Robert Gordon University

Business and Hotel Management School

Divya Thiagaranjan

BA Hotel and Hospitality Management Course

Module Coordinator: Ms. Anika Wolter

Submission date: 3rd February 2016

BS 3161 Workplace Internship

Matriculation Number:
 SELF - REFLECTION

With a fine background in the hospitality industry, specifically production and service,
I was keen on working in Restaurant Kanchi, Lucerne as I had grown passion of the Indian
delicacies and wanted to experience the challenge that is brought upon the Indian expats in
Switzerland when serving and treating the same or a diverse clientele in a foreign land.
Restaurant Kanchi is situated right in the heart of the old town and is only a few steps from
the famous lion monument. The restaurant is a gourmet Indian cuisine restaurant that offers
not only dining and wining facilities but also provides catering service for weddings,
Bollywood themed nights, buffets, luncheons, cruise dining and many more. The joint
owners, Mr. Siva Kumar and Mr. Vicky Mann had opened up this delicious temple of curry
and buttery delights in the early 2000s and have successfully operated it since then. The
restaurant caters to the local market, which has ease of access as the restaurant is situated
in the centre of Lucerne and also feeds the growling stomachs of the Indian tourists that visit
during the high season. Furthermore, it is nearly located to the astonishing lion monument
that has a history behind its crafting, engaging every visitor to read deeply about the tragedy.
The restaurant has a capacity of 60 people with 12 staff members which sum up the whole
restaurant’s manpower.

Starting off front of the house, I would have to deal with hungry guests who are
demanding and a part of a fast moving world. Taking their orders, serving them drinks,
having the mise en place ready, clearing their tables and tending to their regular needs as
well as cashing and setting up the table again for the next set of guests. In order to stay
competitive and ensure that I am developing my skills, I would keep record of all of my skills
that I aimed at developing, while keeping in mind that the big picture is to achieve my aim.
Initially, my aim was to exercise most of my speed skills such as the time I required to take
an order and deliver the drinks. I would begin by calculating the quickest ways of
accomplishing this small task, whereby I would first place the menus and take order of the
drinks, followed by serving them those drinks and taking their dining order. This seemed to
be the fastest way of service after a few other trial and error methods. Continuing, our owner
and the chef would like to sell particular dishes to our guests, where I trained my upselling
skill. Initially, I began with only recommendations, chef’s suggestion and specialities or other
one liners that would help to upsell, however, with some help from fellow colleagues, I was
able to learn more about the product that I was selling which aided me in providing facts and
surprising anomalies of the food being upsold. This granted ease of sale and boosted the
restaurant’s revenue with generally higher priced dishes that were being sold. Similarly, wine
pairing was also another concept that we practiced and it helped me to upsell. Apart from
that, my teamwork skills also improved as I remember on my first few weeks, I had to ask
frequently for assistance in fulfilling any task, however, over the past couple of months, I
understood the gravity of situation with other departments as well and knew exactly when
they would have those quick one or two minutes to help me out in sorting any of the issues
that I would like to be addressed. I was also able to help the kitchen department in preparing
the mise en place that is necessary before serving a guest any particular dishes, such as
Kadai Paneer, which generally required a mini burner on top of which the dish will be placed.
Usually, the kitchen department would have to be preparing but I would be assisting them
whenever I would have a window. My communication skills became excellent as I slowly yet
ultimately learnt German sufficient enough to place orders, describe the dish, ingredients
and even have light conversations with the locals. This was one of the main goals I was
looking forward to accomplishing during my internship. Certain situations that illustrate my
growth in critical decision making skill are very intriguing. A guest had once placed an order
for an Indian chicken dish, however, due to some misunderstanding, the kitchen department
prepared a beef dish to an authentic Hindu guest, who is prohibited to eat Beef according to
their religion. The guest noticed it and was furious about the issue, clearly demanding for
some compensation or incentive. As the manager was not available, I talked him to be more
calm and offered him 25% discount coupon for the next 2 times he would visit. When
questioned by my manager about this decision, I replied back to him saying that if we offer
him a free meal for today, then he would not return, however, with the provision of coupons,
it is more likely that the guests would return and we would have another chance at satisfying
their needs in the future.

The goals that were listed by me in my learning contract were all accomplished and I
grasped more than what I had bargained for. As most of my work revolved around satisfying
these guests’ needs and serving them with top-notch service, I had developed better
understanding about fine dining and gourmet cuisine service. Furthermore, Restaurant
Kanchi, Luzern gave me sufficient opportunities to grow, learn and even practice temporary
authority granted by the senior management. I was completely satisfied working in this
property and would appreciate if I could once again be welcomed back here for further
grooming of my skills.