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No.713 April 2015
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
foodservice
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accommodation
The great
OUTDOORS
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beverage
■
management
PLUS:
How to recruit for success
Embrace the elements with thoughtful dining spaces
GRIND IT UP
What’s your café’s point of difference?
TOOLS & TOYS
Chefs talk us through their most loved kitchen gadgets
WASTE NOT...
Why Joost Bakker shut Brothl’s doors
HO0415_000_NES_MAGG
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editor’s note
Editor: Danielle Bowling danielle.bowling@ cirrusmedia.com.au
PUBLISHER Martin Sinclair martin.sinclair@cirrusmedia.com.au MANAGING EDITOR Danielle Bowling Ph: (02) 8484 0667 danielle.bowling@cirrusmedia.com.au JOURNALISTS Aoife Boothroyd Ph: (02) 8484 0907 aoife.boothroyd@cirrusmedia.com.au
No.713 April 2015
Print Post Approved PP100007268
I
have a confession to make. I smell cookbooks. I love the fresh, glossy smell of new ones, and the earthy, dusty smell of the ones passed down a few generations. I’m not alone either; there are plenty of other kindle-rejecting, print-sniffing, nostalgia-loving cooks like me. And we’re all worried about the future. Like everyone in the print business, cookbooks have had to examine and adjust their offering to ensure survival in today’s ‘digitalfirst’ world. But you know what doesn’t help? Disclaimers like this: “Although we in good faith believe that the information provided will help you live a healthier life, relying on the information contained in this publication may not give you the results you desire or may cause negative health consequences.” I’m sure you’ve heard about the cookbook which chef Pete Evans co-authored, spruiking the paleo diet as an appropriate, if not beneficial one for infants. Pan Macmillan made the wise decision to steer clear of it after one health official claimed its release could prove fatal (the book’s bone broth formula contains 10 times the recommended daily dosage of vitamin A for babies). I have every respect for Evans as a chef and restaurateur, and I certainly don’t want to get into a war of words with paleo advocates (I’d be angry too if I didn’t eat carbs), my only request is that he doesn’t make life for cookbook publishers any harder than it already is.
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foodservice
■
accommodation
■
beverage
■
management
The great
PLUS:
How to recruit for success
OUTDOORS Embrace the elements with thoughtful dining spaces
10
GRIND IT UP
What’s your café’s point of difference?
20
TOOLS & TOYS
Chefs talk us through their most loved kitchen gadgets
WASTE NOT...
Why Joost Bakker shut Brothl’s doors
Merivale’s Coogee Pavilion Rooftop.
cover
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contents FEATURES
10 What a waste...
REGULARS
4
Joost Bakker shares the story behind Brothl’s closure.
12 The great outdoors
6
Tips for creating a memorable outdoor dining area.
16 Tools and toys What gizmos and gadgets are chefs toying with?
20 The daily grind
ADVERTISING NATIONAL Rhonnie Merry Ph: (02) 8484 0642 Fax: (02) 8484 0915 rhonnie.merry@cirrusmedia.com.au PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Mary Copland Ph: (02) 8484 0737 mary.copland@cirrusmedia.com.au
25 Ken Burgin
Openings Four new arrivals on the hospitality block.
8
Pointers for recruiting.
26 Industry Observer What does the ‘best’ mean?
27 Workplace The real cost of penalty rates.
Wine Cask wine’s comeback.
28 Shelf space The latest food service products.
24 Rant
Competing in the cafe sector.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Justine Dunn Ph: (02) 8484 0757 designer2@cirrusmedia.com.au
News Industry news; infographic; Out & About.
What picture are we painting for aspiring young chefs?
30 Diary Industry events to take note of.
SUBSCRIPTIONS Ph: 1300 360 126 ONE YEAR: $132.00 incl GST TWO YEARS: $220.00 incl GST
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PRINTED BY: Bluestar Print 83 Derby Street, Silverwater NSW 2128 P: 02 9748 3411 MATERIAL The publisher does not accept responsibility for any editorial or advertising material forwarded or held in storage nor will material be automatically returned. Whole or part of this publication cannot be reproduced without prior written approval from Hospitality’s management.
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hospitality | April 2015
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newsonline
Australia’s ‘Best’ Wagyu beef to sell for $450/kg
8 FLAVOUR TRENDS FOR 2015
Sour + Salt
Global blends on the move
The combination of coarse salt with surprising sours like pickled ginger, sour cherry, dried mango and lemon zest, resulting in a lively finishing flavour.
Umami veggies
Cookies reimagined
These include mushrooms, tomatoes, sweet potato and nori.
The steer was raised on a natural diet containing no antibiotics, genetically modified foods or growth hormone promotants. The resulting beef has a tender, buttery taste with a soft texture and is best eaten as thinly sliced carpaccio, or as a steak. “This is simply the best quality Wagyu beef Australia has ever produced,” says Anthony Puharich, owner of Victor Churchill. “In quality terms it’s comparable to Japanese A5 Wagyu - A5 being the highest grade given only to the finest beef in Japan. We will be talking about the Aizakura Wagyu bloodline for years to come.” The Wagyu will be sold through Victor Churchill for $450 per kilo from 18 March, in strictly limited supplies. “Wagyu beef of this quality is rarely seen and there is limited availability,” says Puharich. “This is a phenomenal product; luxury in its purest form. I am proud to be able to offer such a once-in-a-lifetime tasting experience.”
Out & about 4 March Just Desserts @ J The Establishment
Follow us: 4
hospitality | April 2015
Liquid revolution
Smoked spices
The use of fresh purees and juices that have been blended with bold spices and herbs.
Building on the popularity of ingredients like smoked paprika and chipotle, smoked herbs and spices are expected to grow in popularity this year.
Flavour worth the wait
Middle Eastern mezze
Slow cooked dishes including stews, soups, osso buco and tagines.
Including dips and spreads which comprise zesty herbs and seasonings.
Industry events the Hospitality team attended recently...
4 March Announcement of ‘Beta Bar’ @ Alpha
Hospitality Magazine
Classic spiced cookie flavours are taking a new form in decadent, imaginative desserts.
5 March Masterclass filming with Schibello
@Hospitalityed
11 March Merivale’s Wine Showcase
hospitalitymag
12 March Rare Cask Reserve tasting
12 March Taste of Sydney festival launch
Hospitality Magazine
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Source: McCormick
One of Australia’s finest butchers, Victor Churchill, together with Wagyu farmer David Blackmore have created what they believe to be the best Wagyu beef ever produced in Australia. Blackmore’s Wagyu beef already adorns the menus of some of the world’s finest restaurants and now Blackmore and Victor Churchill are pleased to announce the arrival of Aizakura H178, the progeny of exceptional bloodlines whose origins can be traced back to Japan’s most famous cow - Kikutsuru from the Hyogo Prefecture, home of Kobe Beef. Raised on Blackmore’s property in Alexandra, Victoria on a natural feed ration for 651 days, Blackmore says Aizakura H178 has set a new quality benchmark for beef. The carcass has achieved Australia’s highest meat and fat colour grades, is a marble score of 9+ and possesses a rib eye area 13cm² larger than what is considered exceptional in the meat industry.
Spice blends are on the rise as an easy way to incorporate global flavours into everyday cooking.
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newopenings
Subcontinental
Restaurateur Sam Christie, of Longrain and Cho Cho San fame, has revealed his latest project, Subcontinental. Located under Longrain in Sydney’s Surry Hills, Subcontinental has taken over the former site of Shortgrain – Longrain’s canteen-style sibling restaurant – and Bunker Bar to offer a modern take on Indian inspired cuisine. The menu was designed by head chef Victor Chung, a native of Kolkata, together with Christie, and features a variety of shared plates ranging between $5 and $36. Starters include lamb and potato croquettes with cucumber and tomato salsa; vegetarian samosas; and raw kingfish with ajwain, carrot and radish salad. Mains include a Bengali curry of king prawns, spinach, coconut and turmeric; and cashew nut and cardamom duck curry. A tandoor has also been installed to serve up tandoori spitchcock, lamb cutlets and naan.
Owner: Sam Christie Head chef: Victor Chung Where: 8 Hunt Street, Surry Hills, NSW Hours: Tuesday - Saturday from 12pm Web: www.subcontinental.com.au
Schibello Next Door
Schibello Caffe has launched its flagship concept store and espresso bar located next to the company’s headquarters in Rhodes, north-west Sydney. The concept store features timber panels, high ceilings, exposed brick and a touch of bold colour. The espresso bar offers two different coffee blends, handpicked from Schibello’s range of signature, boutique and single origin roasts, as well as microlot coffee. Located above the café is the Schibello training academy which was created to equip aspiring baristas with the knowledge and skills needed to perfect the art of espresso. The facility also features a roasting laboratory complete with a boutique roaster, allowing Schibello to conduct cupping sessions and experiment with small batches of new blends.
