Optima

So today I returned to Mogahdem Tahrir to get my visa and predictably because yesterday went pretty smoothly today we had arrived and were told to come back in two hours. Basically, this means they had not even looked at the paperwork since the day before so we were to come back later when they finally stopped gossiping to each other in the office and did some work. Oh well, could have been worse and we just went to the closest cafe for some breakfast and waited for Maandi to meet us. While we waited for the visa's Akanksha, Maandi, and I ventured to a local restaurant for some Kushari, a dish consisting of brown lentils, macaroni, rice, chickpeas, fried onions, and tomato sauce. It is a traditional Egyptian meal that is essentially as many carbohydrates as you can pack into one meal. I have to say it was very tasty and flavorful but incredibly filling so I ordered the smallest portion possible and still could only eat half!
After killing time waiting we returned and finally got our visas, much relief all round. Then Maandi helped us get a cab and I went to meet my boss at his restaurant in City Stars Mall. I am lucky he is so laid back because I was a few hours later than I'd originally planned to be but he didn't seem to mind. After introducing me to a few of his employees we discussed what I will be doing for the next few months. The deal is that he opened this restaurant called Crocodile grill about 6 months ago as he has managed and set up other restaurants in the U.S. in the past. Actually, Mr. Mamoun immigrated to California when he was 20 and worked in hotel and restaurant management for multiple companies. Now, after another 20 years or so he has returned to Egypt to start some new ventures, one of which is this restaurant. Also, he has a marketing company, Optima RPM, which is where the mystery shopping comes in as he does this for U.S. companies the market products in the Middle East.
So, my jobs will be to help put together a franchise package for the restaurant and to update both the company website and the restaurant website. (By the way it is www.crocodilegrill.com if you want to check out what kind of place this is... think TGIF or Chillis.) Also, I will revise the manuals for restaurant employee and manager training, which is why I will spend some Fridays as a host in the restaurant. This is so that I can get a feel for the establishment and interact with the customers. Doing this will be great for my Arabic and also help me to know what changes need to be made. Good thing I have some experience in waitressing because at least I am accustomed to the fast pace of a restaurant. Now, I just have to interact with the customers in another language.
Later in the afternoon I went to the office of Optima and met some of the other people I will be working with over the summer. There are two women, Haneea and Miriam, who will be working with me on the franchise package and both are young and friendly. Haneea has excellent English and some really good ideas so I'm looking forward to working with her. Also, Miriam is Christian so she plans to take me to some churches with her on our weekends. I had been wondering how to find out about local churches and it appears she is my answer. Already she is planning to take me to some of the more historical churches, including one of the first built in the city. This was pretty much the extent of my first day, but I will return tomorrow to start the real work.
Also, I'm looking forward to doing something with Maandi and his friends after work tomorrow because they all have an exam and then they want to do something later to unwind. So perhaps we'll go see a movie or visit Khan Il Khalili, old Cairo. Should be great whatever it is so I'll report more later in the week.