Hospitalty Review NI October 2017

OCTOBER 2017

The VOICE of Northern Ireland’s catering, licensing and tourism industry

The Industry Conference & Exhibition 17th – 18th October 2017 Crowne Plaza Belfast

Featuring Guest chef for 2017 will be the Yummy Brummie, Glynn Purnell. The event will also look at beer trends, sales techniques and the economic future of tourism. See more at hospitalityexchange.co.uk or call now on 028 9077 6635.

Contact Hospitality Exchange The McCune Building 1 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PG 028 9077 6635 hospitalityexchange.co.uk

OCTOBER 2017

The VOICE of Northern Ireland’s Catering, Licensing and Tourism Industry

The official publication for

TOP 100 TO SHOWCASE DIVERSE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

H BEST OF BALLYMENA: HRNI VISITS THE GROUSE AND MIDDLETOWN COFFEE CO PS11-13

ospitality Ulster is introducing new awards, The Top 100 Hospitality Businesses, which broaden the scope of its annual Pub of the Year accolades to provide a more comprehensive picture of the vibrant Northern Ireland sector.

Hospitality Review NI is media partner for the new Top 100 format, which will be launched at The Merchant Hotel on September 27 with successful nominees to be announced at a star-studded gala evening early in 2018.

HOSPITALITY EXCHANGE: EMMA DEIGHAN TALKS TO CELEBRITY CHEF GLYNN PURNELL PS26-27

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: AVVIO LAUNCHES A HOTEL BOOKING GAME-CHANGER P35

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

Petra Wolsey, marketing director of The Beannchor Group and a board member of Hospitality Ulster, is chairing the committee developing The Top 100, and is aiming to create a significantly enhanced format reflecting the quality, diversity and regionality of the local hospitality sector.

“We’re excited to be bringing this fresh concept to the table, with the launch event in September and the forthcoming gala next year,” said Wolsey. “It’s something we want people to recognise as the industry event, for industry and by industry.”

The entry process has been streamlined to a simple nomination through Hospitality Ulster’s website by anyone, including self-nomination.

An industry panel will also seek out nominees, with the final Top 100 going to a vote by industry peers.

See ps 32-33 for further information.

OCTOBER HRNI • 3

editorialcomment THE TEAM & CONTACTS Editor: Alyson Magee Manager: Mark Glover Art Editor: Helen Wright Production Manager: Irene Fitzsimmons Subscriptions: 028 9078 3200 (Price £27.50 UK, £37.50 outside UK) Published by Independent News & Media Ltd: Hospitality Review NI, Independent News & Media, Belfast Telegraph House, 33 Clarendon Road, Clarendon Dock, Belfast BT1 3BG. Contact: Editorial: a.magee@independentmagazinesni.co.uk.

Tel: 028 9026 4175 Sales: m.glover@independentmagazinesni.co.uk.

Tel: 028 9026 4266 The Review is the official publication for: Hospitality Ulster: 91 University Street, Belfast, BT7 1HP. Tel: 028 9032 7578.

Chief Executive: Colin Neill Chairperson: Mark Stewart The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation: The McCune Building, 1 Shore Road, Belfast, BT15 3PJ. Tel: 028 9077 6635 Chief Executive: Janice Gault President: Ciaran O’Neill Design & Production by: Independent News & Media Ltd Printed by: W. & G. Baird Ltd. The opinions expressed in Hospitality Review are not necessarily those of Hospitality Ulster or the NIHF.

Hospitality Review is copyright © Independent News & Media Ltd 2016

Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HospitalityReviewNI Look at our Website: www.hospitalityreviewni.com 4 • HRNI OCTOBER

AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING SNAPSHOT OF THE LOCAL HOSPITALITY SECTOR

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ospitality Review is proud to partner with Hospitality Ulster to launch an exciting new awards format, The Top 100 Hospitality Businesses.

Over recent years, the local hospitality industry has faced a saturation of different awards shows, perhaps diluting the prestige of many accolades.

And, while Pub of the Year has been a highly successful and esteemed event for many years, its evolution into The Top 100 takes it up a level to provide a more all-encompassing snapshot of the entire Northern Ireland sector.

Hospitality Review will be publishing a magazine covering the Top 100, brought together in one place for the first time. We are excited about the prospect of showcasing our vibrant hospitality industry in a more inclusive, Province-wide way.

So get nominating – all you need to do is send a venue name via Hospitality Ulster’s website.

Alyson Magee

HOSPITALITY ULSTER JOINS BUSINESS ORGANISATIONS IN CALLING FOR AVOIDANCE OF DIRECT RULE

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Northern ospitality Pictured are, from left, Colin Neill, Hospitality Ulster; Owen Smith, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Glyn Ireland Ulster, Roberts, Retail NI; and Stephen Kelly, Manufacturing NI. economy.

Retail NI and ‘Our Manufacturing respective NI jointly hosted members a roundtable are deeply meeting on frustrated September 14, at the focusing on continual the economy, deadlock with the new at Stormont Shadow and are Secretary concerned of State for that Direct Northern Rule is Ireland, Owen a likely Smith MP. prospect.

Chief While executives of the three organisations, Colin Neill, Glyn Devolution was never perfect, it was considerably better having locally elected Roberts and Stephen Kelly, in a joint and accountable ministers in place.’ statement said: ‘The three sectors that Owen Smith MP, Shadow Secretary we represent are the largest in Northern for Northern Ireland, said: “Businesses Ireland and employ tens of thousands of in Northern Ireland are clear that it workers with a turnover of billions to the wants to see the Executive up and local economy. running ASAP. They are right that locally ‘Growing our retail, hospitality and based and accountable politicians are manufacturing sectors is essential for best to take decisions about economic the future of Northern Ireland and its development. economy.

“The parties and two governments ‘We had an excellent meeting with the must now redouble their efforts to Shadow Secretary of State, addressing bring about restoration of the devolved issues such as Brexit, VAT and city deals institutions to give a voice to Northern for Belfast and Derry. It is important that Ireland’s business community and its the Labour Party continues to hold the citizens during the Brexit negotiations Government to account, and also sets and beyond.” out its alternative policy platform for the twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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news

HOSPITALITY ULSTER ISSUES WARNING OVER BEER TAX INCREASE ONE IN THREE POUNDS SPENT IN PUBS GOES TO THE TAXMAN 3.8% EMPLOYMENT/ OTHER TAXES £15,800 per pub

3.7% BUSINESS RATES £15,200 per pub (£800m total)

(£830m total)

10.3% EXCISE DUTY £44,300 per pub

16.1% VAT £66,300 per pub

(£2.2bn total)

(£3.5bn total)

Source: (Oxford Economics, BBPA)

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ospitality Ulster has voiced opposition to any beer tax increase in Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Autumn Budget, which could potentially push beleaguered publicans out of business.

Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said the UK government should not use inflation as a basis to increase beer taxes in the upcoming budget, as currently planned.

Such a move would add 2p to the price of a pint of beer, on top of the 3.9% tax rise in the March budget.

To make the situation worse, the Government is using the widely discredited RPI Index, which shows a 3.9% rise in inflation, compared with the CPI figure of 2.9%, said Hospitality Ulster.

“The hospitality sector is working for Northern Ireland,” said Neill. “Pubs

are a key part of our offering and any increase in beer duty will have a negative impact on our customers and on our hard-working publicans.

“Our pubs are already contending with loss-leading discounted supermarket alcohol sales as well as inflation rising faster than household incomes. Any rise would amount to a second price hike this year on beer and would leave many publicans vulnerable as well as increasing costs for ordinary hard-working people.

“A second price rise in less than 12 months would undo all of the modest cuts that came in recent years in a bid to cut the extremely high tax on beer.

We would urge the Chancellor not to go down the route of tax rises on beer and for all of our politicians in Northern Ireland to support that.”

GOLDEN FORKS GO TO LOCAL MEAT AND BUTTER

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annan Meats, Ispini and Abernethy Butter have picked up accolades at the Golden Forks, where the top entries in the Great Taste awards compete for the Supreme Champion title as well as regional and category accolades.

While Supreme Champion went to Hugh Maguire Butchers of Co Meath’s Smoked Black Pudding, two-time Supreme Champion Hannan Meats picked up the Northern Ireland Golden Fork Award 2017 for its sweet-cured bacon rack.

Start-up business Ispini, a farmbased enterprise outside Dungannon, meanwhile took the overall UK award www.hospitalityreviewni.com

for the best charcuterie, or cured meat, for its rosemary and thyme bresaola, a cured beef.

Ispini was launched in 2016 by pig farmer Jonny Cuddy and sister Janice to develop another revenue stream for the farm.

Abernethy Butter, based in Dromara, Co Down took the Woman and Home Great Taste VIP Award for its handchurned butter.

The accolades were awarded at the Golden Forks dinner at the InterContinental London Park Lane hotel on September 4.

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HOTELS EMBARK ON EXPANSION

Hotel expansion is continuing apace across Northern Ireland, with Rosspark Hotel near Ballymena set for a £500,000 extension and refurbishment.

The work will include a new pavilion for holding civil partnership ceremonies and civil weddings, as well as refurbishment of the reception, lobby bar, restaurant and Ross Suite at the hotel.

Ballycastle’s Marine Hotel, meanwhile, is to undergo a £1m revamp, adding 12 new bedrooms, an events suite, sushi bar and hot tub.

TITANIC BELFAST ENJOYS 22% VISITOR SURGE Titanic Belfast has reported its busiest trading period to date, with a 22% increase in visitors since April.

The tourist hotspot welcomed almost 440,000 through its doors between April and August, up from 360,000 in 2016.

Titanic Belfast Chief Executive Tim Husbands said the “sharp drop in the value of the pound since last summer’s Brexit vote has made Northern Ireland a more attractive destination”.

Figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions report 679,690 visitors to Titanic Belfast in 2016, up 9% on 2015.

BELFAST INTERNATIONAL TURNS TO PROFIT Belfast International Airport has turned around losses to post a pre-tax profit of £611,000, as turnover surges to £34.8m.

The airport is on course to hit a record year in terms of passenger numbers, fuelled by the arrival of Ryanair, as well as increased traffic on other airlines such as easyJet. During the year to the end of December 2016, passenger numbers rose by 17% from 4.4 million to 5.2 million.

The airport says around 800 jobs have been created though the business directly, and indirectly, over the last 18 months.

OCTOBER HRNI • 5

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news

PEOPLE 1ST REPORT AIMS TO BOOST HOSPITALITY SECTOR PRODUCTIVITY

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MADE IN NORTHERN IRELAND

IRELAND’S MOST AWARDED CRAFT CIDER

6 • HRNI OCTOBER AVAILABLE AT DRINKSOLOGY & MCCABES

new report by People 1st has found two thirds of major employers in hospitality and tourism are actively considering how to improve productivity, at a time when the only G7 countries with weaker productivity levels than the UK are Japan and Canada.(1) The performance and talent management revolution: Driving productivity in hospitality & tourism bases its findings on interviews with senior HR professionals across the hospitality and tourism sector, highlighting productivity as a key priority for a post-Brexit economy.

Against a backdrop of rising costs, recruitment difficulties and changing employee expectations, the report provides a snapshot of the challenges employers are facing in the race to improve productivity amid economic uncertainty and risk.

Despite contributing some £900m to the Northern Ireland economy, an increase of 15% since 2008, the hospitality and tourism sector’s Gross Value Added (GVA) per head is just £20,540, a third that of the manufacturing sector and half of retail.

Meanwhile, average labour turnover in the sector is 75% (compared to the UK average of some 15%) and, by 2024, current projections suggest in Northern Ireland the sector will need to recruit an additional 27,467 people, with 19,983 needed just to replace existing staff.

“The growth and vibrancy of the hospitality and tourism sector continues to provide major cultural, and economic benefits for Northern Ireland, yet despite this success story, recruitment continues to be a significant headache for sector businesses,” said Roisin McKee, director – Northern Ireland at People 1st.

When it comes to improving productivity in hospitality and tourism, some key themes emerge: • Only a strategic, long-term approach to tackle retention can improve productivity. Almost all the employers interviewed see improving retention as a business priority. This has resulted in greater focus on recruiting staff who are more likely to stay with their business.

• Skills are a critical factor. Many businesses interviewed acknowledge poor management skills are an acute problem contributing directly to staff turnover and decreased productivity.

Equipping managers with the skills and confidence to manage, motivate and

ALL IN THE GAME YO

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o help businesses navigate these journeys, People 1st has established The Wire, a free-to-join and largely virtual network that helps businesses engage with the key themes emerging from this report, share experiences and hear from experts in their respective fields.

In this way, People 1st aims to connect businesses with some of the leading brands that are making progress to tackle the common challenges and transforming their business to improve the productivity and performance of their teams. To join the wire, go to www.people1st. co.uk/the-wire/

retain staff effectively is a key element in boosting productivity.

• High turnover and talent shortages have a direct impact on productivity.

In an attempt to dispel the industry reputation for low pay and low skilled jobs, employers are actively targeting graduates for first line management positions, as well as offering higherlevel apprenticeships as an alternative to the university route. An increasing number are also targeting older workers, women, returners and staff from other sectors.

• The impact of changing employee expectations is a challenge. Employers consistently highlighted that Millennials are motivated by different factors and need to be engaged and managed differently to previous generations.

• Organisational design can improve productivity. Many businesses interviewed are beginning to look at whether jobs can be redesigned to increase efficiency and flexibility. The introduction of technology as part of the customer journey is often the catalyst for such a redesign, although businesses interviewed acknowledge that they are at an early stage in their thinking.

