Frank: Be Frank

Well, the story is about Mr. Frank Rossi who is the founder of Town & Country Pizza & Pasta and started his journey back in 1986 commencing Ocean Grove Pizza. Town and Country now have several successful outlets all throughout Australia.

The narrative begins on a beautiful Thursday evening when I went for a trial shift at T&C's freshly built store in Melbourne. Even though I have worked part-time jobs since arriving in Australia, I was nervous and puzzled that evening because the job was a little different, customer service – the cashier.

At 5 p.m., I arrived in Town and Country, where I met Mr. Joe Rossi, Frank Rossi's son. There were around a few other individuals for the trial, and Joe introduced me to the system, and everything went smoothly; I was overjoyed, hoping to pick up the system soon. By the end of the shift, I had been notified that I had been employed and could begin working the next day. I was delighted because it is impossible to stay in Melbourne or anywhere else in Australia without part-time work unless your parents have millions back home.

The next day, I went for the job and met Frank, the big boss, about whom I knew nothing, so I was very relaxed. When I walked in, Frank said “Hi Chai” (I was like who is this I don’t even know, knows my name ). Then I had a conversation with Joe, who informed me that “the bearded guy is Frank, my father.” I thought to myself, "He looks really cool." Calls after calls, the phone kept ringing, loads and lots of online, pickups, delivery orders, and so on, with people coming in and out, it was quite frantic, but I enjoyed it. Because I am from India and my mother tongue is not English, I sometimes struggled with the Australian accent, and the voice on the landline was not always clear, and without understanding the menu, it was tough to grasp. I made a few mistakes in the first few days, but they were minor, and Frank was very upset with me.

I used to get sad when he used to scold me even if someone else forgot to provide the tickets to the kitchen, but I continued to go every day even though it was emotionally demanding. Joe, on the other hand, was fantastic; he used to say, "I'm doing really well." There were days when I was working and my eyes were sore, but I couldn't cry because I was interacting with customers and couldn't be upset in front of them.

For the first week, I felt terrible, and I mentally prepared myself to ignore everything and work, because it was critical for me to keep that job at that moment. Joe and I often have interesting discussions about business and other topics. Because I was only managing phone calls and the cash register at first, I only got a few shifts. Then I gradually began to understand everything there was to know about the company, and I start to doubt Joe about everything, including how they do things, when they started, and so on. I once told Joe that I was worried because Frank was always angry, but that day changed everything. Joe said, "You don't have to worry Chai, Frank really likes you and don't worry about what he's saying, he'll always say what he feels, and you won't have to think what Frank is thinking because he's that open, for the moment he'll say it’s done, he won't bother about that."

That made me think, that was a wonderful thing since nowadays people simply keep everything in their heads and act perfectly normal, but you have no idea what's going on in their heads. I began learning everything the next day, even though I was not making anything so that I could manage all the clients' doubts and queries over the phone. I learned everything there is to know about the system. I decided to create invoices and entering them into the Xero accounting program that I had acquired at university, as well as for settling money for delivery drivers, and gradually, day by day, I learned almost everything except how to make pizzas. Because the branch I was working for was new at the time, my primary goal was to increase sales, so with each order, I began giving away menus that customers could scan and order, which resulted in a significant rise in sales.

Frank noticed my work and how I handled everything in such a short time. He inquired as to how I returned home, and I replied by train. He began to enquire about me more and more, and one wonderful day after the shift, he told me, "You are such a strong girl, and I admire you." That was such an emotional experience for me; I genuinely grew so pleased that I can't articulate it. He told me to be safe and take care of myself because I travel by myself late at night in this weather which will drop down to less than 6 degrees at night and I must walk, catch a bus then train and again walk. He offered me his personal phone number, saying that only his family and close friends know it, but that you can call him whenever you want. He mentioned that if you need anything, you can call him at any moment. I don’t know what I felt but it touched my heart. The next day, I arrived at work, and one of my co-workers informed me that Frank had told him that I am a good and hardworking girl.

From that day on, Frank's influence has only grown. From working three shifts a week. I now work seven days a week When I asked Frank if he could teach me how to bake pizzas, he told me to come to the Waurnponds branch after I finished my examinations. Waurnponds branch is 75 kilometers from Melbourne. I took the train to Waurnponds to learn how to make pizzas, and Frank was more than pleased to introduce me to other employees and teach me everything, which is rare. He requested that the manager at the Waurnponds branch arrange for a driver to take me to the station so that I would not have to travel alone. I worked there for two weeks and he taught me everything. He gave me two envelopes in addition to my paycheck, and when I opened one, there was money. The next day, I asked, "Frank, why is this happening?" He told me that You deserve a lot more chai. He invited me to a family dinner at his home. The person with whom I was most afraid has now become one of my favorite people. He gave me shifts every day and he replaced his brother Johnny with me at the Yarraville branch, which I never expected. All the staff, including me, are terrified of him, but he is a man with a big heart. I wish that everyone had a boss like him to work for. He taught me that anyone, regardless of blood relation, can be your family. The most undervalued quality is kindness. I learned that if you work hard and go above and beyond what you have been paid for, you will soon be paid more than you have worked!!!! I can say confidently that I have made a large family here. Nothing is simple; challenges will arise daily; all we must do is overcome them by remaining strong, positive, and believing in ourselves. When no one else is around to clap for you, clap for yourself.

This story is to say thanks to Frank, who is one of the most important people in my life. You are just like my parents to me, and I love you.