Position: Assistant to the regional manager
Age: 36
Nominated by: Zohaib Hussain, owner, who says: “Mudassir is always 10/10 at work from the minute he arrives to the minute he leaves. His customer service is excellent, he loves chatting with the customers, especially on match days when we get a lot of Cardiff City fans in the shop. He elevates the shop atmosphere with his light-hearted humour and embodies the culture of Zero Plus on a daily basis with his positive attitude.”
How long have you worked at Zero Plus Fish & Chips?
I’ve worked at Zero Plus for 11 years. I initially came in as cover for another employee but ended up staying as I loved the work culture here and Zohaib created a position for me. Training was easy as I had previously worked in other fish and chip shops, but the monthly written training assessments and health and safety training were an eye-opener! I felt that this was a professionally-run establishment and it was an easy choice to stay permanently as I knew we were building something special.
What are your responsibilities?
My main responsibility is opening up the shop for the evening shift. I collect my son from school, drop him home and then go straight to work. I like to get to work early and have a coffee to set up my shift and then turn the range on and get frying. During the shift, I’m also in charge of the kebabs and burgers so if we have multiple orders then I’ll quickly switch to the canopy side and help out to get the orders running smoothly.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
I love all of it! But chatting to customers on a daily basis is probably the best part. The community spirit in Zero Plus makes it more than just a fish and chip shop. We get some members of the community who come in just for a chat.
What’s your least favourite part of the job?
I don’t really have a part of the job I don’t like but, if I had to choose something, I’d say cleaning the walk-in freezer as I’m not a fan of the cold (no pun intended).
What is it that you like about working at Zero Plus Fish & Chips?
Since the day I started, I’ve learnt that Zero Plus is so involved in the Canton community. We also have regular team meetings where we can openly discuss issues or any problems we’re having inside or outside of work. The work culture we’ve created is a co-worker’s dream and the set up is so professional, including the high efficiency Kiremko range which is amazing to work on. I also love how the team is trained – Zohaib puts everyone through difficult training exercises like ‘Eyes and Ears’, a key component to our working philosophy which enables us to get our fish and chips cooked much quicker. It makes my job easier if everyone is all pulling in the same direction.
How do you feel about being nominated as an unsung hero?
Slightly embarrassed although, when this is published, I’ll take it home and show my son that his dad is a hero. He loves Spiderman so I can now say I’m in a hero league!