Owner: Ross Schinella & Anthony Sorbello Head barista: Beau Sorbello Where: 21 Leeds Street, Rhodes, NSW Hours: Monday - Friday 6.30am – 3.30pm Web: www.schibellocaffe.com
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Meat Fish Wine
Meat Fish Wine is a new venue from the Apples + Pears Entertainment Group located in Melbourne’s QV precinct in the heart of the city. Serving up fresh, locally grown seasonal produce, the menu is farm to table inspired and was created by head chef, Malcolm Wright, previously of St Katherine’s and Maha. Dishes include octopus carpaccio with caramelised walnuts, blue cheese, orange zest, radicchio and Pedro Ximénez vinaigrette; pressed Sher Wagyu served with parsnip puree and apple remoulade; dry aged pasture fed rib eye with anise red wine jus; and seafood cioppino. The menu is complemented by a 500-strong wine list featuring drops from Australia and around the world, with new wines featured each month.
Owner: Apples + Pears Entertainment Group Head chef: Malcolm Wright Where: 31 Artemis Lane, Melbourne, VIC Hours: Tuesday - Saturday from 12pm Web: www.meatfishwine.com
Whatever by Mahjong
Chef Max Tsang of Melbourne’s Mahjong has steered his restaurant of eight years into a new direction – a casual bar and dining venue called Whatever by Mahjong. Breaking away from Mahjong’s traditional yum cha and dumpling focus, Whatever by Mahjong features a regionally inspired menu that includes Xiao Chi (bits n pieces) available all hours at the bar, together with a main menu showcasing the various provinces of China in the casual dining area. Designer Wayne Finschi of Finschi PHD Interiors was the brainchild behind the design of the revamped St Kilda venue, which features large front windows looking out across Fitzroy Street to Albert Park as well as new street-side furniture and popart style paintings.
Owner: Max Tsang Head chef: Max Tsang Where: 165 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, VIC Hours: Daily from 12pm Web: www.mahjongrestaurant.com.au
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HO0415_000_GEO
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beverageswine
It’s what’s on
THE INSIDE that counts
There’s no denying cask wine’s gotten a bad rap over the years, but times have changed and adding it to your beverage offering could deliver some serious benefits, writes Christine Salins.
R
estaurateurs and bar owners who feel ashamed about serving cask wine can come out of the closet. Some of Australia’s leading wine companies have joined forces to sell the message that cask wine is not about price but rather about convenience and freshness. It was almost certainly no coincidence that the anniversary celebrations were held at Neilsen Park Café & Restaurant in the swanky Sydney suburb of Vaucluse. According to Paul Evans, chief executive of the Winemakers Federation of Australia, cask wine gets a bad rap from those who think it’s cheap and favoured by binge drinkers. “The facts don’t bear that out,” Evans said. “Your wealth status is no determinant of whether you’re likely to be a more or less responsible consumer.” To prove a point that the quality of cask wine has come a long way in the past five decades, guests at the anniversary celebrations were offered
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eminently drinkable wine poured from casks produced by Yalumba, De Bortoli and Accolade. Roger Maconachie, Accolade’s senior brand manager - cask, said there was good reason for venues to embrace cask wine. “Further to the format ensuring the wine stays fresher for longer, takes up less storage space, has a lower carbon footprint and is better value for money than the same wine in glass bottles, it seems our on-premise customers are seeing portion control and reduced wastage as a key benefit to their bottom line,” he said. Yalumba proprietor Robert HillSmith said that ever since Yalumba entered the cask market 30 years ago, it had “always been about convenience, varietal definition, freshness and eco kindness, and certainly not about price, poor quality and volume.” Yalumba set a new trend when it launched its premium two litre pack in 1983.
“... Bugger me, there they were, the Toorak maidens drinking Yalumba two litre casks”
Robert Hill-Smith recalled that cask wine accounted for 60 percent of the wine market in Australia in the early 1980s. Yalumba wanted a share of the market but Hill-Smith could see there was no point in trying to compete with the four- and five-litre casks that were already in the market. “It was very price competitive and it was generically labelled and branded, so we tried to find an angle into the market where we could segment it and brand the wine with varietal terminology. We did the research and it came back saying, ‘don’t do it, this is a category that can’t be segmented.’ “I remember saying to my father, ‘I know what it will cost if it fails and I think it’s affordable.’ So we went into the two litre with a glossy pack and a design done by Brian Sadgrove and I said whimsically, ‘Don’t worry dad, they’ll be drinking this in Toorak or Vaucluse.’ “We did our 12 month forecast in 10 weeks, so it worked, God bless it, and
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beverageswine
three months later I went to Topo Gigio in Toorak Road and, bugger me, there they were, the Toorak maidens drinking Yalumba two litre casks. So it belongs in the leafy suburbs,� Hill-Smith assured the Vaucluse gathering. In 2013, Hill-Smith upped the ante again when his Hill-Smith Family Vineyards produced The Winesmiths, a range of bottle-quality pinot grigio, chardonnay, tempranillo and shiraz in designer casks made from recycled materials. A sauvignon blanc was added last year. Accolade Wines set a new trend recently when it released Magnum, a 1.5 litre soft pack, the equivalent of two bottles, of vintage varietal wine from premier Australian and New Zealand regions. The 13 wines represent some of the company’s strongest brands, including Hardys, Houghton, South Island, Goundrey, Ta_Ku, Riddoch, Brookland Valley, Waipara Hills, Cat Amongst the Pigeons and Monkey Bay. It is the same wine that goes into bottle. Scott Bell, Accolade’s general manager - cask, said the Magnum packs allowed a single glass to be poured without compromising on quality or dealing with wastage. “It’s shelf efficient so it works from a trade perspective. It fits well in a fridge and a cup-
2.
1. The Winesmiths range 2. Robert Hill-Smith
1.
board, it’s perfect for those occasions where you just want one glass of great wine, and it stays fresh for weeks not days,� Bell said. Roger Maconachie said that while Magnum had been developed primarily for people to consume at home, an increasing number of restaurants, clubs and hotels were listing it for wines by the glass and, in many cases, Wine of the Month promotions. Scholle Packaging’s Richard Barrett said a “genuine stratification� was taking place in the cask wine market. “We’re not seeing it all just as cask wine anymore, but as with bottled wine, we’re seeing there are different levels (of cask wine) with something for everybody.�
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insideword
WHAT A WASTE…
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After a long running dispute with council, Joost Bakker has shut the doors to Melbourne’s first waste-free café, Brothl. Danielle Bowling reports.
