Vincent Abella is the vibrant and dashing Outlet Supervisor of the Delimarché buffet and cafe at ADNEC. Originally from Cebu in the Philippines, the 31-year-old is ultimately responsible for making sure exhibitors, staff and passers-by have a constant supply of coffee and a well-rounded meal at lunchtime – inclusive of a warm smile and a cheery welcome.
Previously he did housekeeping at Emirates Palace and table-waiting on Das Island, but he admits this is by far his best job yet – he’s very proud to announce that he’s been at ADNEC for two years now. Let’s take a peek at what goes into a typical work day …
5am: “I’m up and getting dressed at this hour. After a quick breakfast, I catch a taxi around 6:30am and head off for work from Elektra Street, where I live.”
7am: Works starts at ADNEC – “set up the tables, get the coffee machine going ...”
8.30am: Staff meeting – Vincent has around 15 staff under him. “I brief the team on all the functions for the day, like the menu we’re going to be serving at lunch (the chef decides on that and sends it to me beforehand). I also let everyone know where they’re going to be stationed for the day.” This is also when the early birds make their way over for a bite before work, keeping everyone busy until about 10am.
10.30am: Morning requests for coffee and croissants taken care of, the team then gathers for a meeting. “Once a month we all meet in the banquet office in the building for an hour long HSE meeting to tackle any issues regarding things like health and hygiene at work. For example, last time we talked about how to avoid getting sick because the cold weather at this time of year is making everyone unwell.”
From time to time, he mans the till if a cashier is on break and takes orders over the phone when people want something delivered to their office from the à la carte menu (food can be delivered around the building throughout the day). “We also recently started doing a diet menu so people can order grilled meats and fish with steamed vegetables and things like that.”
11am: By this time, all the food for the buffet should be in place.
12pm: Things start to really pick up at Delimarché as guests and employees start coming in for lunch. “This is the busiest time of day for me. Until about 3pm I’m running around making sure everyone is getting served and is content with their meal, especially the VIPs at ADNEC – the CEOs and directors. They must be happy with the food and service at all times, so I make sure to check on them and see if they have any comments or suggestions”. A request might come in occasionally for a particular type of food on the menu; if you’re lucky, it’ll be on your plate the following week – thanks to Vincent, who will pass it along to the chef for consideration.
4pm: Things have quietened down now. “By this time, I’m filling out reports in our logbook. I report on all the happenings of the day and gather all the sales information from all the food outlets.”
5pm: Vincent takes the daily inventory as all products need to be accounted for. He then oversees restocking of the outlets for the next day. The working day finishes at 6pm.
7pm: “I am home by 7. Usually on weekdays I just stay in chatting with friends, browsing the internet and watching TV,” he says. “But the weekends are another story!”
Final thoughts: “The job has its challenges but I’m very happy working here because it’s such a pleasure to serve the friendly, polite people in the building. Plus the staff and management are very supportive – management is always willing to hear what I have to say if I have any problems.”
