As Restaurant Manager of Osteria Marzia, Billy Tang wears multiple hats throughout the day, whether he is spending his hours counting inventory, checking on GO deliveries (during restrictions), or lifting team morale at the restaurant. Luckily, Billy’s constant willingness to be open, honest and communicative with team members has helped see the restaurant through the last few months. Although dinner at Osteria Marzia returned on 21 April, here is a look at what Billy’s day looked like for the first few months of 2022.
An industry pro with a penchant for numbers, Billy embodies the heart of our hospitality philosophy, always going above and beyond to connect with our guests, be it via a handwritten GO note, an over-the-top birthday celebration, or even calling up individual guests to invite them to visit the restaurant. He’s the smiling face at Osteria Marzia that greets you through the door and makes sure you have a memorable time on every visit.
Read Billy’s “Day In The Life” diary below to see how this seasoned manager keeps the cogs churning in our Wan Chai osteria.
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9:20am: Wake up a bit earlier than my alarm. My body is well regulated to when I have to get up, but I still don’t trust myself and set the alarm every day.
9:30am: Brush my teeth, get dressed, drink some water and I’m out the door in less than 20 minutes.
10am: I live in Tseung Kwan O so I take the MTR every day to Osteria Marzia. While I’m on the platform, my work day starts in earnest. I’ll start checking my messages and emails; usually, it’ll be the few automated emails about reservations. I’ll also have a look through SevenRooms, possibly one of the most used apps on my iPhone, to see who is joining us today, any regulars or new guests to look out for. I may quickly scan the news: I support Manchester United, so it’s always good (or maybe not) to see how my team did the previous evening.
10:25am: Grab a Hong Kong milk tea and perhaps a pineapple bun on the way to work. Being British-Chinese, it’s the perfect fusion of both cultures and it helps wake me up. If the hot milk tea doesn’t tickle my fancy, then I’ll have a coffee once I’m in the restaurant.
10:30am: Arrive at Osteria Marzia. Say hi to both the front and back of house teams. I like to get to work early. Briefing isn’t until 11:30 but starting early means I can get rid of small chores and start the day on the right foot. I’ll catch up with the chef on duty, Chefs Luca or Fabio, and update each other on today’s service.
11:00am: Other team members are starting to join for their shifts. Some of them I haven’t seen for a while with the restaurant closing for dinner.
I was off work for a period of two weeks during the closure, a period of self-isolation to keep those around me safe from a close contact situation. There were a lot of messages of support from my team members in Wan Chai. During my self-isolation, I also took some time to talk to my team to explain everything that was going on, and check that their families were safe. I always try to keep my door open for them. The worst thing I can imagine as their manager is that they one day wake and feel as though they cannot confide in me. In our business (as in many others), communication is key.
11:30am: Briefing time! Today, we have a table celebrating a birthday. They are friends of a regular guest, and he has asked us to make noise to celebrate with a birthday song and desserts. During daily briefings, I’ll try to motivate my team with a few words.
12pm: The restaurant opens for lunch service. The music is playing Italian hits and the sun is out. It’s a breath of fresh air after the colder months, and it doesn’t hurt that Osteria Marzia is possibly the most beautiful venue I’ve ever worked in.
3pm: We end up taking a few tables as walk-ins late in the afternoon. Most have never been to Osteria Marzia and had their curiosity piqued by our décor and look. We try to take good care of them, and hopefully a few will become return guests. First impressions count! One of our guests heard of us from a YouTube video; we try to engage and find out more (he was getting a haircut in Wan Chai and decided to try us out).
5pm: With the restaurant closing for dine-in soon, we start to clean and make sure everything is spotless for tomorrow’s service. The music is still on and we are open for GO deliveries and takeaways, as well as Fleming Hotel room service.
5:30pm: Time for staff meal. Today we are enjoying stir-fry udon noodles with some chicken. My preference is to sit with the kitchen team; it’s a good opportunity to chat with them, whether work-related or just to ask about how they’re doing.
6pm: The first order comes in for GO. I call the guest to reconfirm the order, ask if they have been to Osteria Marzia before and encourage them to visit the restaurant soon. They respond well, and it is well worth making this extra effort to engage with our guests. I go through my mental checklist with the GO delivery: handwritten card, cutlery required, and so on. We message the GO team just a few minutes before it’s ready so the food stays as hot as possible.
7pm: With the bit of downtime I have, I try to find something to keep busy. Today, I’ve decided to go to our storeroom opposite Osteria Marzia and tidy up a few things. After that, I check emails to see if there’s anything I need to follow up on, or perhaps look ahead to the next couple of days on the reservations side. It’s also good to have a quick look over to see if a guest has requested a particular dish or prefers a certain bottle of wine.
8:30pm: Start to close the restaurant bit by bit, before getting started on the end of day reporting. I’ve become a bit of a numbers guy at the end of last year, being immensely proud of writing a report on a regular weekday and knowing we are doing good work over in Wan Chai.
9:30pm: Send the report, close shop and head home. My commute is about 35 minutes, so I spend the time either listening to a podcast (football or films-related) or catching up on the news.
10:15pm: Arrive home, shower and have a quick catch-up with my wife. She works in finance so sleeps a lot earlier than me. It’s a little tough being with somebody not in the industry as our lifestyles and time cycles do not really mesh, but we make it work.
12am: Settle down and start switching off, maybe watch some YouTube or TV. I might play my PS5. Right now, the game of choice is Horizon Forbidden West.
2am: Bedtime. I used to have trouble falling asleep, but not today. And so the cycle continues!
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Read more “A Day In The Life Of” diaries from: Ho Lee Fook’s ArChan Chan; Butter’s pastry queen Karys Logue; and Carbone’s head honcho, Jack Carson.
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