Hotel & Catering review by Jemma Publications

HOTELS UNDER THE HAMMER: International Buyers Nab Trophy Assets

DROP

THE DEBT Restructuring for Survival in the Hotel Sector

VOL 45, ISSUE 11

Are You Ready for

The Gathering? The Gathering Team Prepare for the Homecoming NOMA’S TREVOR MORAN + NANDO’S EXPANSION + BANGERS BOOM

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inside... Volume 45, Number 11

09 11

22 04 EDITOR’S LETTER Gathering Together

06 NEWS

Air Capacity Boost for The Gathering

12 COVER STORY

Are You Ready for The Gathering?

15 HOTELS

Dealing with the Debt Burden

19 OPENINGS What’s New?

22 RESTAURANTS Nando’s Expands

24 SKILLS Banger Boom

25 KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL The G’s Pauline Reilly

26 RECIPES Young Chef Treats

26 28 SEASONS Orange Delight

29 AWARDS

Hospitality Stars

30 FIVE MINUTES WITH... Noma’s Trevor Moran

ON THE COVER: John Concannon, director, Fáilte Ireland; Shaun Quinn, chief executive, Fáilte Ireland and Jim Miley, project director, The Gathering Ireland, gear up for 2013.

EDITOR Sarah Grennan DESIGNER Jeannie Swan CONTRIBUTOR Marilyn Bright COMMERCIAL MANAGER Declan Greene PRODUCTION Jim Heron CIRCULATION Josie Keane ADMIN Marian Donohoe MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Grennan CHAIRMAN Frank Grennan Printing KC Print. Kerry HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW is published by JEMMA PUBLICATIONS Broom House, 65 Mulgrave Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, t: 01 214 7920, f: 01 214 7950, e: sales@jemma.ie, w: www.hotelandcateringreview.ie, www.jemma.ie © No part of Hotel & Catering Review may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of Jemma Publications. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Hotel & Catering Review or Jemma Publications. ISSN: 0332-4400 SUBSCRIBE For annual subscription rates visit our website www.hotelandcateringreview.ie Jemma Publications also publishes the following titles:

HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW ❖ JANUARY 2012

EDITOR’S VIEW: GATHERING NAYSAYERS

Gathering Together for the Greater Good

row erupted in the offices of Hotel & Catering Review HQ, and I have to confess, I got a little hot under the collar. It started when our photographer stuck his head in the door of the editorial department and asked ‘What do you think of this Gathering malarkey? What a load of...’ I’ll spare you your blushes, but insert relevant expletive here as you will. My fellow scribes, for the large part, agreed with our snapper. The plight of poor emigrants who have had to leave these shores in search of a living defended, the Government’s need to hit them up for a few bob scorned upon. (I was the one dissenting voice, hence the row.) And that’s the problem. Much of the criticism of The Gathering in recent months is interwoven with Irish people’s desire to kick off at the powers that be. Gathering project director, Jim Miley, believes that when Gabriel Byrne took a scathing swipe at the homecoming initiative last November he was really aiming at the Government rather than The Gathering itself. ‘We were collateral damage,’ he muses, while explaining in our Cover Story this issue that the publicity created by Byrne’s Last Word hum-dinger may have helped rather than hindered The Gathering cause. There’s no such thing as bad press after all...

Are you ready for The Gathering? From top: Welcoming them home at the airport; The Gathering was promoted with a fanfare at last year’s Meitheal in The Burlington Hotel; Navy supporters at The Gathering-sponsored Emerald Classic in the Aviva Stadium.

Listening to our colleagues and reading some of the commentary on social media and in the press, I’m not so sure that everyone sees it that way, but there is no doubt that the Government’s desire to promote The Gathering as the good news story of the decade (‘they’d put out a press release on it every day if they could’ notes one PR observer) has made the ordinary Joe on the street a little sceptical. But here’s the thing, and this was my argument in the office debate, what is the harm? Naysayers may claim that it is shameful to target those forced to leave the island to bail us out now in our time of need, but let’s be honest, the poor brickie or sparky who moved on from building the ghost estates in Leitrim to working the mines in Western Australia or rebuilding Christchurch in New Zealand,

Want to Get Involved in

The Gatheri

Editor’s Pick:

ng?

It’s not too late to make a differenc e. See thegatherin gireland.com for tips and advi ce.