• Measuring retention and turnover is key to improving productivity. Half of the businesses interviewed felt that they had good systems in place to measure staff retention and turnover and the remainder were focusing on putting these in place.

To view the full report, visit www.people1st. co.uk/performance-talent-revolution 1. Office of National Statistics, International comparisons of UK productivity (ICP), final estimates: 2015, April 2017.

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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There was a time when pristine white tableware defined a restaurant’s fine dine credentials. Anything less than a pure white table-top setting was not favoured by the gourmand. But times and tastes change and with the growing importance of casual dining, the identical fine china setting is being usurped by vibrant, eye-catching table-top products in a wide range of colours.

The modern dining-out experience is increasingly becoming about much more than just the food. Diners are seeking a complete social experience where the overall combination of food, setting and ambience offers them something unique. And with the trend being for more relaxed casual dining options, many restaurant operators are looking for less formal ways to present their menus. At the same time the growing influence of a wide range of ethnic flavours and dishes has meant a fundamental reappraisal of the kind of tableware needed to deliver the desired dining experience.

Ember

CUSTOMERS’ EAGERNESS FOR AN EXPERIENCE AND THE GROWING POPULARITY OF CASUAL DINING BEYOND

MEANS SIMPLE

OPERATORS WHITE

ARE

LOOKING

PORCELAIN

AND

UPGRADING THEIR SETTINGS TO CREATE A

See our all NEW colours in our Artisan Range!

MORE RELAXED, YET EXCITING AMBIENCE, AND COLOURFUL TABLEWARE FITS IN PERFECTLY IN ACHIEVING THAT VISION.

For more information or to request your own copy of our new Inspired brochure: www.bunzlmclaughlin.com Or Call Us Now On: 028 3751 1999 Appetite for Colour Advert NI.indd 1

24/08/2017 11:48

chefprofile

Chef profile

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DERMOT REGAN, EXECUTIVE HEAD CHEF AT DELI ON THE GREEN, DUNGANNON, TALKS TO ALYSON MAGEE

WHEN DID YOU FIRST GET INTO COOKING, AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU? I first got into cooking when I was 16, 17, and that’s a long time ago now.

It was home cooking really from my parents, and getting into industry and I enjoyed it. I’d already been working in the industry a year or two, lifting glasses and working in a local bar and got into industry that way.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN THE TRADE? The first place I worked as a chef was Viscounts in Dungannon before catering college. I started as a commis chef, and then I went to catering college in Portrush, and worked in the Ramore for three years where the inspiration was the owner himself, George McAlpin. He was the main guy and I quickly moved up from the wine bar to the fine dining restaurant. I started as

chef de partie and moved up to junior sous chef.

I then moved to Dublin at that point, back in the late 1990s, to a big brasserie called La Stampa, and started there as junior sous chef, was there nearly three years and progressed up to head chef position.

After that, I decided to move back to the North and started working at Fontana in Hollywood, as sous chef, and got back into more inspirational cooking with Colleen Bennett. It held and still holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

I stayed there for two years and, at that time, decided to try and open my own place and opened Oregano Restaurant in 2005 and, in 2006, we got the Michelin Bib Gourmand and held that for eight consecutive years.

We opened a second restaurant, The Potted Hen, in 2010 and both restaurants were included in the Michelin Guide (one with a Bib and the other just included) so it was quite a high standard all the way, and very, very busy. Unfortunately both restaurants then closed in 2015. I took a year to myself, and just started in Deli on the Green a couple of weeks back.

HAS YOUR COOKING STYLE CHANGED MUCH? Over the years, it’s been more classical French, brasserie-style stuff I was doing but I’ve got more into the lighter style of food – street food and pan-Asian, and that’s the sort of thing I’m trying to bring out in the Deli as well, rather than big heavy French creams and

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8 • HRNI OCTOBER

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things like that.

We’re just putting on Roast Duck Breast and a Confit Duck Leg with a Sweet Potato Croquette, Sweet Potato Puree and Blackberry Jus. On the lunch menu, we’ve just put on a Pork Tostada with Pickled Chillies, Spring Onions, Coriander & Watercress with Avocado Salsa. It’s a blend of all different countries from Mexico to France, and Thai food as well.

WHERE DO YOU SOURCE YOUR FOOD FROM? We try and source everything as locally as possible, especially all the main ingredients – meats, fish and vegetables. We use a local veg man Stanley Frew & Sons, Keenan Seafood, Kettyle for meat, Draynes for all our dairy products.

WHAT SIZE IS YOUR STAFF? Seven in the kitchen – part-time and full-time chefs - and front of house is additional.

HAS ANYONE INSPIRED YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER? I take inspiration from all I see, you take bits and pieces from celebrity chefs right through to chefs you see on Great British Menu and things like that; you have to take a wee bit from everyone.

HAVE YOU ANY INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF WORK? I do quite a bit of fly fishing with my dad, and try and catch some fish in the local loughs and take them home and cook them up. It’s nicer when you’ve caught them yourself.

Choose from a variety of sizes and designs.

a digital copy now from www.bunzlmclaughlin.com or call: 028 3751 1999

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18/08/2017 09:17

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foodnews

CHEFS HELP RAISE THE PROFILE OF OUR FOOD

BY MICHELE SHIRLOW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FOOD NI

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t’s impossible to put a monetary value on endorsements by international publications of local restaurants to the hospitality industry here. But what is clear is that the sort of positive comments about our restaurants and food now appearing regularly in major magazines and newspapers exerts an important influence of people considering a trip to Northern Ireland.

Some 16 restaurants were listed among the best in Britain in the latest review of restaurants by the influential Good Food Guide from high-end retailer Waitrose. Two, OX and EIPIC, both in Belfast were named among the top 50 in the UK. Quite an endorsement by the publication which celebrates quality eateries in local areas and showcases newcomers.

It was good then to see Bull and Ram in Ballynahinch included, a restaurant which is now moving to set up a new location in Belfast’s university area.

Other publications have also recently lauded the food created at Saul McConnell’s first restaurant, Noble in Holywood. And Ballyrobin has also won praise from Jean-Christophe Novelli.

Food NI continues to invest time and staff resources on measures to raise Northern Ireland’s profile as a destination for great food in Britain and especially the Republic of Ireland.

We continue to work with food writers, journalists and bloggers to achieve coverage for the hospitality industry here through introductions to local restaurants and their chefs.

In addition, we’ve also set up meetings with local producers, especially smaller businesses, to showcase the quality, provenance and outstanding taste of their products. It’s work which profiles the creative people behind our exceptional

hospitality and food stories.

Greater resources would enable us to do even more including following the contacts already made and to expand the base of influential people ready to help us promote Northern Ireland.

We need to intensify this work to build on the achievements over the past few years especially the hugely successful Year of Food & Drink. We have to keep our foot on the pedal. Both hospitality and food have immense potential to contribute more to the growth of the Northern Ireland economy and the wellbeing of rural communities especially in business starts, employment and skills.

Food NI continues to support Ulster Hospitality and the airports in their efforts to persuade government that action in areas such as VAT and Airport Passenger Duty would help to accelerate the growth in hospitality in particular.

BELFAST’S NEW BURGER GALGORM JOINT IS STREETS AHEAD OWNERS TO OPEN CAFÉ PARISIEN AT CLEAVER HOUSE

Paul and Elaine Catterson at the new Tribal Burger location on Belfast’s Botanic Avenue.

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usband and wife duo Paul and Elaine Catterson are opening a high-end burger and milkshake restaurant, Tribal Burger. on Belfast’s Botanic Avenue in September.

Representing an investment of £180,000 and 20 new jobs, Tribal Burger comes as the next step in a hospitality career of over 25 years for Paul Catterson, who has worked as chef with the Conran Restaurant Group in London, La Stampa in Dublin and Shu in Belfast.

He then founded Burger Republic, a successful food truck business which operates

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predominately in Dublin and is one of the most popular units at music festivals such as Electric Picnic.

“We have been looking at expanding into the restaurant scene for the past year and are very excited about opening in Belfast with its growing foodie movement,” said Catterson. “Our Burger Republic company has been road-testing our legendary burgers on the corporate, street food and festival scenes across the Republic of Ireland for the past seven years and has a built up a huge ‘tribal’ following.”

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Pictured are, from left, Stephen Cheah, Cheah Rothe; Jonathan Mallett, Abbey Upholsterers; and Colin Johnston and Israel Robb, project managers.

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new French-style restaurant, Café Parisien, is to open at Cleaver House on Belfast’s Donegal Place in September, with the owners of Galgorm Resort and Spa behind the investment.

Cleaver House is undergoing a major refurbishment programme, to create a restaurant set over two floors with the ground floor featuring a classic creperie with seating for 50 covers and an open style kitchen and the first floor 100-seater restaurant offering a modern twist on the classic brasserie dishes for lunch and dinner as well as afternoon teas. There also will be private dining provision and a terraced area with generous panoramic views over the city for approximately 50 covers.

The project, which will create approximately 50 jobs, is part of a £700,000 investment by the Galgorm owners in the site. This latest development brings the total spend in the city centre to just under £1.5m in the last three years.

OCTOBER HRNI • 9

foodnews

SLOW FOOD FESTIVAL CELEBRATES RETURN WITH NEW LOCAL PRODUCT LAUNCHES

A Belfast steakhouse is expanding with a second restaurant in the city, creating 15 jobs. Stix & Stones will open its newest branch at the Balmoral Hotel on Blacks Road. Its first restaurant is at Upper Queen Street in Belfast City Centre.

“We hope to build on the brand that Stix & Stones has currently in our Upper Queen Street branch so we can continue to deliver great tasting food, a memorable dining experience and the excellent service we are best known for,” said John Trainor, director and joint owner of Balmoral Hotel.

“The new restaurant will open in September and we’ve already had bookings.”

The Mayor, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh is pictured with Aideen McCarter, head of Culture at Derry City and Strabane District Council; Brian McDermott, Foodovation Centre, NWRC; Paula McIntyre, NI director of Slow Food; Ciaran Breslin, Primrose; and Jennifer O’ Donnell, Derry City and Strabane District Council’s rural tourism officer.

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orthern Ireland’s only Slow Food Festival, organised by Derry City and Strabane District Council, will celebrate its return to Guildhall Square this month with the launch of two new high quality local food and drink products. The grassroots culinary showcase attracted a bumper 25,000 visitors to the city last year.

The new home-grown products - Walled City Brewery’s eagerly anticipated ‘1689’ Siege beer and Breslin Butchers’ Tirkeeran Black Pudding - have been skilfully developed with the assistance of prominent local chef Brian McDermott in his capacity as manager of the Foodovation Centre at

North West Regional College. They will be unveiled during the two-day Festival, which is taking place over October 7-8 from 12 noon until 6pm.

Internationally renowned eco-chef and food writer Tom Hunt will be the special guest at this year’s family-friendly, free admission event held during Slow Food Week to celebrate the best of local, clean and fair food, which is not mass produced. The Festival is funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) NI Regional Food Programme, supported by Slow Food NI and sponsored by Supervalu.

For further information on the Slow Food Festival, visit www.derrystrabane.com/food.

HIGH-END DUBLIN BURGER BAR BUNSEN TO OPEN IN BELFAST

BY JOHN MULGREW

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elfast is set to get another top-end burger restaurant as a Dublin stalwart expands into Northern Ireland. Bunsen is the brainchild of chef Tom Gleeson, a business and politics graduate.

The 32-year-old, who has worked in top restaurants including Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck, now has five restaurants in the Republic.

The chain now looks set to take on the ground floor of Longbridge House at Waring Street in Belfast City Centre, which is owned by BJ Eastwood’s firm Wirefox.

It’s understood the company has been searching for a Belfast site for the last few months. Architectural drawings 10 • HRNI OCTOBER

BELFAST STEAKHOUSE OPENS NEW SITE

show the restaurant will seat around 70 diners.

Bunsen has four locations in Dublin and one in Cork. Now one of Dublin’s top burger restaurants, it has a simple menu of burgers, fries, soft drinks and beer.

Bunsen opened its first Dublin outlet at Wexford Street in 2013, followed by a second in the tourist magnet Temple Bar area.

The chain uses Black Aberdeen Angus beef and a mixture of cuts from the fore and hindquarters of the cow. In a restaurant review of its Essex Street East restaurant, the Irish Independent said it produced a ‘seriously good (and good-quality) burger for a seriously low price’.

COUNTDOWN TO WINTER WONDERLAND BALL Montalto Estate is to once again host the Winter Wonderland Ball, a black-tie event raising money for local charity Cancer Fund for Children, in its Carriage Rooms on Saturday, December 9.

Following the success of last year’s ball which raised over £50,000 to support local children living with cancer, this year’s gala ball will include a Champagne reception followed by a luxurious four-course meal prepared by the chef and proprietor of Yellow Door, Simon Dougan MBE. Tickets for the Winter Wonderland ball are priced at £150 per person, £1,500 for a table of 10.

For further information, contact Alex on 02890805599 or alex@ cancerfundforchildren.com.

EDDIE ROCKET’S TO LAUNCH FOURTH NI RESTAURANT US-style diner chain Eddie Rocket’s is due to create dozens of jobs as it opens a fourth restaurant here. The Irish-owned chain has announced plans to continue its Northern Ireland expansion.

Its latest restaurant in Lisburn Leisure Park will take over the unit formerly occupied by safari-themed family restaurant Makhulu 5.

The diner chain was founded by Dubliner Niall Fortune and has just under 40 branches in the Republic of Ireland. It currently employs around 90 people in Northern Ireland.