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F
or the first time in many years, sustainability advocate, designer, artist and (now ex) restaurateur Joost Bakker has no food service businesses to his name. He sold his stake in Perth’s Greenhouse restaurant last year, and in early March closed what was perhaps his biggest achievement to date – Brothl, a waste-free café serving soup made from byproducts of other food service businesses in Melbourne, including unused meat and seafood bones. Located on Hardware Street, the site was originally operating as Silo, a café with a sustainability focus, but rebranded to Brothl in July 2014 when Bakker was ready for the business to go completely waste-free. All he needed was a permit from the City of Melbourne. “They were really enthusiastic and supportive of the idea, and I told them that I would need to place a machine in the laneway that would allow us to get rid of our organic waste. That, at the time, didn’t seem to be too much of a problem, so we started the process of applying for a permit to put this cage (that housed the composter) in the laneway,” Bakker told Hospitality. It didn’t take long for council to realise that no such permit existed, but it assured Bakker that one would be developed in a matter of weeks. In the meantime, Bakker opened Brothl, gaining permission from the building’s body corporate to house the machine at the back of a common area. After all, it would only be for a few weeks…. “A year went by and we still didn’t have a permit. The residents were complaining that this machine was taking up space, so after 12 months I decided to pull it out and put it in the laneway without a permit, and hopefully deal with the consequences,” Bakker says. It took another 12 months before Bakker and Melbourne City Council were even close to developing an appropriate permit, but in the end, Bakker couldn’t put pen to paper. “First of all, it was a $12,500 one-off fee to put this cage in the laneway, which I refused to pay. I said ‘It’s crazy. You’ve had no bin pickups from me at all. There’s no incentive here.’ All this time I’m thinking of the big picture. I’m thinking about other hospitality operators that will want to do this. “Then in the contract it stated that
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
I had to assume liability for the costs incurred in relation to the cage, both from the council and for myself. So my lawyer said I just couldn’t sign it because basically I had no idea what I was up for.” Brothl’s last service was on Saturday 7 March, and Bakker is hoping the publicity that its closure has generated will encourage the council to update its systems and by doing so, incentivise other businesses to minimise their environmental impact. “What I’m hoping is that the council realises it could have made life a little easier … so that’s my goal. They never expected us to close Brothl because whenever they inspected it we were busy. There’s no doubt that the mayor and the people at the top really supported me and the idea, but they didn’t empower the people that I was dealing with to make fundamental changes. It needs new legislation and a new way of looking at these things; this is 100 year old law that we’re trying to work with. Why don’t we change the law? “If you called the council today and said ‘I’ve got a café in Flinders Lane and I’d like to put a composter in’, firstly the person on the phone wouldn’t know what you’re talking about and they wouldn’t know who to connect you to. There are 100-odd (composter) machines all around Melbourne now, it’s really taken off in (the past) three years. The council really needs to get its shit together and make it easier for people.” Despite his frustrations, Bakker says that overall, he and the council have had an great working relationship, and he’ll remember Brothl’s short but sweet run fondly. “It was busy, it was popular, it sent great vibes, but I’ve got lots of other projects going on and I just feel that it’s time for me to move on. I’ve achieved what I wanted to achieve with that idea and proved that you can operate a business from waste. I was really proud of Silo but I was even more proud of Brothl, when we actually started making food from other people’s waste. That was when I got really excited by what we were doing.” Apart from one big project which he remains tight-lipped about, Bakker plans to spend his time as an ex-restaurateur on his farm, and refamiliarising himself with his past as a sculptor.
Joost Bakker
The council’s response... The City of Melbourne is committed to sustainability, in particular relating to the food industry. Council’s food policy also aims to promote a food system that is secure, healthy and sustainable. The City of Melbourne has worked for some years with the operators of this particular restaurant to facilitate the installation of a dehydrator located on a council laneway adjacent to the restaurant. This was necessary because it could not be accommodated within the property. A planning permit was issued for the dehydrator which included a condition requiring an agreement covering the occupation of the lane and ensuring that the restaurant was responsible for any liabilities that might arise from its operation. Two years later, that condition has still not been complied with. If there has been an eviction notice issued, as claimed in the media, it has not come from council. As an example of our commitment to sustainability in the food industry, in 2013 the City of Melbourne installed a recycling facility in Degraves Street which is turning tonnes of organic food waste into compost-like soil conditioner. On a smaller scale, council has also started working with local businesses on the installation of worm bins for the composting of food waste from restaurants.
He’ll also be working with Alan Joyce and the Qantas team as they move towards making their domestic and business lounges in Sydney waste-free. “We’re starting with the Sydney lounge. We want to make it zero waste, which I’m so bloody excited about. It’s been many years in the making. “I’m also off to New York soon. I
got invited by Dan Barber – he’s setting up a pop-up restaurant called Wasted. That’s really exciting because some of the ideas have been inspired by the work that we’ve done here, so he wanted to do a night as a sort of tribute to that. Everything on the menu is about waste and about turning what we currently waste into food. So I’m super excited.”
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restaurantdesign
The great
OUTDOORS From rooftops to pop-ups, thoughtful outdoor dining areas require restaurateurs to venture outside the box, writes Aoife Boothroyd.
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hospitality | April 2015
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
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restaurantdesign
O
ne of the greatest perks of living in Australia is the sunshine that we’re so regularly blessed with. Sure, we have our rainy and windy spells from time to time, but all in all, we’ve got it pretty good. It only makes sense, therefore, that restaurateurs want to capitalise on our temperate climate by creating thoughtful outdoor dining spaces where customers can truly connect with their surroundings. While al fresco dining is nothing new to the Australian restaurant scene, inspired outdoor dining spaces that have been created with the consumer in mind are harder to deliver than one might think. But it’s well worth the thought and effort, especially if you want to encourage diners to order that second or third course, and that additional bottle of wine. “Fundamentally, it comes down to the fact that we all want to be in beautiful, comfortable spaces,” says Rod Faucheux, director of Sydney-based design firm Loopcreative which has worked on Sydney restaurants including Opera Kitchen, Foveaux St Dining and China Lane. “We want the lighting levels to be terrific; we want the hoteliers or proprietors to give us blankets if it gets cold, and we also want flexibility in the design. We want the area to be shut down if it gets freezing cold and windy, and we want it open as wide as possible when the weather is beautiful and sunny.” Faucheux says that a number of recent council initiatives in certain parts of Sydney have given rise to streetscape dining. This has served as great news for café and restaurant owners that are looking to offer patrons something different, however not every operator has given a great deal of thought to the aesthetics of their design. “In terms of details and decorations I think that there are a lot of people copying each other. I think it would be nice to see a bit for individuality out there,” says Faucheux. “We are all tired of sitting on fake Tolix chairs, aren’t we? I always encourage our clients to spend money to get bums on seats but you know, a $75 fake Tolix chair doesn’t do it. If you give people something interesting to sit on, then they will stay longer, and eat and drink more.” In addition to comfortable and inviting furnishings, Faucheux says
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
Coogee Pavilion
Top tips for outdoor design Rod Faucheux: “I think we are seeing too many branded coffee umbrellas, balustrades and things like that. It would be nice if the individual tenants and operators were doing more of their own thing rather than just taking the free stuff.” Susan Standring: “Some operators choose metal tabletops that are so hot to touch that you can’t lean on them without scolding yourself. It’s really easy to just get caught up in the design and not think about the end user practicalities. “Seating as well. It depends on the type of dining or menu service that you provide. It’s whether or not people can come in, eat and leave, or eat and linger.”
that operators need to invest in a design that adapts to changes in the weather, as well as the transition from day to night. “I think venue operators really need to understand the change from day to night and really have a good handle on how the seasonal aspects can alter the business. Therein lies the issue with outdoor dining because the areas still need to function when it’s raining and when it’s a bit windy, and the design needs to be smart enough to allow for that change.”
Eccentric designs that create memorable spaces Kelvin Ho, founder of Sydney design practice Akin Creative was a leading force behind the recently re-vamped Merivale venue, Coogee Pavilion and its Coogee Pavilion Rooftop. With a design that looks as if it was conceived by an eccentric botanist,
Kelvin Ho: “To make an outdoor space perfect, you need to have a lot of variation. Like any design project, you need to have a very thoughtful palette of colours and materials that work in a harmonious way. I also think that scale is really important – that’s a major thing for outdoor spaces as there is a real risk of everything feeling very monotone.” David Evans: “I think where a lot of people go wrong is that they use lightweight furniture, and that’s often because they have to move it inside and outside on a daily basis, so it’s lightweight and flimsy and often it’s unstable. There’s nothing worse than sitting on a table or chair that’s wobbly.”
the Coogee Pavilion Rooftop is a truly unique space. Unusual artworks adorn the central dome of the venue while mismatched antique furniture and a wide selection of plants break up the rather large space into intimate dining and drinking areas for guests – reminiscent of a winter garden. “We know that people like to feel really connected to a space and when you have a lot of loose furniture, it can feel very temporary and flexible,
making it hard to create a really intimate experience,” says Ho. “So what we kind of did, was go, ‘right, we have this really open space, how can we anchor the furniture down in a more permanent way so that it feels a little bit more intentional?’ So we built a series of plinths of varying heights that were all tied and beautifully detailed so they created this sort of element that you’d find in a plaza or courtyard. It was really about breaking such a large outdoor
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restaurantdesign
Coogee Pavilion Rooftop
Smoking and outdoor dining In light of new regulations in NSW and Queensland restricting smoking in outdoor dining areas, we asked some industry professionals for their views on how hospitality venues will be affected, and whether the needs of smokers are considered in the design process. Rod Faucheux: “I think the cafes and pubs may potentially struggle. People who come out of their offices for a coffee and a cigarette will have to move on, so I think the cafes may struggle to keep bums on seats.” Kelvin Ho: “To be honest it hasn’t really been considered in our design briefs… In the types of venues that we’re working on, there’s such an emphasis on really great food, really great drinks and all that sort of stuff. Smoking just has to be something that you take offline and do somewhere else.” Susan Standring: “I think this is really interesting because for a person that’s looking for a property or a space, it’s about being able to provide that diversity so you can have people that can eat without the smell of smoke, but it’s also about having [smokers] that can be in the same establishment and be able to drink and still feel part of the scene. From a planning and interior design perspective, we absolutely have to be cognisant of it.” David Evans: “As much as we could have had people sitting around and smoking in our outdoor area at Hugo’s Manly over the years, we’ve sort of never allowed it. Outdoor dining and cigarettes just don’t mix because you’ve got the influence of the elements. The sooner the legislation comes in that you can’t smoke in an outdoor dining space, the better in my opinion.”
