Hospitality & Customer Experience

Hospitality work that sharpened service excellence, operations awareness, and people skills supporting my IT and leadership roles.

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Professional Experience

Hospitality & Customer Service
Key Hospitality Roles

Click each card to expand for role details, timeline, and specific duties.

  • 2010 – Intro to Hospitality (Cape Town Chefs Short Course).
  • 2011 – Diploma in Cookery Management.

  • Till operator handling cash, card payments, and basic point-of-sale duties.
  • Waiter responsibilities including table service, orders, and guest engagement.
  • Early exposure to service standards, teamwork, and shift routines in a busy coffee shop.

Clear progression from entry-level operations into senior leadership:

  • Feb 2014 – Oct 2014: Griller | Burger Builder | Assistant Manager.
  • Oct 2014 – Mar 2015: Sous Chef | Floor Manager.
  • Mar 2015 – Dec 2015: Restaurant Manager | Head Chef.
  • Jan 2015 – Jun 2018: General Manager & HR.
  • 2014 – 2018 (Weekends & Major Events): Event Manager & Organiser.
Key Responsibilities (GM Level)
  • Full restaurant operations oversight and P&L awareness.
  • Staff scheduling, payroll, recruitment, and HR disciplinary processes.
  • Stock control, food cost management (approx. 33% food cost).
  • POS system (iKentoo) administration, configuration, and reporting.
  • Menu creation, production planning, and quality control.
  • Equipment, IT systems, and internet management for the venue.
  • Events management for weddings, food markets, and mobile catering.
  • Health, safety, and compliance across front-of-house and kitchen.

  • Project Manager & Trainer for a new store setup.
  • Designed and implemented operational systems and processes.
  • Trained new staff on standards, service, and back-of-house procedures.
  • Handled operational handover to the incoming management team.

➡️ Outcome: Senior hospitality leadership with full operational ownership across people, finances, systems, and compliance.

Overview & Highlights

Hospitality Profile
  • Approximately 8 years of hands-on hospitality experience from entry-level to General Manager.
  • Experience across fast-casual dining, events, and pop-up / market environments.
  • Comfortable leading mixed teams in high-volume, high-expectation service settings.
Core Strengths
  • Operational leadership with full responsibility for people, stock, and financial performance.
  • Strong focus on guest experience, service recovery, and quality standards.
  • Ability to build, train, and retain reliable front-of-house and kitchen teams.
  • Proven track record in designing and running events and mobile catering.
Systems & Tools
  • POS administration and reporting (iKentoo).
  • Basic IT, networking, and internet management for venue operations.
  • Menu, costing, and production planning aligned to target food cost.

Hospitality experience that feeds directly into IT, operations, and leadership work – especially around people management, process, and customer focus.