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restaurantprofile

The Grouse, Ballymena CAROLE MCKENNA, CO-OWNER OF THE POPULAR BAR, TALKS TO ALYSON MAGEE

WHEN DID THE GROUSE OPEN? My husband Eugene opened The Wee Grouse in 1982 and then The Grouse in 1986, which also included an upstairs and a nightclub. Every eight to 10 years, he’s done a major restructure or refurbishment and the last one was last year, with a lot of structural work and opening areas that had been closed over the years. We also put in a new bar.

TELL US ABOUT THE SPACE YOU HAVE We have capacity for seating 140 for food, and our nightclub upstairs as well.

There are two main bars downstairs, another bar in the nightclub and the new bit we are going to expand into and refurbish next year will add another two bars. One of the biggest things we have done is make it disability-friendly, with double doors for easy access, a disabled toilet, lowered bar and some adjustments to the floor and layout.

WHAT FEEL ARE YOU AIMING FOR? Cosy, traditional and comfortable - that Edwardian/Victorian style that never dates - with really good quality products.

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WHAT’S ON YOUR MENU? We have a range of menus, all-day lunch, an a la carte evening menu, daily specials, a Sunday menu and a Little Monsters kids’ menu. Based on feedback from customers, we also added a Pit Stop Pleasures menu with lighter options like Pulled Pork Baguettes, Paninis, Club Sandwiches, Ribs and Chicken Wings for people who don’t want a heavy lunch or dinner and a Guilty Pleasures menu with things like Scones, Croissants And Cheesecakes complemented by some ideas for drinks.

Our head chef Bobby Cahoon started working for my husband when he was 15, and has done a lot of specialist cooking. He’s very heavily into sous vide, and his menus are based on four areas with a French, Asian, modern European and Irish influence. Seafood is very popular with mussels and chowders, a lot of slow cooked beef and steaks, Barbary duck and venison and then popular choices for handiness like goujons, lasagne and stews in the winter. There’s a bit of everything.

WHAT IS YOUR FOOD SOURCING POLICY? We try to get everything as local as we can, and Bobby is very strict about the freshness of his food. Everything is cooked to order.

We use Keenan Seafood, Carnbrooke Meats, Drumgold Quality Foods, Glen Fresh, Sydney B Scott & Sons, North Down Group, Delice de France and Dale Farm.

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WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS? A good cross-section of the community come in because we’re in the town centre - families, single people who feel comfortable coming in themselves which is nice, couples, ladies who people watch and have a cocktail or glass of wine, tourists and the characters who come in every day and give a good atmosphere to the place.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU OFFER? General Manager Mark McIlrath: We’ve also set up a gin bar, and have over 100 different gins, 10-12 different varieties of tonic and different garnishes to complement each gin. We have had speakers in to do talks about the different gins, and Bobby does food to complement each. We also have a Prosecco promotion coming up on Friday nights, at £15 for a bottle.

74-76 Ballymoney Street, Ballymena Tel: 028 2564 5234 Facebook: @GrouseBallymena

OCTOBER HRNI • 11

tea&coffee

A SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO CREATE THEIR OWN DREAMS SENSE OF COMMUNITY IS AS IMPORTANT AS TOP-NOTCH COFFEE, FOOD AND CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE MIDDLETOWN COFFEE CO, CO-OWNER EMMA HICKINSON TELLS ALYSON MAGEE MIDDLETOWN COFFEE CO: THE SUPPLIERS THE DESIGN & FIT-OUT · Oscar & Oscar - Belfast

THE COFFEE

· Supplied by 3fe in Dublin – it is ordered on Tuesday, roasted on Wednesday and delivered on Thursday. · All coffee is single origin; “it would be a higher spec coffee, and that’s why our coffee prices would tend to be a bit higher than your average coffee bar,” says Emma. · 3fe also installed Middletown’s Black Eagle espresso machine.

THE TEA

· Supplied by Good & Proper Tea in London; all teas are single origin, leaf teas.

THE HOT CHOCOLATE

· Supplied by Co Couture in Belfast, it is ‘proper’ shaved chocolate with no added sugar.

THE FOOD

“We like to work with as many local people as possible,” says Emma. · Sourdough - Zac’s Bakehouse, Ballynure · Meat - Magills’s Meats, Ballymena, Hillstown Farm Shop · Fruit & veg – Get Fresh, Slemish Market Garden · Dry goods – Crossgar Pallas

B

ringing a high-end coffee concept to Ballymena’s Mill Street was a bold move for locals Johnny and Emma Hickinson.

Once the heart of the town, Mill Street had seen better days when the couple opened the doors of the Middletown Coffee Co in December 2015.

Almost two years later, however, the business is thriving and Mill Street is even showing signs of a revival with a few new traders moving in and the

12 • HRNI OCTOBER

nearby Tower Centre earmarked for a facelift.

Inspired by cafes encountered on their travels around the world, and Australia in particular, the Hickinsons set out to create a space where people could come and enjoy quality food and drink alongside a community spirit.

“We’re both Ballymena born and bred, and we wanted to do it in our own hometown,” says Emma. “There were a few similar places in Belfast but nothing in Ballymena along the lines of what we were doing plus we’ve got two girls so it’s easier for us as a family, being in our hometown.”

Each of the Hickinsons has brought their own skillset to the business.

Johnny was Northern Ireland Aeropress Champion 2015 and has worked in Belfast’s Established, so has the coffee side of the business covered and leads front of house.

And Emma is a chef by trade, heading

up a small but very busy kitchen, turning out innovative and artistic, high quality dishes and baked goods.

“It’s something we’re both very passionate about,” says Emma. “It’s not just about food and coffee, it’s about people as well and creating that community, and a space for people to come and create their own dreams and their own passions.

“We’ve a very good bunch of staff as well, each individually has a real passion for what we’re doing which makes a big difference.”

And yes, there are a few - dare one say it – hipster beards on site.

“We pride ourselves on really good customer service,” she says. “It’s something that’s really important, making people feel comfortable when they come in here.

“You can have really good food and really good coffee and tea and if your service is bad, that’s it, people will not

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tea&coffee

come back.

“It’s been really hard work, doing something a bit different from the norm in Ballymena but people have really grasped it now and are coming in.”

Pop up cafés in Belfast and Ballymena generated enough interest for the Mill Street shop to attract strong weekend custom when it first opened, and business has gradually built to a steady trade across its Monday-Saturday, 8.30am-5.30pm opening hours from about four months ago.

Attracting largely 20-40 year olds at the beginning, its customer base has since widened to include everyone from parents with young babies to pensioners, business people from the local law courts and school children. “It’s creating an environment where it’s actually quite cool for kids to come and hang out and it’s not a pub,” says Emma. “That was a big thing for us because we’ve got two young girls.”

“We do a weekly special and our menu is seasonal, so people come in and ask what’s on this week,” she says.

“It’s created that wee buzz. Before we got into this, we decided we wanted to stay true to ourselves and what we believe in and get excited about. We’ve had to be quite strict about that, and believe what we serve is top quality. For

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us, there’s no compromise on that.”

And while the shop was initially bigger than what they were looking for, it has proved a versatile space, allowing the Hickinsons to host private functions and run supper club-style events such as curry and beer nights in collaboration with Hillstown Brewery.

Coffee cupping sessions are held every Friday, with the general public invited to try the latest brews for free.

“It lets people taste the range of coffees we work with and helps us and the guys making the coffee to distinguish whether it’s a good coffee, or could be better, or works better in an espresso or filter, and then we can relate that back to our roaster and work alongside them.”

Filter coffee brewed on the V60 is the most popular choice, with regular customers often trusting the staff to make recommendations.

“Consistency is a big thing for us,” says Emma. “Every morning our coffees are dialled in, and TDS-ed (checking brew strength) and that goes for espresso and filter.”

Seasonal hot and cold coffee drinks are offered, while tea is also popular.

“Ballymena is a tea nation, definitely,” says Emma. “But I have to say, we’ve been very surprised how much they’ve taken on the whole coffee side.”

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Retail sales of the 3fe coffee and Good & Proper teas are strong, with stock regularly replenished. And, in line with the community focus, Middletown Coffee Co also sells a range of local artwork and artisan goods.

Marketing is via social media, with regular postings to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the sites also serving as a good source of feedback.

A currently unused area of the shop footprint offers the potential for a future expansion, putting in a bigger kitchen and a pass.

“It would be a couple of nights a week doing restaurant evenings with set menus,” says Emma. “That will be our next plan, and training rooms for the coffee side.

“We enter a lot of barista competitions and that’s something for our staff as well, to keep them interested and make it more of a career because it’s the type of industry that’s really just a stopping gap for a lot of people.

“We want to be able to provide things for them, so they can go and achieve their dreams and goals.”

Emma says other acclaimed coffee shops such as Established and The Pocket in Belfast, and Lost & Found in Coleraine, were extremely supportive of the Hickinsons’ venture.

“We know how important that is when you do go to do your own thing, having people support you along the way,” she says. “Everything has had its challenges, for the both of us probably more mentally and coping with the highs and lows of working in a business and not having that business knowledge behind you and that fear of failure.

“The more consistent the business gets, the easier it gets because at the very start what you would have been bringing in every day would have been really worrying; are we going to have enough?

“Your livelihood relies on people coming in, and spending their wellearned money, so we’re really thankful for everybody that comes in here and I think most of our customers know that.

“I enjoy the buzz, and I enjoy people and trying to make people happy. If people are having a bad day, they have somewhere to come and chill out.

“At the start, coming here was a very big decision because we’re quite out of the actual centre of Ballymena and away from the main hustle and bustle,” says Emma. “But the more we talked about it, we thought to ourselves, Mill Street was the heart of Ballymena at a time and part of us wanted to bring that back here.”

OCTOBER HRNI • 13

advertorial

A PERFECT 10 FOR THOMPSON’S TEAS Ross and David Thompson, joint managing directors of Thompson’s Family Teas

T

hompson’s Family Teas has experienced record-breaking success at this years’ Great Taste Awards. Punjana, Northern Ireland’s favourite tea, has stretched its awardwinning run to 10 years, a feat achieved by no other blended tea in this allimportant category.

The news comes as the Guild of Fine Food, acknowledged as the benchmark for fine food and drink in the UK, has released its Great Taste award winners 2017.

Thompson’s Family Teas, which are today still blended by cousins Ross and David Thompson at their state-of-theart tea blending facility in Belfast, have picked up over 100 Great Taste awards in the last 12 years. Each blend is tastetested by a Thompson to ensure that it meets the exacting standards set by the Thompson family which have been passionately adhered to for over 120 years.

Ross Thompson said: “To win a Great Taste award is very exciting, but for Punjana to be recognised by the Guild of Fine Foods every year for the past decade is something really special, and is an acknowledgement of our dedication to importing and blending the world’s finest teas. Only the best leaves, which are highly prized and command a greater price, find their way into our awarding-winning blends.”

“It takes a certain amount of courage to choose what is best over what is most profitable,” Ross continues, “and we stay focused on sourcing leaves with superior taste and flavour, and simply can’t be persuaded to do it any other way.”

14 • HRNI OCTOBER

The Thompson family’s love of tea was born in Belfast in 1896 when founder Robert S Thompson trained in the art of tea tasting and soon became known for his uncompromising devotion to quality.

In the first few years of the business, tea brands didn’t exist and indeed only began to emerge during the post-war years. In 1900, there were perhaps 25 tea companies in Belfast, selling their wares in beautiful tea chests around the numerous independent grocery shops up and down the country.

Today, Thompson’s Family Teas is the only mainstream tea company that

remains.

However, it was in 1955 that the Thompson’s hero brand, Punjana, was born, launched on television on UTV’s first night of transmission with the now iconic Pick Punjana Tea jingle.

The Punjana name was inspired by second generation James Thompson who, whilst on a shopping trip to Comber, spied an inscription on the Gillespie monument which read, Punjab. Conscious of India’s reputation for producing some of the world’s finest tea and thinking that this could be the basis for a great brand name, he consulted with his wife, Lillias, and together they arrived at the name Punjana. Agreement was then sought from his brother, Tony, and the rest as they say, is history.

Today, the business continues under the leadership of third generation Thompsons, who share in its founder’s passion for selecting only the best quality and select teas from the very finest gardens in Assam, Kenya and beyond.

Recently, Punjana was also officially crowned Northern Ireland’s favourite product in The People’s Choice Award 2017 as voted for by the public at this year’s prestigious Northern Ireland Food & Drink Awards.

Thompson’s range of exotic loose leaf teas have been chosen to be served in some of Northern Ireland’s most iconic locations including the Titanic Ballroom, National Trust properties and Hastings luxury hotels.

Jamie and Camille Thompson of Thompson’s Family Teas in the tea-tasting room.

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52708 P

Thank you, 2017 ...and 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 & 2008.

Only one blended tea has won a

Great Taste Award for ten years in a row.

52708 PUNJANA GTA ULS GROC AW.indd 1

31/08/2017 12:12

tea&coffee

CAPTURING THE ATTENTION AND LOYALTY OF YOUNGER COFFEE DRINKERS

BY BARRY KITHER, AFH SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR AT LAVAZZA UK

H

ot beverages, like coffee, have remained an important staple for UK consumers for several years.

Recently however, coffee has experienced a surge in popularity, with approximately 55 million cups of coffee now consumed daily in the UK, according to the British Coffee Association.

With so many consumers becoming daily coffee drinkers, the demand for great tasting high quality coffee has increased so profusely that big coffee chains and businesses now have to compete with independent coffee shops selling artisan coffee to wider consumers.