The Immersery
The Immersery
but be 30 to 40 degrees, then the next day it’s freezing with a massive southerly coming through wanting to blow everything over. Everything rusts as well, so outdoor design is really about convincing clients to spend a bit more money to get better fabrics, to use stainless steel instead of galvanised steel... little decisions that cost a bit more in the short term, but have much more longevity. I think that’s really important.”
Seaside scenery
space into more intimate moments.” Keeping with the winter garden theme, Ho says that the external plantings played a key role in the design, adding that the team employed landscape architect Daniel Basky to help execute the brief. “Having Daniel involved in the whole concept of the winter garden from day one was great. He was really thoughtful about the species of plants, the trees and the pots and all that sort of stuff, so it was all integrated from day one, and it didn’t feel
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like an afterthought.” With a beachside location in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Ho says that Coogee Pavilion needed to cater for all weather conditions, and as such, all of the materials used were very carefully chosen. “In Australia, the climate is just so unforgiving, so the type of paint, furniture, fabric, materials, the weight of fabrics and the weight of furniture all need to be considered. Coogee is an amazing place, on any given day there could be no wind,
Located right on the Manly pier in Sydney’s northern beaches, Hugo’s Manly recently opened the latest addition to its sun-soaked venue, Hugo’s Manly Deck. Designed by Vince Squillace, the deck itself was an existing structure attached to the main venue which had remained unused until the venue’s owners decided to capitalise on the dormant space. Naturally shaped in a triangle, Hugo’s co-owner, David Evans says that the shape was somewhat reminiscent of a boat – inspiring the deck’s luxury yacht theme. In tune with the marine theme, slatted timber tables, banket seating
and ottomans made from heavy timber and white leather adorn the deck. Evans says that all of the furniture was custom-made to not only withstand the elements, but also to create a relaxed and comfortable area for customers to dine in. “The furniture is made with heavy timber and leather and it’s durable. It’s not the cheapest furniture around but it’s definitely the strongest, and it gives you longevity. It’s also original, so nobody else has it. I think where a lot of people go wrong is that they use lightweight furniture – often because they have to move it inside and outside on a daily basis, but lightweight furniture is flimsy and often unstable. There’s nothing worse than sitting on a table or chair that’s wobbly.” The main Hugo’s building also enjoys its fair share of sunshine, which is ideal for warm summer days but like any venue that embraces the outdoors, it has to function effectively when adverse weather hits. The building features two types of blinds that can be dropped down around the perimeter of the building: one made of dark brown shade cloth that Evans
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restaurantdesign
says knocks out about 90 percent of the wind and sun’s rays; and the second is a clear layer of plastic that’s pulled tightly to look like glass and used when the weather turns particularly cold and windy. “Blinds can be a tricky one, but we’ve managed to incorporate them into the overall design so they don’t look cheap and nasty like clear plastic blinds sometimes can.”
Thoughtful pop-ups Susan Standring, principal at international design practice, Hassell, agrees that air temperature, wind, lighting and sound all need to be considered when it comes to designing outdoor dining spaces. Standring says that there are a number of tricks of the trade that she employs to create comfortable and memorable outdoor dining experiences. These range from audio visual elements that help to tell a story, to using water features that drown out traffic and create a sense of coolness when it’s humid and warm. Some of the rooftop projects that Standring has been involved in – par-
Hugo’s Manly Deck
ticularly in Asian countries such as Singapore and Thailand – have utilised water vapour as a cooling mechanism. Water was also incorporated into a pop-up outdoor dining venue that Hassell was commissioned to create as part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014, called The Immersery. “For The Immersery, we created different environments associated with water it its various states. We
had a barge mounted on the Yarra River which was an abstract vision of what it would be like on an iceberg floating on the water. Under the Sandridge Bridge, it was more about the liquid state because people could sit by the river, then upstairs we had this structure on the old Sandridge Bridge which featured a whole series of pipes that we had water vapour come out of at certain times, along with music that we
compiled specifically for it.” Of course pop-ups don’t need to be as extravagant as The Immersery. Standring says that in 2013, her team designed a grungy pop-up for the Food and Wine Festival that utilised its surroundings to create an unpretentious, cost effective dining space. “The Urban Coffee Farm was located on the site directly opposite The Immersery. There was a structure in place which was similar to a big set of stairs in what was quite an isolated and barren area. We completely covered the structure with the simple, cost effective method of using timber crates to create tables, benches and even serving areas. So that was quite successful and very different. “It’s all about being conscious of the environment,” says Standring. “I think it’s about touching the land lightly, but it’s also about intrigue and adventure. There is so much visual stimulation these days that when you go to a restaurant, or you go to a pop-up, you know the quality of the food, but the environment is ever-changing. It adds that extra dimension to the diners’ experience.”
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different cultural groups. Foodservice Industry Australia (FIA) hosts awards for food products that have launched in the past financial year, with innovation a key consideration in the judging process. Please contact the FIA if you’re interested in participating in a workshop or the awards program. FIA will be hosting a special presentation for members and guests at the Mondelez Food Innovation Centre on Tuesday 28 April from 1pm until 4pm. Bookings: info@foodserviceindustry.com.au or on 0414 367 888.
hospitality | April 2015
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kitchenequipment
Gastronomy’s catering team at work
Tools& toys
Sure, they may not be essential tools of the trade, but they make a chef’s life a hell of a lot easier, and a lot more fun. Four chefs talk about the recent additions to their kitchen arsenal.
A
sk a chef what their most prized possession is and they’d probably say it’s their knives. A humble response, of course, and one that reiterates that it’s the chef, not the equipment that creates a standout dish. Having said that, chefs – just like any other tradesmen – love their gadgets. There’s no shortage of new products hitting today’s commercial kitchens, offering to reduce labour costs and improve efficiencies. We asked four chefs to run through the
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appliances that they’re toying with at the moment.
Sarah Jewell, executive chef, ARIA Catering 1. Describe your kitchen operation. Our catering operation is a little different to that of a restaurant kitchen; we have a team of 10 full time staff and over 30 casual staff who help us get through the busier periods. We do a variety of different style events, catering for anything between 20 and 2,000 guests and we can do
multiple events in the one day or at the same time. The largest event we cater for is New Year’s Eve at the Sydney Opera House where we feed over 6,000 people. 2. Which kitchen appliance are you toying with at the moment? The Thermomix 3. How does it work? It’s a blender with a heating element that goes up to 100 degrees. 4. What do you enjoy most about it? Kitchen efficiency is very important. The Thermomix helps to reduce prep-
aration time and it allows us to make a variety of dishes a lot quicker than if we were using conventional kitchen items. My favourite item to make with it is a burnt orange brulee. The Thermomix isn’t cheap however the time it saves us is phenomenal. We are finding that it is reducing kitchen labour costs and food wastage. 5. How could it be improved? Certain parts on the jug can be easily broken as they are plastic and when using it in a commercial kitchen, it tends to break quite easily. If these
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kitchenequipment
Bo Sorensen
hospitalitysection
Innovation is about the ability to recognise that nothing is impossible or cannot be improved upon. Woodson is Australia’s original countertop equipment business, founded in 1954. It is renowned for its performance, reliability and back-up service. Today, Woodson is just one of many leading brands brought to market by Stoddart and is manufactured locally in Australia.
parts were made out of metal they would be much stronger. 6. What other gizmos and gadgets are making an impact in your kitchen at the moment? The Vitamix blender. It’s not as powerful as the Thermomix blender however it still works effectively and is amazing for purees.
