Tran Truong Giang HOCK LAM BEEF INTERNSHIP REPORT Final Report TRAN TRUONG GIANG Contents Executive summary The internship reports include parts This is the third of reports This article below is a quick review what I did in my third month internship It includes the company’s history from the moment of formation of the first base in 1911 until today, whenever the companies have total outlets in Singapore Everything I wrote all based on my true Final Internship Report experience Although at work everything I did is not perfect 100%.However I really want to be more mature after the 6-month internship When you can bring all the knowledge I have been studying in Raffles applied in real life (Beef, About Us) History Hock Lam Beef was formed from 1911 This is the oldest Teochew Beef Kway Teow shop in Singapore! (Feast, 2011) The main dish of this restaurant is the Kway Teow from Teochew in China With more than 100 years develop, the recipe is not change, Anthony Tan the 3rd owner of Hock Lam confirmed Anthony's dad started in the Chinatown area in 1911 Prior to the store in Hock Lam Street, he sold food on his back - a walking hawker! He balanced the soup and ingredients on a stick on his back This was more common in those days His focus was on hearty, wholesome food, as he would be selling also to laborers, his fellow Teochew laborers and others The long boiling of the soup and ingredients was to extract every trace of protein and nourishment from the ingredients, less waste, more nourishment in the food The store in Hock Lam Street lasted a very long time, from at least 1921 to the late 70's The loyal customers allowed the Tan family to sustain their business in the very famous hock lam street, where numerous hawkers would sell their food The street was undoubtedly famous for its food in those days This comprised the 1st and second generations of the business In 2002, he won the prize of Singapore’ Beef Noodle King Moreover he has a very talent daughter, her name is Tina Tan As with her father Anthony, who drop out school from twelve year olds She graduates her bachelor’s degree of marketing and media from Mudoch University As normal Tina will have a comfortable life with the high salary of Citibank However she gave up her bank job to take over the family business It is not the way that everybody wants: to be a hawker Since 2004, Tina Tan started take over the business and also the crown form her father, Anthony Tan Until now Hock Lam Beef Group have total outlets The first shop is founded at Far East Square, 22 China Street, #01-01, Far East Square The second is 949 Upper Serangoon Rd The third can be founded at 510 Macpherson roads The four and it is also the latest shop in Alexandra Final Internship Report Retail Central #02-24 Everyday Tina Tan have to make sure that all four shops run at the best quality for satisfy customer The Tan family privately participates in community actively Since the 97th anniversary, Hock Lam have brought the business into this aspect They worked with Operation smile for years, on their anniversary, by donating the entire proceeds of our anniversary event to their charity (LADYIRONCHEF, 2008) Tina herself has also participated in the medical missions abroad Hock Lam Beef also participated in the heritage hawkers’ event organised by the Singapore Heritage board The latest 100th anniversary celebration was in aid of the Make-a-wish foundation, where similarly 100% of proceeds from the day was donated to their worthy cause (Road, 2011) Aside from this, on a daily business, Hock Lam also actively searches for employees from various community initiatives, whether in employing retirees and older workers, or members of the yellow ribbon programme Hock Lam also has a group of active polytechnic student part-timers who work to supplement their educational expenses As the company grows, more effort will go into these initiatives Objectives of Internship This programme is aimed at providing students the proper level of training for a wide range of functions within a food business, from the most basic cleanliness requirements to management operations Interns will gain first-hand experience by being rotated Final Internship Report around all departments and will be monitored by a supervisor They will also have hands-on experience in basic food preparation as well as accounting functions by shadowing managers in various departments (Beef, The Original four-generation strong, Singaporean Heritage Delicacy, 2010) Detail of Job Type Title Orientation to Kitchen Processes Description Interns will be oriented on the set up of a typical kitchen They will also Final Internship Report Method Site visit and on job training Duration - hours see the inner workings of a kitchen during preparation, rush hours and cleaning Floor service Interns will shadow one cum reception of our service managers to understand how to deal with