Lavazza prides itself in being innovative with its coffee blends.

Lavazza’s Super Crema is a good example of this with its velvety cream texture and persistent aroma. Its origin is a delicate blend of natural Arabica from Brazil, washed Indian Arabica and high quality Columbian and Robusta from Indonesia and Vietnam. By selecting different coffee beans from a number of regions, Lavazza can create tailored profiles to cater to different palettes by balancing acidic tastes, with sweeter tones using a range of different roasting methods.

However, it is important to adapt to increasing consumer demand. Young consumers in particular are looking ahead and seeking out a story behind their brands to which they can relate to and be proud to support. The social responsibility of a business is now becoming increasingly important in order to capture the attention and loyalty of the younger audience.

To cater to this, Lavazza launched its ¡Tierra! single-origin coffee range.

Single-origin coffee is coffee from one specific growing area and is often as

16 • HRNI OCTOBER

rich in heritage and provenance as it is in taste. The increasingly popular trend amongst trade is to parallel rises in consumer demand for high quality coffee and an interest in provenance and origin. This is why we are seeing more brands using origin-centred coffee – each blend has a unique story and gives their offering a genuine background, which resonates with consumers and therefore creates a stronger connection with their product.

Additionally, by selecting ethicallysourced products such as Lavazza’s Rainforest Alliance-certified ¡Tierra!, businesses can reassure consumers that their purchase is supporting the coffee-growing communities in which it has been sourced. Lavazza’s ¡Tierra!

Rainforest Alliance coffee, a bold blend of Arabica and Robusta coffee from Brazil and South East Asia, is from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms which combine high product quality, respect for the environment and social equity.

With increasing competition within the coffee industry and the rise of artisan coffee shops, consistent quality is also integral and attainable with the right kind of technology. One solution to providing barista-quality coffee – without employing barista-qualified members of staff – is capsules. This is the fastestgrowing part of our business; a capsulebased solution allows businesses to provide a variety of serves at consistent quality, cost-effectively.

The Lavazza BLUE WEGA capsule machine enables operators who do not have highly skilled baristas to provide equal, if not better, quality coffee each time. Each single capsule contains a 7-8g dose of coffee, the same dose baristas use for each espresso they serve to their customers.

Lavazza offers extensive programmes with their Northern Ireland coffee partner Valeo Professional. Staff are educated on the brand’s heritage and quality, the product itself, how best to work with it and even recipe ideas. By working with an experienced coffee brand like Lavazza, you can guarantee barista-quality coffee for your customers, every time.

For further information, please contact Valeo Professional on 028 92 673316.

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Proudly distributing

Want to taste the quality? Tel: 028 9267 3316

oktoberfest

BELFAST OKTOBERFEST COMES TO CUSTOM HOUSE SQUARE THE POPULAR FESTIVAL SPOT WILL BE HOME TO A BRAND-NEW OKTOBERFEST EVENT IN THE CITY CENTRE FROM THURSDAY 19TH UNTIL SATURDAY 28TH OCTOBER

I

n partnership with Bavarian beer Erdinger, the 10-day event will offer discerning beer drinkers, beer lovers and hedonists alike, traditional steins of the full Erdinger range served up in true Oktoberfest style by welcoming hosts in Bavarian style lederhosen and dirndl dresses. Expect to enjoy Erdinger Hefe and Dunkel on draught alongside Erdinger Oktoberfest, Urweiss and Kristal bottled.

David McElherron, managing director at Noreast Beers, the NI agent for Erdinger said: “Erdinger Weissbier has been brewed in the town of Erding in Bavaria for 130 years. Erdinger is enjoyed all over the world and what better way to enjoy this typical Bavarian speciality than at an authentic Bavarian-style Oktoberfest event in the heart of Belfast!

“Erdinger has been successfully involved in the fantastic Dublin Oktoberfest and we can’t wait to bring this exciting event to the great city of Belfast. Dress up, sing out and practice the only German word you’ll need – PROST!”

18 • HRNI OCTOBER

A variety of Oktoberfest favourites are on the menu with hot glühwein, snitzels, fresh-baked pretzels and German Bratwursts from an authentic swing grill – all adding to the unique Oktoberfest experience.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without the five-piece Bavarian Oompah house band ‘Zwei Bier!’. Set to make punters feel like they’re in the middle of a Munich beer hall, they will pump out ‘oompahfied’ favourites on the brass and accordion.

This runs alongside a full schedule of entertainment including local talent Discobeard, Rab McCullough and more to be announced.

Angela VaupelSchwittay, honorary consul for Germany in Northern Ireland said: “I am very excited to see this old German tradition coming to Belfast. Whether you like Bavarian beer and Bratwurst or not, surely everyone enjoys a little bit of Oompah and Lederhosen for the craic? The Oktoberfest will be a great addition to the city events calendar and might even become a local tradition too!”

For those who prefer a long drink or want to change it up from the steins, both Jägermeister & Jawbox Gin will host a pop up bar offering their favourites serves too. Wine and cider will also be available. Be the envy of the crowd with Belfast Oktoberfest premium packages, available from £40, guaranteeing prime seats by the bar and stage with table service and tailored food and drink options. Ideal for the next group outing!

“I am very excited to see this old German tradition coming to Belfast. Whether you like Bavarian beer and Bratwurst or not, surely everyone enjoys a little bit of Oompah and Lederhosen for the craic?”

Entry to Oktoberfest at Custom House Square is free throughout the week and £3 on Fridays and Saturdays, and during special events from 6pm.

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drinksnews

by Ciaran Meyler

SPAIN

I

Wine Blog from #WineBloggerNI

f you’re just back from Spain and have the holiday blues why not head down to your local wine merchants and pick up a bottle to help you reminisce.

So what should I be looking out for when I get to my local wine shop?

Firstly you should know something about the Classification of Spanish wines. This will help you understand why you are paying a wee bit more.

BARTENDERS RUM-INATE AHEAD OF BACARDI LEGACY

CLASSIFICATION OF SPANISH QUALITY WINES

DOCa Denominación de Origen Calificada. This category originated in 1991 and is the highest quality category for Spanish wine. Only Rioja and recently also the Priorat wine region received DOCa status. The wines must be bottled in the wine region.

DO Denominación de Origen. The second category for Spanish wine is DO, similar to the French AOC, which includes the most well-known classical Spanish wines. The wines have to meet the requirements of the Consejo Regulador (Supervision of the individual wine regions), who then decides if a wine-maker is entitled to use the DO label for his wine.

DO Pago Stays for a single property. The wine is made in one property in one small area.

CLASSIFICATION OF TABLE WINES

VdlT Vino de la Tierra Wines from regions with no DO status as yet, but with an identifiable regional character.

VC Vino Comarcal Areas that have no great claims on quality.

VdM Vino de Mesa Vino de Mesa is wine made from grapes from unclassified areas or blended from different classified areas. Usually without vintage.

It is also very important to be aware of the following terms giving an indication of age.

Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva Crianza Total stored 24 months, at least six months in oak Reserva Total stored 36 months, at least 12 months in oak Gran Reserva Total stored 60 months, at least 24 months in oak The Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva can be confusing as it applies to all areas. So some of the mediocre areas can age the wines for five years and get Gran Reserva status but the wine may not be very good.

Remember it always pays to trade up, the duty in Spain is only a few cents per bottle, compared with our £2 per bottle. Quality wines from Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Navarra for reds. Value for money reds from La Mancha and Alicante, Rueda for whites, Navarra and Somontano for roses and Cava for sparkling represent great value.

So cook some Paella and dream of your next holiday in Spain. Try the new Castillo de Calatrava Range, exceptional value Reserva and Gran Reserva from La Mancha.

20 • HRNI OCTOBER

B

acardi hosted a masterclass in rum at Belfast’s Sixty6 in September, offering tips to bartenders gearing up to compete in the local heat of the Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition this month.

Bacardi Rum UK Brand Ambassador May Kongsrivilai and independent Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell joined local Bacardi representatives Richard McCluskey and Ryan Brown at the packed event.

Bacardi Legacy challenges cocktail bartenders from around the world to create a Bacardí rum cocktail with the potential to establish itself as a classic, alongside the Mojito, Daiquirí and Cuba Libre.

Contestants compete in local heats and, if successful, continue on to regionals and finally a global final, to be held in Mexico City in 2018.

THREE NI BARTENDERS CROWNED HENNESSY CONNOISSEURS

M

ichael Young from The Vault, Banbridge, Emer Kennedy from APOC, Belfast and Mark McConville from House of Zen, Belfast are this year’s Hennessy Connoisseurs.

Michael Young Nine of Northern Ireland’s from The Vault, top bartenders battled it out at Banbridge the grand finale of the third annual Hennessy Connoisseurs Challenge in August, with each vying for the chance to win a prestigious training scholarship with the world’s most iconic cognac brand.

The Hennessy Connoisseurs Challenge, established by drinks company, Dillon Bass in 2015, is widely considered one of the most highly coveted accolades in the NI bartending scene. Now in its third year, the competition is designed to showcase the best local mixology talent.

The nine finalists competed under the eagle eyes of an international judging panel, including Vincent BorjonPrive from Hennessy, Roisin Stimpson from London’s award-winning, Nightjar and Oriole Bars, Aaron Wall from London Cocktail Club and NI restaurant critic, Joris Minne.

The finalists were assessed on their bartending knowledge, skill and flair in a live final hosted by Cool FM’s Pete Snodden in The Muddlers Club, Belfast. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

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JUST GOT LOUDER

For over three decades, Hospitality Review NI has been the deďŹ niive business-to-business guide to the issues, news and views of the licensed, catering, hospitality and tourism sectors within Northern Ireland and, as the only oďŹƒcial publicaaon for Hospitality Ulster and the Northern Ireland Hotels Federaaon, you can be guaranteed your campaign will be seen by the key decision makers within the local hospitality industry.

We are the only NI hospitality trade magazine in Northern Ireland with a controlled circulaaon, with 90% of our publicaaons going to individuals who have h requested to receive it.

We have almost 3 mes the social media reach of our nearest compeetor.

h c a e r r u o d An rowing!! is g

Get in touch: m.glover@independentmagazinesni.co.uk or 028 90 264 266

advertorial

GORDON’S PREMIUM PINK DISTILLED GIN LAUNCHES IN NORTHERN IRELAND

SERVE SUGGESTION:

GORDON’S P&T

(GORDON’S PINK & TONIC)

G DIAGEO ABOUT

D

iageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Guinness, Smithwick’s, Hop House 13, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Gordon’s, Tanqueray Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio and Tanqueray.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.

The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo. com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource,www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

22 • HRNI OCTOBER

ordon’s Gin is leading the latest craze in the obsession with gin thanks to the launch of delicious new Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin. Gordon’s Pink is set to excite gin lovers, as well as introduce gin to a new audience, thanks to the delicate fruity sweetness, irresistible smell and subtle touch of junipers. Inspired by an original Gordon’s recipe from the 1880s, the pink gin is perfectly crafted to balance the refreshing taste of Gordon’s with the natural sweetness of raspberries and strawberries, with the tang of redcurrant served up in a unique blushing tone.

Made using only natural fruit flavours to guarantee the highest quality real berry taste.

Best served in a large wine glass with ice, tonic water and a fresh strawberry cut into wedges. Gordon’s new ‘Gordon’s Pink & Tonic’ serve is perfect for the early evening ‘aperitivo’ moment and if you fancy upgrading your drink - try it with a splash of prosecco for a delicious twist.

Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin is launching in the on and off trade across the month of September.

Fill a large wine glass with ice, mix 35ml GORDON’S PINK with 150ml tonic water, garnish with wedges of fresh strawberries then stop for a moment and enjoy.

Alternatively, if tonic isn’t your thing, then try with chilled lemonade.

For a delicious twist, try our GORDON’S PINK SPRITZ – in a large wine glass filled with ice add 35ml Gordon’s Pink, 50ml lemonade and 25ml prosecco.

ABOUT

GORDONS O

riginal for almost 250 years, Gordon’s created the classic gin character to make the perfect G&T with a clean, juniper dominant taste. Established in 1769 by Alexander Gordon, Gordon’s Gin is today the world’s number one bestselling gin and has been awarded four Royal Warrants and an impressive selection of international prizes.

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drinksnews

Love whiskey. Love Whiskey Club.

You mentioned Bourbon earlier - in your opinion what would you say is the main difference between Irish Whiskey and American Whiskey?

WHISKEY CLUB HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN WITH CIARAN O’DONOVAN, INTERNATIONAL WHISKEY AMBASSADOR AND IRISH WHISKEY ACADEMY TUTOR You’re a tutor at the Irish Whiskey Academy (essentially the Willy Wonka’s of Irish Whiskey) – tell us a bit about what goes on down there!

The Irish Whiskey Academy is the centre of excellence for Irish Distillers in terms of education and learning about our process, brands and history. We take a variety of different people through the academy, from bartenders who want to apply the knowledge behind the bar, to whiskey enthusiasts who want to learn all they can about their favourite spirit.

Our courses range from one to three days and are very comprehensive, taking attendees through the journey of whiskey, from grain to glass, covering production processes, the wood programme, tasting and much more.

Tell us how you came to work in your role as International Whiskey Ambassador and Irish Whiskey Academy Tutor.

I joined Irish Distillers through the Jameson Graduate Programme in 2012 and worked in Helsinki, Lapland (!), New York, Chicago and Kentucky – right in the depths of

If you’re looking at bourbon as a style of whiskey, it’s very prescriptive in how it’s made – virgin oak has to be used, there must be at least 51% corn in the mix etc.

