Comfortably nestled on over 80 acres of prime real estate, the mega-luxe five-star Grand Palladium Resort and Spa boasts a spectacular 1,056 rooms and 11 restaurants among its impressive list of amenities. It couldn’t have been an easy task, therefore, for the food and beverage staffers to feed the more than 2,600 guests who were vacationing at the hotel for the Heroes’ Day weekend holidays. We caught up with six such staff members who were kept on their toes — ensuring that the numerous guests dining throughout the day received the best dining experience at the Negril buffet-style restaurant. They shared with us just how they managed to stave off any major hiccups as guests dined over the weekend.

Name: Ochia Limmoth

Title: Waitress

Having previously worked at Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, Ochia Limmoth became a member of staff at the Grand palladium just over four months ago. “The job here has been going well so far. This is a holiday weekend and so, naturally, it would be busy,” she said. It was just before her usual 3:00 – 11:00 pm shift and with several guests still turning up for lunch and hundreds of guests expected to turn up for dinner in a few hours, Limmoth shared how she prepared for the important task that awaited her. “In order to cope with the work, I prepare myself mentally and physically by reminding myself that if the guests are pleased after their dining experience, then I am pleased to have served them.”

With future plans of receiving formal training to move up the ranks of the food and beverage industry, Limmoth confides her hopes of becoming a “food and beverage manager in the next five years”. Until then, she continues to work under the philosophy, “The priority is to ensure that the guests enjoy their vacation here at the Grand Palladium. What it means for me specifically, is that whenever they come to the restaurant for a meal, the dining experience must be pleasant”.

Name: Shannon McKenzie

Title: Waiter

With over one year and eight months of service at Grand Palladium, Shannon Mckenzie shared: “I’m no stranger to serving large numbers of guests at the same time.” With the massive turnout over the Heroes’ Weekend, McKenzie explained that he owes the success of the food and beverage department thus far to teamwork and communication. “We work hard and this weekend has been particularly taxing. However, with open lines of communication among the team, we have been able to transition smoothly in-between meals.”

Having completed a one-year level II Hosting food and beverage course at the Kenilworth Heart Academy, McKenzie shared his hopes of one day managing a restaurant similar to the Negril buffet-style at the hotel. “There are definite plans for more training, more work experience and ultimately a place at the helm of a restaurant with the capacity to provide for several hundred guests at a time. I’m fortunate to be among the employed, and so I am always searching for new ways to get more out of the working day and ensure the customers want to vacation at the Grand Palladium time and time again. “

Name: Tamara Robinson

Title: Waitress

You enter the Negril buffet-styled restaurant and you can’t help but notice the diminutive figure of Tamara Robinson briskly making the rounds in the restaurant. She effortlessly transitions between preparing a table to welcome the next set of guests dining and refilling the water glasses at another table.

“It takes a lot of experience and concentration,” she shared. Having been working for just under 18 months at the Grand Palladium, Robinson explained, “I enjoy serving the guests here at the Grand Palladium, and the learning experience will definitely help me to become a food and beverage/restaurant manager one day.”

The aim of the day, she said, was to “ensure that tables are cleared and set again as quickly and carefully as possible and that we don’t keep our guests waiting. This has been one of the busiest holidays and so the staff briefings leading up to this weekend have managed to make all the difference. We had an idea of what the occupancy would have been and so we were able to prepare ourselves.”

Name: Marvin Wallace

Title: Waiter

“Working in the food and beverage industry is something I love,” explained Marvin Wallace as he spoke to us in-between setting the tables in anticipation of the dinner arrivals. “I saw my sister working in this profession and I asked her how to go about it. After completing high school, I received training at Doctor’s Cave Beach Hotel and Breezes Montego Bay before working at the Ritz Carlton and now at the Grand Palladium.” Enjoying the challenge of working at the “mega resort”, Wallace shared what he liked most about serving the several hundred guests who turn up at any one time to dine: “It is amazing how quickly you would have fed up to 1,000 guests here at the buffet-style restaurant. Unlike the à la carte restaurants where there will be 250 guests dining, the experience is just not the same.”

The busy weekend has not daunted his spirit either. “I’ve been occupied all weekend and that’s a good thing,” he shared. Admitting there are issues that may arise at anytime during the day, the zealous waiter explained that, “Teamwork is a must in order to be successful. Likewise, the guest is always right, so it is best to listen and follow instructions accordingly. My philosophy is that I’m here to serve the guests to the best of my abilities. The most rewarding encouragement is to hear the guests say ‘Well done’.”

Name: Marla Forrester

Title: Waitress

“The weekend hasn’t been as tough as it could have been,” Marla Forrester shared with Thursday Food. The team never had to work any extra hours and once it was clear what our duties were, we have been successfully accomplishing our tasks.” It has been smooth sailing for the waitress since she joined the staff at the hotel in February of this year. “I have done similar work with the ClubHotel Riu Negril, which is where I received essential training. The pride felt from seeing guests smile at the end of their meal does it all for me,” she shared with a smile.

At the moment, Forrester is busy learning more on the job and said the experience is critical for her to achieve her five-year goal of becoming food and beverage manager. As she works with this goal in mind, she explained, “The mission is to always treat all guests with respect and remain professional, no matter the situation. Each member of staff here has an important role to play in the continued success of the hotel.”

Name: Theresa Parkinson

Title: Waitress

It’s been just over two years since Theresa Parkinson has been working at the Grand Palladium. Having been in the profession for six years, she shared, “It’s a great opportunity for me to meet people from all walks of life. It is a great means for business opportunities and I have been fortunate to meet Danielle Steel.” Though she has not received any formal training, she was quick to point out that she has “learnt so much from actual experience. I started out in Negril working at several small hotels before becoming a member of staff at the Grand Palladium.”

For Parkinson, the major difference has been the size of the resort. “This hotel is huge and especially with the holiday season, we have to serve more than 2,000 guests on a daily basis. It is a lot of work; however, much like the health of our guests, the health of the staff is vital to completing the daily tasks.” As for her outlook on the future, the waitress shared, “Formal training is definitely in the near future and the goal is to learn as much as possible in order to attain a management position in the food and beverage industry.”