Nikhil Chib, owner of Busaba, lets us in on the recipe for a career in the hotel industry

There are no fixed hours

Don't come into this industry if you need your beauty sleep between 11 pm-7 am. There are no fixed hours to go by. You may have to come in at 10 am to check if the mint is fresh enough or be at the market at 7 am buying baby lobster for a party at Alibagh. You may have to pay off some suppliers or attend to an AC breakdown or the demanding ladies who are in your restaurant for lunch. You could be creating a new dish or dessert with your Sous Chef.

The rest of the time is spent with your staff in the evening instructing them on various matters. And when the last guest leaves at 1.15 am, you may be checking your liquor stock to see that you're not being ripped off. Get sleep when you can is all I can say. The restaurant business is double shift.

Learn to deal with stuff

This industry is not for the willy-livered. You will have to deal with your customers who in high spirits may get into brawls and cause damage not only to themselves but also to the restaurant and its credibility.

At the same time you have to be very particular about all the legalities of handling a restaurant like the right permits for alcohol, paying all the duties and taxes on time, following proper rules and regulations, and the list goes on. Learn to take a deep breath and deal with it. Losing your cool and being a stud will take you nowhere.