Hotel and Catering Issue 9 2020

ISSUE 9 2020

The art of negotiation

How to get the best deal from your bank manager or landlord

Time for a RESET

Solving

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Irish food producers are adapting to the pandemic and diversifying into new markets to stay afloat

Energy solutions from Pinergy are helping hotels across the country to reduce their energy costs 18/09/2020 09:59

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Contents ISSUE 9 2020

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IN THIS ISSUE

09 For hotels in particular, energy is a really important cost in the business. Through our smart metering technology and sector specific knowledge, we can reduce a hotel’s energy bill Enda Gunnell, CEO, Pinergy

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REGULARS

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NEWS

THE LAST WORD

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BEST IN CLASS This year’s Best Sommelier in Ireland competition took place in August at Whelehans Wines, Co Dublin

HOTELS UNDER ENORMOUS PRESSURE New research from IHF reveals dramatic fall in hotel room occupancy

TIME FOR A RESET Irish food producers are adapting to the pandemic and diversifying into new markets to stay afloat

GET THE BEST DEAL With Covid-19 attacking capacity and tightening margins, dealings with landlords, bank managers, suppliers, staff and clients must enable the best deal to ensure the survival of your business, writes Dr Gerard McMahon

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX At-home boxes are providing much-needed cashflow to businesses across Ireland

A CLEAN SWEEP Clever sanitation systems are allowing hospitality businesses to open safely. We take a look at some of the systems and measures making waves in the industry

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Editor Denise Maguire Creative Director: Jane Matthews Art Director: Áine Duffy Designers: James Moore Anna Wesolowska Stock Photography iStock Infographics: www.flaticon.com Production: Claire Kiernan Sales Director: Trish Murphy Managing Director: Gerry Tynan Chairman: Diarmaid Lennon

Published by: Ashville Media, Unit 55 Park West Road, Park West Industrial Estate, Dublin 12, D12 X9F9.

Tel: (01) 432 2200 ISSN: 0332-4400 All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2020. All discounts, promotions and competitions contained in this magazine are run independently of Hotel & Catering Review. The promoter/advertiser is responsible for honouring the prize.

Editor’s View Welcome to issue 9 of Hotel & Catering Review 2020 Pinergy’s CEO Enda Gunnell wants to sell less electricity to his customers, not more. The company’s ethos is centred around sustainability and reducing energy costs for businesses, including hotels, across the country. A few years ago, a commitment to reducing greenhouse gases led Pinergy to invest in smart metering technology which helps customers understand exactly how they’re using energy and the amount they’re using at different times of the day.

That kind of information is, says Enda, invaluable to hospitality businesses and could help them to control their energy consumption while reducing energy costs. For more on Pinergy’s energy solutions, turn to page 15.

Elsewhere in this issue, Dr Gerard McMahon talks about the art of negotiation and the unwritten rules you should be aware of when it comes to securing the best deal, whether that’s from your landlord, bank manager or supplier. We also caught up with restaurants and hotels around the country that have been busy providing at-home boxes to customers since the lockdown. An effective way of maintaining relationships with suppliers, at-home boxes are also a new revenue stream for restaurants forced to operate at a reduced capacity. Suppliers have also been busy diversifying into new markets to stay afloat. On page 18, we spoke with Maureen Gahan, Foodservice Specialist at Bord Bia, to find out how Irish food suppliers are coping with the pandemic and what initiatives Bord Bia has implemented to help the sector.

As always, there’s plenty to enjoy in this issue. If you have any thoughts or opinions on this month’s content, please do drop us a line

Editor: Denise Maguire Email: denise.maguire@ ashvillemediagroup.com

Denise Maguire www.hotelandcateringreview.ie | info@hotelandcateringreview.ie @HC_Review | facebook.com/hotelandcateringreview

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Talk to us on 0818 363 749 or visit www.pinergy.ie

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News

News Your monthly round-up…

APPOINTMENT The Marker Hotel has appointed Sheila O’Sullivan Director of Sales & Marketing. Previous roles include Assistant Director of Sales at The Shelbourne Hotel where she was one of the driving forces in securing a place on international luxury programmes including Virtuoso, American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts and Signature. In her new role, Sheila will provide strategic leadership for sales, e-commerce and public relations activity.

NEW HOTEL BRAND HITS THE MARKET Following an investment of over €16 million, Brian and Ciara McGettigan of the McGettigan Hotel Group have announced the launch of a new hotel brand called ‘The Address Collective’. The brand includes three well-established hotels – The North Star Hotel and The Address @ Dublin 1, The Kingswood Hotel in Citywest and the Ambassador Hotel in Cork, re-branded as The Address Connolly, The Address Citywest and The Address Cork. The Address Collective will include 480 bedrooms and employ 300 people across the group. The business is currently expanding at The Address Connolly with an additional 40 new bedrooms. Full planning permission for a new hotel on Parnell Street/Capel Street has also been secured and this will include almost 9,000 sq ft of ground floor commercial space.

Commenting on the announcement, Brian McGettigan, said: “While launching a new hotel brand during an unprecedented crisis like Covid-19 is challenging, our long-term vision for ‘The Address Collective’ remains steadfast and on track to grow market share. We are confident that our brand offering is one that corporate and leisure guests will seek out. Our strategy is to expand the brand in Ireland, the UK and Europe through a combination of purchases, leases and joint ventures.”

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Sheila O’Sullivan Director of Sales & Marketing, The Marker Hotel

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News

GLOBAL ACCREDITATION FOR ASHFORD CASTLE & THE LODGE Ashford Castle and sister hotel, The Lodge at Ashford are the first hotels in Ireland to be awarded the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accreditation for the implementation of protocols in response to biorisk situations, such as Covid-19. The international accreditation verifies that both Ashford Castle and The Lodge implement best practices to prepare for, respond to and recover from pandemics, ensuring that the most stringent protocols for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention are employed.

General Manager of Ashford Castle and The Lodge, Niall Rochford said: “This international accreditation is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response and recovery certification and is hugely important to our sector. To say that it is a show of confidence in our teams and our protocols is to underestimate the stringent nature of the accreditation process. It’s so much more than a show of confidence. So, to have been awarded GBAC STAR within just weeks of reopening is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the professionalism and fervour of all our staff.”

APPOINTMENT

Barry Francis has been appointed as General Manager of The Wilder Townhouse in Dublin. The Malahide native brings with him a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector that spans 25 years. Both he and his brothers worked in the sector in London during the late nineties and Barry cut his teeth as a luggage porter for the famed Fore Crest, Regent’s Park before building an impressive career in hospitality management. He has previously worked with The Park Plaza London Hotel Group as Regional Revenue Manager, before making the move back home to Dublin in 2006 to work with The Dylan Hotel.

