NARRATION OF EXPERIENCE

My On-The-job Training happened at the Carahauz Boutique Hotel and Café

located in the Science City of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. My training includes 250 hours

training in housekeeping and another 250 hours in food and beverage services.

Good thing is that the Carahauz have it both that is why my training will be in the

same place.

In our first day, we’ve met the owner and also the manager which happened to be

siblings. After a short discussion of the establishment’s rules and regulation, they

introduced me together with my co-trainees to the staffs of the hotel and café. They

also toured us to the whole hotel and café. Later that day, as the customers and

guests arrive, the staffs demonstrated us their working process.

The next day, we arrived 30 minutes before the café opens as the manager

advised us on our first day. This 30 minutes allowance before the opening is the

moment where the trainees and staffs set up the café and prepare the things for

the whole day operation. We swept and mopped the floor in front of the bar up to

the kitchen then wiped the tables and chairs. Then, we prepared the cutleries,

chinaware’s and glassware’s. After that, we cleaned the restroom of the café. Upon

opening, the customers slowly arrived. Right after the customer takes its seat, the

waiter immediately takes their order and give the order into the kitchen. The kitchen

staff will then prepare the food or drink that was ordered. After plating or designing

the order, the waiter will collect the prepared order into a tray then serve it to the

guest. The kitchen staff will be dishwashing the used kitchen utensils and also the

used cutleries, chinaware and glassware’s.

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In the afternoon after doing all the tasks in the café, we are scheduled to do our

Housekeeping training. We cleaned all the rooms especially those who have been

checked out recently. We removed first the soiled linens then collect all the

garbage’s that was scattered all over the room and also collect the trash from the

trash bin in the comfort room. After removing all the soiled linen and trash, my co-

trainee cleaned the bathroom. We then make-up the bed while the others are

wiping the fixtures and furniture. After that, we swept and mopped the floor.

After doing all the duties in the hotel, we went back to the café. If there are no

works in the café, we will move to the bar and grill to check if there are items to be

repacked in the stocks. After repacking, we washed all the dishes in the pantry.

After that, we helped in the kitchen in preparing orders and cleaning all the tables.

After having the last order, we prepared all of their orders. After they leave, we

cleaned the whole area and washed all of the dishes. We also turned the chairs

upside down then the cashier counted all the sales. After checking the sales and

to see if there was no shortage, everyone can leave.

Since day one, we noticed that their kitchen was not organized and needs to be

organized for easier and more sanitized food preparation area. me and my co-

trainees decided to organize their kitchen and separate what needs to be

separated like the used kitchen tools to be placed in the sink. While the clean things

should be placed in the cabinet. The wet and dry ingredients should be separated

too. Even the hot and cold that needs to be refrigerated should be well organized

to avoid spoilage and for the sanitation of the area.

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My training, together with my co-trainees for few weeks were all the same. The

same routine from the morning up to the closing time. There were also times that

we have to leave under time because we have to do school works. And there are

also times that we have to absent in out OJT because of school activities and

exams.

There were times that the employees are not present in the café and only we, the

trainees were present. We have to take charge and do all their duties while there

was a huge number of customers.

There was a moment where we were cleaning the whole hotel and café and we

smelled something that has a foul odor, it smells like a rotten meat. We search all

over the kitchen but there’s nothing in there. As we went to the grill, the odor gets

stronger and we found where that smell came from. It was a basin of beef meat

that was left in the grill and as we opened the cover, the meat was already covered

with lots of maggots. Almost 80% of the basin content was all maggots and only

20% were the rotten meat. No one admitted their mistake so one of us cleaned it

voluntarily although it was already sticking into our nose.

Everything were all the same until an employee turned up things upside down. An

issue between us, the trainees and the employees broke up. The management

have to take an action regarding the problem and decided to make an open forum.

As a trainee, I opened up and said all the things that the management have to

know. I have to clear our side and say all the things that I know honestly. That

made the things worst and the management sided the employees even if clearly,

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they were wrong. They didn’t did anything to correct the mistakes of their

employees and what they did is put the blame to us just because the manager said

that we were just their trainees. His biased decision didn’t just ended up there, he

decided that he will be the one to give us the schedule when we will have a training.

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PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

The trainee encountered several problems in the Carahauz Boutique Hotel and

Café. Some of those are resolved but most of them are not.

The trainee have seen that the kitchen has been lacking of equipment and space.

The equipments in the kitchen were not complete and some were old enough that

it was almost unusable and dangerous to use.

There was only one stove in the kitchen. Although it was double burner, it wasn’t

enough to be used for all of the orders. Since all food were all cooked in the stove,

it makes the process slow.

The oven suddenly didn’t worked and it made our job harder. Everytime that we

have to defrost a frozen good, we have to soak it in a hot water. It wasn’t easy

since we have to always keep a boiling water in the kitchen. But because of the

limited number of burners, it makes the operation even slower.

