Melissa
Reservations
Hello, I’m Melissa. I’m behind the scenes at Jungchan, and I’m the one who has been in touch with you on WhatsApp and sometimes on Instagram as well. I have been a part of Jungchan team since November 2023, such a long time already.
I am originally from Bandung.
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What brought you into restaurant hospitality?
Well, I don’t have any hospitality background at all actually. I studied Economics, majoring in International Business and Trade. But I had always been interested in the F&B industry. I love to see people cooking and always curious about food. Then Jungchan was hiring for a non-chef position, then I immediately applied. So yeah, here I am.
What does your day usually look like at Jungchan?
Depends on the day. But mostly, I reply to all inquiries on WhatsApp, such as reservations. Also I handle the makgeolli and makgeolli salt orders for our guests. I also sometimes help with the preparation for dinner service but not cooking. But to make some decorations, edit and handle the physic menu as well.
What is one detail you always try to get right?
I always put on my mind that I’m the frontline of Jungchan Dining, because guests contact us through Whatsapp and I’m the one who replies, so Jungchan’s first impression is I think based on my answer on. So, when I reply to text messages from guests, I always put my position as a guest and reply to the text like how I want to get replied.
What do you enjoy most about guest communication?
What I enjoy the most is when guests feel satisfied or happy with the answer that I give.
How do you handle busy days while keeping the tone warm?
I usually make a to-do list, so I’m able to know what tasks that I have to do on the day. Also to prevent forgetting to do something. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed as well on some busy days because I’m afraid I’m not doing my best and the job is not done perfectly. But I keep trying to stay calm and be on track on doing the tasks.
What have you learned the most from working here?
What I have learned is that everything is possible if you want to make it. Sometimes there’s some deadlines that suddenly come that I have to finish. If I didn’t put in my mind that I could finish it, I wouldn’t finish.
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