Ryan Williams

At my current employer, Avalon, I am responsible for creating event spaces and ensuring the event runs smoothly from start to finish. Events range from small business parties, showers, to large-volume weddings.

Once an event is scheduled, it is my job to coordinate with our event planners on the room layout and materials needed (dining ware, technical equipment, decorative supplies). I then direct a team of employees (ranging from 1-10 team members) on the set-up of the event. Everything from initial appearances, to the smallest details like improper napkin folds is held under my personal scrutiny.

On event days, I am responsible for communicating the needs of the party to my team members and the kitchen department. This is essential for the event to run as smoothly as possible. Your host could request additional services not previously included in the planning sheet. You must communicate with the kitchen department to make sure their chefs know what to cook and when it is served. This is a top priority because the chefs are occupied with multiple banquet parties a day, in addition to serving over one-hundred dining tables. They cannot be held solely responsible for your party’s meal. As the acting supervisor, you are personally presenting the final bill to the host. As well as representing your company. You do not want to present and represent financial ignorance. Effective communication ensures an excellent event and future business.

In short, my duties:

• Inspect restroom and serving areas to for cleanliness and proper setup.
• Communicate with kitchen staff to properly handle details and address concerns.
• Utilize POS system for final bill calculation.
• Event closing duties (emptying trash, safeguarding alcohol, and polishing silverware).
• Arranged place settings with clean tablecloths, napkins and tableware.
• Attend to guest inquiries by relaying information regarding their parties meal times, food ingredients, club promotional events.
• Accommodated guests with children and special needs to promote comfortable dining experience.
• Help restaurant staff set up their department’s small and large events
• Communicate with servers about new tables, changes in food availability and customer comments.
• Respond appropriately to customer complaints, bringing major issues to the attention of upper management.
• Provide training, leadership and insight to newly hired employees.
• Remain calm and professional in stressful circumstances and effectively diffused tense situations.
• Reviewed completed work to verify consistency, quality, and conformance.
• Developed strategies to improve team performance and productivity.
• Coordinated with other department supervisors to ensure smooth workflow.

While working at Bockelman’s Landscaping and Gardening Center I learned to work independently of my team and to pride myself in my personal results. The job environment here was dysfunctional and tense among co-workers, but this made for a great lesson and now I know to hold myself up and that you cannot always rely on the “team” to get the job done.

Regular duties consisted of:

• Operating landscaping equipment such as mowers and trimmers effectively.
• Conducting regular maintenance of gardens and lawns.
• Following safety protocols (Gloves, eye protection)
• Removed debris from grounds such as leaves, twigs, branches using hand tools or power equipment.
• Performed routine maintenance tasks such as weeding flower beds, pruning trees and bushes, raking leaves.
• Assisted with loading and unloading trucks with materials needed for jobsite activities.
• Built or maintained greenhouses, fences or benches. (Built a ranch fence for owners’s Horses.)

In my time working at Burger King I learned how to:

•Properly drain and clean industrial kitchen appliances such as boilers and fryers.

•Prepare raw meats (raw chicken) with 100% attention to safety procedures to prevent illness's.

•Maintain a consistent speed on the production line to meet increasing demands.

In addition, I performed the following duties:

• Operated cash register, processed transactions, and handled customer payments.
• Maintained cleanliness of dining area, kitchen, and restrooms throughout shifts.
• Followed health code regulations when handling food items safely.
• Cleaned cooking equipment after use according to safety protocols.
• Prepared food items such as salads, sandwiches, desserts, as needed.
• Stocked condiments, toppings and other food items during slow hours.

In my time working at Pizza Joe’s I gained insight into:

• Keeping up in a fast-paced production environment

•Proper preservation procedures for raw food products

•Attentive customer service

While performing the following duties:

• Opening side work, including setting up dining area for guests arrival.
• Delivering food to tables in a timely manner.
• Preparing food items following company recipes and quality standards.
• Operating a cash register, processing transactions, and handling customer payments.
• Maintaining cleanliness of dining area, kitchen, and restrooms throughout shifts.
• Collaborating with team members to ensure efficient order preparation and service.