Daniël joined the JAN team as a Chef de Rang (Silver Server), working at both Restaurant JAN in Nice, France, and the JAN Innovation Studio in Cape Town, South Africa.

His primary day-to-day responsibilities included preparing the restaurant for lunch and dinner services and assisting with cleanup after service. Daniël would welcome guests and guide them to their seats. The formal commencement of service involved a hand-washing ceremony, followed by serving the guests their chosen menu. Occasionally, he would also accompany guests across the street to MARIA for their cheese course.

When Daniël secured his internship at Restaurant JAN, he was still a hospitality management student. Alongside one other student from his course, he underwent a series of working interviews, where he was evaluated on his service skills and abilities. While working events for the Innovation Studio, he distinguished himself and was selected as one of the winners to complete his second-year internship at Restaurant JAN. Before this, his only experience had been at his family’s restaurant in Worcester, and he had completed his first-year internship at Arabella Hotel in Overberg.

Daniël’s most valuable lesson, albeit the most challenging, was prioritising the expectations of guests and living up to the standards set for him. He emphasises the importance of being open to learning as a crucial quality for a successful internship, with mutual respect and fulfilment of needs on both sides.

What surprised Daniël the most about his actual working experience was the intensity of the fast-paced environment and the meticulous attention to detail. He describes the company culture at the JAN Group as that of a family, and he wishes he had known beforehand how much he would miss it when his time there concluded.