Viorica Vrabie’s first job in London was as a Kitchen Porter with Act-Clean. Around a decade later she is back as Night Operations Manager, leading teams at Mayfair sites including Amazónico, Hakkasan, InterContinental and Four Seasons Park Lane.
Viorica has seen the kitchen from almost every side. She spent ten years as a chef in Cyprus and worked breakfast service at Rosewood London. She then spent almost a decade at Shangri-La London, rising from Supervisor to Back of House Manager.
For those years she was the client, setting the standards and holding contractors to them. Now she knows exactly what the morning teams will look for when they walk in.
Coming back to Act-Clean
Viorica had known Gillian Thomson, COO, for several years. She also still remembered the good people from her first time working at Act-Clean. She settled back in quickly, which she puts down to Mark Golding, Act-Clean’s Head of Operations, and fellow operations managers who cover for one another.
“Mark gave me good training in the beginning, even now. And when I ask him something, he’s always going to give me a good answer.”
In December she marks one year back.
Why the night matters
By the time Viorica’s teams arrive, the chefs have gone home. The hours that follow set the tone for the next day.
“It’s about cleanliness, about health and safety and about food safety.”
That means extraction cleaned so it never becomes a fire risk, oil changed, floors clean and no way in for pests. Front of house matters just as much, because it’s what brings guests back.
As a former chef, she puts it simply:
“Cleaning is part of the kitchen as well.”
Her nights start at whichever site needs her first: one that has flagged an issue, or the one with the earliest shift. She checks the team is set up, asks if anyone needs support, and shows them how to do things better.
Then come the logistics: rotas, payroll, chemicals and orders, chasing machine repairs, emails and client updates. Client meetings usually happen in the morning as her teams finish, so her nights often run well past eight hours.
Teams that look out for each other
Viorica coaches her teams in her own standards, so she can step away and know the work will still be done properly. Dealing with absence is a big part of the job, so she asks three things of her teams: arrive on time, give notice if you’re unwell, and pull together to cover for each other.
Recently, when a team member called in sick, Viorica asked a colleague who wanted extra hours to step in, so the kitchen was covered and the work got done.
She checks the work in person: “If the job is not done properly, I will take them back to do it again.”
She also gives her Supervisors real authority: “When you have a good supervisor he will find the solution even if you are not there for that moment.”
Tough love
Viorica admits she’s strict, but her teams have another name for her. “They always call me mama,” she says with a smile. That mix is what makes it work: she can be tough, but she cares about her people, wants the best for them and is always there when they need help.
Every night she speaks to each team member and calls her Supervisors when she can’t visit. Her phone is never on silent, and WhatsApp groups keep every team and client in touch with her at any hour.
“If you are not there when they need you, what’s the point?”
Viorica with her team at Amazonico, from left to right: Solomon, Viorica, Richmond and Chantele
Full circle
Having been the client, Viorica understands what clients want, what teams need and what can realistically be delivered.
“If we make our clients happy, everybody is happy.”
What she values most is the freedom to run her sites her own way. Her test for every night is simple:
“When the job is done, no complaints, everything is good, I can go to sleep quietly.”
Act-Clean, truly your #teamwithintheteam