Bo Sorensen, head chef, Shangri-La Sydney 1. Describe your kitchen operation. At the Shangri-La Hotel we are blessed and very fortunate to have some of Australia’s most talented chefs. We’re split across four kitchens: pastry, banquets, café mix/IRD and Altitude. The team is made up of 52 full time chefs and casuals, and we average about 1,000 covers a day, depending on what catering is required. 2. Which kitchen appliance are you toying with at the moment? The “Aussie Smoke Bloke”. It’s a cold
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
smoker made by a passionate foodie and cook who needed a simple and quick way to cold smoke food products. 3. How does it work? It smokes in minutes rather than hours, so for chefs it’s an efficient and effective way to cold smoke. I use an old yogurt container but you can use anything that will hold air. I then insert the smoke outlet tube into the desired vessel, light the wood chips with a blow torch and start smoking. It can produce up to 500 litres of cold smoke an hour and has saved me precious time in my kitchens. 4. What do you enjoy most about it? No skills are required; it’s simple to use, flexible in that you can turn anything that will contain air into a Cold Smoker box. I use it for making our smoked Schwan salt for our Numbing Wings or our most recent special in the lobby, where we cold smoke Boer goat and Australian brie for our housemade arancini.
1300 791 954 www.stoddart.com.au Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
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hospitalitysection
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RETHE RM, HOT HOLD, TRANS PORT ScanBox Food transport carts ScanBox is a quality food transporting product from Sweden that can hold hot and cold food in the one footprint. ScanBox has the flexibility of custom designing the transporting cart to suit the users’ needs. Thermodyne Heat transferring Thermodyne is a heat transferring cabinet from the USA that has a unique patent heat transferring technology. Its delicate conduction heating technology allows the user to slow cook, sous vide and hold from as low as 55°C up to 90°C. JEROS
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5. How could it be improved? An endless supply of free wood chips! 6. What other gizmos and gadgets are making an impact in your kitchen at the moment? The Excalibur 9 tray, which makes dehydrated food fast and efficiently. It has a 600 watt heating system that dehydrates food faster and thoroughly to ensure food dehydrates evenly and within a short period of time. I love asking my vegetable suppliers for extra ripe fruit and dehydrating them, concentrating their flavours and making new exciting elements for my dishes.
Julien Pouteau, executive chef, InterContinental Sydney Double Bay 1. Describe your kitchen operation. Our kitchen caters for a number of outlets throughout the hotel, including Stockroom restaurant, Stillery gin bar, Rooftop Pool and Lounge, in-room dining for our 140 guest rooms, and banqueting for our meeting and events spaces, including our Grand Ballroom for up to 500 people. We have a team of more than 20 chefs and eight stewards. 2. Which kitchen appliance are you toying with at the moment? A new kitchen appliance I really love is our old fashioned meat slicer – a Noaw Heritage Flywheel Slicer. We sourced it
through Bunzl Australasia. 3. How does it work? I am using the heritage-style slicer for display and also to create theatre and interaction in Stockroom and Stillery, slicing up amazing artisan cold cuts in front of our customers, for instance. 4. What do you enjoy most about it? I love the interaction we can achieve with our customers by using the slicer. It is an open door to the kitchen, enabling our chefs to bring the kitchen activity to the customer, along with the product knowledge. 5. What other gizmos and gadgets are making an impact in your kitchen at the moment? We are creating some delicious, really fruity and fresh ice creams with our soft serve ice cream machine. We are also using a Fimar pasta machine to make fresh pasta, including fusilli, penne, linguini and cannelloni. A must-have in any kitchen is a Thermomix, which we use to improve quality and efficiency.
Gastronomy’s executive chef, Cyril Miletto 1. Describe your kitchen operation. Gastronomy runs several commercial catering kitchens. The largest kitchen at the head office in Alexandria has 19 staff between three sections: hot kitchen, cold larder and pastry.
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kitchenequipment
An average service is between 250 and 500 covers, 10 times a week. 2. Which new kitchen appliance are you toying with at the moment? That would be the KitchenAid and the Bamix hand blender. Everything else I do involves a chopping board, whisk, knife and some knife skill action. 3. How does it work? Funny you should ask. Part of my creative process is that I am in touch with the ingredients. Quite often I will whisk a small batter mix using a hand whisk rather than using a gadget as I get great pleasure from that moment. But the KitchenAid makes such a difference when I have more tasks than moments. The Bamix’s ability to whip very small amounts very fast also helps in cooling hot sauces or incorporating air, both of which would be time consuming if done by hand. Because the Bamix whisks and chops, it saves me having to strain coulis as the whole thing is smoothed into a single texture. 4. What do you enjoy most about it? The little hand blender is a perfect tool for last minute emulsions, dressings and vinaigrettes. Quite often I will just
ture which was important but the little hand blender whisks air into the sauce and gives me a beautiful creamy texture. This was also useful for a chickpea puree we made. As the entire meal was vegetarian, onion- and garlic-free, it was important to create textures and colours that were alive and inviting.
M
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pack up all the vinaigrette ingredients and emulsify them as I need them. Two weeks ago we had a 400 person dinner that included a bright green spinach and poppy seed sauce on the main course. I had prepped it earlier using a Kenwood Smoothie Pro liquidiser. This smoothed out the spinach tex-
I have also been using the KitchenAid for small batches of baked products. For example a single loaf of bread. I find I can use the dough hook from the KitchenAid and walk away for several minutes and come back. This saves me time kneading. Also, everyone can use it as not all the staff know how to knead yeast dough. 5. How could it be improved? To be honest any improvement to either of these would be if they could wash themselves. Both are so perfect for these smaller scale preparations. 6. Where did you source it? Both of these came from Southern Hospitality in Sydney. 7. What other gizmos and gadgets are making an impact in your kitchen at the moment? I spoke about the liquidiser earlier and its ability to create soft creamy textures from vegetables and nondairy ingredients. The only other gadget I use a lot is a Sunbeam coffee grinder – just a little domestic one. I find this very useful for grinding small amounts of spices and it saves me time when compared to using the mortar and pestle.
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hospitality | April 2015
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coffee&cafés
The coffee industry in Australia is expected to see good growth in the coming years, and it’ll be the operators with business nous and a clear point of difference that make the most of it. By Danielle Bowling.
“T
oday, coffee is considered an affordable indulgence that does not have a devastating effect on consumers’ discretionary spending. The inexpensive nature of industry products has entrenched their consumption into the daily routines of consumers.” IBISWorld’s Coffee Shops in Australia industry report, August 2014, provides a snapshot of the country’s highly competitive café scene, shedding light on consumer trends and the sector’s projected growth: an annualised 4.3 percent over the five years through to 2019-20, to total $2.8 billion. The report notes that Australians are moving towards independent, boutique cafes and coffee shops (and away
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from the large, multi-national franchise chains). While this is a win for the little guy, the growing number of small businesses in the industry means operators are constantly battling to find – and perhaps more importantly, hold on to – Australia’s increasingly educated coffee consumers.
A crowded market “Competition pressures in the coffee shops industry have been steadily rising over the past five years, as more coffee makers have entered the industry.” Brisbane’s Gramercy Coffee opened about two years ago and while the foot traffic associated with being just off one of the city’s main streets is an obvious benefit, general manager
Nick Simonyi says there’s nothing more effective than word of mouth when it comes to getting the edge on your competitors. “Word of mouth has played a really big part for us in building our customer base,” he told Hospitality. “When Gramercy opened there was practically nowhere in the city that was great for coffee. There were some places on the fringe of the CBD but it was all Coffee Clubs and Gloria Jeans and those kinds of places. There were no real boutique coffee offerings around the CBD. Since then, a number of places have sprung up … it’s become a lot more competitive in the past year or so.” Ensuring your coffee is worth a return trip is therefore essential.
“Obviously the more competition there is the more difficult it is to reach people, but it’s made us try and diversify what we’re doing ... We’re always trying to improve our offering and come up with new products.” An example is Gramercy’s almond milk, made on-site four times a week. “We used to serve soy but the coffee [we serve] is really lightly roasted so the soy would curdle. We made a bunch of different recipes for almond milk and found one that worked really well with the coffee. It just means that we have control over the product we’re serving,” Simonyi says. Charles Cameron, founder of Brewtown Newtown in Sydney’s inner west agrees that competition can be both a blessing and a curse.
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Credit: IBISWorld
coffee&cafés
COFFEE SHOPS IN AUSTRALIA People living in Melbourne are expected to spend ffee more on coffee than those in any other state.
Greetings
from
NE R U OEE CAPITAL B EL COFF M
Br Brewtown Newtown in Sy Sydney’s inner west
Fair tr ade an organ d ic bea ns are beco m popula ing more r an premiu d support m pric ing
“There’s heaps of coffee in Newtown and in some ways that really fosters a kind of competiveness which we like because people that aren’t from the area definitely know that places like Newtown are destinations for good coffee and a great café experience. So in some ways that works to our advantage but then in other ways you’re coming into a market that’s really established.”