TO Read

It has been billed as the biggest tourism initiative ever undertaken in this country and it has prompted communities across Ireland to work together for the greater good, but are you ready to play your part? SARAH GRENNAN met with the organisers of The Gathering Ireland to find out how the plans for 2013 are shaping up. on the western front. They’ve been through the hoop with the media since Ireland’s former cultural ambassador whipped up a storm by describing the courting of Irish diaspora as a ‘scam’ and they’re not taking the bait now. ‘Well, he’s a very good actor...’ muttered one, with a cryptic smile, when quizzed about their views on Gabriel Byrne. The Usual Suspects star may have given The Gathering a proverbial elbow in the

ribs when he sharply criticised the initiative on Today FM’s Last Word broadcast from New York in November, but the initiative’s organisers are keen to accentuate the positives. As one could expect from someone with as much political experience as the former general secretary of Fine Gael, Jim Miley spins that the controversy may have actually helped the cause. ‘Gabriel Byrne’s comments got a huge amount of

conversation going. What people don’t necessarily realise is that we had already done a massive amount of work meeting with communities around Ireland and there has been a huge buy-in from the public. They are very engaged with The Gathering. More people stepped forward to support The Gathering in the two weeks following Gabriel Byrne’s comments than ever before.’ But whether you subscribe to the theory that there’s no such thing as bad press or not, there’s no denying that The Gathering has experienced some birthing pangs since its conception at the Farmleigh think tank in late 2011. Its gestation period of a little over a year has been rapid, considering the amount of work involved in pulling together a project of this size, the funding hasn’t exactly been flush (E12m isn’t a figure to be sniffed at, but it’s not a lot in the grand scheme of promotional extravaganzas) and the initiative has drawn its fair share of negative criticisms on the airwaves, down the pubs, at office watercoolers, and on social media platforms from folk who, like Gabriel Byrne, believe it is reprehensible to hit up Irish emigrants for support back home when so many have been forced off the island in

Clockwise, from left: John Concannon, director of market development, Fáilte Ireland; Shaun Quinn, chief executive, Fáilte Ireland and Jim Miley, project director, The Gathering Ireland, gear up for Ireland’s biggest ever tourism initiative; advertising promoting The Gathering; Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar and Lord Mayor Naoise Ó Muirí pictured with a performance artist at the countdown to The Gathering Ireland’s New Year celebrations late last year.

COVER STORY

The Gathering organisers discuss plans for the year ahead

With liabilities of E6.7bn, the Irish hotel sector is estimated to be in E4bn negative equity according to economist Alan Ahearne. Image: © Images_of_Money

UnbUrdening The hoTel SecTor While the Irish sector is undergoing a fledgling recovery (two-track that is – the cities and major tourism hotspots are faring better than those off the beaten track), any occupancy or revPAR gains achieved are not enough to service the burdensome debt which is smothering the industry. Sizing up the greatest issue affecting its members, the Irish Hotels Federation has asserted that fresh investment is needed to turn around the hotel sector.

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the hotel sector and he quickly noted that new equity investment is needed if the hotel sector is to ‘survive and prosper’. ‘Banks are becoming increasingly saddled with repossessed hotels because prospective buyers do not have access to finance. This trend has to be addressed,’ he urged. ‘The scarcity of new equity finance to purchase repossessed hotels represents a market failure that is gumming up the recovery process in the hotel industry.’ The Irish Hotels Federation is hoping that the Brains Trust in the Department of Finance will pay more attention to Ahearne than they did to Bacon, and the findings of the recent ‘Time to Invest’ report were presented to hoteliers and financiers at a conference in October. This time the media were notably absent, the powers that be 8 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 15

HOTELS

Tackling the hotel debt crisis

Trevor NEWS FIVE MINUTES WITH

MORAN

the ‘World’s Best Copenhagen, voted Dublin recently to chef at Noma in home to his native The product sous competition. years running, jetted Chef of the Year Restaurant’ for three s/Fáilte Ireland Young help judge the Euro-Toque chat while he was in town. for a quick We nabbed him How did you land the job in the ‘World’s Best Restaurant’? I was travelling on a food pilgrimage with friends which included a visit to Noma. It wasn’t as well known as it is now, but I had heard some ripples about it. I think at the time it was number 10 on the ‘World’s Best Restaurants’ list. I was blown away by the experience and applied for a stage. It was very easy to get one then. I offered to work for free to gain experience and at the end they offered me a full-time job. Now it’s a big deal – there is a proper scheme in place and, as you’d expect, we receive a huge volume of requests. We have 20 chefs working on a stage with us at any one time.