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Barry Francis, General Manager, The Wilder Townhouse

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News

Musgrave MarketPlace’s upgraded Limerick branch

MUSGRAVE MARKETPLACE OPENS NEW LIMERICK FOOD EMPORIUM Musgrave MarketPlace has unveiled a new Food Emporium at Musgrave MarketPlace, Limerick. The transformation of the Limerick branch into a state-of-the-art Food Emporium forms part of a €12.6 million total investment in the Musgrave MarketPlace brand over the past four years. The new-look MarketPlace Limerick, located on Clare Street, has been designed with the customer in mind, serving local hotels, bars, restaurants, retailers and SME’s in the Limerick region. As well as adding over 220 new products to its current range of over 10,000 products, the branch now has a dedicated alcohol area with an enhanced product selection and an extended fresh produce aisle. It has also been designed to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.

With the introduction of low power eco refrigeration and LED lighting, the Limerick branch has reduced its CO2 output by 99,420kg per annum, which is equivalent to the annual electricity required to run 60 homes.

COMMERCIAL LANDLORDS OBLIVIOUS TO ECONOMIC CRISIS - RAI The Restaurants Association of Ireland has called for urgent government action to deal with greed driven commercial landlords, who are continuing to charge their tenant businesses full rent rates during the current pandemic and economic crisis.

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the RAI, said: “We are calling on the government to issue a code of practice and introduce fast track arbitration services to help with a speedy resolution of disputes between restaurants/hospitality businesses and landlords. It’s obvious that greedy landlords are not playing their part in the pandemic which is causing huge distress for business owners, especially restaurant owners.”

These high rents are placing hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs at risk. Immediate government action is needed and landlords need to reduce their commercial rents in line with business turnover to support struggling restaurants and cafes.

According to Economist Jim Power’s Report, “Restaurant Recovery Plan”, a scheme to reduce the burden of commercial rents is essential from the perspective of restaurant owners and landlords. The report states that the accommodation and food

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services sector has been seriously damaged by the Covid-19 crisis and failure to act now will have dire consequences for the economy.

The report also states that rents represent a significant fixed cost and should be included in a package of support measures covering all occupancy costs. It recommends a 50% commercial rent grant during periods when restaurant turnover is down 50-80%. The hospitality sector did not receive any commercial rent grants or support in the recently announced July Stimulus Package.

Adrian Cummins added: “The next big battle for restaurants and cafes across the country is with greed driven commercial landlords who haven’t reduced rent for struggling business owners in line with turnover. Some commercial landlords seem to be oblivious to the fact that Ireland is in an economic crisis. We are demanding urgent action from the government. Businesses are struggling and some cannot hold on much longer. Why should they be driven out of business while commercial landlords continue to flourish and collect their full rents? All we are asking is that landlords take into consideration the loss of turnover experienced by many businesses over the past few months and adjust rents accordingly.”

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News

DRUMSHANBO VISITOR EXPERIENCE BOOSTS IRISH WHISKEY TOURISM

ECCLES HOTEL & SPA AWARDED FOURSTAR RECOGNITION Thanks to a comprehensive refurbishment and restoration of the mid-18th Century property completed this year, Eccles Hotel & Spa in Glengarriff has achieved a four-star status rating.

The upgrade included major bedroom refurbishment and the addition of a wellness spa and cliff-top outdoor thermal area, while many original features including its iconic Victorian metalwork facade with sweeping balcony and original fireplaces have been restored.

The hotel has also established a reputation for its excellent food, thanks to chef Eddie Attwell. Most of the produce on Eddie’s menus are picked fresh every day from the hotel garden and polytunnels he has planted, foraged locally or supplied by West Cork’s artisan food and drink suppliers. Prior to joining the Eccles team, among other career highlights, Eddie spent time in the 2* Michelin restaurant L’Enclume in Cumbria and has appeared twice on BBC’s Great British Menu. He was recognised as West Cork’s Local Food Hero in 2019 and the hotel’s breakfast was a national winner at Georgina Campbell’s National Breakfast Awards 2020.

Despite a tough year, Irish whiskey tourism is looking to the future with the opening of a new visitor experience at The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, Co Leitrim.

This takes to 20 the number of Irish whiskey distillery visitor experiences on the island of Ireland. The Shed Distillery, founded by Pat and Denise Rigney, is the home of Drumshanbo Irish Whiskey and Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin. On why they decided to open at such a challenging time, Pat Rigney said he owed it to the local Drumshanbo community, which was devastated by the loss of 100 jobs when the main employer, Lairds Jam Factory (now the Food Hub where The Shed Distillery is located) closed in 1998 – taking 100 jobs with it and precipitating long-term unemployment in the area.

Co-founder of The Shed Distillery, Pat Rigney, said: “The Shed Distillery is located in the former Lairds building, a social enterprise run by the community, who have been incredible in supporting the success of Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin internationally. It is the right thing for us to open now even though it is possibly the worst time from a business perspective.

Together with the Jackalope Café in the Visitor Experience, this will immediately add 15 new jobs, bringing total employee numbers to over 50.”

Irish whiskey distilleries attracted over one million visitors in 2019, but 87% of these were from outside the island of Ireland.

The impact of Covid-19 means the industry is facing a loss of over three quarters of its visitor numbers compared to last year.

In July and August, IrishWhiskey360°, the collective initiative for Irish whiskey distillery visitor experiences, launched its “Get back into the spirit” campaign targeting domestic tourists.

William Lavelle, Head of IrishWhiskey360°, said: “2020 has been a tough year for our members. But if history teaches us anything, it is that the Irish whiskey industry cannot easily be knocked out. We want to thank all those who visited our distilleries and discovered the unique experiences they have to offer. We have been particularly struck by the number of couples visiting. Who would have thought that Irish whiskey distilleries would become the hot date-spot of postlockdown Ireland?”

Mr Lavelle congratulated Pat and Denise Rigney and their colleagues on the opening of their new visitor experience: “Today is a great day for all the team at The Shed Distillery and it’s a great day for Drumshanbo. I have no doubt that this new visitor experience will draw many new tourists to the north-west region and contribute greatly to the rural economy of Co. Leitrim.

“The opening of this distillery visitor experience represents a timely boost for the Irish whiskey tourism sector, and we look forward to more good news in the future.”

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How to get Customers to Leave an Excellent Review AS RESTAURANTS, BARS AND HOTELS WELCOME BACK GUESTS, NOW’S A BETTER TIME THAN EVER TO CONSIDER YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION, WRITES JAMES WALTON Even under normal circumstances, a whopping 76% of consumers admit to checking internet reviews before choosing an establishment to patronise and it’s within reason to think that this number may have increased following the pandemic, as potential customers search for places that demonstrate trust and promise a fantastic post-lockdown experience. Since so many of our customers work within the hospitality sector – and we understand the recent struggles the industry has faced – we wanted to help organisations manage their online reputations, beginning with winning more positive reviews.

We researched 2,000 5* TripAdvisor reviews to discover the factors most likely to leave customers beaming (and in the mood to leave a good review).

Here’s what we found: CUSTOMER SERVICE

Now’s not the time to fall-down on good service, as nine out of 10 5* reviews we analysed mentioned good service and/

or friendly staff. Anxiety levels could be high amongst customers right now and with social distancing guidelines still in place, you’ll need to be able to rely on your team to keep their cool, even if something goes wrong.

