OJT FEEDBACK PAPER

I.      INTRODUCTION

I spent my OJT summer at David’s Tea House at its main branch at 561, 563 Tomas Mapua St. Sta. Cruz, Manila.  This company was one of the referred companies given by our OJT coordinator.  At first we were hesitating to accept this referral because of its proximity but we don’t have the choice but to accept it.  We were running out of time and we wanted to finish our OJT before the starting of classes.  We finalized all the requirements needed by the company like resume and recommendation letter, and then we were accepted.  No interviews happened, just a short orientation.  I, together with my classmates, requested to the supervisor if we can be in one branch but the management didn’t agree and we were separated in different branches.  We don’t have the choice but to accept the management’s decision.  It took almost 3-4 days going back to that restaurant before I formally start my duty.  I started my OJT on April 11, 2011 at 12:00nn-10:00pm but our time was fixed by the manager so we can go home early and it became 11:am-8:00pm.  Before we came up to David’s Tea House, there were so many restaurants that we passed our resume most commonly at SM North Edsa and Trinoma like Burgoo, Gloria Maris etc.  We waited for almost four days and there was no call back so I gave up on that restaurants.  I know that there were many restaurants where I can have my OJT.

II.  PERSONAL ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING FROM THE COMPANY

Areas of Learning

1. Cognitive or Intellectual Learning I’ve learned a lot from the job given to me.  I learned the daily routine inside the restaurant especially in dining and in kitchen.  When a customer enters the restaurant I always know what to do.  I knew form the manager that serving hot tea when a customer arrives is a symbol of warm welcome for the Chinese tradition.  I also knew how to take order and answer customers if they have questions about the menu.  I’ am so thankful that the manager gave us a xerox copy of their ingredients so that I can study it at home and that I become familiar with the menu.  We also taught how to punch orders on their computer.  I also learned how to bill-out a table by observing what the cashier was doing and sometimes I voluntarily bill-out customers if the cashier was busy.  At the kitchen,  I learned that after an order was sent on the computer, there were an assigned person who will place orders on different stations (cook, dimsum, bartender, hotpot) then the finish product will be carried by helpers to the dining area and served by the dining staffs.
2. Affective or Emotional Learning I learned how to love my job and all the staffs.  I learned to appreciate the work given to me.  I was so dedicated that I do all my best to give correct service but sometimes there were errors.  I also experience that the manager get a little bit mad at me but I never get angry on her or to the restaurant.  For the staffs, they were so kind and friendly and I never experience “out-of-place” there.  They treated us like a family.  I remembered what the manager said to us, “If we are in work, we work.  If we are on outside, we’re friends.”  I always put that in mind and  I became closer to my manager, supervisors and staffs.
3. Psychomotor or Physical Learning I noticed a lot of improvement on me.  I became flexible.  I also noticed that I became faster in bussing out, wiping plates, bowls, tea cups, and utensils.  I can carry 3 plates with bowls, tea cups, and utensils with just on one hand.  In serving, I can carry 2-3 glasses on my left hand and one glass on the other hand.  In kitchen, it is a must to move fast especially when there is a lot of orders.

III.   AREAS TO IMPROVE

1. About Self I think I must improve my time management.  Sometimes I came late especially on Friday because I must report in school
2. For the OJT Company I think they must improve the scheduling of time of their OJT students in order to go home early especially for those who travel from far places.
3. For the OJT Program I think they must improve the OJT program because I felt that we were late on having OJT.  We have co-OJT students in other schools and they were only 2^nd year and yet they were having an OJT.

IV.  RECOMMENDATIONS

1. About Self I must recommend to myself that I must omit my tardiness because coming early is really important in the job.
2. For OJT Company I recommend that they place OJT students nearer on the branch where they live, in order to avoid hassle in travelling.  Also in scheduling of time.  They must give students earlier schedules in order to go home early especially for those who travel from far places.

4. For OJT Program I recommend that they must put OJT programs at the earlier years like 2^nd year in order to expose students at an early time and to learn the concepts and hands-on training in our industry.

Name:  Ma. Carla Ellen C. Guese              Faculty-In-Charge:  Prof. Irene Ilaga 

Name of Company & Department:  David’s Tea House; Dining/Kitchen

Subject & Section: HRM 412- 1D Semester & School Year:  Summer 2011

3rd Week (April 25-May 1)

April 25-May 1, 2011 – It’s Monday and it’s my first day-off.  I don’t relaxed that day because I have to go to school to report about my OJT.  I attended the AM class and there was nobody there then I attended my PM class which I belong and still there was no professor and we were only 6 students who attended so I decided to go home.

This week, customers dined in lunch and dinner.  We also experience no customers at all when its 2:00pm or 3:00pm.  If there were no customers, I wiped plates and utensils and set-up tables.  We also have a little chat with the staffs.

When its peak time, all of the tables were seated and if one will be vacant, there was another customer to fill in.  We were all busy during peak hours.  The restaurant was full of customers and other customers came inside the restaurant to take-out foods especially dimsum which makes us so much busy.  I always put in my mind that customers were always served first so when customer arrived and I was wiping tables or plates, I will set aside what I’m doing and face the customers by giving menu and hot tea then taking orders.

