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!

Meet the man who started out with us as Floor Supervisor, and then went on to becoming the Manager at our flagship restaurant, The Permit Room. Say hello to Shivaram!

How long were you working at Toit before you moved to The Permit Room?

I started here in 2013, on May 15th. It’s almost four years and a couple of months now.

I found out about Toit from my friend Vishwanath, who was working here before. He introduced me here.
I found it very different from all the other places I had worked at. Once I moved here, I learnt so many things.

What were you doing before you joined Toit?

I was working as a steward and then came up step-by-step.
From a steward, I moved to senior steward, then captain, senior captain and then restaurant manager.

When I moved here, I was working as a Floor Supervisor and then moved to Permit Room as a restaurant manager.

How long has it been since you moved to Permit Room?

I moved in March, in 2016, so a year and a few months.

When you were working as a floor supervisor here, it was pretty hectic right?
And now you’re working as the manager at Permit Room. What’s the biggest difference between working here and there in these roles?

There are a lot of differences. There were responsibilities when I was the Floor Supervisor also, but as Manager, there are so many more.

The Manager has to take care of the restaurant, the staff, the customers, the quality of service—everything.

Toit has completely different kind of customers when compared to Permit Room.

Toit gets lots of youngsters, and also a nice mix of different age groups. At Permit Room, it’s mainly families, at least 80% of them. It’s easy to understand what they want and how to handle them.

Do you miss Toit?

Definitely!

What do you miss about Toit?

See, Toit is always very busy, so the working pace here is such that you won’t realise how the day has gone by.

In Permit Room, it’s a little more relaxed. We can predict the number of customers and around what time most of them will come.

Are you working with a completely new staff? Or are there lots of familiar faces from Toit there as well?

There are some people from Toit, and new staff also. I enjoy working with my old colleagues from Toit because I’ve worked with before and have their support. I didn’t have to teach them too much also, because they already know what to do.

Even though Toit and Permit Room have the same Management, the places are completely different in their vibe and food and everything. What is your favourite thing about each place?

In Toit, it’s the beer. That’s 100% sure. In Permit Room, it’s the food. And also the cocktails are the best. They go really well with the food.

What is a typical workday at Permit Room like?

See, once I go to work, I don’t look at the time. I don’t mind being there till whatever time I have to be there.
I go at about 11:30 in the morning, and I work till my break at 3:30 pm. Till then, I will do the official work, like bill checking and sending mails and also managing party packages.

In the evening, I take care of the customers and I usually interact with them about their experience.

As a Manager, there is not time limit as such for us. I sometimes leave in the evening or late at night, depending on the work.

What do you do on your off days?

I watch the news, and I take my family out.

Other than that, I won’t go anywhere. I’ll be at home, reading books.

I relax and do my other personal work, like bank work and school work for my kids and all that.

Once in fifteen days, I make biryani. I used to work in a North Indian cuisine restaurant for a long time, so I know how to cook all that.

I make Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken, Pudina Chicken, which I love, and sometimes Andhra style biryani.
If my wife wants something, she’ll ask me and I’ll make it.

I love playing cricket! Before marriage and after marriage also I used to play a lot.
Recently, I’ve stopped playing because there is no one to play with.

When I was in Toit, we used to have a team and we played regularly. We won a cup also, among the breweries.

Since you liked Toit so much, how did you decide to shift to Permit Room?

See, my Directors gave me an opportunity. So I don’t want to miss that, and also don’t want to say no to them.
From the beginning, they have always given me good things. When you get an opportunity like this in this industry, you should take it. It does not happen often.
I want to show them my promptness and performance in this role.

How has the experience been?

It’s been really good. I enjoy a lot with my whole team, it is a team of about 80 people.

Everyday, everyone comes with a different story, so you don’t realise how time passes at all.