You really have an expectation of where the flavours are going to lie even before tasting it – heavily influenced by wood, quite sweet and packs a punch. Bourbon does exactly what is says on the tin.

Bourbon Country! During my time stateside I visited lots of cooperages and distilleries and got to know plenty of people within the industry. I worked for a year in Pernod Ricard’s head office in New York where I witnessed the cutting edge of marketing Irish whiskey and was surrounded by some of the world’s best cocktail bars. All of this experience has given me a global perspective of Irish whiskey and I moved back to Ireland to take up my position in the Academy.

What’s your preferred way of drinking Irish Whiskey – are you a fan of Whiskey cocktails?

For me it really depends on the situation – the what, the when and the where.

There are some fantastic Irish whiskey cocktails being served in downtown New York, Dublin and even Belfast. I love trying new concoctions from mixologists across the world, but I personally prefer a more traditional style drink. I’m partial to a hot whiskey – one of the only cocktails you can get in my home in rural West Cork!

There are, of course, some Irish whiskeys that I would never, ever mix – the likes of Midleton Very Rare, I wouldn’t even have ice in it; it’s just perfect the way it is.

WHISKEY OF THE MONTH: TASTING NOTES BY JOE MAGOWAN, IRISH WHISKEY AMBASSADOR FOR DILLON BASS

GREEN SPOT

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Finally, do you have any advice for someone who’s new to drinking Whiskey?

There is so much to discover with whiskey so I would recommend not sticking to just one style. Try all the styles, even Scotches and American styles, and find out what your favourite is. I do believe there is an Irish whiskey for everyone, you just have to keep trying until you find the one that suits.

If you’re just starting out, why not give a mixed drink a go and work your way up to trying neat whiskey.

STYLE:

ABV:

Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

40%

NOSE:

TASTE:

FINISH:

Juicy green apples and a little bit of pear.

Fresh mint and a touch of aniseed. A tiny bit herbaceous.

Big wave of granny smith apples which leads to boiled sweets - pear drops. A touch grassy.

Some spicy notes (black pepper).

Green notes lead to delicate American oak. Some vanillia and honey but very delicate.

Almost oily in texture.

LOVE YOUR WHISKEY? JOIN US:

10 • HRNI | APRIL

Irish whiskey on the other hand is a bit more complicated – the rules aren’t quite set in stone, unless it’s a Pot Still whiskey.

You can have peated malts from Cooley or your traditional Triple Distilled Malt Whiskeys from Bushmills. Here in Midleton we make everything from really light, zesty grain whiskeys, like the Method and Madness range, to your more oily Pot Still Whiskeys, like Redbreast, to blended Whiskeys aged in a variety of casks. I’d say in general Irish Whiskey has a very broad flavour profile and offers whiskey drinkers plenty of different options.

whiskeyclub.com

WhiskeyClubNI

OCTOBER HRNI • 23

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Grow your direct bookings by 25%

Meet with Avvio’s direct booking experts Stand A at Hospitality Exchange 2017 www.avvio.com/NIHF

24 • HRNI OCTOBER

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Hospitality Exchange, the event for everyone who works in the hospitality industry, is back in the Crowne Plaza Belfast on 17th & 18th October.

With an extensive range of exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations in the sector and the appearance of the Yummy Brummie, Glynn Purnell, it has already sparked significant interest.

Whether you own, manage or work in a hotel, B&B, pub, restaurant, museum, airline or coffee shop; if you’re interested

in developing and want to tap into innovation to drive business, then Hospitality Exchange is where you need to be!

Take a look at hospitalityexchange.co.uk for more information and see the full programme as an insert in this issue of Hospitality Review.

Tuesday

Wednesday

17th October Crowne Plaza Belfast

18th October Crowne Plaza Belfast

Breakfast to go

Business Breakfast

8.30 - 9.30 | FREE

8.00 | £20

Start the day the relaxing way. Beat the traffic, enjoy breakfast for free and explore the exhibition.

Serving up insights into hotel expansion, industry performance and economic growth. A free copy of the Federation’s new report will be available to all delegates.

Chef Demo 10.00 | £35 The Yummy Brummie, Glynn Purnell and innovative beer chef, Owen Murtagh with everything you need to know about food.

Lunch 12.45 | £15 Something a bit different from the Crowne Plaza kitchen for Tuesday’s casual lunch.

Sales Masterclass 14.00 | £35

Tourism Live 10.45 | £25 Debate and discussion on the dynamics of Northern Ireland’s burgeoning tourism sector.

Speaker Lunch 13.00 | £35 John Scanlon, General Manager at 45 Park Lane, will regale diners with his career at one of the world’s most prestigious hotel groups.

The Downton Dinner

Damian McAlonan from the Boost Partnership will conduct an interactive session on closing the deal and engaging the customer.

19.30 | £75

Meet & Mingle

Exhibition

17.00 | FREE The wind-down to day one includes a glass of wine and the first opportunity to view the Federation’s new hotel expansion report.

Exhibition 08.30 - 17.00 | FREE Over 50 exhibitors will be on site showcasing innovation within the industry at this free exhibition, which is open from 8.30am – 5pm.

The Gala Ball will have a genteel theme, with echoes of the early 20th Century.

9.00 - 14.00 | FREE The free exhibition with over 50 exhibitors is open from 9am to 2pm, so just pop in whenever you want.

hospitalityexchange2017

‘FINE-DINING’ IS A DIRTY WORD

FROM A COUNCIL ESTATE TO COUTURE CUISINE, GLYNN PURNELL IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW HARD WORK, COUPLED WITH PASSION, CAN MAKE FOODIE DREAMS COME TRUE, REPORTS EMMA DEIGHAN

G

lynn Purnell is among an elite collection of chefs in the UK who have become stars because of their culinary creativeness - a talent he uncovered as a school boy.

Prior to that, his interest in food, ingredients and cooking was nurtured by his mother, who he recalls was a dab hand at haggling in the Birmingham food markets.

He harks back to the 1980s when his road into cheffing began, recounting Saturday nights in watching Blind Date and feasting on pigs’ trotters.

“I was exposed to the ingredients and where they came from, from a young age, probably since I was five or six years old. I vividly remember her buying fresh ingredients and haggling with the traders. She was very good at it, and we would often walk away with a free bag of pigs’ trotters.

“They were one of my favourite things to eat- watching Blind Date in my pyjamas on the couch on a Saturday evening,” says the Chelmsley Wood26 • HRNI OCTOBER

born chef.

His bean risotto at school was another gastronomic milestone for the Birmingham chef, followed by “some sort of stuffed egg” - which were both, for the record, “great”.

Today Glynn is more celebrated for his Haddock and Eggs dish, Monkfish Masala and Burnt English Custard Egg Surprise, executed with perfection at his Michelin-starred Purnell’s Restaurant on Cornwall Street, in the city he never wants to leave - Birmingham.

Some of those dishes were also the backbone to his success on the Great British Menu, almost 10 years ago - an experience he credits for pushing his products - both Purnell’s Restaurant and its more casual and funky sister, Purnell’s Bistro and Ginger.

“If you’re good at what you do then people will always come along, but if you’re good at what you do and you can then get into the media and push your product then, obviously, it’s good business sense,” says Glynn.

“People are obsessed with the celebrity

status of everything now. If you can get a little bit of that then it’s great, but it’s all about the balance between not doing enough and not doing too much. It’s important to do it, but it’s also important to stay rooted to what you do.”

Glynn first came to the public’s attention when he was on the Great British Menu in 2008. Today he has a regular slot on Saturday Kitchen, is featured on ITV’s The Secret Chef and is fresh from filming the latest series of My Kitchen Rules with Rachel Allen.

The bright lights of TV and the metaphorical dazzle of a Michelin star didn’t always play a role in Glynn’s career. His first paid job was flipping burgers at the Metropole Hotel at the NEC - humble beginnings but by far instrumental in getting him to where he is today.

“The best way to become the best at something is to do it from ground zero,” says Glynn. “I take as much pride flipping a burger as I do making a sandwich or cooking for a full restaurant. I love what I do, so whether it’s a burger or haddock and eggs, it’s always got to be the best. I think, for young chefs, they do need to touch on all elements of the industry, from making sandwiches to washing up to butchery to pastry and everything else.”

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

hospitalityexchange2017 A six-year stint came from that burger job, when he gained experience in every department from banqueting to the A La Carte Terrace Restaurant and where he discovered his talent and passion for fine dining. It wasn’t long before he began winning awards, including the prestigious Salon Culinaire.

French cuisine is Glynn’s passion and niche, he says, as inspired by his mentor Claude Bosi.

“I was his sous chef at Hibiscus in Ludlow. He opened Bibendium in London earlier this year and I was honoured to be there for the opening.

Pierre Gagnaire was another huge inspiration. They’re both French aren’t they? I guess my inspiration has

GLYNN PURNELL UP CLOSE GUILTY PLEASURE: I do like a McDonald’s breakfast; a Double Sausage and Egg McMuffin. I will bounce two of those down quite easily. And then about half an hour later, a little bit of regret comes in…

FAVOURITE HOME-COOKED DISH: I always like cooking big joints of meat. If I cook on a Sunday, it will either be a big piece of pork belly, a chicken, a piece of sirloin or a shoulder of lamb. I love cooking meat. I do what I call ‘family service’, so all the food is in the middle of the table.

“I look at myself as the Roger Federer of the British culinary scene…

I know I’m slightly old, but I’m still good.” always been French orientated. I like the solid, regaling French cuisine, and Claude and Pierre are both masters of it,” he says.

It was these influences that helped shape the menu at Purnell’s - a restaurant Glynn would rather reference as an experience, rather than fine dining.

“The word ‘fine-dining’ is a dirty word.

With fine-dining, I always think of white table cloths, napkins and waiters with a pickle up their arse. So, I prefer to say that the restaurant is more gastronomic than fine-dining,” he says.

Meanwhile his Bistro and Ginger’s Bar is at the forefront of the cocktail scene in Birmingham with staff that “know their stuff” and “don’t look like the average bar team” says Glynn, who will make his way to Northern Ireland for Hospitality Exchange on October 17-18.

As well as catching up with pal and chef Danny Millar while he’s here, Glynn promises the trade “great food and great laughs” at the event, where he will offer a demo and create a gourmet dinner at the Merchant Hotel.

“I’ve only ever been to Belfast once before. I have cooked at Balloo House with Danny Millar, who’s a good friend of mine, so he’s taken me round the Killinchy area. I’ve eaten some of the local food- some of the delicious seafood - and drank plenty of the black www.hospitalityreviewni.com

GREATEST INSPIRATION: Claude Bosi, Pierre Gagnaire, Heston Blumenthal.

COOKING STYLE: Technical, humour, flavour and very creative. stuff. I don’t know a lot about the local foodie scene but what I do know, I have enjoyed,” he says.

While it may look like Glynn’s career has peaked for his 42 years, ambition is still high up the agenda.

“I’d love to gain two Michelin Ssars, but it’s not the be all and end all,” he says, when asked what his future hopes are.

“The most important thing is to maintain the standard that we do and keep developing the staff. I most

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

definitely have plans to open further restaurants. Whether in the city or on the outskirts of the city, I am always looking at sites and concepts. It keeps me fresh. I won’t say it’s going to be tomorrow, and I won’t say it’s going to be next year, but there will definitely be something else in the future.

“There are no plans for Purnell’s to go anywhere other than Birmingham.

It’s my baby. We’ve kept up with the times, we’re still relevant, and we’re still pushing the boundaries of Birmingham. I look at myself as the Roger Federer of the British culinary scene… I know I’m slightly old, but I’m still good. People are still frightened of us! Other than that, I just want to live forever.”

OCTOBER HRNI • 27

Hospitality Exchange: a conference programme showcasing growth, opportunities and investment.

One of the recurring themes in the hotel sector over the last eighteen months has been growth. At this year’s Hospitality Exchange, the opportunities associated with a significant increase in the number of hotel bedrooms across the sector will be explored in more detail.

Lawrence’s plans to open a further four hotels in Belfast and invest £80m in these projects is a real vote of confidence and has certainly caused a stir in the city. Hear why he has chosen Belfast, get his thoughts on local hospitality and learn about his vision of the hotel sector.

As part of the programme a report on the economic impact of hotel growth will be launched. Its content will be outlined at the business breakfast

by Gareth Hetherington, Associate Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre.

Growth means more business.

Engaging the customer, motivating staff and the art of the sale will be explored by award-winning speaker Damian McAlonan. This session is not just for the sales professionals; it will show you how all your employees are in fact part of the sales team. Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland will also offer insights into markets that we can attract more visitors from, what represents good promotional activity and what industry opportunities exist.

One aspect of the research that we can share before the report is officially published is that hotel room numbers will grow 25% by 2019 and current investment levels are in the region of half a billion pounds. This investment, and the accompanying job creation, is a good news story for Northern Ireland.

Damian McAlonan will look at the best sales techniques for any business.

We’re also delighted to announce that Lawrence Kenwright of Signature Living will be speaking at this year’s Exchange, as part of the Tourism Live line-up. His company’s development of the Scottish Mutual Building into a George Best-themed hotel has certainly captured the imagination of sports fans and will provide an iconic tribute to one of Belfast’s most loved sons.

Lawrence Kenwright will explain why Belfast is his chosen city for expansion.

Owen Murtagh is a food technologist and development chef looking at beer and food.

In addition, the programme features a sold-out exhibition with over fifty companies showcasing new innovative products and services.

