A day in the life of Olivia Reid, general manager of The Salt Room, as told to Nick Mosley

The general manager of any business is a hands-on job but in the restaurant sector even more so and it’s pretty much 24/7.

It’s all about the people and the importance of nurturing them; customers, team, owners and suppliers. If I keep all of them happy then I am doing my job.

I have only recently joined The Salt Room team and I walked straight into a great business with wonderful people, a fabulous product and beautiful location so it’s definitely a good starting point for me.

Day to day my job changes. I start the day at 8am – thankfully my daughter is now in secondary school so no need for the school run. Paperwork first and then preparations for service, which I oversee some days and nights. I have great managers and supervisors who manage the shifts so its more about maximising service and making sure all the customers are having a magnificent time. I like to chat so this works for me.

It’s really important to get to know the team and with 40 plus staff that can take some time. Mornings are great for this, and they give me time to catch up with kitchen about specials, produce and menu development.

I always look at our ahead bookings and any special events or requests, plus what’s going on in the wider city.

We have our lunch service from noon to 4pm every day and dinner from 6pm with afternoon tea in between.

Alongside service, I have weekly meetings with managers, kitchen seniors and the bar team to make sure everything is running smoothly and we are doing the maximum we can to be the best in the city – a big goal but one I am confident about.

I talk regularly with the events manager and marketing manager and we meet with key Brighton influencers regularly to ensure we are included and aware of all things Brighton.

This is hugely important to me. My years working in this sector in Brighton have been a lot about integrating myself and the business I represent into the city.

Also because we are in the Hilton Metropole, I need to have regular meetings and talks with different departments in the hotel to ensure we are working together in the most fluid way and offering the best to each of our customer pools.

It’s a challenging role and definitely one for someone who likes to multitask.

No day is the same and I have to be prepared for anything, day or night.