James Walton, Marketing Manager, DeltaNet International

FOOD SAFETY

COCKTAILS

Creating a safe and hygienic environment is part of the service you offer and with Covid-19 still on everyone’s mind, there’s an increased emphasis on good health and safety practices, including keeping up to date with food safety qualifications.

So many reviewers mentioned the choice and quality of cocktails in their comments that we thought it worth an honorary mention. Not to mention, alcohol sales bring in much-needed revenue. To be in with a chance for a good review, consider sprucing up your cocktail offering or getting staff together on some cocktail-making training classes.

EXPERIENCE

Customers venturing out following lockdown will be looking forward to the fun atmosphere provided by a lively social setting. Whilst maintaining social distancing is imperative, the key here is to reshuffle your communal areas to maintain as much density as possible.

We found the words ‘experience’ and ‘good atmosphere’ repeated throughout our research, often in tandem with ‘good

music’, so knowing your target audience’s likes and dislikes has never been more important.

James Walton is Marketing Manager at DeltaNet International, a company specialising in the development of engaging health and safety and compliance eLearning courses designed to mitigate risks and improve employee performance

BREWDOG IS NOW CARBON NEGATIVE Scottish craft brewer BrewDog, which opened its first Dublin premises the ‘Outpost’ at the end of 2019, has announced that it’s now carbon negative and will remove twice as much carbon from the air than it emits every single year. The brewer believes that businesses should be having a positive impact on the planet and to this end, BrewDog is unveiling a climate action program with £30 million of green investments across its business.

As part of these efforts, it has also purchased 2,050 acres of Scottish Highlands just north of Loch Lomond to create the BrewDog Forest and plans to plant one million trees over the next few years. James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog, said: “Our carbon. Our problem. So, we are going to fix it ourselves. Huge change is needed right now and we want to be a catalyst for that change in our industry and beyond. We fully acknowledge that we are a long way from perfect. However, we are determined to rapidly and fundamentally change everything as we work hard to ensure we have a positive impact on the planet.”

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Best in Class THIS YEAR’S BEST SOMMELIER IN IRELAND COMPETITION TOOK PLACE IN AUGUST AT WHELEHANS WINES, CO DUBLIN

Daniel Stojcic, winner with Julie Dupouy Young, President, Irish Guild of Sommeliers and Andrew O' Gorman, Secretary

Words by Andrew O’Gorman

A

day of intense competition took place at Whelehans Wines recently when competitors from prestigious establishments battled it out for the title of Best Sommelier in Ireland 2020.

A wide ranging questionnaire and written analysis of two wines and three spirits were completed by all the candidates and from that emerged three finalists after a very close contest.

The three finalists were Anke Carmen Hartmann, Arch Guesthouse/Lamplight Wine Bar and Merchants, Market St, Clifden, Co. Galway; Daniel Stojcic, Noble, 27 Church Road, Hollywood, Co. Down; and Andrzej Dasiak, Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. All finalists displayed their skills and knowledge over a wide range of practical tasks judged by an expert panel of judges representing the hospitality industry, hospitality education and journalism. The entire competition was overseen and run by Julie Dupouy Young, President Irish Guild of Sommeliers, ably assisted by the technical committee.

After an intense afternoon of competition Daniel Stojcic emerged as the eventual winner, with first runner up Anke Carmen Hartmann and Andrzej Dasiak in third place. The judging panels

were high in their praise of all three finalists and stated that Daniel was a worthy winner after a highly contested competition by the other candidates. Julie Dupouy Young thanked all the competitors for entering and hoped they enjoyed the experience and encouraged them to continue with their studies. She wished them all well for the future in their chosen profession.

The “sobering challenge” posed by Covid-19 to the Irish and world hospitality industry was highlighted at the competition. It took global lockdown to awaken our deep need for connection. The crisis has made us appreciate the luxury we lived in, the abundance of product, the freedom of movement and the health that we took for granted before Covid-19 came knocking. Looking to the future, I urge all members to try and be cheerful. Do not be a slave to rumours of fear and panic as we struggle through the trials and tribulations of this virus.

When this time of fear and uncertainty passes – and it will pass – let us be ready to care and connect with each other in a meaningful way to make this world a better place for mankind.

WHELEHAN WINES David Whelehan took after his father and is today one of Ireland’s leading authorities on wine, often discussing wines in national

press, radio and television. David’s father T.P. was one of Ireland’s greatest authorities on wines, especially wine from Burgundy. As a renowned oenophile, he wrote in many magazines and newspapers on the subject. He became Ireland’s first wine correspondent and critic.

Whelehans Wines offers a unique range of wine tasting experiences and wine appreciation courses in its ‘W’ Wine School. Classes take place above the wine store in the ‘tasting rooms’, a beautiful, spacious and modern learning environment. The ‘W’ Wine School delivers passionate, enthusiastic, expert and most importantly, fun wine appreciation courses.

THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS • Whelehans Wines • Veuve Cliquot Champagne • Nomad Wines • Competition judges • David Whelehan, Whelehans Wines • Niav McNamara, Clontarf Wines • Declan Byrne, former Secretary, International Bartenders Association • John Wilson, The Irish Times wine correspondent • Andrew O’ Gorman, Irish Guild of Sommeliers • Paul Young

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Partner PROFILE

Fáilte Ireland’s €26million COVID-19 ADAPTATION

FUND OPENS FOR APPLICATIONS As part of the Government’s July Stimulus Package, the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin T.D., secured a €26million Adaptation Fund for the re-opening of tourism and hospitality businesses. With applications now open until October 8th, Fáilte Ireland’s Head of Product Development, Mary Stack, outlines what kind of costs the fund covers and how to apply.

What costs will the COVID-19 Adaptation Fund cover?

Many tourism and hospitality businesses have incurred costs while adapting their premises or operations to re-open safely in line with Fáilte Ireland’s guidelines for re-opening. Fáilte Ireland’s new COVID-19 Adaptation Fund has been designed to contribute to these costs. Following an independent assessment of the potential costs, we developed a sliding scale to ensure a proportionate grant amount was allocated to different types of businesses.

Grants of between €500 and €15,000 are available to make either the structural adaptations required for fixed, visitorfacing premises, such as protective screens and the development of outdoor areas, or to cover the cost of items such as sanitiser or personal protective equipment (ppe) for some specific businesses that provide a visitor experience but do not have significant visitor-facing premises, such as activity providers.

We expect up to 12,000 tourism and hospitality businesses will be eligible to

Mary Stack, Head of Product Development at Fáilte Ireland pictured at Clontarf Castle, Dublin

receive financial support, making it our largest funding programme to date in terms of the number of businesses that will directly benefit.