Check out the programme and make your booking at hospitalityexchange. co.uk. Don’t miss this opportunity to harness expertise and drive your business forward.

The Industry Conference & Exhibition 17th – 18th October 2017 Crowne Plaza Belfast

COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH

WEBER

30ml Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila 20ml Blue Curacao 20ml Citric & Tartaric solution 15ml Lime cordial 4 dashes Kaffir lime leaf tincture

COCKTAIL MONTH of the

WITH Jose Cuervo TradICIonal

In the latest of a regular series, we ask local bartenders to showcase a signature serve featuring the superb premium spirits brands presented by Proximo. Dave Mulholland, bar manager of Liquor XXX in Belfast, creates a classic cocktail featuring Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila.

Jose Cuervo TradICIonal TequIla

about the bartender

The featured spirit in this month’s signature serve is Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila.

Dave Mulholland is an established face in the Belfast cocktail scene, having entered the bar trade 10 years ago at The Apartment, where he stayed for five or six years. After a few years at Aether & Echo, he joined Love and Death Inc as bar manager for two years before an opportunity emerged to open Liquor XXX. “I wanted to do something different and unique in Belfast, with a beverage programme completely different to what’s out there,” he says. “We’re using a lot of techniques that no-one in Ireland even would be using like fat washes, infusions and bashing. We do a big bashed cocktail programme using acids, which are half the price of lime juice and produce less wastage.

“It’s such a small venue, we needed to have a high turnover of drinks in a way that didn’t affect service, so the idea was to bash half the drinks so you wouldn’t have to make them there and then.

“And because everything’s Latin American, I’ve taken an approach that is slightly different. We’re not just going to bang Dave Mulholland, bar manager of Liquor XXX out your standard Collins, we’re bringing a new approach to bartending in Belfast."

Weber 30ml Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila 20ml Blue Curacao 20ml Citric & Tartaric solution 15ml Lime cordial 4 dashes Kaffir lime leaf tincture Blended Served straight up in a margarita coupe with a salt ring

“It’s a twist on a Tommy’s Margarita,” says Dave. “It’s one of our signature drinks here, one of the more popular choices and highlights our approach to bartending and our beverage programme.”

Jose Cuervo® and other trademarks are owned by tequila Cuervo la roJeña, s.a.de C.v. ©2017 Proximo sPirits. Please drink resPonsibly.

pubnews

CATHEDRAL QUARTER TO HOST INAUGURAL BELFAST COCKTAIL WEEK perfect cocktail on October 22.

Bars taking part in Belfast Cocktail Week include: The Cocktail Bar and Berts Jazz Bar at The Merchant; The National Grande Café and Club Sixty6; Bullitt Hotel; Bootleggers; Muriel’s Café Bar; The Spaniard; and Babel.

Each venue has also created a special tipple for festival-goers.

For further information, visit BelfastCocktailWeek.co.uk.

A

n inaugural Belfast Cocktail Week is to be held over October 16-22, with visitors encouraged to try a whole range of drinks on offer from various bars in the area.

Highlights of the festival include award-winning London establishment Swift Bar’s residency in the The Merchant Hotel’s Cocktail Bar, as well as a step back in time to experience the birth of the cocktail at The Luggage Room takeover of Club Sixty6, which is located on the top floor of The National.

The venue will also host a whiskey

masterclass on October 19, where guests will get a behind-the-scenes insight into whiskey distilling.

The bar will also cater for those who want to enjoy a non-alcoholic tipple with a Future of Mocktails Masterclass and a mocktail menu will be available all week.

Belfast Cocktail Week will culminate with a guest speaker - author of the Curious Bartender range of cocktail books and award-winning bartender, Tristan Stephenson. He will host a seminar exploring the art of mixing the

TIME TO EXPAND INTO BELFAST FOR GROWING LEISURE GROUP

B

elfast’s newest bar and nightclub complex, The Playwright Bar and TIME Nightclub, opened its doors in mid-September following an overall investment of £1.5m.

The project marks the first Belfast venture for the rapidly expanding 1 Oak Leisure Ireland group, which has had a presence on the Northern Ireland social scene since 2012.

The new venue will employ 60 people and join the leisure group’s growing portfolio that includes TIME BAR + VENUE and Lanyon Hall in Cookstown, Johnny Foxes in Magherafelt, along with Rubys Nightclub and The Harp & Fiddle Bar in Strabane.

Formerly known as The Fly in Lower Crescent, The Playwright Bar and TIME Nightclub will contain three floors with a total capacity of approximately 600 people.

“We are very excited to bring the www.hospitalityreviewni.com

Pictured are Laura McGillion, Group marketing manager for 1 Oak Leisure Ireland, and Dermot Doyle, foreman for Oakleaf Contracts.

TIME brand to Belfast, along with The Playwright Bar, on the site of what was once one of the city’s most popular establishments, in this prime location close to the iconic Queen’s University Belfast,” said Laura McGillion, Group marketing manager. “We’ve totally transformed and refurbished the entire building from top to bottom and installed a brand new state-of-the-art sound and lighting system.”

The Playwright Bar will be open from Monday to Sunday (12pm to late) with live entertainment from Thursday to Sunday. TIME Nightclub will open on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. The club will operate a strictly over 18 policy, rising to over 20 on Saturday nights.

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

RATES INCREASES THREATEN FUTURE OF PUBS

A

bout 28,000 pubs have closed since the 1970s as the sector faces a ‘ticking time bomb’ over its future, a report warns.

Research by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) found there are fewer than 50,000 pubs, due to more beer now being drunk at home, with the organisation calling for greater support for pubs. Its annual Good Beer Guide reports that when Camra was formed in the early 1970s, Britain had 75,000 pubs.

The new business rates revaluation introduced in 2017 is the latest ‘ticking time bomb’ to devastate the sector, with some of the increases, due to be phased in over a five-year period, described as ‘eye-watering’.

“There is no better place for people to meet, enjoy a beer, strike up a conversation, make new friends and put the world to rights,” said Roger Protz, editor of the Good Beer Guide.

“Above all, the British pub, both ancient and modern, has character and an atmosphere that could never be replaced.”

A Government spokesman said: “The Great British pub is a national treasure and we’re backing communities that want to protect and run their local.

“We’ve already provided more than 9,000 small pubs with a £1,000 discount on their businesses rates bill as part of our £435m package of support for businesses. In addition, both pubs and their customers have saved over £2bn since 2013 thanks to changes to alcohol duty.”

OCTOBER HRNI • 31

Search online: Hospitality Ulster

INTRODUCING...

Building on the tremendous success of Hospitality Ulster’s Pub of the Year awards, we are proud to introduce

THE TOP 100 HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES. With increasing quality, diversity and regional spread of our great pubs, bars, café bars and music venues, not to mention our great restaurants and hotels. We want to recognise and celebrate the range of businesses that make up the Giants of Hospitality across the province and across our industry.

Through nomination, rather than application, we will recognise the Top 100 Hospitality Businesses, who through their premises, staff and product offer, encompass the very essence of our unique hospitality industry. Going the extra mile, to deliver a great customer experience that matches both their target market and customer demographic.

Nominating could not be simpler and what’s more anyone can nominate the premises they feel deserves the recognition, and indeed you can even self-nominate. All you have to

do is tell us a little bit about why your chosen premises deserves to be included in The Top 100 Hospitality Businesses for 2018.

Nominations can be made through Hospitality Ulster’s website. And for the modest amongst you, we have also established an industry panel to seek you out and nominate on your behalf. With a final vote from the industry peers selecting the Top 100 premises.

Nominations will fall into the categories of Rural Pub, Urban Pub and City Pub. Plus Casual and Formal Restaurant and last but not least, Hotels.

The Top 100 premises will celebrate their listing early next year at a star studded gala night with the best of food, drink and fantastic entertainment. We’re keeping some of the details up our sleeve for now, but one thing’s for sure- this is a night not to be missed!

TO NOMINATE OR FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.HOSPITALITYULSTER.ORG So, what are you waiting for?

Start nominating and help us find the giants of our hospitality industry.

Search online: Hospitality Ulster

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR

2018 RECOGNISING THE TOP 100 HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES who through their premises, staff and product offer, encompass the very essence of our unique hospitality industry. Going the extra mile, to deliver a great customer experience that matches both their target market and customer demographic.

Nominating could not be simpler and what’s more anyone can nominate.

To nominate or for more information visit: www.hospitalityulster.org NOMINATION CATEGORIES: RURAL PUB | URBAN PUB | CITY PUB CASUAL RESTAURANT | FORMAL RESTAURANT | HOTEL

hotelnews

GEORGE BEST HOTEL PLANS JUNE 2018 OPENING F

amily and friends of football legend George Best have presented Signature Living, developer of the George Best Hotel in Belfast, with iconic items of memorabilia as part of a collection to be displayed in the venue.

The presentation took place at a launch event in the former Scottish Mutual building, attended by the Best family, Lawrence Kenwright, founder and chairman of Signature Living and the Lord Mayor of Belfast Nuala McAllister, in August.

The items included a signed shirt from the day of his funeral, replica European

Kenwright.

“This marks the next step in our journey to bring George and his genius to life within the hotel. At Signature Living, we’re passionate about creating and sharing stories and this is a fabulous way to showcase Belfast’s most famous son. It will be a visual experience that will reflect his footballing prowess and the hero he was to so many people in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and further afield.

“We’re excited about the next 12 months as we continue to plan, prepare and deliver this new icon of Belfast. We feel we could have the doors open by June 2018.”

Pictured are, from left, Matthew Primack, senior vice president, IMG Licensing; Barbara McNarry, George Best’s sister; Lawrence Kenwright, founder and chairman, Signature Living; Lord Mayor of Belfast Nuala McAllister; and Norman McNarry (George Best’s brother-in-law).

Cups, as well as a silver Northern Ireland cap.

“This is truly an exciting day for us as we receive these pieces of memorabilia that will form the beginning of a George Best collection at the hotel,” said

CONVERTED POLICE STATION BISHOP’S GATE CELEBRATES AN AWARD-WINNING FIRST YEAR GAINS FIVE-STAR RATING

B

Jenny and Peter Monroe of Water’s Edge Glenarm receive the five-star award from Tourism NI’s Caroline Adams.

W

ater’s Edge bed and breakfast, a former police station turned luxury bed and breakfast, has been awarded a five-star grading by Tourism NI under its visitor accommodation grading scheme.

Ratings are provided following an unannounced mystery assessment from a Tourism NI Quality Grading Advisor, assessing up to 10 categories including cleanliness, hospitality and friendliness, service, efficiency and food quality. Water’s Edge proprietors Jenny and Peter Monroe scored highly in all 10 categories.

“Peter and I are delighted to have achieved a five-star grading,” said Jenny Monroe, owner of Water’s Edge. “It means a great deal to us, and we hope it provides a valuable addition to all that our beautiful village of Glenarm has to offer.”

34 • HRNI OCTOBER

ishop’s Gate Hotel in Derry City’s Cathedral Quarter recently celebrated its first birthday, and the raft of industry awards and accolades it has secured in its first year of trading.

“I think it’s important to recognise the role that our customers and the wider public have had in bestowing these awards and accolades upon our boutique hotel,” said Ciaran O’Neill, operator of Bishop’s Gate and president of Ciaran O’Neill displays the Bishop’s Gate the Northern Ireland Hotels Hotel’s many awards.

Federation.

Earlier this year, TripAdvisor unveiled the UK’s top 25 rated hotels in the annual Travellers’ Choice Awards, and Bishop’s Gate in Derry-Londonderry took second place on this coveted list.

The hotel recently featured in The Irish Times 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland, and it’s also been voted Hideaway of the Year in a Georgina Campbell hospitality guide among other accolades.

Bishop’s Gate has welcomed over 15,000 guests since opening in March 2016. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

technologyprofile

AVVIO LAUNCHES GAME-CHANGING AI BOOKING ENGINE A GLOBAL FIRST, AI-POWERED DIRECT BOOKING PLATFORM ALLORA ALLOWS HOTELS TO DEVELOP PERSONALISED RELATIONSHIPS WITH CUSTOMERS AND GUARANTEES A 25% INCREASE IN DIRECT BOOKINGS, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO FRANK REEVES TELLS ALYSON MAGEE from testing different scenarios. The more visitors a hotel has, the smarter Allora becomes, while other hotels on the network are also making Allora smarter. It’s a pretty game-changing step forward.

If you look at any hotel website, the site and the ‘book now’ button are disconnected and very static systems with every visitor getting the same version.

But your version of YouTube, Facebook or Netflix is different from mine, and what Allora will do is allow for a much more orchestrated, relevant conversation between the hotel and every online visitor.

For example, if you’ve already made a booking and are back on the site prearrival, while the website today will just serve up the same site and the same conversation with nothing intelligent, curative or relevant, Allora will bring a high degree of machine learning but also network intelligence and a highlypersonalised recommender engine.

As Amazon will say ‘Amazon WHAT IS ALLORA? customers also bought the following…’, Artificial intelligence (AI) has been an Allora will serve up content based on what it feels it would recommend to you, so the rate a North American visitor might see on the homepage might be a different rate somebody in Dublin or London might see.

While we’re talking about Allora with hotels, the value proposition and goals of Allora are all about the customer.

