Peashoot salad

Peashoot salad

Kat O’Brien

Kat O’Brien

What is your role?
I am Group Manager for the Yell group.  I run our site in Slough, a coffee shop in Bridge Street in Reading and the main restaurant in Queen’s Walk in Reading which also services another building, Fountain House, which is a 2 minute walk away.

Describe your typical day
At Yell the client likes a management presence at all 3 sites so my day is divided between the sites, interacting with customers and tailoring our service to suit their needs and expectations. Yell expect us to mirror their customer values and to treat each customer as if they were the only one. We are also in the middle of amalgamating all 3 sites into our new building where we will move in September, so for now I am attending lots of meetings and there is always plenty to action.

What is the best part of your job?
I am a feeder, passionate about food and I love being around people, so lunch service is the best part.  I love the pressure and get a real buzz out it. I also love showing off new products and getting people to try foods that they would never usually choose.

And the worst part?
Not getting everything done in a day that I would like to get done.

What challenges do you face moving Yell to its new building?
We have to continue to operate all 3 sites whilst launching our brand new building and restaurant. Mobilising and demobilising over an 8 week period. The new building also has lots of challenges in terms of its design and layout; no loading bay, timed deliveries and one very small delivery lift!

Is it worth it!
I love a challenge; it keeps life interesting.  The stress is worth the feeling you get when a project is over and all the creases have been ironed out and the service is as seamless as possible, so the answer would have to be yes!

Life before H & J
I was an area support manager for Baxter Storey.  My role involved managing the relief team for the M3 and M4 corridors, mobilisation of new sites, sorting out problem sites, supporting new managers and covering managers’ holidays.

Why H & J?
I love H&J’s passion for good local seasonal food and the family feel of the company.

What about when you’re old & grey?
I want to be an old fashioned granny, cooking for my family and growing my own veg.

When you’re not at work?
Travelling , live music, festivals , feeding friends and family and spending time with my children and grandchildren

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