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!

What do you get when you put a bartender and the best work ethic together? Our Bar Supervisor Monty, of course!

When did you join Toit?

It has been almost five years. I’ll be completing five years this month.

What were you doing before this?

This is my first job. I was studying before this. I did my BHM in Maharashtra, and then a course in Bartending in Bangalore, before I joined Toit.

Are you from Maharashtra then?

Yes!

What made you decide to shift to Bangalore?

Nothing was planned, actually. I did my BHM and wondered what I should do next. Maybe go to some area where I can work properly and make a career for myself. I was confused about whether I should go to the kitchen or the bar, so I came to Bangalore and also Chennai, to look at some bartending colleges.

I got into one place called Bar Square India, in Bangalore, and I went there. I had a very good mentor there who helped me a lot. 

My parents actually wanted me to finish my course and come back to Maharashtra, instead of working in Bangalore because I’m the only son. 

But then I got a job here, which was nice because it was a microbrewery and I told them I’ll work for one year and see, and then come back there once I get done. They agreed and said ok, come back and work here after a year. 

I started working here, and it’s now been five years since then.

Do you enjoy bartending?

Ya ya! Once you decide to do something, you should do it properly.

Can you describe a typical work day for me?

I wake up depending on which shift it is, second shift or the break shift.

If it’s the second shift, I sleep till late, till about 11:30 am, because I also go to sleep late.

If it is the break shift, I wake up at 10 am, take a bath and have breakfast at home. Normally I don’t cook at home, but one thing I prefer is to have breakfast at home because at least one meal has to be healthy.

See, I am a bachelor staying alone so I always eat outside, which is not good at all. That’s why breakfast is at home.

I get ready, come to work. For the break shift, you need to plan everything for the day and make sure all the back up is there. I am in charge of the bar, so I have to make sure everything is ready before the operations start. Cleaning, set up, display, lights—all has to be checked. If some item is not available, I make my purchase team get it and if they can’t, I get it myself. I try to make sure I do as much as I can.

For the second shift, I come for duty allocations or to complete any extra pending work. 

Do you also make a lot of the cocktails?

Depends. If some of the staff is not there, then I will make it, otherwise my job is to supervise them. Most of the time I will be supervising them and managing the bars on all the three floors, so I have to make sure everything is going smoothly. 

What do you enjoy the most about your job, and what do you dislike the most?

So, whichever bar I am handling I will make sure everything from the glasses to the lime juice is there before I start.

My policy is that if everything is there in back up, then you can work smoothly and serve the drinks fast. That way you make the customers happy. First of all they are waiting for a table, or they have to wait for food for at least 20 minutes, so now if they have to wait for drinks also then it will be quite awkward. It will be disappointing for them. So I like to give them the drinks as fast as possible. 

That’s your working policy. But what do you enjoy about your work?

I enjoy bartending and making new cocktails. I’m always curious about learning new things—like fermentation, what is fermentation and what exactly happens during the process of fermentation. I like to know many things.

And what do you dislike?

The timings. It gets late. That is the only thing, nothing else apart from that. And of course, we have to be working weekends. 

What do you do on your off day?

I don’t drink on my off day but it depends. Most of my friends are from the IT industry and they know my off is on a Wednesday. So, if they want to meet, we go to some pubs and I have a few drinks with them.

I like to do anything apart from my job on my off day. If I hang out with my hotel industry friends, then we will talk about work. And I don’t want to do that. So I meet my IT friends, and also talk to them about politics and share markets. I do invest in shares so I will have a chat with them about all this.

When you meet once or twice a month, you’ll have something new to talk about.

Do you have any hobbies?

I like to watch movies, but most of the times I watch talk shows.  Shows like Koffee with Karan.
Actually, my English was very weak when I came to Bangalore, and that was a minus point for me. I started reading newspapers and watching talk shows to see how people talk and how they use their language, and that is how I learnt. And I still continue to watch and learn.

What is your favourite cocktail to make at Toit?

I like the Sinful Passion. It’s one of those drinks that is a straight drink and is very easy to have also. And you won’t smell of alcohol after drinking it.

It’s orange juice, vodka, and passion fruit. That’s it!

But I don’t like to drink cocktails so much. I like making them, but I like to drink beers. My favourite here is the Stout. Always!

In the five years of doing this hectic job, does any memorable incident come to mind?

When I was a bartender, I had basic knowledge about things because of my BHM degree. My supervisor was taking care of the guest and I was observing. So the guest asked for cider, and as per what I knew, we didn’t have any cider on the menu. The supervisor gave the guest a food menu!

And I thought what the hell is he doing?! So I said sir, if you don’t mind, I think the guest asked for cider and we don’t have it. He thought the guest meant ‘sider’, and he thought that was a new word for a side dish. So I had to tell him that cider is a flavoured beer, mostly made from apples, and we don’t have that. These are things that happen, and I find them funny.

From the one year you were supposed to be here according to what you’d initially told your parents, it is now almost five years. How has the entire experience been?

See, there are many things I can say, but the one thing I will say is that if you work hard at Toit, you will definitely see results. You don’t need to show off or prove that you are working. The Management sees everything and they know who is working and not.

I personally don’t believe in showing off. Just because someone is watching me, I can’t act like I am doing extra work. I do the work I have to and I don’t care about anything else. And the good thing here is they know who is working and putting initiative, and they really appreciate you.

Now Toit is opening in Bombay, which is closer to your home! Planning on moving there?

As of now, nothing like that. I am taking care of the bars here and there are a lot of new things to handle here, so I just want to do my best with that.