Costs on the rise “The coffee shops industry exhibits healthy profit margins as a result of high turnover and relatively low input costs. However, industry profit margins have trended downwards over
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the past five years as cost pressures have intensified.” Cameron says that because Australia has a growing population of educated coffee drinkers, operators are expected to invest in quality products and equipment. “Good quality coffee is going to cost you a bit of money at every stage, from the raw products to buying it from a wholesaler. So if you’re selling coffee only, you’ve got to sell a lot of it.” He details what he considers to be a sensible cost structure for a café in Sydney these days: 35 percent on staff, 35 percent on cost of goods, 10 percent on rent and the rest is other expenses like electricity, and profits.
Customers can enjoy tailored cofee at Haven cafe.
Cameron is adamant that before investing, operators should have a strong understanding of the industry and its harsh realities. “If you come into this industry with romantic notions of what it’s like then it’s very hard because you really don’t know what you’re dealing with. I think if you’ve worked for other people; if you’ve managed coffee shops for other people – when it’s not your money – and you formulate some good ideas of your own, then it can work for you.
But you’ve got to have the right site, the right landlord. You’ve got to go into the right area where you know there are people not only on the weekend but from Monday to Friday too.” Cameron says his staff are the biggest expense at Brewtown Newtown, and Roy Yu, operations director at Haven café in Sydney says another big outlay is equipment. “The biggest cost is the coffee equipment, and then second would be the kitchen equipment because our
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coffee&cafés
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Gluten Free Butter Shortbread Shell 75mm menu isn’t really an easy sandwichtype menu; it’s really good for dining and enjoying your time here. So we have a full kitchen with ovens and salamanders and things like that. “The cost of coffee beans and milk is very acceptable. It’s not really a big cost to the daily operation. It’s staff, equipment and maintenance,” he says. Every operator knows that keeping costs down is one way to improve profitability, and of course the other half of the equation is boosting sales. At Gramercy, Nick Simonyi has been steering customers towards filter coffee, not just because it’s a great product, but because it allows him serve greater volumes of people. “We’ve been focusing on promoting batch brew coffee. So we initially started making one litre a day and we wouldn’t sell out of that, but now we’re selling six or seven litres a day ... It sits ready on the bench and as soon as somebody orders it the waiter can fill up their cup and off they go.”
Making your mark “Smaller coffee houses have benefited greatly from increasing industry demand, with independent coffee
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
shops with niche products outshining less popular coffee chains.” Consumers don’t just want a great tasting coffee – they want a memorable experience. Haven café has a very clear point of difference. While plenty of other cafes in Sydney offer great, affordable coffee that’s served with a smile, they can’t all tailor their brews according to individual customers’ palates. “We are here to provide a different coffee experience for Sydneysiders. That’s why we do coffee tailoring. Apart from requesting a latte that’s extra hot or skinny, we can actually adjust things like the temperature and the coffee grind size. We can make a difference to its acidity, sweetness and also the body of the coffee,” Yu says. “We have a lot of customers that just want a normal latte and things like that, but we’re educating them and telling them that they have this freedom … and we’re getting more and more customers coming back and asking for a latte with a stronger body, and things like that.” While coffee is also the name of the game at Brewtown Newtown,
Cameron says he’s making the most of the size of the café (over 300 square metres split over two levels) by also offering an extensive food menu. “Food is made here, the pastries are baked on-site, the coffee is roasted on-site … The convenience of having it all under one roof is sometimes hard [for competitors] to fight against.” Cameron says Brewtown Newtown’s point of difference is simple: give customers great coffee and food, and be as transparent as possible. “What we’re trying to do is offer people coffee in a variety of different formats: espresso-based, hot filter, and cold brew. You can get it all here. And on all our packaging we tell everyone the exact components of our blends. We’re trying to be as transparent as possible and know as much as possible about the coffees we’ve sourced and where they’re from. “There’s something to be said for selecting coffee from all over the world, but like a sommelier, it’s not necessarily about offering the widest range of coffee, it’s about the way you curate your selection of coffees and where they’re sourced from. That’s what can sometimes be special.”
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managementcomment
Where are tomorrow’s chefs? Glamorous cookbooks and glitzy reality shows are giving young chefs an unrealistic view of the food service industry, writes Tony Berry.
I
t’s an old and well-established fact that the majority of cookbooks are used more for decoration than for the recipes they contain. They are displayed on bench tops and shelves but their pages remain untouched by human hand. Those who spend their lives researching such arcane issues assure us that the average cookbook is glanced at four or five times soon after purchase and thereafter remains mostly unused. Its purpose after that initial perusal is more for décor than instruction. Like a trout lured by a skilfully dangled fly, we fall for the artfully lit and composed pictures within. They bedazzle and tempt. At times they even inspire to the extent that just for once, we’re motivated to essay something beyond our normal repertoire. This may result in a rip-roaring success or a total culinary disaster. Regardless of the result, it’s an oddson bet that the enthusiasm will fade and we will soon revert to our tried and true favourites backed up by ready meals and takeaways. According to those same researchers, the average home cook has a stock list of little more than five or six main course recipes which are on permanent replay, served up as frequently as a Piaf song in a “French” restaurant. Add to this the non-stop trend to view takeaway meals (“What’ll it be tonight, kids? Pizza, Chinese, Indian or fish ‘n’ chips?”) as some sort of special treat, and the lack of involvement by children in helping with the family meal, and there are serious doubts about where the next generation of cooks and chefs are coming from. It’s all very well for ex-pat Aussie chef John Torode (the Gary Mehigan of MasterChef UK) to categorise a chef’s job as no more stressful than that of numerous other trades, but it’s one that requires rather more dedication and creativity than, for example, a bus driver. To some extent chefs are born, not made – they are driven and inspired from an early age. They are fostered
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Tony Berry
and taught at their mother’s stove. But the modern family is far less of a unit than it once was, divided into separate components by changing lifestyles. Cooking the evening meal so often entails putting a few prepared ingredients into a microwave, removing the lid from a foil container or arranging home delivery from the local pizza place. They don’t even eat together – each in their own electronically governed world of television, tablets, phone, X-box or other devices that serve to isolate and divide. There is no room here for nurturing a love of food in all its many guises. No room for seeing how food is prepared. No room for the handson involvement – stirring the cake mixture, chopping onions, peeling a spud, making a sauce – that so many of today’s leading chefs record as the impetus that launched their careers. The nearest most youngsters get
to food preparation is watching the endless plethora of food-based shows that flood our televisions – the majority of them created as light entertainment rather than educational. Such shows are personality-based; it is the people doing the cooking who get the limelight, not the ingredients or the techniques needed to handle and prepare them. The three or more hours needed to prepare and cook a main course passes in a few minutes of banter, grimaces and shots whisking, stirring, cutting and chopping with little explanatory commentary. Gourmet delights the TV way are produced in less time than it takes to microwave a ready meal. Not only does this do little to inspire possible future chefs but it creates a misleading impression of the artistry, skill and precision required. But as home cooking and the
knowledge that goes with it rapidly diminish, our use of professional kitchens is increasing. This is not simply a matter of dining-out more often, but of relying on the trade to keep us fed and nurtured from breakfast to bedtime. To meet this demand, ever more outlets are opening. And they are getting bigger, catering for more and more punters. This means an expanding workforce. But where are the people to fill the vacancies? Front of house may be less of a problem as automation takes over – including the use of drones to deliver from kitchen to table. A friendly face and people skills will be the main requirements and, despite the naysayers, there are many willing to work anti-social hours – providing you pay them what they’re due. But in the kitchen it will be a different story. Numerous skills have to be learnt; techniques studied and understood. It needs passion way beyond merely wanting a job. And that passion would ideally have been nurtured and encouraged from very early on. The industry needs to resist the misleading flummery and frippery that constitute television’s view of food service and the “celebrity” chefs who make it happen. Food service is not light entertainment of fast forward action and one that was prepared earlier. It’s a serious business and faces a serious problem if it fails to foster grass roots, cooking-with-mum interest in the trade. Perhaps it needs a real reality show.
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
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managementcomment
Success in STAFF RECRUITMENT Hiring for attitude, not just skill, is a key ingredient in creating an efficient restaurant team, writes Ken Burgin.
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t’s a constant frustration for restaurant and bar operators – plenty of people are looking for service jobs, but most who apply don’t have the right skills, attitude or knowledge for the role. I recently spoke about recruitment with retail consultant Roger Simpson – one of his long-term clients is the famous Beechworth Bakery in Victoria, a business that’s transformed an entire rural town and the face of modern bakeries in Australia. He divides recruitment into a number of stages and says that by following them meticulously, you can establish a system that works, over and over. First you need to be clear about who you want, particularly in terms of personality: the part you can’t train. Create a ‘person description’ as well as a job description. Do they smile? Because you can’t train someone to smile if they don’t do this naturally.
