Written report of the interview
This written report is based on the interview that I had with Szokoli Andrea, the manager of the restaurant called Csülök Csárda.
Szokoli Andrea is aware of the change in technology that we are facing nowadays. She thinks that it is not the easiest to deal with, especially because she does not use social media that much. Personally, she tries her best to learn new things every day. She also started to manage the Facebook site of the restaurant, and she thinks it is going quite well. She does dare to ask questions about new technology when something is not clear for her, she thinks this is the key for growing as a person, as a manager. In addition, the current projects include testing the new hospitality software and testing the new inventory software. And lastly, her final goal is also to create a QR-code menu in addition to the printed menu.
According to her answer, she does care about employee feedback. She has weekly, or of it is necessary daily meetings with the staff. They discuss if there are any problems and she tries to involve them in the decision making as much as possible.
Szokoli Andrea said to me that her employees do not change attitudes frequently, but she already had an example when this happened. She told me a story about one of her waiter. A few years back he had to divorce his wife which leaded to an aggressive attitude. Unfortunately, he was rude with customers which is of course not acceptable. He was already a waiter there from the beginning, so instead of firing him, she decided to talk with him first. They could discuss the situation and in the end he could stay in the team.
She shared it with me that her employees are resistance of change in the majority of time, however there are also times where they are more dislike of change. Besides, sometimes they do have a fear of uncertainty, they doubt if the change will help them or not. They can be nervous that the new situation will be too difficult for them, and they would not be able to adjust.
Szokoli Andrea said it to me while we were doing the interview, that any change in the organizational structure did not really happen since she is the manager. She is only the manager since 2020 and covid also happened in the meanwhile. She is happy with her employees and she does not plan to change the organizational structure in the near future.
She thinks that clear communication within the organizational structure is key. She tries her best to have meetings, even if they are just short ones. It is important to know what her employees think, they are the one who are the closest to the customers the whole day. She cares about their opinion and she wants the same from them, that they also care about her opinion.
Szokoli Andrea also states that the decision-making process when it comes to organizational changes or restructuring is also a huge part of an organization. She believes that this process is not easy, but sometimes it is needed. She never experienced it but firstly, she would let everyone know in the team that this change is going to happen, so they are not surprised about it. Secondly, she would think it through, she would not leave out any detail, since it is a big decision. Thirdly, if she would be not sure about something, she would ask for help. It is better to ask for help than making the wrong decision. And lastly, she would present the end decision with everyone and their opinion about it.
