A day with the service manager

"The diversity every day, that's what attracts me."

Every day, every trip is different. As head of service, Sandra Fontana has to plan a lot spontaneously. But she always stays calm, even when there's a big rush. 

Sandra Fontana likes the feeling of looking at the pier before the cruise and thinking: How many guests are lined up, how will the day go on board? As Chef de Service, she is responsible for the table and team assignments and manages the service. The Gastronautic team is briefed every morning on the basis of reservation lists, gets everything ready, sets the table and does the mise en place. But since there are always a lot of passengers, the woman from Solothurn knows after looking outside: That doesn't correspond to the reservation list, good! Let's plan differently: "This spontaneous planning, the uncertainty and variety every day, that's what excites me the most. That's also why the daily cruises are her favourite. 

After her apprenticeship at the Hotel Management School Lucerne, Sandra has always worked in the catering industry. She joined Gastronautic in May 2022. Also because she loves being in, by and on the water. Her day starts at around 8.30 a.m., with the breakfast cruise. The second trip is the lunch boat at 12.15 p.m. The gastronomy team only has 15 minutes each time to change everything between cruises. Most guests often come on board at noon. Those with pre-booked menus and others with à la carte meals. Sandra then looks back out onto the jetty and knows that she will probably have to throw her plans overboard again. 

The challenge is to get all the guests on board at once. The service team - Sandra manages at least 6 to 8 staff - has to seat everyone quickly and take orders right away. The time pressure is huge. "The most important thing is that I keep track of when I have to be where," says the 45-year-old. The floating restaurant consists of various lounges and decks. Even when the entire area fills up with guests, Sandra always remains calm: "The busier it is, the more fun it is for me," she laughs: "Somehow, I guess I need some stress." Her motto is: have respect, but stay calm and keep an overview. That's how she gives her best every day. Moreover, the relaxed leisure mood of the passengers on the boat also spills over to her and her team. 

And when things get rough on Lake Zug, when it sways? "Then I have fun!" says the water enthusiast. The ships sail very calmly. Only the first two weeks she was still swaying after a day's work, even on land. But her body quickly adjusted. So today it's okay to have more waves - "water calms me down". 

After the afternoon round trip, the ship arrives back in Zug at 5.30 pm. When the guests give positive feedback and disembark with a smile, Sandra knows she has done her job well: "My heart is always in it and I have a lot of fun on the ship." As she will again the next day, when she looks at the jetty before the trip and will probably spontaneously reschedule.