well as in face-to-face business. Working with older employees and important guests, I matured quickly in the workplace. I learned how to deal with angry customers, unfriendly coworkers, and disagreements with management. This work ultimately prepared me to excel in future occupations.

Concessions Stand Manager

Description:

For three or four nights a week I was in charge of running a concessions stand at a local softball complex. My responsibilities involved re-stocking and preparing the food and beverages, managing money/being a cashier, keeping things sanitary and cleaning the stand at the end of the night, balancing the register and reporting the profits nightly, and last but not least keeping the customers happy. The type of food I prepared and sold included hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, pretzels, snow cones, assorted beverages, candy, and popsicles. I didn’t have employees working for me but I did have to coordinate schedules with other employees who ran the stand on the nights I didn’t.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

As a teenager or an adult, creating or finding business is greatly affected by the people you know. Sorting through your “network” takes some creativity as you think about the people you know and their connections to employment or to supporting your business idea. I found this job opportunity through my sister. At the time she was working for Provo City Parks and Recreation, and through her reference and because she was a good employee, I was hired.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

One of the challenges I faced was cleaning the concessions stand every night. I took me longer to do than others because I cared more about keeping the place really clean. I overcame this through practice. After about a week I developed a system for clean-up that didn’t take very long, but that left the stand impressively clean. Another challenge I faced was keeping the food fresh and also ready for when customers ordered it. I overcame this by figuring out ways to prepare food as much as I could without getting it to its final state. In other words, when I wasn’t busy I would organize the food and supplies I needed in a way that allowed me to quickly prepare when I needed to. This took some thought and ingenuity, but as a result I provided a more efficient service. Running a concessions stand by yourself requires a degree of foresight, or being able to anticipate what you will need to do and how long it will take you.

What I learned:

At times while working in the concessions stand the line would get long and the people cranky and hot, but this was when I learned the most. It was during the times of chaos that I learned about customer service. I learned to smile and be polite even when people where mad at me, to give the best service possible even when things don’t go the way their supposed to, and to be creative on the spot to meet a customer’s need. Because of this work experience I am better able to see what needs to be done and do it. Basically I learned more about people in general and what it takes to make them happy, specifically in a foodservice environment, which is especially applicable to my job as a caterer now.

Dishwasher and Waitress

Description:

I worked at Terrace Lakes, a local restaurant in my home town. I started as a dishwasher, bussing the tables, washing the dishes, and assisting the waitresses when they needed it. After a couple months of work, I was moved up to a wait staff position. I waited on the tables by taking their orders, serving their food, and ringing up their check at the end of their meal. I also had to help keep the kitchen clean and keep supplies stocked.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I found the employment through my siblings. All of my siblings were employed at Terrace Lakes while they were in high school. When I reached the age of employment availability, I went in to visit my sister at work, and her boss asked me when I was going to start. I filled out the application and started a few days later.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

One of the challenges I faced with this job was managing my school, sports, and work schedule all at the same time. During the school year I had volleyball and basketball games on the Friday and Saturday nights so I had to decide if I wanted to keep my job or quit for the school year and start again in the summer. I talked to my boss and asked her what the options for me were and she suggested just working Sunday nights. That way I would still have an income, and be able to participate in my sport activities.

What I learned:

I learned that it is difficult to balance work and other aspects of your life, but if you manage your time wisely you can do many things at once. I learned it is smart to get a job close to where you live as a teenager, that way if you don’t have a license or a car, it will not be a big challenge to get to work.

Fox Run Events Center

Description:

I was able to work for a catering company and learn a lot about customer service and multi-tasking. My title was to be a bus girl, waitress, decorator, clean-up crew, and food preparer. I was made to help set up and come up with ideas on how to decorate the space that the customers had rented; usually for dinners and weddings. I was also one of the senior members so I would supervise the other workers and make sure that everything was running smoothly and that the guests were satisfied.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I started working for Fox Run from a referral through one of my friends. They had been working at Fox Run for a while and they thought that I would be great for the company. Through my experience at Fox Run I became really interested in the decorating field. It also gave me the idea of possibly becoming an interior designer or a wedding planner.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

One of the hard things about this job was the level of stress that I experienced. It is a lot of work trying to make sure that the bride, groom, their families and the guests are satisfied. Plus, it required a lot of juggling and multi-tasking. And lastly, being patient with the customers and thinking on the spot of ways to make them comfortable and satisfied were sometimes hard to do.

What I learned:

I learned that, surprisingly, I like working with people. Also, that I have an interest in design and planning/organization. I think I like the control that I am given while in these positions. So, to work towards this goal, I have enrolled myself in a personal finance and interior design class at Brigham Young University. Hopefully these actions will help determine whether I can use these planning and design skills in a future profession.

Subway Sandwich Artist

Description:

I worked at a subway near my house making sandwiches, working the register and performing other necessary tasks including food preparation and cleaning of the facility.

How I got the idea / found the employment:

I was applying at many different places, and Subway was one of the first to respond. I just saw it and said “Hey, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to work there, as long as I’m getting applications.” I submitted the application and got hired. It really wasn’t that hard.

Challenges I faced, and how I overcame them:

I had to learn with a kind of trial-by-fire as my first day the lunch rush came on and I was overwhelmed trying to keep up on the sandwich line. It quickly got easier however. Also, some nights I was required to help close which kept me there at times until midnight or just after. My parents were not fond of this and it created some tension.

What I learned:

It was my first job, so I learned what it is to work, to learn new tasks and be expected to perform well at them. I learned to work in conjunction with other employees to create a final finished product. I learned a lot about food and it’s preparation, especially in relation to health codes.

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