Placement Diary: Assistant Manager Experience at Indian Streatery UK

This placement diary documents four weeks of work experience at The Indian Streatery, an Indian restaurant in Birmingham, UK. The author served as an assistant manager, focusing on understanding job responsibilities, employee reward systems, and the restaurant's unique value proposition. Key activities included training staff on customer service, researching competitor Indian restaurants, and analyzing team participation and staff management strategies. The diary highlights the importance of customer service, the role of chefs in delivering authentic Indian cuisine, and the significance of fostering a positive team environment through employee engagement initiatives. The conclusion emphasizes the value of the experience in understanding restaurant operations and promoting Indian culture.

Placement Diary

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Week 1.............................................................................................................................................1
Week 2.............................................................................................................................................1
Week 3.............................................................................................................................................2
Week 4.............................................................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4
Books and Journal .................................................................................................................4
Online.....................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
My placement Diary is a report that will showcase my four weeks of work experience in
the restaurant. For this placement diary, my base Indian restaurant is The Indian Streatery, which
is located at 21a Bennett's Hill, B2 5QP Brimingham, UK. The company was established in 2008
with 11-50 employees (The Indian Streatery, 2022). The restaurant is known for serving Indian
coastal cuisine with a modern twist, an extensive wine list targeting emerging regions, and a
collection of fine and inclusive wines from niche producers around the world. The restaurant can
accommodate an average of 80 guests. In 2012, the hotel was awarded one Michelin star.
Week 1
I started working as an assistant manager at an Indian restaurant named The Indian
Streatery situated in heart of London. On the first day of week 1, during orientation, I learned
about the main job responsibilities and read the job handbook that was given to me at the
beginning of induction to gain insight into my job rules and procedures. During this meeting, the
boss motivated us with the by speech which brief me about value of my job role. Also, this week,
I learned about the restaurant's system of rewarding employees by the month after evaluating
their performance each month through employee of the month reward (Soon, 2018). It made me
realize that I had to master a variety of skills that would allow me to perform well and enjoy each
of my work assignments. The on-boarding program was informative and helped me understand
the organization's vision, goals and culture. This week, the senior manager suggested to me that
the first trick to impressing others and clients effectively was to keep a pleasant and happy
expression on my face. I learned that as an assistant manager, it is my responsibility to support
the senior manager in overseeing the staff and tracking the progress of the restaurant. Also this
week, I learned about the restaurant's famous or unique proposition that makes it attractive to
customers.
Week 2
In the following week, as Assistant Manager, I was assigned the task of training the
restaurant's staffs and other cleaning staff to improve customer service. In The Indian Streatery
Restaurant, cleanliness and customer service are very important and comes as the priority as
effective customer service in the restaurant is the key to success. This week has been very
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important for me to demonstrate my leadership, training and coaching skills and abilities to other
employees and higher authorities in order to be a productive and supportive Assistant Manager.
While training my staff in customer service, I myself learned and gained knowledge about
changing customer behaviours and factors to satisfy customers with optimal service. In the
process, I learned how important it is to stay disciplined and listen to others to justify my job
role. I have trained staff such as waiters and cleaners on creating a healthy, customer-friendly
environment for customers, as this is a key factor in the popularity of The Indian Streatery's
restaurant. During the week, as Assistant Manager, I also promise that all customers are treated
equally by the staff and that the hotel will do everything possible to satisfy customers with its
flavours and the best Indian coastal cuisine. I realize that this approach will help employees to
use their abilities and provide the best service to The Indian Streatery customers in the best
possible way.
Week 3
During this corresponding week, as an assistant manager, I researched the Indian
restaurants in the UK that are known for serving best Indian food. During this research, I learned
that there are thousands of Indian restaurants in London, UK. To increase The Indian Streatery's
presence among UK customers who love to eat and try Indian dishes such as South Indian Dosas,
Potato Bhel Puri, Panner Dosa, Lemon Rice etc. Companies must use social media handles to
expand the reach through their marketing and promotional activities. The Indian Streatery's chefs
play a huge role in the restaurant's kitchen in order to provide customers with the best variety and
flavours of Indian culture. But The Indian Streatery's chefs are not only responsible for
supervising other chefs, but also preparing menus and ensuring the proper presentation of dishes
that reflect the royal flavours of Indian culture and spices (Filimonau, Krivcova and Pettit, 2019).
Therefore, I understand that as a manager, I want to make sure that all employees in different
functional areas must collaborate with each other so that the hotel can function better.
Week 4
During my last week working in an Indian restaurant, I gained learnings related to team
participation and staff management which is done by building a friendly and efficient team work
culture. I analysed that there is a talented pool of employees in The Indian Streatery and the
management policy of the company is very supportive of integrating into a friendly culture for
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the employees. This helps me to understand that effective management of staff and team-work
helps restaurant to improve operational efficiency and foster effective performance. Also, in The
Indian Streatery, in order to build a strong employee engagement, the company has good norms,
and every quarter, an employee party is held to improve the morale of the employees, which
includes dancing, games, food, drinks for employees to enjoy and make them more flexible and
comfortable with the environment. The arrangement of such programmes is the responsibility of
the restaurant assistant manager. This makes employees feel that they are valued by the
restaurant, which helps me as an assistant manager to provide job satisfaction to my employees.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion from the above research is that for me, being an assistant manager in an
Indian restaurant is a very knowledgeable and learning experience. The whole experience of
working in the restaurant was smooth and all the other staff worked together as a team. The
report helped me understand the importance of customer service in restaurants, the role of the
chef and how the main goal of a restaurant is to provide the best service to customers in order to
provide value to the product. Also, I learned that the main purpose of Indian restaurants in the
UK is to cherish their flavours and spices in the audience to promote Indian culture.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Soon, J.M., 2018. ‘No nuts please’: Food allergen management in takeaways. Food Control, 91,
pp.349-356.
Filimonau, V., Krivcova, M. and Pettit, F., 2019. An exploratory study of managerial approaches
to food waste mitigation in coffee shops. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76,
pp.48-57.
Online
The Indian Streatery, 2022.[Online], Available Through:
<https://www.thefork.com/restaurant/the-indian-streatery-r646413>
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