Another problem that we encountered was the stocks for the ingredients were

always not complete. If there are customers that orders a certain food that lacks of

ingredient, they have to make the customer wait because the staffs have to buy

the ingredients needed first. Another problem with that situation is that they have

to ask first the manager before buying the ingredient, if the manager was busy or

not in the hotel, the staffs have to wait for the managers’ confirmation. It makes the

process very slow and makes the customer unsatisfied.

There have been a moment that the foods in the Unli-Pasta and Pizza Promo have

problems. We served a spoiled pastas to the customer because as we reported it

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to the staffs before serving, they said that it was still edible. Mostly, the customers

complain while some just don’t eat their food and leave.

That was not the only food complaint about food spoilage that we encountered.

The beef was already spoiled but it was still served to the pregnant customer. The

customer complained but the management insisted that the food was still fine. The

management still asked the customer to pay for the food despite the fact that the

food served was spoiled.

There have been a time where a group of customers ordered corned beef and it

was all spoiled but was still served to the customer. Although the customer didn’t

complained, they didn’t even eat the food they served. The customer was clearly

not satisfied with that kind of service.

Another problem that we encountered is that the blender was broken and had a

broken piece that was placed in the milkshake. The milkshake was already served

and have to take it back to the customer. The second broken glass incident

happened when a cracked glass was served to the customer so we have to take it

back.

There was also a room girl that left on duty for almost two hours. We did her job

as a room girl except doing the laundry since the cashier told us not to do it. We’ve

been supervised by the cashier to maintain the quality of rooms’ cleanliness. That

problem reached the management and the manager got angry since that staff has

a lot of things that was against the hotels rules and regulations. We had a short

meeting because of it and the manager reminded the rules and regulations that we

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have to follow. They also reminded us that there are certain punishments for those

who disobey them like suspension or termination.

There was also a room boy that slept at night until 7 in the morning. We tried to

wake him up but he didn’t. Since the room boy was asleep, we’ve been the one

who did his job.

We also had a guest that have an accompany that was very noisy and we told her

that it was a company rule that guests should not be too noisy outside their

designated room since there are guests on the nearby rooms and she might disturb

them. Unfortunately, she didn’t cared and continued to shout on her accompany.

The sanitation of the restaurant is poor and haven’t maintained that much. There

are insects that was in the lemonade bar and kitchen. And they only do pest control

almost once in three months. There are crawling cockroaches everywhere. We

decided to tell the management about it and they brought insecticides and we

sprayed it before we leave at night.

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VIRTUES DEVELOPED

UNITY. We learned that unity is something that everyone must know. A little help

is a contribution to a big outcome.

TEMPERANCE. We have learned that a lot of temper is needed in this kind of

industry. In terms of handling guests and also with the staffs.

INDEPENDENCY. We must do some job by ourselves. We have to clean the

tables, to take and serve orders alone. We have answer phone calls, do room

service all by ourselves.

MOTIVATION. We must learn to be motivated by ourselves even if everyone has

been putting us down.

SELF-CONFIDENCE. We developed our self confidence in times that we have to

face guests alone. We have to be confident to be able to do our job perfectly and

avoid intimidating the guest.

KINDNESS. Kindness is something that a person always have and give. No matter

how bad a person is, be kind.

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CONCLUTION AND RECOMMENDATION

The trainee concluded that the flexibility of an individual is important in the

hospitality industry. No just being flexible, a trainee must also have a good health

since the job in a hotel and restaurant is not easy. You have to do both

housekeeping and food and beverages services at the same time.

They recommended that the management must add new equipments and replace

the old ones to avoid further incidents. They should also maintain the stocks of

ingredients inside the kitchen so that upon orders, the food will be prepared

immediately.

The appliances inside the kitchen and also inside the hotel must always be

checked and maintained to avoid future inconvenience like sudden malfunctions.

It will help the staffs work efficiently and faster.

The trainee recommended that the hotel and restaurant management must monitor

their staffs. Since the trainees does not have enough power in the establishment,

the management must monitor if the staffs are already taking advantage on the

trainees. Bullying and saying harsh words must also be monitored since this

industry requires professionalism.

The trainee also recommended that they should also give proper trainings and

seminars on how to handle guests and do their job efficiently. Not just for trainees

but also with the employees since during the training, the trainees have observed

the lacking of knowledge on how does the restaurant and hotel works. Especially

in sanitation, the management must observe the personal hygiene and physical

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appearance of their staffs and future trainees. Cleanliness of a person with a

pleasing personality gives the customers the assurance that the restaurant is

hygienic in preparing their food.

They should also learn how to give disciplinary actions to those employees and

trainees that have disobeyed the company rules and regulations. If there are

misunderstandings between the employees and trainees, the management must

be responsible for doing something so that their work will not be affected. The

management must not be biased and decide correctly.

For the future trainees, they must learn how to get along with the employees and

to do their tasks willingly. They must follow the company rules and regulations to

avoid having a problem with the company. They must be responsible enough to

know what they should do first, what they should do and not to do. And lastly, the

trainees must know their rights as a trainee and know when to speak up when

there was a mistreatment to them.

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