Allora is, first and foremost, A recommender engine (early release image) is one of the key using AI to deliver a far features of Allora, alongside machine learning and network better online experience to intelligence. the customer than hotels are delivering today. area of exponential growth in other industries; from the YouTube algorithm and Google search results to Netflix, it’s WHAT COST IS ATTACHED TO ALLORA? everywhere. We use so many different instances of AI in our everyday lives, and There’s no major initial capital investment. We’re really on the our phones are AI machines really. same side of the table as the hotels With Allora, what you unlock is a themselves, driving their online revenue booking engine that learns from every strategy, and we’re rewarded for doing single interaction it has, from doing that with performance pricing. something differently each time and TELL US ABOUT AVVIO I co-founded Avvio in 2001, designing the first hotel website booking engine in Ireland for a five-star hotel, Dromoland Castle, and we’re still working with them. We now have about 450 hotels, mostly between Ireland and the UK, but also in mainland Europe and North America. We partner with 40-plus hotels and accommodation providers across Northern Ireland.

In a nutshell, we help hotels grow their direct bookings and become more competitive against online travel agents and the 20-25% commission cheques that hotels have to write to them. It is such a massive blight on hotels’ business that they struggle for profitability elsewhere.

Effectively we’re the only company in the market that will guarantee a 25% increase in direct bookings by working with us. We have a fantastic and unique product, with digital marketing and website design services.

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

Avvio has a roadmap of exciting features it will continue to roll out in 2018 and beyond for Allora, its highly customisable and flexible AI booking engine launched this month.

WOULD ELSE DOES AVVIO OFFER From October, we’ll essentially have two products, our current booking engine platform Convert and Allora. Convert is like a premium car and Allora is a selfdriving premium car. We will obviously keep developing Convert because that’s the actual booking engine; Allora is the AI piece. On top of this, Avvio will continue to invest in and develop our in-house digital marketing and website design agencies.

“B

eing such a major player in the Irish hotel industry, it was vital we chose a company who specialised in online marketing and had developed a sophisticated booking engine. Hence. we chose Avvio and have been working with them for 13 years now.

“Over these years, the Avvio team have kept us ahead of our competition, with their forwardthinking plans. They know what is current across the globe and ensure we know it too, and this keep us involved and competitive.”

Julie Hastings, director of Marketing, Hastings Hotels

OCTOBER HRNI • 35

hotelnews THE IMPACT OF RATE REDUCTIONS...

BY ADRIENNE HANNA, FOUNDER & CEO, RIGHT REVENUE

Hoteliers - this week, I thought that I would give you a useable metric that you can use every time you are challenged with either increasing or decreasing rates. In the example I use below, I am working on the assumption that I have been asked to increase occupancy by allowing a dip in rate.

However, exactly the same metric can be used in reverse.

Step 1 - First of all estimate the drop you expect – let’s say £5 Step 2 - The question is: What occupancy is required to generate the same revenue if I lower my rate by £5 • My current ADR is £75 • My variable costs are £27.67 • Therefore, my contribution margin is £47.33 (please note that I am working out this calculation in its most simple form but please feel free to add further costs). Eg, I have not included fixed costs, cost of acquisition etc but these can of course be included to give a more realistic cost calculation.

• My average current occupancy is 72% • I have 56 rooms in my hotel • My owner is hoping to gain more occupancy and is happy to take a ‘hit’ on rate.

What occupancy is required to generate the same revenue if I lower my rate by £5?

Existing Rate

New Rate

£75.00

£70.00

£27.67

£27.67

£47.33

£42.33

Average current occupancy

72%

72%

No of rooms

56

56

ADR Variable costs

Contribution margin

Step 3 - Now for the maths: • Divide your existing rate minus variable costs (£75-£27.67) by your new rate minus variable costs (£70-£27.67) • Or £47.33/£42.33 • Then multiple by your current occupancy 47.33/42.33 x 72 = 80.5 (round up as you can’t have 0.5% occupancy) is 81 or 81% For a drop of £5, you need to gain an extra 9% occupancy (ie the difference between the new target of 81% and the existing 72% occupancy).

In real terms, this is a targeted gain of five rooms each night.

This is because in a hotel of 56 bedrooms, 9% equates to 5.04 rooms - if this was slightly higher I would round up to six but let’s go for a best-case scenario and keep at five - that would be a tough enough target!

So even a small drop in rate can have a HUGE impact on what you actually need to gain in occupancy. And for all revenue managers, the question should be, ‘where on earth is this additional occupancy going to come from?’ It’s not always easy to ‘steal’ this from competitors, so the answer is usually to implement a shift in segmentation.

But again, this isn’t something that can always be turned on immediately and usually lends itself to a more long-term strategy. So I guess, the outcome of all of this is to be very careful before deciding that a drop in rate could be the answer to your occupancy problems.

As I mentioned, the same metric will work in reverse, so I hope you find this simple technique useful.

Visit www.rightrevenue.co.uk or email adrienne@rightrevenue.co.uk

36 • HRNI OCTOBER

LOUGH ERNE’S CATALINA RESTAURANT WINS ALLIRELAND ACCOLADE

Pictured are, from left, Gordon Thompson of Nespresso Business Solutions, Ireland; William Kirby, general manager at Lough Erne; and Miriam Atkins, editor of Food & Wine.

T

he Catalina Restaurant at Lough Erne Resort has been named Ireland’s Hotel Restaurant of the Year 2017 at the Food & Wine Awards in Dublin.

Led by Executive Chef Noel McMeel, the restaurant is Northern Ireland’s first 3 AA Rosette hotel restaurant and its creative and contemporary menus feature locallysourced, seasonal ingredients.

“We are delighted to have won Hotel Restaurant of the Year, especially as we celebrate our 10th anniversary,” said McMeel. “The team are committed to bring the very best dining experience to our guests and this award is testament to the dedication and hard work of the team here at Lough Erne Resort.”

MARRIOTT HOTEL AT CITY QUAYS APPROACHES COMPLETION Pictured are Belfast Harbour CEO Roy Adair and Gilbert-Ash Managing Director Ray Hutchinson.

T

he four-star AC by Marriott Hotel at Belfast Harbour’s City Quays development has been ‘topped’ out.

Work is now underway on completing the fit-out of the hotel’s 188 bedrooms and its Jean Christophe-Novelli restaurant. The hotel is due to open in early 2018. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

tourismnews

ALED JONES JOINS TOURISM IRELAND’S AUTUMN CAMPAIGN

T

ourism Ireland has launched an extensive promotional campaign to boost late-season travel to Northern Ireland from around the world. The September to December period usually yields as much as 30% of Ireland’s annual overseas tourism business.

As part of the campaign, TV and radio presenter Aled Jones filmed a new online video in Belfast – for a promotion in GB which will reach about 7.5 million potential holidaymakers.

Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign will highlight the many festivals and events taking place in Northern Ireland this autumn and winter – from the Belfast International Arts Festival to Culture Night, the Banks of the Foyle Halloween Carnival in Londonderry, Belfast Comedy Festival and Cinemagic Belfast.

It will incorporate a major focus on city breaks, as well as on attracting visitors to more rural areas, in collaboration with Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Belfast and with other tourism partners.

“Our autumn campaign aims to take advantage of late booking trends around the world, as there is still plenty of business to play for,” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.

“Many people are opting for shorter holiday breaks and autumn is a good opportunity.

“Tourism Ireland’s publicity drive continues this autumn – targeting print, broadcast and online media around

CAMPAIGN URGES YOUNG PEOPLE TO TAKE A HOLIDAY AT HOME

A

UK-wide tourism campaign aims to inspire young people from Great Britain and Northern Ireland to take a holiday at home.

Statistics show that 16-to-34 year olds took almost 1.4 million fewer holidays at home last year compared to a decade ago.

VisitEngland’s £2.5m Join the World - Discover the UK digital and social media campaign, launching in September, is targeting this ‘lost generation’ using overseas social media influencers and travellers to showcase to their peers the amazing moments and experiences that can only be had on a holiday at home in the UK. The campaign is run in partnership with the national tourism organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and tourism businesses and destination management organisations across the UK. www.hospitalityreviewni.com

Part of the UK government’s GREAT Britain campaign Join the World - Discover the UK is expected to generate more than one million additional overnight stays with an £80m boost to the economy.

“From moonlight kayaking in Northern Ireland and mountainbiking down Elan Valley in Wales to a night-out in the vibrant Ashton Lane in Glasgow and craft-beer experiences in Yorkshire, the UK is packed full of amazing moments,” said Sally Balcombe, chief executive of VisitBritain/ VisitEngland.

Join the World - Discover the UK kicks off with the launch of five short films and images showcasing experiences in London and Yorkshire in England, Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland, Glasgow in Scotland and Elan Valley in Wales, through the eyes of international travellers.

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

Hospitality Revie w Production Manager Irene Fitzsimmons caught up with Aled Jones when he was film ing the Tourism Irelan d campaign.

the world, with lots of positive stories about Northern Ireland. A busy programme with our key travel partners will highlight attractive packages and ease of access to Northern Ireland, including an extensive campaign with Norwegian in the US. We will also promote Northern Ireland through our sales missions to the Middle East, India, Australia and New Zealand.”

RYANAIR JOINS TRADE BODY AIRLINES UK TO AIR BREXIT CONCERNS

R

yanair, which operates a total of 16 routes from Northern Ireland, has joined a UK airline trade body due to concerns about the impact of Brexit on the aviation industry.

The Dublin-based carrier signed up with Airlines UK as an international airline member, a new tier of membership allowing non-UK carriers to join.

“We remain concerned at the uncertainty which surrounds the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU in March 2019 and we understand how critical it is that all airlines come together as an industry to lobby for an effective solution for air travel that allows UK-EU flights to operate after April 2019,” said Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair.

“We look forward to working closely with Airlines UK on Brexit and the many other common issues we face including ATC (air traffic control) delays, APD (Air Passenger Duty) and airport charges.”

The single market for aviation, created in the 1990s, means there are no commercial restrictions for airlines flying within the EU. OCTOBER HRNI • 37

tourismnews

NATIONAL MUSEUMS NI ACKNOWLEDGED FOR SERVICES TO TOURISM island of Ireland, is one of Ireland’s oldest and most successful tourism cooperative marketing groups.

This year, it is 25 years old and represents over 90 of Ireland’s top attractions which, between them, are expected to attract over 14 million visits during 2017, with most of their visitors arriving from Pictured are Bob Johnston, weaver, Kathryn Thompson, chief executive of overseas.

National Museums NI and Cristabel McCartney, visitor guide.

“This accolade is particularly significant to me and my ational Museums NI’s awardcolleagues across our three museums winning museums, Ulster Museum, as it recognises the exceptional visitor Ulster Folk & Transport Museum and Ulster American Folk Park, have each experiences we have been creating for received the highly-regarded Heritage generations,” said Kathryn Thomson, Island Heritage Tourism Treasures award chief executive of National Museums for services to tourism.

NI. The notable award marks the 25-year “All our visitors can be guaranteed a membership of National Museums NI, memorable experience that is not only Northern Ireland’s foremost cultural educational and engaging but most learning and tourist destinations, with importantly fun. From re-enactments Heritage Island. of Ulster life up to 200 years ago, to Heritage Island, the marketing group interactive talks and exhibitions for all representing premier visitor attractions ages, we ensure people have a day full and heritage towns throughout the of imagination.”

Attracting in total nearly 750,000 visitors each year, the three sites each play an active and innovative role in promoting tourism, extending learning and supporting people and communities.

LADY GOLFERS TAKE TO THE TEE AT ROE PARK RESORT

N

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL BLOGGERS CHECK OUT NI Tourism Ireland has enlisted the help of five popular travel bloggers to showcase top visitor attractions and experiences to their followers and readers in GB, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy.

The bloggers have an extensive social audience in their respective countries; their blogs alone have a combined monthly readership of over 345,000 and they also have hundreds of thousands of followers on their other

social channels, including Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The bloggers’ itinerary included a Game of Thrones experience at Winterfell (aka Castle Ward), as well as Titanic Belfast and a Belfast Food Tour.

The group also enjoyed a drive along the Causeway Coastal Route, stopping at the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, the Giant’s Causeway and the Dark Hedges. Tourism Ireland worked closely with Tourism NI to design the itinerary.

LONG MEADOW LANDS EXCLUSIVE DEAL Armagh-based Long Meadow Cider has been awarded an exclusive craft cider contract in the Bushmills Bar at George Best Belfast City Airport.

Long Meadow Cider’s contract with HMSHost International, a provider of food and beverage outlets in over 100 airports worldwide, was secured following the company’s Blossom Burst Cider beating over 70 local suppliers 38 • HRNI OCTOBER

to be named Northern Ireland’s ‘Best’ local food and drink product in a competition launched by Belfast City Airport in partnership with Food NI earlier this year.

The Bushmills Bar and the recently rebranded St. George’s Market restaurant in the airport, both managed

by HMSHost, will stock the Blossom Burst flavour.

Pictured are, from left, Fiona Mackessy, Elemis Spa; Shona O’ Connor, Lady Vice Captain, Roe Park Resort; and Terry Kelly, golf & spa manager, Roe Park Resort.

W

omen from 12 golf clubs across Northern Ireland competed at the annual Elemis Spa Ladies’ Open at the Roe Park Resort, Limavady, in August.

This year’s tournament attracted 110 lady golfers competing for the top spot on Roe Park Resort’s newly redesigned course.

A popular fixture on the ladies’ golf circuit, the Elemis Spa Ladies’ Open is just one of the tournaments continuing to make Roe Park Resort a destination for competitive golfers. The Golf Digest Volvo Open Day, one of the biggest amateur golf tournaments on the island of Ireland, will also return to Roe Park in May 2018.

“This year’s competition was especially challenging because of the work on the course as we recently completed a major investment programme totalling £1m,” said Terry Kelly, golf & spa manager, Roe Park Resort. “The improvements have transformed the course and made this year’s tournament even more enjoyable and encouraged lots of friendly competition.”

