4.24.2013

Day three

Hey guys,

So already day three of my last work experience has passed and I'm already half way through working in the cafe. I know already I'll be sad to leave as I have really enjoyed myself here so far. So, here's what I got up to..

I arrived at 8:50 am with my classmate Eimear, and we went straight to the cloak room to put our bags away. I then got to work on the grab & go counter and worked there for the remainder of the day. The Punchestown races were taking place nearby so the cafe got gradually busier as the day progressed. The cafe goes through a lot of bread, butter, scones & dishes so I continuously stocked up on each when we were running low.

As appearance is always important I made sure to keep the counter as clean as possible. This meant wiping away any spills or crumbs and rearranging any disorderly bread baskets. For lunch I had a delicious pear & vanilla scone and later on in the day I enjoyed a cup of celeriac & fennel soup along side some homemade brown bread, it was all delicious.

It was another great day in the cafe and I continued to come to grips with using the till and what not. At the end of the day Eimear and one of my co-workers managed to play a funny trick on me, so the day was ended on a high. That's all for me from this week,

Till next time,
Ciara

Here are some little snippets of the place i'm working in:
(yes, that is a GIANT easter egg, it weighs the same as 7 and a 1/2 baby elephants!

4.18.2013

Day Two

Hey guys,

Yesterday was my second day at work experience in the cafe, and this week I was joined by my friend Eimear. Here's what I got up to..


Eimear and I arrived to work at 8:40am Wednesday morning. We put our coats away in the cloak room and got working in the cafe. I worked at the counter I had been at the previous week and got people coffee, tea, scones, sandwhiches etc. I then broke for my 15 minute morning break and returned to the same task.

I continued to serve customers, getting soup for them and bringing their food to the table when needed. I also stocked up on scones from the bakery throughout the day. I kept the counter looking clean and tidy and brought dishes for wash up regularly. I also stocked up on clean plates, glasses, cups, ice, lemon slices etc.

After lunch I returned back to the same task. I continued on for the next hour and was then taught how to use the till.  It was really confusing at first but I eventually got the hang of it and ran the counter by myself for a little while. As the day came to an end I helped to clean the counter. I wiped down the shelves and counter top and helped to put lemon slices, cream etc away in the fridge. I left for home at 5:00 pm.


Till next week,

Ciara

4.11.2013

Day one: work experience no. Three

Hey guys,

Yesterday I started my third work experience which will continue on every Wednesday for the next 6 weeks. Here's what I got up to:


I arrived at 9:50 am, ten minutes early. When I arrived I found the manager. She then introduced me to all the workers and showed me around the cafe. She brought me to the cloak room, lunch room and kitchen. She then brought me over to one of the counters and showed me what to do. I learnt how to make the different types of coffee and tea orders, and how to present them. I got to work taking orders from customers and getting them soup, tea, coffee and the occasional sandwich from the display.

After no time I was sent on my break and met some more workers while in the lunch room. I was told that I am allowed as much food and whatever food I want for lunch from the cafe's selection(yaaay). I got back to work and was called into the kitchen to work with another one of the workers. She got me working cutting up lemons. The kitchen is huge and is full of chefs cooking for the restaurant & cafe. You must wear a net over your hair each time you enter the kitchen for health reasons. I then went back out and continued to work with different girls throughout the day. Everybody was lovely and really friendly with me. I also stocked up on bread when it went low and kept the counter looking neat & tidy. For lunch I grabbed some food from the cafe and spent another 30 minutes in the lunch room, meeting new people.

While pouring soup for one customer I managed to badly burn my hand. I told one of the girls and immediately I was brought a burn treatment for my hand and told to relax in the lunch room for 20 minutes until it went down. They were all lovely about it and it seemed like everybody I talked to had burnt their hand with the soup on their first days too. Nearing the end of the day I helped to clean the outer counters and one of the food fridges. I then finished my day at 5:00 pm. It was a great day and already has been my favourite day of all the work experiences so far.


Till next week,

Ciara