Journal Entry #1
Today was my first day at my internship and it was a lot more relaxed than I expected. I already really like most of the people that work in the restaurant and I feel like this experience will make me a lot more social. Right away, Chris taught me the basics and had me interacting with customers. We focused mainly on the basics today like where everything is and what I’ll be doing with my time while I’m there but I still feel like I have a lot to learn.
Journal Entry #2
I walked into Zza’s today wit ha little more confidence, but I was still nervous. Chris was busy and wasn’t able to spend as much time with me as on the first day, so I kind of made sure that things he had taught me before were stocked and made sure everything seemed in order. Customers came in and were seated and served, but it didn’t end up being super busy so Chris was able to sit down with me and go over the menu and walk me though the kitchen and I was able to ask lots of questions. We got to order a staff meal and I got a pizza with figs and brie cheese-YUM! The kitchen staff was so nice to all of us. The customers also asked who I was and Chris introduced me as his ‘wing woman’. He explained to me that they were regulars and asked about whoever was new when they came in.
Journal Entry #3
It was a Friday night last night and Chris warned me it was going to be busy so I came prepared. At first it was nice, we had an early staff meal and I helped the kitchen staff make my pizza, but then the customers started filing in. We went over the specials during dinner, so I felt prepared to answer any questions about the food that came my way. I was surprised at how busy it got, people were waiting outside on the benches for a table to open up and I had a hard time keeping up. All I could do was keep looking around for things to do, and it seemed like the steady stream of customers would never stop. Before I knew it, I had stayed way over my regular time and it was already 11:00! Shockingly I only dropped one fork the whole night while I was clearing a table. I felt like I was juggling the night away, but at the end I was physically tired, yet my brain was still racing. Chris said I did a great job and that made me feel great.
Journal Entry #4
Tonight when I went to work I was so tired. I had a bad day at school and even though I wanted to work, I just didn’t have the energy I needed especially if it was going to be as busy as last time. Thankfully it wasn’t too busy and I was able to manage the night without falling asleep. I ended up getting much more energy as the night went on and it ended up as a steady night. There was one woman who made some complaints about not having her favorite meal available (she was one of those regulars Chris told me about). Chris was able to calm her down by finding her a good substitute meal and ‘comping’ her a desert (which is restaurant talk for complimentary). She ended up very happy and left us with a smile. I stayed late to have Chris show me the closing duties and learned a lot about what goes into setting up for the next days’ business.
Journal Entry #5
My internship ended tonight and I am both excited to have it done, but also sad that it would be my last night at Zza’s. I wanted to give it my all and make everyone happy so I wore a big smile on my face as I walked in the front door. The whole staff treated me so nice and I felt more like a customer than and employee. We had a pasta dinner but then we had to get to work because it was expected to be a busy night. I felt like I was really getting the hang of things. I only had to ask a few questions and before I knew it the night was over. The staff gave me a cute little Mousse cake (my favorite) and I got hugs from everyone before I left. I was sad to go, but promised them I would be back to visit soon!
Reflection
My time at Zza’s Trattoria turned out much better than I had ever imagined. I was really nervous at first, but Chris made me feel welcome and relaxed, even when things were busy. I feel like I became familiar with the restaurant pretty quickly and caught on with how it all works with relative ease. Even though every afternoon I walked in I felt like I was a beginner, the nervousness went away more quickly with each shift I worked. It really helped me to have Chris as a mentor because he is a master at what he does. He can be in so many places at once, taking orders, clearing tables, seating customers and washing glassware. He never writes a thing down, but just remembers everything without a struggle.
I walked away from my internship feeling like I could pursue a job in the restaurant industry without much hesitation. Whether it is what I want to do in the future remains to be seen, but I definitely got a pretty clear sense that I could handle it and really liked it a lot. This was a great experience for me because even if I don’t choose to go into a restaurant field as a career, I know I can get a job in a restaurant and not feel so intimidated about applying. I think this was a valuable choice for me because of this reason and I am grateful that I was able to land an internship at such a cool place and with great people!
I walked away from my internship feeling like I could pursue a job in the restaurant industry without much hesitation. Whether it is what I want to do in the future remains to be seen, but I definitely got a pretty clear sense that I could handle it and really liked it a lot. This was a great experience for me because even if I don’t choose to go into a restaurant field as a career, I know I can get a job in a restaurant and not feel so intimidated about applying. I think this was a valuable choice for me because of this reason and I am grateful that I was able to land an internship at such a cool place and with great people!