She has been with us for over 10 years. Those of you who regularly visit the Batida cafe on Krakowskie Przedmieście have certainly met the charming, smiling and very competent Ilona Luterek. In addition to her daily duties in the boutique, Ilona is responsible for training new employees of the cafe, because who better to do this than a practitioner with a passion and heart for people?
Ilona, you are always smiling and positive energy radiates from you, how do you do it?
- I guess I just like what I do and I can derive pleasure from small things. Look – we talk at a table in the beautiful June sun, drink good coffee, have delicious cakes – it is from these little things that you can derive joy and energy. I do it every day. When I go to work, I do not think about what is at home, about my problems, I try to be here and now and open up to the client.
Do you have a favorite type of client?
- I love clients with children, I know how to advise them, and on the other hand we have regular guests who are older, they treat me like a granddaughter. I know that every morning Mrs. Ewa will come to us for a cappuccino with 1 sugar on lactose-free milk and 2 macaroons, and on Sunday Mrs. Beata with her friends will take her favorite table in the garden and order a cream cake. Although maybe this time I will manage to talk her into one of our summer novelties! (laughter) I believe that establishing a relationship is very important, even a short conversation, which, looking back on years of working in one place, sometimes forms a whole family saga.
How do you find time for this in your daily work?
- Even on a hard day, when we have a full house of guests in the café, it is important to me to devote as much time as each person needs. Such a well-cared-for customer will appreciate it, even if they were standing in line earlier. By the way, some people laugh that I can read people's minds - I see a person and I can guess whether they will choose more fruity or chocolate flavors, and knowing the ingredients of each Batida cookie, I can immediately choose the best product for that person.
What are your favorite Batida dishes?
- Batida is primarily sweet flavors for me. I love the combination of fruit and chocolate, so my number 1 is definitely the dessert Przez Batida do serca – not too sweet, with a sour note of raspberries, perfect! In turn, from the savory cuisine, my heart was stolen by quiche. My favorite flavor is the traditional one with bacon, leek and linseed. Combined with a salad, it is a complete dish for me.
What would you say to people who would like to start working in a coffee shop?
- You definitely need to have a heart for this job, you have to like people, you have to go into it wholeheartedly and only then will we achieve the goal, which is a customer's smile when they leave the premises and the certainty that they will come back to us again. It is also physically demanding work, many hours on your feet, but nothing replaces the adrenaline when a large group enters the café and you have to take care of them. That's when I get wings. Working in a café is also definitely teamwork.
How do you motivate your team? I know you have a few new people under your wing since reopening.
- Yes, it is a great joy for me that the cafes are open again and we can welcome Guests again. An empty cafe without laughter and noise has completely lost its heart, because the heart of a cafe is the people who visit it. As for the team, I simply try to set a good example. I think that we learn the most by doing something, by observing good practices, than by reading procedures. In Batida, I am responsible for introducing new employees and in these first weeks, the most important thing for me is to open their hearts to people, so that they are not afraid to talk, joke, be hosts. I will not do anything in a cafe by myself, here the team counts.
Tell us something about yourself, are you from Warsaw?
No, I'm from Wielkopolska, a charming village called Saczyn near Kalisz. I've been in Warsaw for a little over 10 years, I came with my husband who was a soldier. We have two wonderful sons with whom I practice my patience (laughter). When it comes to professional matters, I've been involved in serving guests since my first job - I was a barmaid in a local bar. I knew everyone, everyone knew me and working at a bar was a bit of a school of life for a 19-year-old girl, I got to know working with people. I saw that I was great at it, guests came back, praised me and gave me tips and I felt great satisfaction from my work.
I have been at Batida for 10 years, including 6 years in the boutique on Krakowskie Przedmieście. I have learned a lot in the company about confectionery, refined cuisine, wine, catering. However, I must admit that the greatest satisfaction for me is not the praise of the management or board, but a kind word from a guest. Today, for example, I heard that I made the best coffee EVER (laughter).
Joanna Puchałka, Sales and Marketing Manager, and Ilona Luterek, Manager of the Batida café on Krakowskie Przedmieście, talked over morning coffee.
People interested in working in Batida cafes are welcome to contact us at marketing@batida.pl.
