The Biltmore Estate
At The Biltmore Estate; in the beautiful Asheville, NC; I served as a Food and Beverage Management Intern across 2 of their food and beverage outlets while picking up shifts at others. I first started at the Forbes 4-Star Rated Inn on Biltmore Estate rotating through all of their 5 Food and Beverage locations: In-Room Dining, AM/Tea Service, Banquets, The Library Lounge, and PM Dining. I worked closely with managers in all of these places to learn essential skills it takes to be a successful manager in the Hospitality Industry such as budgets, scheduling, guest relationships, etc. Additionally I would attend weekly F&B Management Meetings and Operations Meetings. Finally I worked on an internship long Capstone project to standardize pre-meal line-up procedures across the Inn on Biltmore Estate while emphasizing the Forbes Travel Guides Standards. After working at The Inn on Biltmore Estate for 6 weeks I finished the remaining 6 weeks at Cedrics Tavern a casual-service Tavern style food named after the famed St. Bernard that George Vanderbilt owned when he originally built the Biltmore House. Here I learned how to balance my responsibilities of assisting during service, supporting my staff, and building relationships with guests. Furthermore I would aid in the completion of shift reports and communication logs at the end of every service. Finally, I would aid in the preparation and execution of multiple banquet events that would take place in the loft of Cedrics Tavern.
The Waverly Local
At The Waverly Local our most popular seasonings are salt and pepper. 7 Simple yet delicious food is what the menu is made up of letting the food speak for itself. Yet on any given weekend there can be 300 guests dining with us. While at The Waverly Local I have had the opportunity to work almost every position in the front of house starting off at hosting where I would greet guests upon entry and show them to their table getting to know them in such a short walk. I then moved up to a Service Assistant in which I would ensure that the service went as smoothly as possible whether it be cleaning tables, taking out the trash, or doing anything to help the servers I would give 110% for my entire shift. Next, I moved up to be a server in which I got to personally know every guest that I served and give them a memorable experience every time. Currently I am fulfilling the role of being a Shift Leader. Through this role I get to take the initiative to lead the restaurant team on a path to get better everyday. Some initiatives that I have taken include setting up non-negotiables in which The Waverly Local can stand on in good and hard times. While doing all this I also would work some shifts as an expeditor serving as the connection between the front and back of house. During my time I have filled a lot of positions, thus giving me unique knowledge that most people wouldn’t get by moving my way up and working all throughout the restaurant the get the most complete view of what it takes to manage a restaurant.
Taco Mama
Taco Mama is a fast casual Mexican establishment located in downtown Auburn. Just a few steps from the campus of Auburn University it would always be busy every night of the week. While at Taco Mama I served as a Front of House Team Member rotating through many different positions. I would greet guests with a warm welcome while also maintaining a clean dining room for those guests to enjoy their food. Additionally I would take orders both in person and over the phone accurately to ensure that everything was properly inputted to the kitchen for the food to be prepared and delivered as efficiently as possible. Finally I would maintain a stocked and organized beverage station by preparing fresh lemons every few hours in addition to replacing any empty soda syrups. This base knowledge and experience allowed me to fine tune any skills necessary for me to apply as I move forward into fine dining restaurants.
Orientation Counselor
During the Summer of 2022 I had the amazing opportunity to serve as 1 of 50 as an Orientation, Camp War Eagle, Counselor to the new Freshman coming into Auburn University. I worked with around 100 students over the course of the summer teaching them all about Auburn and the inner workings of being a College Student. This included how to set up a schedule, what day to day looked like, and resources available to them. Additionally I built connections with all of my students as well as my fellow counselors. This gave me a way to work on my hospitality skills outside of the traditional establishments of hotels, restaurants, or events.