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

businessnews

GROWTH LOAN FUND INVESTS IN EVENTS CATERING BUSINESS

Arianna Grande’s One Love Manchester concert in June is among events catered by Central Fusion.

A

locally-owned events catering firm has secured funding of £750,000 from the Growth Loan Fund in Northern Ireland.

Finance for the £50m Growth Loan Fund – which provides loans to established Northern Ireland SMEs seeking to access growth finance – is provided by Invest Northern Ireland and private investors, Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC).

Central Fusion will use the funding to support ambitious plans for growth, including creating six new roles in its Belfast office.

The company has already seen great success in providing food and drink concessions at events such as Reading and Leeds festivals, V Festival, TRNSMT in Glasgow, Download Festival and Latitude Festival, as well as Arianna Grande’s One Love Manchester concert in June. It now plans to increase capacity and deliver additional services at more

events.

“The support from the Growth Loan Fund is a huge boost for us and will enable us to build on the success we have recently had,” said Stephen Symington, director, Central Fusion. “It will go a long way to help us increase our capacity to deliver more services at more events. Ultimately, this will result in job creation for both permanent and temporary team members.”

WhiteRock Capital Partners, which manages the Growth Loan Fund in Northern Ireland, has invested over £40m in local businesses since its inception, with loans ranging from £100,000 to £1.25m.

Central Fusion currently employs 27 full-time team members in its offices in Belfast and Wigan, and has plans to increase that number significantly over the next 12 months. During the summer period, the company has temporary teams of up to 600 working at various outdoor festivals and gigs.

GLOBAL SOFTWARE BUSINESS EXPANDS INTO IRELAND

celebrates a raft of new developments and announcements including being recognised by the London Stock Exchange Group as one of 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain; a comprehensive upgrade to the popular property management system, Rezlynx; and the addition of multiple clients across the hospitality sector.

Guestline’s software is cloud-based, and enables hospitality business owners and managers in sectors such as hotels, serviced apartments and pubs to manage bookings and operations efficiently and profitably.

Innovative technology developments include integration with many leading third party applications, tokenisation for PCI compliance and more functionality to improve customer service and capture more revenue.

G

lobal hospitality software business Guestline has opened its first operations in Ireland Clio with a new office and O’Gara, country the appointment of a manager country manager. It for Ireland at is the beginning of a Guestline.

European expansion for the UK business, which has operations spread across the UK and Asia.

Experienced hospitality professional Clio O’Gara joins the property management, channel distribution and digital marketing business as country manager for Ireland, responsible for driving growth.

The expansion comes as the business www.hospitalityreviewni.com

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

BOOJUM BOTANIC PROPERTY SELLS FOR WELL ABOVE ASKING PRICE

A

prominent investment opportunity located on Botanic Avenue, Belfast has substantially exceeded its asking price according to selling agents, Osborne King.

The mid-terrace property, occupied by the popular Boojum Burrito Bar, was on the market for £450,000.

However, it was sold well in excess of this figure to a local investor, reflecting a net initial yield of sub5.5% after purchaser’s costs. The tenancy is unaffected by the sale.

“From the outset, there was strong interest in the property and we had a significant number of offers from credible parties, including those from overseas investors,” said Thomas Osborne of Osborne King. “The sale was closed by way of informal tender and remarkably the process from initial marketing to completion took just under 10 weeks.

“Undoubtedly, the location of this investment opportunity, which is popular with students and young professionals coupled with the fact that it is fully let to Boojum attracted a great deal of interest from investors.

The sale demonstrated the level of confidence within the local market and current lack of investment product combined with high demand means that good quality investments will achieve strong prices.”

OCTOBER HRNI • 39

q&a

A DAY IN THE LIFE increase their turnover, grow their profits and improve the standards delivered by their teams.

OUTLINE A TYPICAL DAY No two days are ever the same.

There is always the usual mix of phone calls and emails. Then there are client meetings, either to establish new business or review current business. Other days involve a lot a training, this could be on one of our tailor made training courses for customers or training new mystery shoppers. Every one of our mystery shoppers are trained on an individual basis; only if they meet the standards on our training course can they work for Shopper Anonymous.

PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? Taking the steps to become self employed, and launching Shopper Anonymous into Northern Ireland

DAVID ANDERSON * NORTHERN

IRELAND REGIONAL DIRECTOR, SHOPPER ANONYMOUS NI

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE? Northern Ireland regional director for Shopper Anonymous. Shopper Anonymous is the only franchised mystery shopping company in the world, and I bought the Northern Ireland franchise in July 2014. My role is supporting businesses to grow sales and profit by driving great service standards and team engagement.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND? As a student, I secured a scholarship to study hotel management with P&O cruises. These opportunities were like hens’ teeth. It was the best introduction into hospitality management, and a great way to see the world.

WHAT ARE THE BEST/WORST PARTS OF YOUR JOB? 40 • HRNI OCTOBER

The best parts are the diversity of the people I encounter on a daily basis. The worst is having to listen to stories of poor customer service.

Everybody has a story to tell about poor customer service and some of the ones I’ve heard are shockers!

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT THE SECTOR? Shopper Anonymous first launched in Australia 20 years ago and, during that time, the company has carried out over one million mystery shops, our expertise is second to none and we consistently set new standards in every business sector we trade in. Sadly some business owners seem reluctant to accept how our expertise and knowledge can

BEST THING ABOUT BEING INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL SECTOR Tourism and hospitality in Northern Ireland is growing at a rapid rate, and I love being involved on a daily basis by helping businesses get better at what they do. There is nothing more satisfying than showing a business owner how they can increase their turnover and maximise their profit in two or three easy ways. One business owner I am working with is on target to increase his turnover in two coffee shops by £118,000 over a year by adopting our customer service advice.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? I enjoy playing golf at Belvoir Park Golf Club, watching rugby both at Kingspan Stadium and at my club Randalstown. I also try to go on a cruise every year; it’s a bit like a busman’s holiday.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW I was once on a bus journey in England with four other people, one of whom was Morgan Freeman. twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

socialscene

TITANIC HOTEL BELFAST SETS SAIL FOR MAIDEN VOYAGE Karen McGarvey (Belfast Telegraph), Adrian McNally (Titanic Hotel GM), Pamela Ballantine and Mark Fullerton (Belfast Telegraph).

B

elfast’s newest luxury hotel, Titanic Hotel Belfast, opened its doors to the public on September 10.

After almost two years of restoration, construction and preservation of the former Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and Headquarters, the £28m, 119-room hotel is ready to show the world the amazing history behind Queen’s Island and the shipbuilding industry in Northern Ireland.

Ahead of the September 10 opening, a media launch was held.

Melissa Riddell and Tiffany Brien.

Natasha Agnew and Hannah McHugh.

Catriona Doherty (Northern Woman), Mark Glover (Hospitality Review NI), Alyson Magee (Hospitality Review NI) and Sarah-Ann Gamble (Ulster Business).

MUSGRAVE HOSTS RETAILERS, SUPPLIERS AND CUSTOMERS AT DOWN ROYAL

M

usgrave welcomed almost 400 retailers, suppliers and customers to Down Royal for a special National Hunt race day on September 1. “We were thrilled to once again host our Musgrave retailers, suppliers and customers at this wonderful event,” said Nigel Maxwell, SuperValu and Centra sales director. “It is always a huge success for us and this year was no different. We sponsored an all National Hunt card which attracted top jockeys and trainers so our guests enjoyed a real racing treat.”

Michael McCormick (Musgrave) and Pamela Ballantine.

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

Chanelle Conway and Pam Gourley.

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

Declan Burns and Elmer Moran (Morans Retail).

Barbara Hawkins and Tiarna McKenna (Deli Lites Ireland).

OCTOBER HRNI • 41

socialscene

SOULS RESTAURANT CELEBRATES ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY S

ouls restaurant on the Dublin Road, Belfast has celebrated its first birthday with owner Pankaj Maini treating Tandoori Monk-Meen press and VIPs to a five-course meal of Naanza bites, Rasam Soup, Pinwheel Samosa, Tandoori Monkmeen (Monkfish), Rosemary Chicken Tikka, Tabakh Maaz (Lamb rack) and Gulabjamun Cheese Cake.

Each course was paired with wine supplied by Robb Brothers Wine Merchants.

Souls specialises in modern Indian cuisine, influenced by local preferences, ingredients and healthy cooking; combining elements of European and Indian culinary traditions while preserving the authenticity of both.

Maria McCaffrey, Pankaj Maini and Pamela Ballantine.

Brian and Gladys McCalden.

Joanna Braniff and Catriona Doherty.

Cecilia Daly and Aileen Moynagh.

WEST COAST COOLER FASHIONWEEK REACHES ITS 24TH SEASON W

Laura Shield, Nicola Bryson and Joanne O’Hagan (West Coast Cooler).

42 • HRNI OCTOBER

est Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK recently held a launch event for this year’s fourday event, which will be held over October 2629 with the main runway shows taking place at a new home in St Anne’s Cathedral.

As well as the runway shows at St Anne’s, popular weekend events will also feature including Sushi Saturday at Zen, Style Sunday and a new ‘F Words’ brunch on the rooftop at Bullitt, featuring speakers including Tiffany Brien, Kim Constable, Maria Rafferty and ‘Gluten Free Fi’ talking Fashion, Fitness, Food & being Female.

Mike Todd and Molly McCluskey (Down Royal).

twitter.com: @Hosp_ReviewNI

www.hospitalityreviewni.com

AMUSEMENT & LEISURE

Classifieds

An Easy Reference to the BEST for your business CATERING EQUIPMENT

COFFEE SUPPLIERS

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NOVEMBER 2017 DEADLINE: Editorial: FRIDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER Contact: Alyson Magee T: 028 9026 4175 e: a.magee@independentmagazinesni.co.uk Advertising: FRIDAY 6TH OCTOBER Contact: Mark Glover T: 028 9026 4266 e: m.glover@independentmagazinesni.co.uk

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OCTOBER HRNI • 43

DRINK DISTRIBUTORS

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44 • HRNI OCTOBER

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OCTOBER HRNI • 45

DRINK DISTRIBUTORS

46 • HRNI OCTOBER

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ADVERTISE HERE FOR AS LITTLE AS £40 PER MONTH Contact: Mark Glover T: 028 9026 4266 e: m.glover@independentmagazinesni.co.uk

ENERGY SUPPLIERS

FOODSERVICE

HOSPITALITY SOLUTIONS DO YOU REQUIRE EXPERT HELP WITH YOUR BUSINESS? With over 25 years as an owner/operator of some of Belfast’s best known bars & hotels we assist the hospitality industry in the following areas: · New Business Start Up Guidance · Operational Support and Reviews · HR Issues · Mystery Shopper Visits · Interim Management · Distressed Business Support · Licensing & Legislation · Marketing & Outreach If your business is underperforming in any area, please give Andrew a call for more information.

CALL TODAY: +44(0)77969 57009

“Hospitality Review NI is the businessto-business trade magazine for NI.” www.hospitalityreviewni.com

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OCTOBER HRNI • 47

“Hospitality Review NI is the business-to-business trade magazine for NI.”

INDUSTRY ORGANISATIONS

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48 • HRNI OCTOBER

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OCTOBER HRNI • 49

q&a

THE LAST WORD WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? Bar back in Muriel’s Café bar.

ENTERTAINMENT

FAVOURITE TV SHOW: Sons of Anarchy FAVOURITE FILM: Pulp Fiction ALBUM CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: Foy Vance The Wild Swan FAVOURITE BAND: Pearl Jam LAST BOOK READ: American Gods by Neil Gaiman FAVOURITE CELEBRITY: Eddie Vedder

SOCIAL

FAVOURITE FOOD: Anything Mexican FAVOURITE RESTAURANT: Hadskis LAST HOTEL YOU STAYED AT: Roe Park Resort LAST BAR/NIGHTCLUB YOU VISITED: National and Sixty6 FAVOURITE PLACE IN WORLD: Boston INDOOR CONCERT OR FESTIVAL: Indoor concert LAST HOLIDAY: New York City

DRINKS

FAVOURITE HOT DRINK: Coffee FAVOURITE SOFT DRINK: Dr Pepper BEER OR CIDER: Beer WHITE OR RED WINE: Red wine WHISKEY OR BRANDY: Whiskey GIN OR VODKA: Gin COCKTAILS OR BUBBLY: Cocktails WHAT FOUR PEOPLE WOULD YOU INVITE TO A DINNER PARTY? Eddie Vedder, Connor McGregor, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ozzy Osbourne.

ONE ITEM YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT? My iPhone WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE OF YOUR LIFE? Jeffrey Dean Morgan

NAME PAUL ROCKS COMPANY LOVE AND DEATH INC JOB TITLE ASSISTANT MANGER HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN THIS ROLE? I have actually just started back at Love and Death, but five months over all.

50 • HRNI OCTOBER

“I know I was born and I know that I’ll die… the inbetween is mine.”

DESCRIBE A TYPICAL DAY? Have a coffee, set up the bar, make good drinks and have as much fun as you can. Also, you’ve got try and learn something new every day, you can’t grow without that.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL JOB? Bartending or brand ambassador FAVOURITE QUOTE? “I know I was born and I know that I’ll die… the inbetween is mine.”

INSPIRATION IN YOUR LIFE? My family.

THE MOST IMPORTANT LIFE LESSON YOU’VE LEARNT? Sometimes it’s what is right in front of you that is the most important not the people you are trying to impress.

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