What are your memories of your first few days at PE?
My memories of my first few days at PizzaExpress was the welcome that I received by from the company. I went down to London on my induction and was I little apprehensive about who I was going to meet and what I was going to do but the training team were fantastic and they were so welcoming and this continued throughout every restaurant that I went to during my management programme and this is why I am so pleased to be working for a company like PizzaExpress.
What was your management-training programme like?
My management-training programme was fantastic. It provided me with all the support that I needed to go in to my restaurant and take my team forward. I had time with experienced Pizziollas, with experienced Waiters, and most of all with experienced Managers who could give me full support and not just when I was on the programme but afterwards. I had training courses that provided me with all that knowledge that I needed and I could learn how to do things the PizzaExpress way.
How did it compare to other training you have done?
Having come from other large companies and having experienced a lot of other training programmes, I have got to say that PizzaExpress is the best so far. It provided me with practical support and all the knowledge I needed to enter my restaurant and take the team forward and that's what I really enjoyed about it.
Did anything your learn surprise you?
I think what really surprised me about PizzaExpress is that there are so many restaurants in the country, and still it's got such a sense of belonging that if you need cover for your restaurant you can ring up your local restaurant and they'll come over and If I needed any kind of support I know I could ring up a Manager in Scotland and they would be able to tell me what to do and I might not have ever met them and might not ever do. That belonging and that sense of family is fantastic.
What were the best and worst bits?
The worst bit of my job so far would probably be my first Monday morning stock counting. Although I did have support on the other end of the phone it was just a nerve wrecking first walk in to my restaurant, and not knowing what was going to happen, but in the end it turned out fantastically. The best bit was probably winning restaurant of the month for the first time in my area and really being recognised for everything that we'd done as a team.
In the next few months I've been lucky enough to go to Tuscany with a few of my team because we won a southern region prize. Also I'm looking to take my team to what we call a centre of excellence so we're going to we set the standards for our area and provide the perfect restaurant for PizzaExpress.
The last 12 months of PizzaExpress have been fantastic. I've had challenges thrown at me but I've risen to them and I've overcome them. The sense of belonging within the company, and the fact that you feel that you are part of a massive family has really helped me. I love my job, I love what I'm doing and I look forward to many more years with PizzaExpress.