How to apply

To qualify for Fáilte Ireland’s COVID-19 Adaptation Fund, eligible businesses must: · Be open at the time of application, in line with the Governments Roadmap for Re-opening Society and Business (an exception will be made where a

COVID-19 business supports hub at www.failteireland.ie

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Government-mandated closure has been ordered for businesses that were already open); · Comply fully with Fáilte Ireland’s Guidelines for Re-opening and; · Have completed the Fáilte Ireland COVID-19 Safety Charter.

For more information on Fáilte Ireland’s COVID-19 Adaptation Fund and to check if your business is eligible to apply, visit www.failteireland.ie

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COVID-19 For the Re-opening of Tourism & Hospitality Businesses

Fáilte Ireland’s COVID-19 Adaptation Fund will help tourism businesses offset some of the costs they have incurred in adapting their premises or operations in line with Fáilte Ireland’s Guidelines for Re-opening.

Applications for Fáilte Ireland’s COVID-19 Adaptation Fund are now open until the 8th October.

To find out more and to check if your business is eligible to apply, visit www.failteireland.ie

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Repak’s 3,000 Members have helped fund packaging recycling in Ireland for over twenty years.

Join our network of almost 400 Hotel Members and make 2019 the year you go green.

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News

Hotels Under Enormous Pressure NEW RESEARCH FROM IHF REVEALS DRAMATIC FALL IN HOTEL ROOM OCCUPANCY

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he latest industry survey conducted by the Irish While welcoming the expansion of the Wage Support Scheme as a step Hotels Federation (IHF) has revealed the enormous in the right direction, Elaina said it falls short in providing the level of challenges facing hotels and guesthouses, with assistance required to support employee retention, particularly for tourism demand plummeting year on year as a result of the businesses heavily reliant on seasonal revenues. Commenting on Ireland’s current crisis. Nationally, average room occupancy VAT rate, she said: “The government’s failure to reduce tourism VAT was stood at 42% for July compared with occupancy a missed opportunity. Ireland is already a very high-cost economy by levels of over 90% for July last year. This is the international standards, which adds to the challenges of an indigenous largest year-on-year drop ever recorded by the Irish export industry. This is made worse by a tourism VAT that is higher than hotels sector for the peak summer season.

30 European countries with which we compete. The UK, including Northern Bookings for August have also plummeted to Ireland, slashed their VAT rate from 20% to 5%. Given how closely our levels broadly in line with those in July. Bookings for September show a economies are intertwined, a similar cut here was vital.” further dramatic drop in occupancy levels to 24% nationally. This points She added that the industry had strong reservations about the to a very worrying outlook for the rest of the year. Meanwhile, the CSO effectiveness of the ‘Stay and Spend’ tax credit scheme. “While new and announced earlier this week that the number of overseas visitors to Ireland well-intentioned, the scheme is not inclusive of all guests and tourism has dropped by 97% year on year. businesses and is very convoluted and The survey was carried out on the 27th of ignores the harsh reality of the July and results are based on the response challenges facing tourism. Tourism Breakdown of occupancy results for July 2020 from 305 properties. These account for a businesses, including hotels, are • National room occupancy: 42% combined stock of 29,500 guestrooms looking at a fall of 70% in revenues for • Dublin city and county: 17% spread throughout the entire country, the year as a whole due to the collapse • Other cities: 41% making it the largest and most representative in overseas visitors. Irish people have • Rest of country (excluding cities): 56% survey of its kind to date. shown great support for tourism and Commenting on the results, IHF President hospitality businesses over the Regional breakdown Elaina Fitzgerald Kane said that the stark summer months, but whatever • Border region: 63% figures highlight the requirement for benefits the ’Stay and Spend’ scheme • Mid-West: 37% additional sectoral specific measures for brings to consumers by way of tax • Midlands/Mid-East: 48% tourism. “Even in a best case scenario, we rebate, we fear that its impact as an • South East: 63% are effectively looking at occupancy levels activation measure seeking to create • South West: 53% of less than 30% for the year as a whole. This additional turnover willbe limited.”

• West: 57% is nothing short of disastrous for our sector, Tourism businesses also maintain with serious implications for the tourism that the rates waiver, which is due to industry and wider economy. lapse in September, does not go far “Unfortunately the stimulus package recently announced by the government enough. “The waiver must be extended further to coincide with business just doesn’t go far enough given the scale of the crisis we are facing. The interruption for a minimum of 12 months. After that, payment of local measures fail to deliver the required supports around competitiveness and authority rates should be based on reduced levels of activity due to the liquidity, which is very disappointing and could have long-term consequences crisis. Businesses cannot be expected to pay historically set rates based for tourism and the almost 270,000 livelihoods it supports.” on turnover figures that are no longer relevant.”

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The 2020 Gold Medal Awards Deadline for entries has been extended until further notice We look forward to celebrating with you all again soon For more information please contact Ciara Murray, Event Manager Email: ciara.murray@ashvillemediagroup.com

Thank you to our sponsors

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Cover Story

Make the

Hotels across the country are reducing their energy consumption and lowering their costs, thanks to Pinergy

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t’s not too often that you come across an energy solutions provider whose aim is to sell less energy to its customers, not more. Pinergy, set up seven years ago to supply 100% renewable energy to homes and businesses across Ireland, is one such provider. The company views energy as a resource rather than a commodity and it’s that ethos coupled with its sector specific insights that has seen so many hotels across the country sign up to Pinergy’s energy solutions.

Back in 2013, the energy market was a different beast to what it is today. “When we set up, the country was just coming out of recession so we were essentially providing a very much-needed recessionary product primarily to domestic customers. Since then, we’ve adapted to meet the needs of a changing industry and today, we supply both businesses and consumers with 100% renewable energy,” said Enda Gunnell, Pinergy CEO. The company is, says Enda, focused on providing its business customers with insights that will help them understand how they’re using energy and on the back of that, inspire them to change. “We’ve developed a new type of energy company, one that’s advisory-led and relationship-based and one that differs

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Enda Gunnell, CEO at Pinergy

from other providers on the market. Essentially, the energy market is a race to the bottom. Our competitors make money by increasing the amount of kilowatts of energy they sell. Four years ago, we as a country had signed up to try and limit greenhouse gas emissions so we started to champion that sustainability cause within the energy industry.”

That commitment to increasing awareness around sustainability has led the company to invest in smart metering technology which helps the customer understand exactly how they’re using energy and how much they’re using at different times of the day. “That kind of information is especially useful to hotels and the hospitality industry. We give them the ability to control their energy consumption.” Once smart meters have been installed in a hotel, separate parts of the building like the leisure centre, kitchen or rooms can then be sub-metered. “We then provide the customer with an online portal that shows exactly how much total energy the hotel is consuming.

That can be broken down by the various sub-meters in 30 minute intervals.”

Insights and information on behavioural change or around energy efficiency technology knowledge is also passed onto the customer to allow them to reduce their consumption over time. “So while we may be selling electricity, we actually want to sell less. For hotels in particular, energy is a really

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Cover Story

important cost in the business. Through our smart metering technology and sector specific knowledge, we are working with our hotel customers, such as The Westbury Hotel and River Lee Hotel, to reduce a hotel’s energy bill.”

