Watisoni Nayaloga has spent about 26 years honing his skills as a bartender.
He started work at The Regent of Fiji, where he spent five years. In 2000, the Sheraton Royal merged with the Sheraton, he spent 10 years at the Sheraton, resigned in 2010, before spending another 10 years at Mana Island Resort.
Mr Nayaloga then moved to Beach Club for eight months, followed by two years as bartender on the Blue Lagoon Cruises.
“Then before last year I came here and now I’ve spent two years working for South Seas Cruises.
“I work 10 days, which is reasonable for me because I have a family to look after. Joining this company is very good because they give me a lot of freedom, family wise. They also look after my family and give me benefits.”
An average day for Mr Nayaloga starts with morning devotion before clocking in for work at about 6am.
A break time slot at 6.30am is given to staff before they move to their respective departments at 8.30am. Mr Nayaloga uses this time to prepare the bar before guests start arriving.
“My most memorable experience with guests is when they return or when they pass on the word to their friend about how we serve them at the bar.
Mr Nayaloga sticks to the beverage menu but sees room for innovation.
“Other resorts have extensive menus, but we are allowed to make our own cocktails and then we sell them to the guests.
“From my experience the menu changes when the managers change but I don’t think our menu has changed.”
Mr Nayaloga has advised youths hoping to join his field of work to be well versed with the products they are selling.
“You should also know what kind of guests you serve, some may get intoxicated, but you must be prepared to deal with that because they come from different countries and speak different languages.
“We should also be mindful of the tone we use when talking to them. Whether they are drunk or sober, treat them with respect.”
