The Run-up to Opening Night

It's day four in Zizzi which means that opening night is upon us. The chefs are busily organising the kitchen, making all their final touches in preparation for this evening. In comparison to the laughter and activity in the restaurant yesterday, there's an entirely different atmosphere when I take my seat at a back table to set up my laptop. Instead of proudly showing off their pizzas, as was the case yesterday, the staff have been set an entirely new task.

Each member of the waiting and front of house team have a table to themselves and are quietly concentrated, heads down, fussing over a test paper. Think exam hall! I pass them, heels squeaking on the floor, breaking the silence. Well, every examination needs an invigilator. The team leader tells me that everyone is being quizzed on what they have learned over the past week's training. "You know when you're doing team exercises and there's always that one person who answers everything?" she asks me, stopping for a quick chat, "well, this way, we can test everyone to make sure that it's not just that one person who knows all the answers!"

I watch the staff as they scribble down their answers, flipping over the pages of their questionnaire. I'm pretty sure they've got this material sussed. No notes under the desk or answers written on the back of their hands. The team leader assures me that this focussed silence isn't going to be the order of the day: "Don't worry, we'll be getting back to some fun team exercises and role-play in a minute!" Phew, the school day's over and thankfully the chefs have prepared something a little more appetising than packed lunches.

As well as the team getting organised for tonight's launch, artist Katy Thomson is dedicatedly applying brush strokes and pen lines to her enormous work of art. Everything is going smoothly for the young artist with the exception of her ladder! "It's ok for the lower sections but when I need to get to the highest bits, I have to enlist somebody to hold my ladder steady for about 20 minutes!" Not a fun job for the person on the ground, but all in the name of artistic progress. And, well, health and safety.

At tonight's opening launch, you can watch Katy for yourself as she transforms the walls. It's strange to think that less than a week ago, there was little more than white paint. It's been fascinating to watch it develop and become more and more defined each day. Katy's confident that she will have it completed for her deadline – Sunday. However, if not, by her own admission, she'll be staying until it's finished!