Hotels should be looking to reduce their energy bills by at least 20%, says Enda. “Just through behavioural change and by being more efficient, hotels could see their bills going down.

It’s the equivalent of a permanent discount.” It’s something that Enda and the team at Pinergy have seen across other industries.

“If you take the dairy farm sector which is another high energy user, there are case studies out there where dairy farms can reduce their energy by as much as 50%.” Hotels that have several sites around the country can also benefit significantly from the Pinergy energy solution. “We’re able to bring data from all those individual sites back together to allow management at a group level to compare and contrast. That kind of information helps a business pinpoint where high level energy usage might lie and so they can eliminate that wastage.”

Over the past 12 to 18 months, hotels and other hospitality businesses have become much more aware of how important it is to be able to say ‘we’re sustainable’. “I would say the past 18 months have been transformational in terms of people’s willingness to engage around sustainability. I think that if it wasn’t for Covid, sustainability would probably be the number one constant news topic.” Hotels have embraced the sustainability agenda and not just because it can translate into cost savings.

“Going green” can be a savvy marketing tool. According to a recent survey of millennials in the US, 87% would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental causes and more than nine in 10 would switch brands to one associated with a cause. “Back in the early days, we very much felt like we were trying to educate people but that’s not the case anymore. A good proportion of hotels realise the benefits of using renewable energy and being able to monitor their consumption. We’re never going to be the energy supplier for the whole market but we don’t actually want the whole market. We’re just trying to identify and work with those people that want to do something different around energy consumption while becoming more sustainable.”

Greening your hotel can also lead to new business.

“International conferences will typically only go to hotels or facilities that have a strong sustainability agenda. So being sustainable is becoming a differentiator within the market. There then comes a point when having 100% renewable is expected, you move past that as a differentiator and it becomes the norm.”

From that data, says Enda, we can see how individual hotels are comparing with each other, say on a per room basis. “With data collected during the Covid crisis, we could see how customers responded to that in different ways in terms of the pace at which they were able to reduce their consumption. They could see items of equipment that were still using energy even though the hotel was closed. That kind of information is invaluable.”

Nowadays, there’s no doubt that it pays to be green. For hotels, being able to boast your sustainability credentials while reducing your energy costs is a win-win. “Energy efficiency and sustainability is in the hands of hotel management and we’re only too happy to help them on that journey towards reducing their consumption and energy costs with our sector specific products.”

“A good proportion of hotels realise the benefits of using renewable energy and being able to monitor their consumption. We’re trying to identify and work with those people that want to do something different around energy consumption while becoming more sustainable”

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Diversification

TIME FOR A RESET Irish food producers are adapting to the pandemic and diversifying into new markets to stay afloat

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hen restaurants across the country closed their doors earlier this year, Irish food producers were forced to either change up their business model or wait it out. For those heavily dependent on foodservice, it was a case of sink or swim.

For many, the retail route has proved a viable option. “We provided help to those producers that were left with no option but to diversify into other markets. We found that many of the multiples were open to helping out companies that in the past would have seen about 80% of their business going to foodservice. Other food producers decided to sell directly to consumers,” said Maureen Gahan, Foodservice Specialist at Bord Bia. Le Patissier, an Irish company that specialises in high end quality desserts, is an example of how to get diversification right. “Pre-Covid, at least 80% of their business was going to

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Diversification Michael & Dermot Walsh, Walsh’s Bakehouse

restaurants. That stopped overnight so they decided to sell direct to the consumer. Initially, Robert Bullock and the team at Le Patissier set up a collection service but that quickly grew into an order and delivery service.

With three or four vans going out on a weekly basis, they really managed to turn things around.” From a branding point of view, Le Patissier’s new venture has also proved a success. “They’ve been able to talk directly to consumers and build up a loyal customer base.”

Selling directly to consumers has worked extremely well for lots of producers, particularly during lockdown. “We’ve found that as the economy started to reopen and people started to leave their houses, that business slowed down. When people were locked in, they had very few options to spend money so takeaways and at-home boxes were an opportunity to bring a bit of excitement into their homes. There was very little traffic on the roads too and whether you’re a primary producer or somebody delivering restaurant kits, the real challenge is that last mile. Transport is extremely costly. Some restaurants like Le Patissier transitioned very well to delivering direct which kept them afloat.”

With restaurants back open, foodservice has slowly started to crank back up again. “It’s still nowhere near where it was. The likes of Dublin city centre are really struggling because there’s no tourism, few office workers and no big events. There has however been a pick-up in some of the tourist spots like Kerry and along the Wild Atlantic Way. Producers are starting to see foodservice sales grow again.” Bord Bia’s advice to producers is to recognise that the market has changed; there’s little point in going to market with the same, pre-Covid products. “Now, it’s about asking the market what type of products they’re looking for, what format do they want them in, are smaller deliveries now required. There are a lot of issues to take on board.”

Over the past few months, Bord Bia has been working with a group of 20 producers that were supplying the foodservice market before Covid.

A virtual ‘meet the buyer’ event was organised for September to give these producers an opportunity to get in front of 20 different buyers. “We’ve developed a flipbook containing a two page profile on each producer which was sent to all the buyers. Each producer was asked to put forward two products that they feel are most suited to the industry; a sample box containing these products was also sent out to the buyers. Each buyer was then asked to select up to six companies that they’d like to virtually meet. It was a fantastic and timely opportunity for both the producers and the buyers. The foodservice landscape has completely changed and in order to survive and grow, we have to acknowledge that change and move with it.”

Those changes were summarised in Bord Bia’s annual foodservice White Paper, published in May this year and developed to equip the industry with data and insights as they plan for the second half of 2020. The Paper charted three possible scenarios for the rest of the year – the best case scenario predicts that the out of home market will fall in value from €8.5 billion at the beginning of 2020 to €4.7 billion by the end of this year; the worst case scenario sees the market falling by as much as almost 60% or €5 billion in value; and an in-between outlook takes a middle of the road approach. “Whichever way you look at it, it’s a real challenge. It could take two to five years to rebuild the foodservice industry. A lot of it is still unknown but our main message to producers right now is to take a flexible and adaptable approach and to identify products and solutions that are relevant to industry operators as they re-open their businesses. We’re also encouraging food and drink businesses to avail of the range of supports and services available to companies via our Navigating Change programme.

We’ll continue to monitor developments and will present a more in-depth analysis at the end of the year as the situation evolves.”

‘It’s a tough process’ Restaurant closures forced Walsh’s Bakehouse to make the leap into retail

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ith over 80% of its produce going to foodservice pre-Covid, Walsh’s Bakehouse was forced to consider other avenues when restaurants closed last March.

“We were lucky in that there was reasonable awareness out there of the Waterford Blaa, which we’re known for.

It made life a bit easier when I was picking up the phone and asking people to cut us a bit of slack. However, it still wasn’t easy to get things over the line with major retailers,” said Dermot Walsh.

