At BELON, dinner is a time to savour the exquisite dishes crafted by Executive Chef Matthew Kirkley and Chef de Cuisine Jacob Zuidervliet, enjoying an elevated hospitality experience, where every single detail has been meticulously planned and thought-out for our guests.
Orchestrating the entirety of this MICHELIN-starred experience – from the polished tableware to the special gifts to surprise guests – is Guillaume Nicolas (Gigi), our Restaurant Manager in charge of all operations at the restaurant. A French native, Gigi has proven himself a leader early on in his career; after first joining BELON as an intern back in 2017, he has quickly risen to the role of Restaurant Manager, now overseeing both back and front of house.
A people person through and through, one of Gigi’s tasks is ensuring every team member radiates the same BELON spirit: personal, warm and welcoming. He thrives on developing relationships and providing meaningful service to guests, but with a gruelling work day that typically ends well past midnight, it isn’t always easy to keep up the energy (Gigi’s solution: multiple cups of coffee a day). For a peek behind-the-scenes, we asked Gigi for a breakdown of his day-to-day, from the everyday mundane tasks to the meaningful interactions that he most cherishes.
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9:30am: This is when my alarm goes off, and to be honest I’m not a big fan of it. I tend to snooze, setting alarms every 5 minutes for the next hour. When I finally wake, the first thing I pick is a song to start my day; I like “Come On” and “Go With Me” by The Black Keys.
10am: My breakfast is coffee only: short and black, with a strong bitter kick. I go over some family messages, work emails and industry news on my laptop, then set my to-do list for the day.
10:30am: To energise myself, I’ll do a light workout mainly focused on stretches and mobility. Nothing too crazy – just something to get the body going. After a quick shave and shower, I’m out the door.
11:15am: I usually put in ear buds and spend the morning commute listening to a new album or artist suggested by someone. I prefer to take the tram – it’s nice to observe the buzz and breath of the city.
12pm: As soon as I arrive, I greet the kitchen team. They have opened the restaurant, and have been working since the morning. All service team members are expected to do the same when they arrive at work, as a sign of respect and cohesion.
I have an hour to myself before the rest of the team comes in. Once again coffee is required. I usually answer guest emails at this time and go over reservations, in order to set up the floor plan for the evening. We plan ahead for celebrations, allergies and any other specific enquiries for our guests, so we’re fully prepared for when they join us. Tonight, we have six birthdays in the dining room, which means I need to inform the pastry department to have the surprise cakes ready, and also remind the team about how important it is to make every single guest feel special.
1pm: The service team comes in and we get to work with mise en place. The tasks are quite varied and include polishing all the plates and glassware, setting the chairs and tables, ironing and folding napkins, etc. Everything has to be meticulous and precise. We usually say that if the mise en place goes right, our day will go well!
3pm: Daily service training usually takes about one hour and is broken down into various topics. The first part is typically food training with a review of our dishes, the ingredients and the techniques linked to them. I lead the other topic of today, which is service excellence. It is an open conversation to discuss how we define it, how we work towards it, and how we make sure that our standards are allowing us to perform at an optimum level.
4pm: Staff meal is out, and the team gathers around the dining room to share a moment together. Everyone takes turns in order to plan for this meal every day, so it is always an exciting moment for us.
4:30pm: We clear out staff meal and finish up the last tasks in the dining room. We fold the napkins, and review every single table to make sure all is aligned and marked properly. I print the menus of the day and prepare the last few notes for my daily briefing.
5:15pm: Everyone is changed and polished in their uniform. It is briefing time at the reception desk. I assign each team member their sections for the night and discuss the notes from yesterday’s service. Our sommelier, Stephane also goes over the wine notes for the day and tests the team members with a few questions. Today, briefing includes a dish tasting, with time to ask the chefs any questions. We finish on a “good service!” cheer and set the music and lighting for the night.
6pm: This is the start of service, and usually a crucial time to get it right. We welcome the first guests with a high energy level to set the pace for the rest of the night.
7:30pm: One of our regular guests joins us. I make sure to warmly welcome him and greet him with his preferences. We introduce him to our newest dishes and Stephane recommends an excellent wine pairing to go along with it.
8pm: We figure out a game plan with the reception in order to see where we might need to make last-minute adjustments, in order to seat and accommodate our guests in the most comfortable way.
9pm: This is the time to switch the playlist to punk rock. Some serious classics are about to come on: The Clash, Franz Ferdinand, The New York Dolls… We need to keep the energy level up as we are seating our last tables.
11pm: Service starts to slow down, and we make sure to organise the last steps of our guest’s departure in order to leave a lasting impression, from the celebratory menus to the parting kouign-amann sweets.
12am: Once all the guests have left, closing begins. Captains write their notes with the support of the sommelier and myself. I also supervise and support the closing duties of the restaurant. We break down the dining room and finish up the last details out back.
1am: I send the team home and thank them for the day. The last tasks of the day are to send the daily report, and follow up on a few emails. I switch off the lights and pop by 7/11 to grab a beer. On the way home, I call family or friends back in Europe, or plug in some music and relax.
1:30am: Bedtime stretches. We do quite a few steps each day and the body needs a little relief. I usually read a few pages, before setting my ten alarms for the next morning. Then it’s lights out!
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Craving more? Read more ‘Day In The Life’ stories here and here to find out what our teams do to make that Black Sheep magic happen every day.
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