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 stay 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 his journey as an Army kid, bowls a mean leg-spin and never forgets a face—our senior steward, not Himesh, Ramesh, or Suresh, but Hamesh. (He insisted we make it clear!)

How did Toit happen? What were you doing before you started working here?
Actually I was working in Koramangala in an Italian restaurant before I joined Toit. And I was working as a Captain—had to handle multiple skills there from store pick ups to being the cashier. Then, my colleague told me to join Toit. That time it was not open. It was under construction. So I said I would join later, once it starts.

…not Himesh, Ramesh, or Suresh, but Hamesh.

Later, the colleague told me it was opening on the 7th of March. I came for an interview on the 13th of March, one week after the official opening. Mr. Arun took my interview and told me that they would decide and call me. I was waiting for the call, and the next day Mr. Sibi called in the evening and told me I could join from the next day.

So you’ve been here right from the opening! Have you always been in the hospitality field?
I’ve done my Hotel Management from Nainital. I’m actually from Haryana but I completed my studies in Madhya Pradesh, since my father was in the Army.

So I have travelled all over India. I completed my studies in 2007, that is my 12th standard, and in 2008 I completed my Hotel Management from Nainital.

Then I went to Gorakhpur for my training and worked at a hotel there. I trained for six months in different departments there, before I went to Hyderabad. In Hyderabad, there was a private company that made subs and sandwiches, where I worked for a year. They transferred me to Goa as a store manager, then to Delhi, and finally in 2010 August, I was here.

Whenever I enter my section, I will keep everything in a stack

The person who owned the private company in Hyderabad had set up the Italian restaurant I had worked at before Toit, here in Bangalore. Actually everywhere I worked, I had worked as a part of the pre-opening team. That’s why he called me and asked if I wanted to work for a proper restaurant. It was a nice package and I said ok.

What’s a typical work day like?
We usually work in shifts—from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm, and then from 6:00 pm till closing. When we come in the morning, we just check about the non-availabilities. Then the supervisors take a briefing and inform us about the non-availabilities, and also discuss whatever happened the previous day. And they will also tell us what to do and ask us about the menu—we need to have a thorough knowledge of the menu. Then they distribute the tables and sections. Everyday we get different sections.

Whenever I enter my section, I will keep everything in a stack. All the cutlery and side plates, I will keep it ready. Then when the guests start coming, I start taking orders and all.

During my break, I go home, have lunch with my children, and then go sleep for an hour. Then I will wake up, freshen up and come here by 6:15 and be here till closing.

What do you do on your off days?
My off day is on Tuesday. Usually, I wake up at 8:00 am with my kids, and bathe them. I have two children, one daughter and one son. Daughter is one and a half years old, and my son is 6 months old. We have breakfast and all, and then decide what to do. We need to spend some time with the kids so we go to parks in the evenings. In the afternoon, I just play with them. In the night, I watch some movies and take rest.

Do you get to interact a lot with the customers?
Ya. We see a lot of faces daily, lots of new faces also. For me, it is easy to remember the faces. If I serve a guest once, I’ll try to remember their face and what they ordered. Usually, I do remember. That way, I can directly place the order because I know what they prefer to have.

Do customers get difficult to handle sometimes? How do you deal with that?
It happens when the customers are very demanding, and sometimes when the food gets delayed. What we should do is inform them every time, like tell them their food will take time and apologise for the delay.

If I serve a guest once, I’ll try to remember their face and what they ordered.

Sometimes it gets missed on the system or someone forgets to add a dish. At that time we inform the customer and then try to get their dish as soon as possible. We request the Chef to give the delayed or missed orders fast.
Sometimes it gets very hard, when the customers don’t understand.

Are you enjoying this role?
Yes! Because I get to meet people, I never get bored.  I always interact with the guests. It is always funny when a customer orders Mocktails, because if I suggest they have ‘Safe Sex on the Beach’ they all laugh and say no sex during the day or some joke like that. But there are also customers who are quiet and just want to place the order. So at that time I will just take the order.

What are your favourites at Toit?
I used to drink before, but after marriage everything stopped. *grins sheepishly*
I usually have the Veggie Attack and Veg Oriental Pizza. That’s my favourite.

So you’re vegetarian?
Not actually, but again, now I am after marriage. *laughs*
I like the India Pale Ale in the beers.

I used to drink before, but after marriage everything stopped. *grins sheepishly*

If you hadn’t been working in Toit, what do you think you would have been doing?
See, like from my school days till now, I have been playing cricket. We have a Toit team also! Few of us play every morning from Monday to Thursday, from 6:30- 9:30 in the morning. I wanted to be a cricketer but I didn’t get the support for that. After my studies, I decided to do Hotel Management.

So, are you a batsman or a bowler?
All-rounder! I do both batting and bowling. In bowling, I am mainly a spin bowler. Right-arm, left-arm, whatever, leg-spin.

Do you miss home?
Yes, naturally. Actually, my whole family is in different states. My brother is in Bhopal, my mother is in Haryana, my father is in Orissa. My father is a Chief Security Officer for a steel company, and my brother is doing some coaching in Bhopal. I always miss home. But we have a huge crowd coming to Toit so we can’t go every month like that. Usually, I go for one month leave every year. That time we all match our leave, usually around Diwali, and all of us meet.

Actually, my whole family is in different states.

What’s the feeling like, working at Toit?
I’m very proud. Everyone here is proud and we have a very good team, very experienced. We are always learning. Like Mr. Derrick will put facts everyday on the notice board, most famous beers or cheese names, he will always be putting general knowledge things like that. And the owners are the main part of Toit—they do their work and leave us to do our work. Very awesome!