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
Do they make eye contact and can they start a conversation? Are they quick on their feet? Placing targeted ‘keywords’ in your ads helps to weed out the people who lack the attributes you’re looking for. For example ‘must enjoy working in a fast paced environment’ – this can filter out people with energy problems. When you write an effective advertisement, you’re going to have a lot of applicants to sort through and prioritise. First, call and check that they are actively interested. Ask “are you still interested in the job?” Judge by the quality and enthusiasm of the reply. Then ask “what made you apply for the job?” Do they sound keen? Simpson then recommends another step before the formal interview: have the applicant come and collect an application form, so you can meet them. You have a snapshot of the person and can decide if you will call them for an in-
terview – do they fit the Ken Burgin ‘person description’ you have worked out? He also recommends having two people on the interview team. That way you’ll have two sets of eyes, and it looks professional – one person asks most of the questions, and the other takes notes. Give each person a score – this helps you be objective after the blur of interviewing quite a few people. Have your questions written down in advance, and make them ‘open’ not ‘closed’. For example, ‘how do you handle an impatient customer?’ not ‘can you handle impatient customers?’ Make the questions specific – “Tell me about helping people choose a wine …” While you can’t ask personal details, you can ask about relaxation and hobbies. This helps give you an idea about the whole person, their attitudes and enthusiasm in a way that avoids legal no-go areas.
“Do they smile? Because you can’t train someone to smile if they don’t do this naturally.”
hospitality | April 2015
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industryobserver
Who’s actually
‘THE BEST’?
With a plethora of awards programs littered across the hospitality industry, how can we determine who ‘the best’ truly is? Industry Observer reports.
best adjective 1. Of the most excellent or desirable type or quality
I
’m confused again. Granted, this is not necessarily an uncommon event, but this time it’s caused by the proliferation of ‘bests’ or ‘greatests’. How are the consumers ever supposed to figure out who actually is the best at anything? For example, I’d like to choose a restaurant and want it to be ‘the best’ in wherever. The Australian Financial Review recently launched a ‘new’ awards program for restaurants that puts chefs and restaurateurs in charge of the voting. Is this the “one”…. the definitive list we can trust to validate our choice of food establishment? We can certainly trawl the interweb and evaluate restaurant reviews, but is the Good Food Guide more reliable than Gourmet Traveller or does the cachet lie with the San Pellegrino or the Michelin
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guide (if it ever deigned to make it to Australia)? Is Urbanspoon more accurate than Tripadvisor? Who has the ultimate position? And if you tend to choose one over the other; why? What has led you to place the burden of accuracy on the chosen method? For me it can be a reviewer that has offered advice on a place that I found accurate when I dined there, so our likes may be similar. Your criteria will probably differ, but so will your expectations. Boxing is probably to blame for this kind of thing. Muhammad Ali was “The Greatest”, but these days would he have been “The Best”? There used to be a World Heavyweight Champion and then we had factional splits and blah blah blah… now we have a WBC, WBO, IBF and some other Champion. It has become so ridiculous that there are now ‘unification’ bouts. It’s hardly world peace, but it illustrates what has happened all over the food industry. Take something as seemingly simple as
“We have diluted the real essence of the goal – to determine who or what is actually ‘the best’.”
a pie competition. Foodservice Australia has one, so does Fine Food. One is for Australia’s Best Pie, and the other is the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition. One competition is run by the Baking Association of Australia, and the other by the National Baking Industry Association. Just to confuse matters further, The Official Great Aussie Pie Comp even has two names – one with the ‘Official’ and one without. I just want the best pie. The dairy industry appears to have it right in its awards, but there isn’t a second association – and their prizes should be all the better supported by producers and consumers alike because it is a level playing field for all competition entrants. However, it’s not just competing associations and trade shows that drive this behaviour. Corporations, and their desire for a marketing edge have a part to play in our confusion. Dairy Farmers used to promote the “Best of the Best” Pizza competition until Fonterra came up with a Global Pizza Challenge. One winner earned the right to compete in New York against ‘The Best’ in the pizza world, the other to Las Vegas to challenge the other ‘Bests’. Then Johnny Di Francesco from 400 Gradi wins a comp in Naples and now he’s the world champ, but is he ‘the best’? As hospitality professionals, how do we see commercial involvement in these competitions and should they be linked to any of our industry bodies? In raising that question however, I applaud both Nestlé’s long running sponsorship of young chefs and Delicious magazine for celebrating local producers now for 10 years. Surely, these are terrific examples of commercial crossover to grass roots support. Venturing into TV land, is a MasterChef contestant more competent that a rival TV station’s competitor whose Kitchen Rules? There are a few chefs I know who bristle that the contestants are put in whites and called ‘chefs’ – what have they done to earn that title? Not much probably, but some of them have a passion and skill beyond their training and we need both of those traits in hospitality. The real dilemma is that we may have spent so much time focussed on the marketing of these various awards and competitions that we have diluted the real essence of the goal – to determine who or what is actually ‘the best’. It’s time some industry heads got together and devised a clear way forward for some of the produce and competition awards, but I fear that the consumer voted genie is well out of the bottle for the hotels and restaurants; they’ll have to fight it out for themselves.
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
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workplaceissues
Who pays for PUBLIC HOLIDAYS? Public holidays are intended as days of rest, but for those in the hospitality industry they’re actually the most stressful on the calendar. By Restaurant & Catering Australia.
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ublic holidays are set out in the National Employment Standards of the Fair Work Act 2009 but state governments also set additional public holidays in state legislation under our Federation Constitution. It is intended that people have these distinct days away from work, however in circumstances where an employer does engage an employee on a public holiday, they are penalised for doing so. The vast majority of employees do in fact take the day off work, yet in some industries this is not a practical possibility. Service stations, supermarkets, hospitals and other businesses of necessity must remain open, and as such must employ people to fulfil duties on public holidays. The hospitality industry is similar. Hotels and accommodation providers cannot be reasonably expected to evict guests for the purposes of observing a public holiday, whilst cafes and restaurants need to remain open to offer their services to the mass of populace that are not at work. For some therefore, accepting a penalty (through the form of an increased labour cost) is not a choice, it is simply a reality of operation. Naturally, one must then question what is reasonable in applying this penalty. The hospitality industry has the highest percentage of casual employees of any industry sector, with 64.6 percent of employees having no paid leave entitlements, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The penalty for employing a casual on a public holiday is 275 percent under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award. To put this in perspective, a trade qualified chef, working on a public holiday under that award is entitled to $54.01 per hour – as a minimum. A general waiter is banking $49.56 an hour. Few would argue that penalties ought not to exist at all, however the quantum of such a penalty warrants debate and discussion. As the cost of labour increases, so too must the cost to consumers. This explains the often exorbitant, yet necessary increase in surcharging on such days. Surveys suggest that over onethird of businesses within the sector do not open on public holidays. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews re-
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
cently announced his intention to expand the public holiday legislation in Victoria, to mandate both Easter Sunday and the AFL grand final eve as statewide public holidays. Premier Andrews used his discretionary powers to declare the 2015 Easter Sunday as a public holiday, taking the 2015 total in Victoria to 13 public holidays. The addition of Easter Sunday and grand final eve as permanent fixtures on the public holiday calendar is subject to legislative change. The number of public holidays, coupled with their associated penalty rates has a significant effect on both productivity, and international competitiveness. The Australian labour market is one of the most generous, with 20 days annual leave, and 10 days personal/carers, compared to larger industrial markets like the USA which provides 10 days holiday leave, and no guarantee for paid sick leave. When seeking the attention of international investors, the up to 55 paid days offf (including RDOs) available to an employee in a year can be a productivity killer. Many of these basic entitlements are a necessary and expected part of Australian life, however the populist policy of adding arbitrary public holidays like grand final eve does not help the situation. In fact in the Victorian example, the state government has set aside $137.27 million of taxpayer’s money for the pay-
“A trade qualified chef, working on a public holiday under that award is entitled to $54.01 per hour”
ment of public service employees on the two new public holidays, according to the Victorian Legislative Council. Pause needs to be taken to reflect on why the community acknowledges the significance of these days. The hospitality sector is made up of a highly casual workforce, consequently the reason many employees work on public holidays and weekends is opportunism. The benefit of being paid in excess of $45 an hour certainly makes such work a lucrative proposition, however a penalty of a lower quantum would actually operate in the best interests of both parties. Penalty rates as they sit currently, are either causing businesses to engage less employees than is optimal, or preventing them from opening at all. This has negative effects on employers, employees and consumers. Hospitality is one of Australia’s fastest growing industries, the importance of which is paramount given the projected slowing in the mining sector. So whilst more Australians seek to engage with the hospitality sector in a larger and more diverse way, either through employment or for consumption; their ability to do so is being constrained. This article was written by the Workplace Relations Team at Restaurant & Catering Australia. Contact them on 1300 722 878.
