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 men who make sure everything is in place and that we’re always looking spiffy—Dibakar and Srinivas.
From the bar to the stairs, and the tables to the chairs, these two housekeeping supervisors are the ones who ensure we’re always at our stylish best!

Where are you both from originally, and how did Toit happen?

Dibakar: I’m from West Bengal originally, and I joined Toit in 2011. Before that, I was working in a shopping mall as a liquor executive. I worked there for around two years. Then one day, a friend told me about Toit and suggested I should apply here. So I did! Before I moved to Bangalore, I used to work in Delhi.

Srinivas: I am from Bangalore itself. I’ve been working at Toit from the beginning. Actually, I first started working here through a housekeeping agency, but then after sometime, when the agency’s contract was done, they promoted me and I became a full time employee. So I worked for the agency first and then became a part of Toit.

What is a typical work-day like?

We have two shifts, and we both rotate those shifts between us every fifteen days. One in the morning and one in the evening.
For the first shift, we come here at 8 am and give a briefing to our boys. Then we assign the tasks of the day to each one of them. We assign one boy for every floor, to make sure everything is ok.  They start with cleaning the bar counter, then the mats, then the mopping and polishing of the floors.
After that the glasses and tables are cleaned and arranged, then we look into the restrooms. That, along with dusting and general cleaning takes us until 11:30. That’s when we close work, because guests also start coming in then.

But we continue to check the floors every hour. The second shift starts at 2:00 pm.

But we continue to check the floors every hour.

We do the same routine of checking all the places and items, the bar, everything again and do some cleaning wherever it is needed. At around 6, we send the boys for a break. We keep the second floor ready by this time, and we check all the floors again.

How big is your team?
We have a team of fifteen! That’s three women and twelve men.

And how does it feel to supervise a team of fifteen?
It’s great working with them. They learn and listen to us. And working here, leading a team, is a very good learning for us as well. We brought our skills from the previous job and learned new skills as well.

Is your job hectic?
It is a hectic job and we’re always working. There is constant work to do, and we have to make sure everything is clean and proper every few hours. So there’s always something to do. It is more hectic during the weekends. And every week, we have a thorough cleaning done of each floor. This is when we shut that floor and clean every single bit of it. We do this once every week, for each of the floors, and on those days there is a lot to do.

It is a hectic job and we’re always working.

In the many years here, any particular challenges you remember facing?
The hardest time was when Toit expanded and there was a lot of construction material lying around. We had to carry it from one place to the other, and the boys had to work really hard to keep the place clean. So when that was happening, it was hard for us.

When you’re not working, what do you do on an off day?
Dibakar: Well, I’m a bachelor so I just relax and make food for myself at home. If I want to watch a movie I watch whatever is on the television. I don’t go out much.

Srinivas: I have a family, so I take my children to school, drop them off, spend some time with my wife and just relax at home. Even I do not like going out too much, prefer relaxing at home with my family.

Do you have favourite foods and drinks here?
Dibakar: Yes. The pizzas here are really good, and in the beers, I like the Basmati Blonde. I tasted it during the party the management throws for the whole staff at the end of every month.

Srinivas: I don’t drink, but in the food, I really like the Chicken Piccata and Chicken Wings.

If you weren’t working at Toit, what is something else that you’d like to pursue?
Srinivas: I think I would have a shop that sold cleaning equipment. It is hard to get good quality cleaning equipment, and you have to look around a lot. So my shop will have all the important cleaning equipment. But I like my current job too.

Dibakar: I can’t really think of anything when I’m asked like that. This is the job I have been doing for years, and I enjoy but. But if not this, I think I would have liked to open a grocery store that sold a mixed variety of things.

You see, we are the kind of people that have the desire to learn.

How has the journey been so far?
It has been really good. You see, we are the kind of people that have the desire to learn. So even if it is not our job, if a customer asks us something, we know enough to answer their question. We are not experts but we can explain if asked. Everyone here is like that, knowing what the others are doing while being good at their own job. We have that interest to learn, and we look forward to learning more new things in our job. Here, even though it is hectic and the day starts early, we just don’t realise how time goes by.