Moving from foodservice to retail required a shift in mindset. “We literally flipped our whole production model around from a mostly frozen product to mostly fresh. That was very difficult. At the end of the day we’re just producers but now we had to organise logistic providers to pick up at the right times and get into the distribution chain for these big supermarkets.

It was tough.” In order to get picked up by the multiples, you must have a product they’re interested in, one they know will sell and one they know you can produce in the quantity they need. “There’s no point in having the best product in the world if you can only produce a dozen or two dozen a day. When the pandemic hit, there was a sudden shift away from unwrapped products; everything must be wrapped now. Our product was already wrapped and we found that retailers were looking for new products that they could get onto their shelves instead of the loose breads that they weren’t selling anymore. A few things fell right for us.”

Today, products from Walsh’s Bakehouse are sold nationwide in Aldi and under the ‘Simply Better’ label in Dunnes Stores. Dermot is in talks with Tesco and Super Valu. “It’s a tough process. You need to ensure you provide products hassle free for the first couple of months until you gain their trust.” Although Dermot has started supplying into restaurants again, the retail arm of the business will continue indefinitely. “That’ll help us while we wait for foodservice to return completely. A lot of our old customers never reopened at all and we also used to do quite a lot of business with the airlines so we’ll need to compensate for that lost revenue.

I think it’s going to be an exceptionally difficult couple of months between now and Christmas for the foodservice market. Everything is very uncertain and it’s hard to operate a business when you don’t know what’s going to happen.” Dermot says he had no choice but to diversify. “We built a new bakery two years ago. I owe a lot of money to a lot of people and that’s a great motivator! We could have buckled but we took the line that bread is a basic food item so let’s go find the market, redefine ourselves and get to where we need to be. So far, it’s worked.”

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Negotiation

Get the

BEST

DEAL There’s never been a better time to brush up on your negotiation skills, writes Dr Gerard McMahon

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or hotel managers and restaurateurs, the art of negotiation is now a more essential skill than ever. With Covid-19 attacking capacity and tightening margins, dealings with landlords, bank managers, suppliers, staff and clients must enable the best deal to ensure the survival of your business. For some, this can be a formidable challenge, so they too readily give in to their counterpart’s demands. Thereafter, emotions of resentment and ill-feeling about a ‘lousy deal’ kick in, to the detriment of both parties. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

For starters, it’s worth remembering that you are a negotiator. In fact, you’ve always been negotiating, since you first looked for pocket money, swapped toys or cried in the cot! That is, you’ve always engaged in purposeful persuasion and constructive compromise. Whilst the key criteria for successful negotiations are information and power, to get the best deal, there are some ‘unwritten rules’ you should be aware of.

Firstly, agreement is the aim of negotiations. However, alongside rapport-building and ‘soft-soaping’, the wish of both parties to reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion does not preclude the use of threats, sanctions and associated tactics like attacks, hard words and (controlled) losses of temper. These are all part and parcel of the charade that we call ‘negotiations’. Another tactic extensively deployed in consequential negotiations is the ‘off-the-record’ discussion. This is a means of ‘feeling the way’, probing attitudes and intentions and smoothing the path to a settlement. In tense scenarios, this approach enables progress before parties return to the formal negotiating arena.

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Negotiation

It is also important that each party be given an opportunity to state their (opening) position – which they will move from, as the negotiations proceed via alternate offers and counter-offers, eventually leading to a settlement.

To enable progress, concessions made are not withdrawn. Nor are firm offers withdrawn, although it is legitimate to make and withdraw conditional offers (e.g. ‘we can revisit the room cost if you can increase the numbers’).

To smooth the process, adjournments are taken by mutual agreement, serving the purpose of reviewing progress against one’s objectives and assessing your counterpart’s objectives or latest offer/proposal. That is, adjournments provide an opportunity to update strategy and to take a ‘sounding’ from informed sources.

Whatever the stakes, you’ll get the best deal if you break the negotiation process into four stages: Preparing, Opening, Negotiating and Closing.

PREPARING The key at the preparatory stage is to establish one’s objectives and to assign them relative priorities. This process also entails:

Dr. Gerard McMahon

• The ideal settlement that you would like to reach • The minimum you will accept or the maximum you’re prepared to concede • The opening claim/offer, which will help you achieve your target and provide sufficient room to manoeuvre in pursuit of your target.

The difference between the ‘claim’ and the ‘offer’ is called the ‘negotiating range’.

disaster is to lead with conditions: “If you will do this, then I will consider doing that”. The key words to remember are: “If . . . then . . .”, becoming: “If I concede x then I expect you to concede y”. Related to this, good negotiators negotiate on the whole package (i.e. “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed”), refusing to allow their opponent to pick them off item by item, as they extract the maximum benefit from any potential trade-offs at the final hurdle.

Thereafter, the good negotiator decides: (a) the ideal route or stages to be followed in moving from the opening to the closing position and (b) the negotiation package or items that one is prepared to trade in pursuit of his/her goal(s). That is, at this preparatory stage you decide what needs to be achieved and how to achieve it. Good preparation also involves assembling all relevant information and structuring it in a logical manner (e.g. what are other businesses doing?) Identify your strengths, including the facts to support your case. Support for your negotiating position may also be derived from an existing or previous agreement, custom and practice, previous statements from your counterpart and hard evidence.

The good negotiator will also know the main weaknesses in his/her position.

As one’s negotiation counterpart is likely to raise these points, prepared responses are essential. As Nelson Mandela put it when negotiating a change of regime in South Africa: “I rehearsed the arguments they might make and the ones I might put in return”.

CLOSING

OPENING The main purpose of the opening stage is to reveal the broad outline of one’s position, whilst gathering as much information as possible about your counterpart’s. The more extreme the opening positions, the more time and effort it will take to discover if agreement is possible. To keep your negotiation partner “at the table” it is advisable to open realistically, before challenging their position, exploring their attitude(s), asking questions, observing behaviour and above all, listening. This should enable one to assess their strengths and weaknesses, tactics and the extent to which they may be bluffing. One should make no concessions at this stage.

NEGOTIATING After the opening moves, the main bargaining phase begins. Now the gap is narrowed, as parties persuade the other side that their case is strong enough to force him/her to move. This negotiating stage is about exchanging – something gained for something given. Ideally, something relatively unimportant or cheap to you is traded in exchange for something that is valuable to you (e.g. an empty room or table being filled at a reduced cost). This is the most intense stage of the process. The best way to avoid

When and how one closes negotiations is a matter of judgement and depends on the assessment of the strength of both cases. Standard techniques include: • Make a concession from the package, preferably a minor one, which is traded off against an agreement to settle: “If you agree to settle at x, then we’ll concede y” • Do a deal (e.g. split the difference, introduce something new such as extending/shortening the settlement time-scale, provisions phased-in or out, making a joint declaration of intent to do something in the future (e.g. review the deal)) • Summarise what has happened to date, emphasise the concessions made and the extent to which you have moved, stating that you have reached your final position. But never make a ‘final offer’ unless you mean it • Apply pressure (e.g. a threat of dire consequences if your final offer isn’t accepted) • Give your opponent a choice between two courses of action: ‘You can have x or y, but not x and y’.

