Informational Interview

My informational interview was with Mr. Brett Kelly, the co-owner and co-manager of a small business restaurant named "La Terrazza". It is located in New City, New York. Mr. Kelly and his friend began the Italian restaurant 16 years back. As of now, he has 40 employees. As the manager, he is in charge of scheduling staff, purchasing items, booking affairs, printing/updating menus, having owner/manager responsibilities, and assisting for the hosts if needed. During the interview, he spent time explaining the different types of entry-level jobs. He focused on the "front of house" staff, which include waitresses, head waiter, booking manager, and assistant managers. However, his main focus however was on chefs. His small business has 6 different chefs, including preparation/salad chef, broiler chef and executive chef.
A really interesting part of the interview was when he explained the recent increase/decline in certain jobs over the past few years. He has noticed that weekly dinners (from Monday-Thursday) have declined over the past few years. Mr. Kelly states this is a direct effect from the recession - many people do not have the time or money to go to restaurants on weeknights. He also stated his restaurant is becoming increasingly popular for events - such as weddings, birthday parties, retirement parties, etc. The part of his business that was most striking to me was his staff is mostly made up of full time workers. These full time workers include teachers and nurses - workers who are looking for more ways to "make ends meet." I did not realize that some restaurants may participate like this. Speaking with him showed me how difficult it is to run a small business, especially during a recession. However, it also showed me how rewarding it can be.