I noticed this week that mostly of the customer were hot-tempered.  They always complain if their order doesn’t served yet and also the take-outs of dimsum because dimsum need to steam before packing it.  So I need to I need to tell them that their orders were still cooking.  Every one of us needs a long patience when customers complain because there was a saying which states that customer is always right.

I also improved on how I bus-out plates, utensils and glasses.  I can now carry 2-3 plates with utensils and even tea cups or soup/sauce bowls with one hand.  I always practice it when I bus-out so that I will finish in busing-out immediately when customer arrives in the table. 

                                                                                                                             

I can now carry 4 levels of bamboo steamers with one hand.  Bamboo steamers are where the dimsum placed at.  Also I can serve noodles or congee with both hands.  I can carry two cups of plain rice on one hand and another one cup on the other hand.

2nd Week (April 18-24)

April 18-24, 2011 – On our second week, I can say that I mostly knew the routine inside the dining from welcoming the guest, order taking, punching orders to computer and serving foods.  I also knew the sauces which incorporates the dishes.  I also learned the set-up for shabu-shabu.  I can now handle two glasses (with or without water/drinks) with one hand.

So far, I don’t hear worst guest complaints from me.  I experience one time that the guest told me that their food didn’t served yet and they have been waiting for so long so I follow-up the orders to the kitchen.  There were some customers that they wanted to cancel the food they ordered because of long minutes of cooking.

This week was the holy week and we don’t have Lenten vacations.  There were so many people who dined in the restaurant in Holy Thursday and Good Friday.  We experience a lot of work from order taking and sending orders to kitchen by the use of computer and serving foods.  It was too tiring walking back and forth and seeing always the customers if they needed help.

On Good Friday, there was a lot of people ate at David’s and they occupied all the tables in hotpot and in tea house and others were waiting outside to dine in.  Most of them ordered shabu-shabu.  I was assigned to hotpot on that evening because of so many customers.

On Black Saturday and Palm Sunday, there were a few people who dined-in at the restaurant.  I think that people have rested in their own respective houses and others were in the church to attend mass.  People began to dined-in when it was lunch and dinner but when it’s snack time, we experienced that there was no one customer inside the restaurant for almost 30 minutes.

We also followed up our timecard because our timecard was lost.  Fortunately, we were not back to zero hours and our manager will ask first in their office if she can handwritten the time-in and time-out on our timecard. 

1st Week (April 11-17)

April 11-17, 2011 – It’s my first day of OJT at David’s Tea House (Sta. Cruz, Manila) and this is my first exposure in our industry.  I arrived there at 11:30am because my duty was 12:00nn but no one approached me.  So I’ve done my first move.  I entered in the restaurant and said that I’m an OJT of their restaurant.  They gave me a time card but they didn’t tell me how and when to use it.  I guessed that this was not useful so I ignored it.  The one who gave me the time card is my supervisor and he let me in at the tea house.  He said that I will stay there for the mean time but I have been permanent there.

At the tea house, there was another supervisor and I asked her what I’m supposed to do there.  She said that I will stay at the door and greet guest.  I felt so shy that day because I don’t really know what to do. They told me that the first thing to do when a customer arrives is greeting them, giving the menu then serving hot tea.  They also told me the table numbers and I memorized it.  I also bus-out plates and glasses, wiped the table and set-up the table.  I also wiped plates, utensils and tea cups.  I felt that our supervisor was ignoring us but I put in my mind that she was only busy.

I was also afraid to take orders that day because for sure customers will ask what the best seller is, the ingredients of the dish, up to the process of cooking.  I also experienced that I served a food in the wrong table.  We were supposed to time-out at 10:00pm but the manager arranged our schedule to make it earlier.  And now our schedule is 11:00am-2:00pm and 3:00pm-8:00pm.  She also let us go 9:15pm that day because we look so tired and honestly I felt so tired and I had my feet and legs sore because of standing for long hours.

On the second day, I felt so enthusiastic and I don’t know why I’m so enthusiastic that day.  I easily forgot what happened on the first day.  The staffs were very friendly.  They assisted me whenever I need their help especially when customers ask me about the menu.  And if there was a time that there were no customers, they show their funny side making jokes.  We were so happy inside the dining area.

I also now take orders, served foods and billed-out tables.  We also took a short quiz enumerating foods that all we know in dimsum.  Fortunately, I have a lot of answers.  We also have quizzes enumerating foods that belong to noodles and congee on my third day.  Our manager said that we must familiarize ourselves to the menu because if customers will ask about the food, we will have an answer for them.  We were also told to carry ballpen everytime because we need it always especially in taking orders.  We also have surprised quiz in dimsum.  Our supervisor will show a dimsum and we must tell the name of it.  Fortunately, I got all correct answers.

While the days were passed, I felt that the work inside the dining is going easier and easier every day.  I admit that at first it was hard for me to face different people with different personalities and most of them were Chinese people that don’t know how to speak tagalog.  There was a lot of customer were asking if I’m Chinese and they even speak to me in mandarin or cantonese or fookien that I can’t understand. 

At the end of my first week, I felt comfortable what I’m doing.  I remember the day when the manager ask me “Kumusta ang araw nyo ngayon?” then I replied, “Sobrang enjoy na ako ngayon ma’am kaysa ‘nung first day.”