customers in various situations and what is required of service staff They will also be required to participate as one of the service crew to gain first hand experience Insights into Interns will get to accounting and observe how the business supplies ordering procures the supplies and settles its accounts Depending on the intern’s length of internship and abilities, he/she could also undertake the actual ordering under supervision Recruitment If the opportunity arises, the intern will get to sit in a real interview for chefs and service staff Basic food Interns will get to preparation participate in basic food preparation and taught the proper way of handling food Logistics delivery If time permits, the intern will get an opportunity to travel on one of our daily logistic runs What I Part 1: The first month (October) Final Internship Report On job training 4-8 weeks Verbal presentation and participation - hours (or longer) Participation -2 hours On job training 2-4 weeks Site visit - hours This is the first time I work for a restaurant Everything seems to be very new with me The place I work named as HOCK LAM BEEF This is restaurant sell noodle and other dishes They have main kind of noodle include: Kway Teow, Yellow Mee, Bee Hoon Hock Lam beef have a long time story in Singapore Until now, they are more than 100 years old with four generation owner of Tan’s family The restaurant that I work can found at Alexandra Retail Centre In the first week I work Every day I have to come at o'clock to prepare the shop: sweep and mop the floor, wipe the table, set up the menu and the sheet of order After everything in outside is done, the next area is the drinking counter In this restaurant, barley and lime juice is the two kind of drinking best seller My supervisor named Kelly, she is only 24 years old but now she works as an assistant manager for the lady boss Tina Some of my first working day, I did not know anything to Even the easiest like sweep the floor I not sweep it very clean so that I have to trouble with the manager They scold me but I know that they just want me to be responsibility with the job After about days, I set up the outside of the restaurant is very good Everything is clean and clear The second week, I allowed to come into the kitchen to see how the food was made The kitchen has separate areas, one for the noodle, one for the other dish and the last for dish washing In week two, my boss wants me to know the step to make a perfect bowl of noodle Step one: take the noodle in hot water Step too: take the beef, it depend on the order of customer Normally the customer has choices to topping: Mix Beef, Hand-slice and Chunky, Hand-slice beef, Beef Ball, and Pure Tendon Step three: take the soup or the gravy in to the bowl depend on customer’s choice Step four: serving with a chili spoon This kind of chili is the homemade chili from 13 ingredients In the next report, I will show a more detail picture about the organization and the mode of economic Part 2: The second month (November) My total time working is 44 hours per week I have one day off, I choose is Thursday because I have a class at Raffles My schedule in November is changed After the first month I have to come at o'clock every day for preparing the floor Now my boss (Tina) allow me to work with the specially schedule hours per day but divide to shifts The first shift is hours, it begin at 11 and terminate at After I have hours free to relax Actually I often use this time to have a short sleeping before the last shift begin at For me, I like this schedule because it can take my whole day time but I can have time to relax and I can the thing at both two shifts Every day have the different problem Some come from the staffs, some other from the guest For example, at the 15th of November, I served two ladies They complain that inside the soup have too much MSG and it not good for the heath We explain that it will make the soup nicer Their behavior like they just want to argue Finally we accept discount for them 10% by exclude the services charges The funniest thing is that after we check, their soup has no more already They complain that the soup have MSG but still finish this, so funny Service industry is one of hardest industry in the world I think so You still have to serve with the biggest smile you can , however still need to be keep the temple go down whenever meet the painful guest like two ladies Another story is that my restaurant where I Final Internship Report working have two different kind of table One, we called is the booth It is quite nice, often to serve for big group Sometimes at night we also allow couple or one person can seat here However at lunch time is a different thing, our restaurant’s busiest time is lunch so my boss does not want two or one person seat here She wants maximize the profit, the booth almost for big group only Unluckily, some guest