What does your job as product sous chef entail? Every product that comes in the door I’m in charge of. There is a lot of responsibility but it’s a really cool job. In my spare time I spend a lot of time researching products and talking to farmers and producers. It’s nice to be able to meet the people who make our food – they’re all mad! Some of them have become very good friends and it’s great to work with people who are so passionate about what they do. What is it like winning the ‘World’s Best Restaurant’ title? It’s so exciting. The first time we won it I was back home, having dinner in L’Ecrivain with a friend and trying to talk him into coming to work with us. I got a call from one of the Swedish chefs to tell me we were number one and I freaked out. I was jumping all over the place. The waiter came over to ask me if I was okay. Needless to say, my friend said yes to joining us. I was there when we were given the award again in 2012 and it was an amazing experience. I’m very proud of what we have achieved at Noma. Everyone who works there is really nice and we’re a great team. It’s been an honour to be involved. Will you stay at Noma or do you plan to come back home someday? I’m thinking of coming home in 2013. I want to come back because Ireland is my home, but also because of the amazing produce we have here. We have great animals, seaweed, dairy produce... The quality of food here is surprisingly high. I think you only realise just how great it is when you go away. Are you thinking of opening a restaurant? I am but I can’t tell you anything about it! Go on, give us a hint… All I will say is that it will be based around local food. Local is in my heart now and it’s one of the reasons I want to come home. Local sourcing is very hot right now. It’s the way you should cook. It’s the way it always was, I think

Noma product sous chef, Trevor Moran, pictured at the EuroToques Young Chef of the Year final with winner, Ciarán Elliott.

people just lost sight of it for a while. Being a chef is about making delicious food. Food tastes better when it’s local and it hasn’t had far to travel. It’s very simple really. It’s also great to be able to showcase your locality. It’s nice when there’s a narrative about food. The great thing about Noma is that the chefs present the food to the customers, which means that you can tell them all about the dishes they are about to enjoy.

What other trends are emerging in food? Across the board internationally you’re starting to see less technique and more product. The real flavour comes from the quality of the product. There is nothing better than the perfect orange. No three star dessert can compare! Great food now is about being honest – doing honest, simple things to a high standard. What did you think of the finalists in the Young Chef competition? Is the future of Irish food in good hands? I was blown away by the quality. Some of the dishes the finalists created were so accomplished. Seriously, some of them were so good they annoyed me! I am absolutely confident about the future of Irish food when I see talent like theirs. What EuroToques is doing with the competition is amazing. It’s great for the industry. Taking part in the judging was a fantastic experience. I got a great sense of community among the chefs here and that feels very nurturing. I’m very excited about coming back. Ireland is a small country, to create a scene here we have to stick together and I can see that the chefs are very close. They are good chefs. We have such a great reputation for our food in Ireland but can our restaurants achieve the same acclaim? Absolutely. I think we already have. When Enda McEvoy got the star in Aniar in Galway it was talked about on a worldwide stage. All of us at Noma were so excited for them when the list came out. What they are doing there is phenomenal. They’re making terrain rock‘n’roll. The fact that they got a star for what is essentially a café shows just how great they are. With social media the world is getting smaller and smaller. Someone could be eating a three star meal in Paris and tweeting about it and you’re following them and eating it with them. What this means in the restaurant industry is that you can’t have a bad night. But on the flipside, technology is moving so fast that it’s breaking down barriers. You could be the smallest restaurant on the smallest island and you could take off on social media and draw people from all over the world. People travel to eat now. Food is the new tourism. ◆

30 30 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

FIVE MINUTES WITH..S Noma’s Trevor Moran

is not our target market. The Gathering organisers are not guilting him into returning home to part with a few shekels. They’re inviting those who may fancy a holiday, and may have a few bob at their disposal to pay for it, to come home. What is the harm in asking Irish executives at the head of multinationals to host their meetings in Ireland this year? What is wrong with having a family party or a school reunion or tiddlywinks festival? If you don’t want to come, don’t come. It’s quite simple really. The challenges of the last few years have made us all a bit ratty, and justifiably so. But it’s easy to sit around and complain, the hard part is to do something about it. If we don’t try, we won’t succeed, and that’s why at Hotel & Catering Review we think that The Gathering is a bloody good idea. International tourism is a tough business, the corporate bookings for this year were already looking a bit thin on the ground. We have to try something. To be clear, I don’t know if The Gathering will deliver on its target of attracting an additional 325,000 visitors to Ireland in 2013 (neither do the organisers if the truth be told – see Cover Story) but if we even do half that it will be a good result. Jim Miley estimates that we need 100,000 additional visitors to break even on the Government investment, but that does not take into account the legacy benefits. There are 2,000 events planned for 2013. Some of these are one off, about a third existed already, but there are plenty more which – if they work – can be repeated in 2014 and beyond ensuring that The Gathering is a gift that keeps on giving. And despite what the critics believe, the buy-in from the communities across Ireland has been phenomenal. A massive benefit before we even opened for business this year was the way The Gathering has brought people, from all walks of life, together to work for the common good. The tourism industry will be the main beneficiary of The Gathering and as such, we have much reason to thank members of the local communities, organisations like the IRFU and GAA, businesses, educators and more, for putting their shoulder to the wheel to make the initiative work. Now that 2013 has arrived the pressure is on to make The Gathering a success and it’s not too late to start planning if you haven’t already done so. We all have a part to play in The Gathering. u

