All in a Day's Work - Adrian Simmonds

ALL IN A DAY'S WORK...

05:30

Most days I am up early, and my first duty is to make a coffee for my wife Gail. Then I’m off and out walking my dog, Daisy, a copper eared cockerpoo. We walk for around an hour before heading home to get ready for my shift. Some days I must skip this if a group has an early breakfast, in this case she gets a quick walk with Gail early and I take her for the longer walk in the evening.

08:00

This summer due to the industry suffering with finding staff, I have run most of our function breakfasts. This allows not only myself to be here on site as the early duty manager but allows the key members of my team to be available either in the spike bar or to do the busier later parts of a golf day upstairs

11:00

The closing shift of staff arrive around this time. I try to get together with the senior member of each floor to go through the day so that we are all aware of the functions and their requirements. It also gives them the opportunity to go through the day before functions and raise any issues they may have had.

07:15

My drive to the club takes around 45 minutes and it’s a great time whilst driving to get things planned so that I can start the day in either breakfast area. My first task once in the building is to make sure that all the areas are ready for the day. I turn on the TVs and sound system upstairs, make sure that the lights are on in the rooms we will be using and that they are ready for the day.

10:00

Every weekday the operational side of the club get together for a 10 @ 10 – a ten-minute meeting at 10:00. This allows us all to communicate what our teams are up to that day and if there are any details from other departments that may affect the daily running of our own.

Adrian Simmonds is the Director of Hospitality at London Golf Club. He has a rich history of working in the food and beverage industry in restaurants, bars, and golf clubs. His passions including cooking, hospitality, and the training and development of his staff. Adrian previously worked at London Golf Club from February 2002 – February 2012. However, more recently he has been the Food and Beverage Manager at Littlestone Golf Club.

11:30

Our staff lunch is between 11:30 and 13:30. We split the day’s staff into groups and make sure that everyone can enjoy a break, and our chefs prepare a lunch for the entire team each day of the week. It is an important staff benefit and a great moment in the day for us all to take a break before heading into the busy afternoons.

18:00

Home time is typically dictated by the events we are hosting at the club. Although the time varies, it always remains important to me to show the team that I am there to support them, and to give the customer the best possible experience. At the very least, I like to make sure main courses are served before heading home.

13:30

The afternoon for me is spent getting ready for the next day or next big event. I try to plan any meetings in the afternoons as I have more staff on hand to look after the bars and restaurants. On a typical day, I spend time with our suppliers speaking about the latest products or services they can provide that will benefit both the staff development and the offering to our members, guests, and visitors.

19:00

Once home, it is time to rest and catch up on the day’s events with the girls at home. I enjoy cooking for my wife and two stepdaughters, and spending time with our dogs. If I’m lucky, I also get to watch a bit of American football whenever it is on. Go Falcons! londongolf.co.uk