This closing stage is a dangerous time for negotiators. If one is too keen to get agreement, it is easy to neglect the finer details of that agreement. This can cause problems subsequently, when the agreement is implemented and each side has its own interpretation of what was agreed. So, the final agreement should mean exactly what it says.

It should also be borne in mind that while a successful outcome is important, so also is the maintenance of the relationship with the landlord, bank manager, supplier, staff and clients. Hence, one’s negotiation “opponent” can become one’s “partner”. This helps when problems arise at the negotiation table, as progress is more easily achieved should parties have a good relationship, based upon mutual respect and trust.

Dr. Gerard McMahon is M.D. at Productive Personnel Ltd., H.R. consultancy and training company and an Adjudicator at the Workplace Relations Commission, Tel 087 247 1415 or email ppl1gerry@gmail.com

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18/09/2020 27/08/2020 10:48 11:24

Innovation

Think outside the

BOX At-home boxes are providing much-needed cashflow to businesses across Ireland

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Innovation

I

nnovation and diversification have always been at the heart of the hospitality industry but over the past few months, that ability to adapt to new trends and global events has never been more apparent. Restaurants and hotels, forced to close their doors, have come up with new revenue streams and new ways to maintain customer loyalty.

While lots of businesses have transitioned to a takeaway service, others have gone a step further with produce boxes that reflect the ethos of the business, while keeping their suppliers and themselves afloat.

Volpe Nera in Blackrock, Co Dublin, was open only five months before Covid-19 struck. “In that short time, we had built up a loyal clientele which really stood to us when we closed,” said Manager Darren Darcy. To build on that loyalty and create revenue, Darren and chef Barry Sun decided to go with the concept of home boxes. “We’ve been producing the boxes since the 11th of May. They’ve been very successful; we’ve sold out nearly every week.” Volpe Nera’s home offering consists of a regular box for two, essentially a six course meal. Everything is pre-prepared and a list of instructions tells the customer how to reheat and assemble the dishes. It was a move that benefitted everyone, says Darren. “It has kept us in business but it also kept our suppliers going. We used the same suppliers that we use in the restaurant. It was important to us that we maintained those relationships.”

“Due to a reduction of capacity in the restaurant, we’re down about 30% overall, if not more depending on the night.

That’s why the boxes are so important. They proved very popular, there’s still a demand even though we stopped them for a few weeks” - Darren Darcy, Volpe Nera

Darren Darcy, Volpe Nera

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Maintaining and even strengthening relationships with suppliers was a key motivator for lots of businesses when it came to producing at-home boxes. Dublin-based Mister S began selling at-home boxes during lockdown, featuring ingredients that have either been grown or butchered specially for the restaurant. “At Mister S, we use almost entirely small producers and suppliers. We get our pork from one farmer, lamb and beef from others. Creating our at-home boxes meant we could stay in touch with our customer but also keep relationships going with suppliers who in large cases have built up a particular type of product just for us,” said Jamie O’Toole, co-owner of Mister S and Featherblade Dublin.

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Innovation

Jamie O’Toole, Mister S and Featherblade Dublin

Fergus intends to keep the ‘Twelve at home’ offering going indefinitely.

“It’s something we always wanted to get into and although we were forced into it, it’s working really well. To create demand, you have to keep reinventing and striving to cater for what people want. That’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Darren at Volpe Nera agrees. “We’re thinking about starting a delivery service and if we go down that road, I think we could sustain enough business for the boxes and the restaurant. Even though we’re extending our opening hours, we may not open for lunch for a while yet so we’ll need to compensate for that loss of revenue. Our takeaway offering ticks all the boxes for us while giving customers a good sense of what we do in the restaurant. It’s a win win.” Without the pandemic, it’s safe to say that for the majority of restaurants, at-home boxes may never have seen the light of day. Now, they’ve become an essential revenue stream, keeping staff employed and suppliers in business. “At Mister S, we have no intention of stopping our boxes and if anything, we’re looking at ways to grow that business. Restaurants need to find new ways of reaching their customers. This is one way that has worked extremely well for us,” said Jamie.

Fergus O’Halloran, The Twelve

“At the start there was a bit of reluctance as people may have felt the food couldn’t translate or the product quality wouldn’t hold up. The more you do it, the more you find what works and what doesn’t” - Jamie O’Toole, Mister S and Featherblade Dublin A whole smoked pork shoulder is the star attraction in boxes from Mister S. “They’re supplied from Andarl Farm in Glenamaddy who go through a very specific cut and butchery process for us. They put aside 15 or 20 portions for us each week. It’s not part of their typical butchery process and they’re not doing it for any other client.” With suppliers less busy, it’s been a good time to build relationships. “When you’re a small hospitality business, I think those types of supplier relationships are a bit more personal, they’re more long-term. We were keen to keep as many of our suppliers as we could with some level of cash-flow.”

For the Twelve Hotel in Barna, Galway, operating as a takeaway kept staff employed and helped suppliers stay afloat. When the hotel’s two restaurants reopened, maintaining the drive-thru that was set up during lockdown wasn’t feasible. “Our carpark was full again so we created a ‘pass-thru’ instead to cater for guests who weren’t comfortable going into restaurants. We allocated two spaces for set-down only during the hours of 12pm to 9pm. Cars can pull up and customers walk through a little tunnel to our pizza shop where the food is placed on a special table on runners and then slid across to them [we built the table ourselves]. It’s a completely contactless process,” said Fergus O' Halloran, Managing Director at the Twelve. The hotel’s at home menu includes brown bag cocktails, draft in a jar, charcuterie platters, picnic boxes plus all the restaurant dishes cooked to order. ‘Provisions for your Pantry’ including the likes of ‘Mike’s Hot Sauce’, breakfast granola, smoked rapeseed oil, caputo flour and The Twelve’s very special sticky toffee sauce are also included on the menu. The hotel’s kitchen has been busy producing picnic boxes and food items for the ‘Galway Summer Garden’ festival, taking place in Salthill.

“Just a few weeks ago on Father’s Day, we did four fifths of the food revenue that we took in on Father’s Day the year before when we had our two restaurants open. We’ve been flat out and that’s down to the fact that we didn’t close during the lockdown” - Fergus O’Halloran, The Twelve

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Health Matters

p e e w S n a e l c A

Clever sanitation systems are allowing hospitality businesses to open safely.

We take a look at some of the systems and measures making waves in the industry

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Health Matters

FOOD SAFETY COMPANY

Syed Rizvi, Hotel Manager, Castleknock Hotel with Arder Christie, Head Chef, Castleknock Hotel and Roisin Corrigan Food Safety Consultant, The Food Safety Company

OKTOAIR Smart building specialists OKTO Technologies says its new air control system removes 99.98% of the Covid-19 virus within 10 minutes. The Artificial Intelligence-led air filtration solution is so advanced, says the Northern Irish family business, that it has been proven to remove a proxy virus for SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, from the air with 99.98% elimination within 10 minutes and 100% in 45 minutes. Designed to minimise the risk of virus transmission, the company says the system is ideal for hotels and businesses across Ireland.