hospitality | April 2015
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shelfspace
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6 1. New GF products from Ready Bake Ready Bake has released a 99mm gluten-free savoury pie shell with matching 120mm gluten-free puff pie top. Also just released are gluten-free chocolate chip biscuits; 62mm and 75mm gluten-free shortbread shells and 75mm gluten-free chocolate shortbread shells, all made using a blend of tapioca, rice and potato flour and butter. www.readybake.com.au
2. Smartphone simple FlexiCombi MagicPilot is the new combi steamer from MKN. The Touch & Slide operating concept of the FlexiCombi MagicPilot is as simple to use as a smartphone, with image representation and a full viewing angle from all sides. The MagicPilot facilitates professional cooking with only a few touches, individually adapted to the particular requirements of chefs and providing considerable assistance for untrained
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personnel. It also provides integrated information steps, favourites function on the start display and video clips with operating instructions. www.phoeniks.com.au
3. Young Henrys adds gin to the menu Craft brewers, Young Henrys has launched its first handcrafted small batch gin, Noble Cut, a 100 percent grain spirit. The grain has been fermented and distilled twice, and is infused with juniper, coriander, orange peel, cassia bark, liquorice root and angelica root, as well as local ingredients including pepperberry, bush tomatoes, sencha tea and a pinch of cascara, sourced from the skin of the coffee beans. www.younghenrys.com
4. Connect with your guests Ruckus Wireless Inc has launched the new Ruckus ZoneFlex H500, a dual-band dual-concurrent wall
mounted wired switch and wireless wall access point. It uses Ruckus’ patented BeamFlex and adaptive antenna technology to deliver high-speed Wi-Fi in an ultra-sleek, low-profile design that can be quickly and discretely installed in a standard wall junction box. The ZoneFlex H500 provides an easy way to offer multiple connections into a single room without multiple cables, and is ideal for hotels and multi-dwelling units. The ZoneFlex H500 will be available in Australia in mid-2015 (expected to be between April and June). www.ruckuswireless.com
5. It’s only fair FAIR Vodka is produced and bottled in France, using Bolivian quinoa seeds, cultivated organically. FAIR Vodka is the first vodka in the world to be certified Fair Trade. The quinoa seeds are grown by small independent Bolivian producers, grouped under the ANAPQUI, which is the national association of Bolivian
quinoa seed farmers. FAIR Spirits guarantees higher margins to the farmers and donates 2.5 percent of its turnover to finance local development programs. www.noblespirits.com.au
6. Pick a winner The new Raffles program built into Vectron’s Hotel POS is a valueadded tool that can help alleviate the difficulties of managing and running a raffle event. Fully integrated into Vectron’s POS system, the Raffles program offers businesses instant savings on time and labour. It can be completely customised to member only draws, ticket selling times, draw times, the number of tickets issued and the terminals available to sell tickets. It comes with the backing of Vectron’s back office reporting, analytics and alert functions, and a random number generator draw program can also be incorporated, reducing problematic manual draws. www.vectron.com.au
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
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freshnewideas If you are looking for new ideas for your cafĂŠ, restaurant, bar or takeaway then make sure you visit Foodservice Australia, running in Melbourne from 31 May to 2 June 2015. Taste all the new food trends, try out the latest equipment and attend free business seminars.
Unilever Food Solutions
Chef of the Year
Cafe School
NEW
NEW
Restaurant & Bar Theatre
Gluten Free World
NEW
Barworld
31 May - 2 June 2015, Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Register free using code FHM2 at foodserviceaustralia.com.au
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eventscalendar
hospitalitydiary MAY 14 - 15 May, Restaurant Industry Summit The Restaurant Industry Summit is a two day conference that will be held in the lead-up to the Noosa International Food & Wine Festival in May this year. The conference aims to address some of the biggest challenges that the Australian restaurant industry is currently facing including constant pressure on pricing, and escalating operating costs for all food and wine related businesses and suppliers. Created by concerned industry bodies and leaders including federal MPs, restaurant owners, media professionals, large business chain CEOs, and industry stakeholders, the event will aim to start a collaborative dialogue to affect change and stabilise the situation. The conference will focus on areas of concern including workforce issues, consumer trends, cost of business issues, taxes and regulations. www.restaurantsummit.com.au 16 - 17 May, Lovedale Long Lunch This Hunter Valley event is a progressivestyle lunch where food and wine lovers can visit seven Lovedale wineries over the course of the third weekend in May. The Lovedale wineries team up with local Hunter Valley restaurants for a weekend of fine wine, gourmet food and live entertainment. The participating wineries include Allandale Winery, Emma’s Cottage, Gartelmann Hunter Valley, Saltire Wines, Sandlyn Estate, Tatler Wines and Wandin Hunter Valley. Each will have a local restaurant serving up food to match premium wines. www.lovedalelonglunch.com.au
MAY/JUNE 31 May - 2 June, Foodservice Australia The Foodservice Australia tradeshow will be taking place at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne from 31 May. Spanning over three days, Foodservice is the only tradeshow focused on the restaurant and catering sectors, and last year featured over 160 exhibitors together with a range of events designed for chefs, food managers and hospitality operators. 2015 is shaping up to be the biggest show yet with most exhibitors rebooking immediately after the 2014 show. Popular features include the Regional Producer’s Pavilion and the Chef’s Corner, as well as the Global Pizza Challenge,
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AUGUST World Masters and Australia’s Best Pie Competition. The tradeshow also includes the annual Foodservice Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony, which celebrates excellence achieved by individuals and companies over the past 12 months. Categories include Food Distributor of the Year, Food Supplier of the Year, Innovation of the Year and Service Supplier of the Year. www.foodserviceaustralia.com.au
JULY 9 July - 9 August, Brisbane Good Food Month Following the success of the inaugural event in 2014, The Brisbane Times Good Food Month will be returning in July 2015 to showcase the city’s food and wine offering. This year’s restaurant program features new categories and will run throughout the whole month with both regional and metropolitan venues at the heart of the event. The Night Noodle Markets will take place at South Bank and due to last year’s popularity, has extended its stay from 11 nights to 18 nights from 23 July to 9 August, with yum cha available on weekends. In 2014, an average of 15,000 people per night attended the Night Noodle Markets. In addition to the markets, top chefs from Australia and around the world have created special menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner available at various venues across the city. brisbane.goodfoodmonth.com
17 - 18 August, The Drinks Industry Show Exhibitions & Trade Fairs has announced a new industry trade exhibition, The Drinks Industry Show, which will take place at the Sydney Exhibition Centre @ Glebe Island. The show will connect producers and distributors of alcoholic beverages with buyers from bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels, liquor stores and catering companies. It will feature an interactive exhibition, taste testing, educational seminars, mixology demonstrations, networking functions and the 2015 Australian Bartenders Guild Classic & Flair National Cocktail Championship. www.drinksindustryshow.com.au
SEPTEMBER 20 - 23 September, Fine Food Australia In 2015, Fine Food will be returning to Sydney with a new home - Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park. The show opening hours are 10am to 5pm daily and program highlights include the Australian Culinary Challenge where teams of three chefs compete in a live kitchen, judged by a panel of international and local chefs. At Bake Skills apprentice bakers from each state compete in a live bakery challenge across 26 different product categories including specialty and artisan breads. Other highlights include the Export Ready Showcase, the Les Toques Blanches Live demonstrations, the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition and the Talking Food Stage. www.finefoodaustralia.com.au
hospitalitymagazine.com.au
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Are you looking for products for your business?
Look no further. Go to gohospitality.com.au Australia’s number 1 hospitality directory
HO0914_000_MOF
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Convotherm 4 Designed around you Because we listen to you, the new Convotherm 4 range has been developed around your needs in the kitchen. With two control-panel designs – easyTouch and easyDial - 7 capacity options, and 28 models to choose from, you will have the degree of control you need. Convotherm 4 has been re-designed, and brings a new benchmark in combi-steamer cooking.
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