Running a brewpub isn’t easy- it’s a lot of work, a lot of sweat and the occasional tears.

There are a lot of good, earnest people working behind the scenes, who put in a great deal of effort, round-the-clock, to ensure that everything you love about Toit stays that way.
And these people are none other than our never-tiring, ever-inspiring staff.
Our very own Toit Army- a battalion dedicated to the cause of good beer!

Some of our staff have the most interesting stories. Like our cashier Ramakrishnan, who used to be a politician!

How long have you been with Toit?

I am part of the opening staff, I joined in 2011.

What were you doing before that?

Before this, I worked in Tamilnadu, for a hotel as a cashier.

I am part of the opening staff, I joined in 2011.

When did you move to Bangalore?

I moved here in 2008.

How did you hear about Toit?

One of the cashiers here, he is a friend of mine, and he told me that there was a vacancy for a cashier post here at Toit. So I came here.

Can you describe a day in your job?

I wake up at 6:30 am in the morning because of my children. I have two children—Prashanth and Harshini. I get up and get them ready for school and drop them at school at 8:30 am.

Then I get back, buy some milk, make tea for me and my wife. Then she makes breakfast and once I’m done with that, I report here by 11:00 am.
We have a briefing at about 11:35 am, and after that, I get started with my cashier counter. We clean the system, count the cash, make an account, and make a record of discounted and cancelled bills.

Is your work hard?

Yes. It’s hard during the night, because of a lot more customers come at that time. Also, all the bills are considered at the end of the night. So by the time I leave, it is usually 12 or 1 am.

It’s hard during the night, because of a lot more customers come at that time.

Are you a math whiz?

Not a math whiz, but you should know at least some maths for this job. It is helpful if you are good.
Sometimes if you aren’t good with it, you may give less or too much change back. And you need to be able to handle many bills at a time.
It’s a continuous rotation.

On the weekends, it’s non-stop rotation from 8:30 pm-12:30.

You also need a lot of patience, because you get different kinds of customers.
Plus, they are drinking. Sometimes, if there is a delay, their way of talking changes and you need to be patient during those kind of things.

How do you handle a difficult guest?

We can’t really do anything about it. We have to say “sorry sir” and try and get them the bill as fast as possible.
Sometimes the system hangs, so people get frustrated.

You also need a lot of patience…

When is your off-day?

Monday!

What do you do during your off-day?

Same as a normal work day. My children have school on Monday, so anyway I have to wake up at 7 am. I drop them, come back, and help my wife prepare some non-vegetarian dish for lunch.

I studied Hotel Management, so I can cook different things too. This was in 2005. After that is when I joined the hotel in Chennai.

So, we have lunch, pick up my children and then go out somewhere in the evening. I bring them to Toit also sometimes.

I studied Hotel Management, so I can cook different things too.

Oh, so do you bring your family here often?

Yes! My wife is yet to come, because she doesn’t like pubs and things like that.
I have told her so many times, but I don’t want to force her.

Is your wife working?

No, she is a housewife. Actually, she is also Tamilian but moved here with her family long back.
Her father got a job in the Bangalore Airport and they moved here.

And also, she could not come to Tamilnadu, because she could not adjust to the conditions there, so I shifted here. My parents still live in Trichy.

Bangalore for me is Toit.

Do you like Bangalore?

I do. But Bangalore for me is Toit.
As soon as I wake up and drop my children, I am here. And then by the time I go back, it is 1 am.
So, my life is Toit.

When you’re not working, what do you like doing?

Cricket! I am a part of the Toit Cricket Team.

Do you have a favourite player?

Chris Gayle. He is a good batsman and very exciting to watch during the IPL, which I follow every year.

Our team at Toit is quite large. So Monday or Tuesday we go and play matches in the ground with teams from other pubs.
We used to play every week, but we stopped.

Why?

There used to be a boy in our team, who used to play very well, but he passed away in an accident. Now we don’t feel like playing anymore. When we see that field, we think about him. It’s been about three months now.

I became a ward member before coming here.

What are your plans for after Toit?

I think I want to be a ward member in Tamilnadu.

What is that?

A politician.

Oh, so you want to join politics?

I already have! I became a ward member before coming here.

So you’re a politician cashier?

*laughs* Yes! I used to finish work and then go for these ward member duties afterwards.

But I’ve not been active since I shifted here.

Back there, we used to meet weekly once and see what problems there were in the village, normally something like roads or the water supply. We used to report this in the office and find solutions. It used to be me and ten others.

There is a lot of turmoil in Tamilnadu politics. How does that affect you?

That really does not affect us. It is more at the MP or MLA level. We are lower level party members and we just help out a particular area.
I was nominated for this after I finished college. I had no idea what it meant but my friends and I went for it one day, and they put garlands for us and all that. *laughs*

That is why it has been almost seven years since I have been working here.

Coming back to Toit, do you like working here?

Yes! It is nice.
I do have some medical problems, like back pain and all that, so I can’t stand for too long. But I take pain killers and manage.

How has the experience at Toit been so far?

It’s been good. We have four owners here, and they are all nice people. They listen to us and help us out with whatever we need.
You can’t leave them and go only, because you won’t find such nice owners anywhere else. That is why it has been almost seven years since I have been working here.