A day in the life of The Vic’s Food and Beverage Assistant, Phoebe

August 27, 2024 | The Victoria | 5 minute read

The Victoria’s food and beverage team are the smiling faces you’ll see when you dine at The Vic, but what do they get up to when the restaurant is empty? Food and Beverage Assistant, Phoebe (pictured above), shares what her day involves…

7:45am:

Our work day starts when the breakfast staff will come in and set up for our residents to indulge and refresh before their day of exploring the estate, beach, local tourist attractions or just a simple walk to the pine woods. Setting up includes making sure all of our tables are prepared for the amount of guests we have eating with us that morning, checking that everything is set and ready helps with a smooth service. We then check that we have a sufficient amount of sweet fruit preserves, napkins are folded and cutlery is polished.

10:30am:

Breakfast service is finished, guests are satisfied and sat with the familiar smell of locally sourced breakfast all around the restaurant. As they leave the table and prepare to start their busy days, we prepare for the next service, which includes disinfecting all the tables, sweeping the whole restaurant, setting tables up for lunch for the correct amount of people dining with us that lunchtime. Once the restaurant is ready, we then focus on washing and polishing glasses and cutlery, stocking the shelves behind the bar, then we fold napkins. This time of year a lot of our guests prefer to sit outside on our terrace or in the courtyard and enjoy the sun, so we also wipe down the boxes that go outside containing cutlery, napkins and salt and pepper shakers. Meanwhile we’re refilling the salt and pepper in both the outside boxes and the restaurant tables if needed.

12:00pm:

Lunch service begins. During lunch service we get a lot of people coming off the beach just opposite the Victoria, hoping for a cold drink and some lunch. Our lunch menu gives the option of either a starter and a main or if you’re after a lighter lunch we recommend 2-3 small plates to be eaten as a tapas style lunch. A lot of people walking in from the beach are accompanied by their furry friends, who are also welcomed with open arms and are even offered a water bowl and a couple of dog treats upon arrival.

3:00pm:

Lunch is over, we still have a few guests sitting in the sun enjoying their drinks or desserts. While they’re doing that we are busy getting ready for dinner service, setting up for dinner is very similar to setting up for lunch, it consists of the same routine. We also take any extra time we have to plan ahead for breakfast and looked what numbers are in the next morning – we then make sure there are plenty of butters prepared in the fridge and we also prepare breakfast caddies filled with jam, orange marmalade, pure honey and sugar, to save time for the morning staff.

6:30pm:

Dinner service is starting, guests are on their way down from their rooms, always dressed up looking lovely for their evening meal. Our dinner menu changes daily to cover more guests’ preferences every day. To allow a smooth service and to not seem rushed, the team is split into sections: these sections are bar, restaurant and kitchen. Usually one person on the bar will be responsible for everyone’s drinks that night, polishing glasses and managing stock, the two people in the restaurant section will devote their time to seating guests, taking orders, delivering drinks to tables and resetting tables after guests leave. Meanwhile the two people on the kitchen section will spend their evening delivering everyone’s food, polishing cutlery, folding napkins, keeping sauces full and of course keeping the chefs refreshed with a cold drink.

8:30pm:

As you can see everyone does their part all day to allow the Victoria to keep its high standards, by this time dinner service has ended and it’s time to polish the last bits of cutlery, make sure napkin boxes are full so there are plenty for tomorrow, sauces are full, everything is wiped down and clean and the bins are emptied. All while the restaurant tables are being cleared, wiped and set for breakfast which consists of cutlery, teacups and saucers, breakfast caddies and menus. We then sweep the restaurant and close all the doors and windows. Meanwhile the bar is being restocked, glasses are being washed and polished, our coffee machine is being deep cleaned, the beer taps are getting soaked to avoid any residue getting sticky overnight. We then clean the glass washer and finally sweep and mop the floor. After everything is done, the lights go off and staff disappear ready to do it all again tomorrow.

If you’re inspired by what Phoebe shares, check out our vacancies to see whether The Vic are currently recruiting.