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Head of hospitality Ruud
A behind-the-scenes look with Ruud, head of hospitality
Introducing
Ruud is a real hospitality man! He started in the hospitality industry when he was 14 years old and got into it that way. From then on he wanted nothing else. At ZooParc he works as head of the hospitality department. He manages about 80 employees. He has the right qualities for that. He is very stress resistant and does not fuss easily.
What does a workday look like?
Ruud mainly works in the ZooParc office. Every day he is busy making schedules, ordering all catering supplies and arranging group arrangements. Group requests are regularly made within ZooParc, for example children's parties, schools and other large groups. It is then up to Ruud to see if it is possible on certain days, within which time frame and how many staff will be needed. Most of the day he works in the office, but when things get busy he regularly jumps in the kitchen himself.
Manager over 80 men
Ruud manages about 80 staff. That's not just the hospitality team. In fact, the hospitality team consists of about 65 staff. He is also ultimately responsible for the reception and guest services. They arrange a lot themselves, so he doesn't have to do a lot for the reception and guest service. But he always stays busy at ZooParc, he never gets bored!
Dealing with pressure
There are actually four catering outlets at ZooParc: Headquarter, Basecamp, a French fry shop and an ice cream, snack and drink stand. Between 12:00 PM and 02:00 PM and during group visits, it is always extra busy in the catering area. Then Ruud always helps out. Especially with a large group he finds it a nice challenge to feed so many people in such a short time. It sometimes happens that in a short period of time they suddenly have to prepare and serve food for 50 people at the same time. At such times he is able to use his experience and qualities to keep an overview and calm within the catering team. He thus ensures that the often "young" staff does not experience too much stress/pressure.
What makes the work so enjoyable?
The variety is what makes the work so enjoyable. He works a lot in the office, but also helps out in the kitchen during busy times. Besides that, ZooParc really feels like family. You are not a number, but really part of the team or of the ZooParc family, and that is very important to him. There is an informal culture on the shop floor, where it is very accessible to say something. There is also room to joke around. You don't have to pretend to be anything other than what you are.
Unexpected visit from the animals
Very occasionally funny, unexpected things do happen in the restaurant business at ZooParc. For example, a penguin suddenly appeared in the restaurant. The penguins can walk around freely at ZooParc. There is a wild grid, so they can't just walk into the restaurant. But when the relations between males and females are a bit different, it happens sometimes that the males go on an adventure and carefully walk over or along the grid towards the restaurant.
Who decides what's on the menu?
ZooParc has a fairly fixed menu/range. Of course, from time to time there are small extras that are added or changed, but never very drastic. After all, some dishes just run well and regular guests are used to being able to order them. Ruud decides what is on the menu and what changes, if any, will take place. He also orders all the ingredients for the different cuisines.