they come with two only but they still want seat at the booth When we explain that at the lunch time, the booth reserved for big group only, some of them accept to have lunch at other table Some other seems to be very angry and they go to other restaurant It is some example of the challenge faced when you work in hospitality and tourism industry In November I am also have more responsibility I practice to be cashier and accounting This two job needed the exactly step to It relate with the real money so that any smallest mistake can be a big problem The second month comes with so many changing, especially in the organization David, the general manager after year now he does not work anymore His position now Ms Kelly the assistant manager takes over For me, Kelly transfers the position cashier at night for me The second month of internship seems to be very good I’m waiting for the third months Part 3: December In December, Hock Lam renovation their first shop at 22 China Street, Far East Square They change the mode from customer’s self-service to become service 100% like the four Hock Lam Beef’s Shop at Alexandra Retail Centre (Sort, 2012) The Nets and Credit Card also accepted in this month The two machines are not very difficult to use I just need only 10 minutes to control everything However sometime it is also have problem such as the Nets machine can not print the receipt because of the network Another time, the Credit Machine have problem with the line because this machine and the telephone use the same line Whenever the telephone using this Credit Machine cannot use This month I was allowed to be hosting This job is mean that I have to control all customer, adjust their seat for reasonable For example: The Booth Seating in the lunch time, it is only served the big group more than three persons After David, the director, not work anymore and Mrs Kelly have to move to Far East because the renovation Now I work with Mr Kenny Tan, he is the brother of Tina, the Hock Lam’s boss I am really like this guy, funny and he is a great talent of human resource Actually we have a very big problem in Hock Lam’s culture This problem is because in Hock Lam the staffs come from so many countries: Myanmar, Philippine, China, and Malay or like me I’m come from Vietnam Language is truly a barrier between us Here, English is used like the main language but some staff come from China only can speak Chinese The problem begins whenever we have misunderstood of the order Some talk Chinese some talk English, nobody can understand each other Mr Kenny is a Singaporean He can speak fluently both Chinese and English We can understand that he is really a bridge to connect other culture together In this month I have a new thing to is accounting I have to collect all receipt of supplier and divided by the month At the last of the month, I find which debt has to pay and transfer all to my boss She is the person who signs the cheque to send money, my salary is also December is the last month that I my Final Internship Report internship Until now almost positions I already and well, at least according to my experience is that I have a good job and good time to remember Thank Hock Lam Beef Conclusion Hock Lam Beef has transformed from a daily mom-and-pop hawker business to an established name brand in the F&B industry with a total of four shops The opportunity to practice right here is very lucky for me Working in one of the oldest restaurants in Singapore help me to understand more about human life as well as here The most obvious thing I feel will improve after the internship is customer communication skills, organization and a wealth of knowledge on food culture and society of Singapore Bibliography Beef, H L About Us Retrived at November 5, 2012, from hock lam beef: http://www.hocklambeef.com/blog/index.php/category/blogwriteup/ Beef, H L (2010, March 28) The Original four-generation strong, Singaporean Heritage Delicacy Retrived at November 5, 2012, from Hocklambeef.com: http://www.hocklambeef.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/about-hock-lam-beef/ Feast, G (2011, July 11) Gastromania Feast @ Far East Square Stop Retrived at November 11, 2012, from KEROPOKMAN: http://www.keropokman.com/2011/07/gastromania-feast-far-eastsquare-hock.html LADYIRONCHEF (2008, October 11) HOCK LAM BEEF: 97TH ANNIVERSARY AND CONTINUE GOING Retrived at November 5, 2012, from http://www.ladyironchef.com/: http://www.ladyironchef.com/2008/10/hock-lam-beef-97th-anniversary-and-continue-going/ Road, T L (2011, October 11) From a little street in Singapore – Hock Lam Beef 100 years on Retrived at Novenber 4, 2012, from Wordpress.com: http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/hock-lam-beef/ Sort, Y (2012, August 8) One review for Hock Lam Retrived at 12 15, 2012, from yepl.com: http://www.yelp.com.sg/biz/hock-lam-beef-singapore-2 Final Internship Report