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I used to work for T.G.I. Friday's many, many years ago. The first time I was ever in
Poland was back in 1998 when they sent me over for a month to open a new restaurant in
Gdańsk. I remember being so excited as this was my first international opening. It was a lot of hard work with 12 - 16 hour days, six days a week.
But it was so much fun.
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Setting up the bar |
This is how openings worked backed then. A 14-person team was sent over to set a new site. Usually we walked in to a construction zone and did PUNCH -
physically unbelievable number of cleaning hours.
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Gdańsk bar training in 1998 |
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Gdańsk Friday's in 1998 |
We had to scrub everything from top to bottom, figure out where everything would go, receive all of the deliveries and set things up. By all deliveries I mean everything...plates, glasses, silverware, tables, chairs, kitchen equipment, plus all of the food and liquor.
Then there was normally over a week of training all of the staff, followed by almost a week of mock service where the new staff got to practice. There would then be a grand opening and we would stay for another week or two in order to make sure that things all ran smoothly.
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Scandic Hotel in 2016 |
The Gdańsk store was part of a Holiday Inn hotel. Or it was supposed to be. When we left they were still building the hotel. I wanted to stop by a visit the restaurant but unfortunately it closed in 2008. And that Holiday Inn is now a Scandic Hotel.
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The bar today |
Here's the kicker...we're staying at the Scandic this trip. What used to be the main dining room is now where the hotel serves breakfast each morning.
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Bar trainees on opening night - 1998 |
I'm having all of the flashbacks each morning over breakfast. I was sent over as the bar trainer and now the bar in the lobby looks quite different.
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