The system will consistently monitor, contrast and manage indoor air quality, temperature and humidity. The technology also incorporates a user-friendly dashboard to keep occupants fully informed and updated on all aspects of air quality inside and outside their properties.

How it works • By analysing 11 key air quality metrics in real time, OKTOair provides a detailed breakdown of pollutants, including the levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and ultrafine contaminants measuring 2.5microns (one twentieth of the width of a human hair).

• The system then determines how to best manage the air to achieve optimum living conditions. This ranges from automatically opening or closing vents and windows, to filtering the air through its bespoke AirWorks

by OKTO Disinfecting Filtration System (DFS).

• The DFS filter is so advanced it can remove airborne particulates including harmful contagions and pathogens down to 0.007microns, which is 40 times smaller than when filtered by industry leading HEPA systems.

AirWorks then purifies the air using electronic disinfection techniques, killing even the smallest bacteria or virus.

The Food Safety Company has launched the ‘Hygiene Assured’ certification, a measure that scientifically validates hygiene standards in hotels, restaurants, cafés and other businesses across the hospitality and care industry.

Similar to arrangements being introduced across Europe to rebuild hospitality and tourism industries, the company says that the certification will give business owners the confidence to safely trade during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The certification involves a five-step process which is designed to ensure that exemplary standards of hygiene are in place in businesses across Ireland. The process involves a full review, hospital grade training and audit to ensure correct implementation of cleaning practices.

Micro-analysis testing provides scientific evidence that an area is infection free. On achievement of a satisfactory result, a business will be certified and will display the Hygiene Assured mark. Regular re-auditing together with micro-testing will be required to ensure that standards are being maintained on an ongoing basis.

The first ‘Hygiene Assured’ certification was awarded to the Castleknock Hotel in Dublin at the end of April. Guy Thompson, General Manager of Castleknock Hotel, said: “The Castleknock Hotel has engaged The Food Safety Company for many years to reassure us that the highest standards of food safety are implemented. Now, we need to reassure our customers and staff that our hotel is spotlessly clean and safe on an ongoing basis through regular audits, training and swab analysis. This will give us complete peace of mind as we welcome guests and staff once again.”

C&C HYGIENE C&C Gleeson, part of C&C Group plc, has launched C&C Hygiene along with a range of financial and practical initiatives to support Ireland’s pubs get back on their feet following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. In preparation for the reopening of pubs, C&C Hygiene is offering publicans support through three key phases. During the pre-reopening phase, C&C Hygiene will supply physical materials to help publicans ensure they are providing a safe environment for customers in line with HSE guidelines, including divider screens, hand sanitizer dispensers and foot handles for doors. As part of the reopening and ongoing phases, C&C Hygiene has launched www.hygieneaware. ie, to provide hygiene products, advice for business owners and information for managers and staff working in the hospitality industry.

The second initiative under C&C’s 360-degree solution for the new pub environment is the new C&C Hygiene product range of hand sanitation and pub hygiene supplies, which publicans can purchase at best-in-market prices, simply and efficiently, through one order, one invoice and one delivery. A new LOCAL app and website (www.mylocaldelivers.ie) has also been launched, aimed at connecting customers with local food and drinks businesses by facilitating home deliveries, click-and-collect and on-premise table service.

LOCAL aims to support pubs, clubs, restaurants and bars looking to offer delivery or collection services but currently have no technology solution.

Transaction fees of 2% per order will be re-invested into LOCAL, with any excess made during 2020 being donated to healthcare charities across the island of Ireland.

WELBILT Foodservice equipment provider, Welbilt, is providing guidance to help operators ensure clean and safe operations of their equipment with the launch of an ‘Enhanced Sanitation Solution’ webpage which covers their entire portfolio of brands (https://www.welbilt.com/Sanitation).

Offering advice to operators as to how they can overcome the various challenges surrounding hygiene at the moment, the company’s new webpage explains how the various hygiene-led features on their brands including Convotherm and Merrychef work.

Steve Hemsil, Sales Director – UK & Ireland, said: “Not only do Merrychef and Convotherm ovens offer exceptional cooking capabilities, they also offer a whole host of industry-leading hygiene features such as automatic cleaning functions, hygienic handles and remote connectivity – features which are now clearly outlaid on our new ‘Enhanced Sanitation Solution’ webpages. Our hope is that both operators and dealers will use these sites as an educational tool, allowing them to improve their existing operation, make the most of their equipment and most importantly, give peace of mind to their customers when it comes to hygiene standards.”

Merrychef Eikon E2S Oven

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The Last Word

Today is the Day… … the teddy bears have their picnic, at Pacino’s restaurant on Dublin’s Suffolk Street

T

o comply with social distancing requirements, large teddy bears have been seated in rows at Pacino’s restaurant in Dublin. Recently, one of the restaurant’s beloved bears was stolen from the venue’s window seat. Commenting on the theft, management at Pacino’s said: “This bear, like the rest, has brought such joy to our customers. Can we blame the thief? Not really. Everyone wants a big teddy bear to cuddle. However, you have left one of our bears without a partner and that can take its toll. Should you wish to discreetly return it, we would be more than happy. But should you not, then we can’t prevent a similar fairlytale just like ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ occurring on oneself. In the meantime, I hope our customers can bear with us while we try to sort the situation and please be kind to our lonely bear.”

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help You

through the crisis Mona is Picasso Digital’s new digital assistant taking on many of your time consuming tasks, giving you more time for service and saving you operating costs.

Mona also reduces the potential for infection by significantly reducing the number of physical contact points with your guest. The impact on the climate is reduced as well by operating exclusively via the guest’s mobile phone.

Mona handles all this… and more…

• Digital formatting of reservations: Mona in conjunction with the fully integrated YPI Channel formats all room reservations, completing all forms and customer details, validating the information and saving the staff time.

• Digital payment: Before arrival, confirmation is sent to the guest via email or text with a guide and payment link for mobile payment.

Welcome to our latest Picasso user: Lough Lannagh Village

• Digital key handover: Via SMS / email, the guest is sent a welcome greeting with room access via app / door code / key card or key box.

• Digital check-in: Available room is allocated. payment is checked and the guest is automatically checked in on arrival.

• Digital check-out: On the day of departure, a text message is sent with a check-out and payment link. The invoice is also sent to the guest’s email.

– and much more. Mona digitizes the entire reception area.

TRY

AK Techotel Ltd | Unit 5 | Moyvalley Business Park Dublin Road, Ballina | County Mayo, Ireland Tel +(353) 09622907 | www.techotel.ie | abr@techotel.ie

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Contact: Alistair Brown +353 96 22907 abr@techotel.ie

Mona

CALL US FOR A GREAT OFFER!

31/08/2020 12.30 18/09/2020 02/09/2020 10:49 17:39