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 whose yogic and peacey approach to life shines through his responsibilities at Toit. In another time, he’d have been a blissful zen master. But thankfully for now, he’s our happy Floor Supervisor Naveen.

So what do you do at Toit?

I’m the floor supervisor here.

What were you doing before you joined Toit?

Same hotel industry. For the past 12 years, I’ve been working in this industry. Before this I worked at different hotels and restaurants, and after that I came here.

I wake up at 6:30 am and go for yoga class at 7:00 am

Are you from Bangalore?

I am from Udupi, in Mangalore. I came here in 2004, to search for a job. Even my brother is working in the hotel industry here, so I came here.

How did you decide to join Toit?

After I left the previous restaurant I was working in, I did some business of my own. It didn’t do so well. So I was searching for a job, and one of the regular guests at that restaurant told me about Toit and that it was good. So I came here, gave my interview and joined Toit in November 2011, almost four years ago.

Could you describe a typical work day?

In the morning, I wake up at 6:30 am and go for yoga class at 7:00 am. I have been doing yoga for one and a half months. So, 7-8 is yoga, and after that I come home, watch some tv, take a bath and then move from home at 10:30. 

I stay in K R Puram, so I reach here by 11:15. When I reach, first I allocate all the sections for the boys. After that, at 11:30 we take a briefing for all the service boys, and we discuss the previous day’s problems and achievements and sales.

I also check the grooming of the boys and their uniforms. We have a team of three floor managers, and we are in-charge of 35 boys.
I take care of the break-shift alone, so till about 3 I take care of service. Then I take a break till 6:30 pm and then I am here till closing.

After you instruct the boys, then what do you do?

I’ll check the ambience, I have to check the music and AC, and make sure all sections are set up. We have to be ready for operations by 12:00 pm.

Yes! Not tough, but challenging (job)…

It it a challenging job?

Yes! Not tough, but challenging. We have to take care of the guests daily, and also the boys. As a part of the job, you have to talk to all the guests and check if they are comfortable and take their feedback.

The biggest challenge is when there is a crowd and guests want tables. The regular guests will keep asking us for a place, and sometimes we cannot provide immediately. We can’t tell them no, and they keep on asking. So we have to make some arrangements or the other for them, until a table is ready. At the end of the day, we have to make them happy.

It is busy for us everyday, until the guests leave.

Do you have a plan to handle challenging customers?

We have a word we follow called L.A.S.T.

‘L’ means listen, ‘A’ means apologise, ‘S’ means solution and ‘T’ means thank. So whenever the guest is irritated or angry, we should first listen, and even if it is not our fault, apologise, try to give a solution and then thank the guest for understanding. 

We have a word we follow called L.A.S.T.

But I am always cool. I never get angry. So it is not a problem for me. Even if a guest shouts, I will not get angry. I will try to give a solution and if I cannot, I will call higher management.

Is that why you do yoga? To stay peaceful?

*laughs* No, no. I am always calm only. I do yoga because I am standing for a long time because of my job. So because of climbing steps and all, my legs pain. By doing yoga, it has become better.

How do you spend your day off?

I have my off-day on Monday, and it’s the same. I wake up at 6:30 am to go for yoga classes.

After that, I do shopping for some daily provisions. I also like to watch movies. Old movies. I don’t like all these new movies. And on Mondays they place nice Rajkumar and Ambarish movies, so I watch that.

(I like) old Rajkumar and Ambarish movies…

Then I wash my clothes and like that only the whole day goes. I don’t like going out much. I like to sit at home.

Do you have favourites at Toit?

Beer- Toit Red is my favourite beer.

Food- The Chicken Piccata and also the vegetarian red Pesto Pasta.

What you do like the most and least about your job?

At Toit, I like that I am always busy. Other places there will be work for two days maybe, and the other days will be dull. Body also gets lazy. Here, everyday, from 12 pm when the guests start coming in till the night, you don’t realise how time goes by. You are busy the whole day!

I like everything, but the one thing is I don’t like is to irritate anyone else. In our job, we have to be behind the service people and tell them to do this and that. And I don’t like that so much. I like to do the work by myself if I can.

At Toit, I like that I am always busy.

How has the experience of the last four years at Toit been?

It has been very good. I learned a lot. When I joined here, I was a steward. And then after one year, I got promoted. There is a lot of responsibility. It is a very nice feeling.