Have Your Say…

What do you think of The Gathering? Have your say by emailing the editor, Sarah Grennan, at s.grennan@jemma.ie

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supporting insolvent hotels with large loans to the detriment of more viable operations – remains a pressing complaint, except these days it’s a lot harder to know which hotels are bank-supported. You don’t have to have receivers knocking on the door to be under bankers’ control. While the Bacon missive didn’t achieve many solutions, in autumn the Hotels Federation returned to take another stab at the issue. Today the debate has moved on from overcapacity – while still a very real problem, it lessens with increasing demand – to the real crux of the hotel sector’s heartache: debt. Alan Ahearne, the NUI Galway economist and former adviser to Brian Lenihan when he served as Minister for Finance, was enlisted to draw up a series of proposals to restore financial stability to

search of work. (For the record, we think they’re entirely misguided. The Gathering isn’t an attempt to force hard-up emigrants to part with their cash, but rather to encourage those who fancy it to come home and have a good time. Surely by generating more business, and therefore more jobs, it will reduce the number emigrating. But enough rant from us for now. For more of our opinion see Editor’s View, page four.) Difficult labours aside, the much talked about Gathering has finally arrived. Heralded with a fanfare on New Year’s Eve, it pledges to handsomely boost tourism performance, and with it State coffers, throughout the year. Can the initiative deliver on its promise to attract an additional 325,000 visitors to Ireland in 2013? Quinn, Miley and Concannon don’t seem too eager to put a definitive number on it. None can be sure who came up with this estimate initially 8 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 13

12 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

hree years ago, when economist Peter Bacon published his IHFcommissioned blueprint for the salvation of the Irish hotel industry, the media were gathered to be told how an orderly elimination of excess hotel stock was needed as a matter of urgency in order to tackle the crippling overcapacity crisis. Thirty-six months on and not much has changed. The recommendations of the Bacon Report, which had a mammoth impact on the IHF finances but not much else, went unanswered. Few hotels have closed and the number of properties controlled by banks has spiralled. The unfair competition cited in the Bacon dossier – where the banks were

TIME TO GATHER

Hotel & Catering Review

COVER STORY

ention the G-name to the trinity of Gathering planners sitting down with Hotel & Catering Review to discuss the programme for 2013 (that would be Fáilte Ireland chief and The Gathering Ireland Ltd chair, Shaun Quinn; Gathering project director, Jim Miley; and Fáilte Ireland director and marketing whizz, John Concannon) and it’s notably all quiet

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NEWS

Air Capacity Boost for The Gathering Air capacity between the US and Ireland will increase by 20% in 2013 in preparation for The Gathering, the Dublin Airport Authority has announced. New and expanded transatlantic services will deliver close to 270,000 extra seats during the summer, growing the number of available airline seats into Ireland from the US to just under 1.7 million. ‘This is a very significant expansion of air capacity between the US and Ireland, and represents a major vote of confidence in the Irish market,’ said DAA strategy director, Vincent Harrison. ‘Next year we will have new routes from American Airlines, United and US Airways and also additional capacity on existing services from Aer Lingus and US Airways.’ At Dublin Airport, American Airlines is launching a new Dublin-JFK service, and US Airways will operate a larger Boeing 767 aircraft on its DublinPhiladelphia route, which will add 16% more seats. Aer Lingus is also adding new transatlantic flights from Dublin next summer; with four extra DublinChicago flights per week and three extra Dublin-Boston flights per week. The added transatlantic capacity at Dublin means that Dublin Airport will have 12 daily scheduled flights to nine different US airports next summer. ‘Dublin Airport will have better connectivity to the United States next summer than Gatwick or Manchester airports,’ said Harrison.

Increased Transatlantic Services 2013 Airline

Route

Frequency

Start Date

American

Dublin-JFK

Daily

June 12

United

Shannon-Chicago

Daily

June 6

US Airways

ShannonPhiladelphia

Daily

May 22

Aer Lingus

Dublin-Chicago

4 Extra pw

April

Aer Lingus

Dublin-Boston

3 Extra pw

April

Hello Helsinki

In more good news, Scandanavian airline, Norwegian, has announced a new service from Helsinki to Dublin. Commencing on 12 April, the service will operate on Mondays and Fridays. ‘We are already working with Norwegian to promote their flights from Copenhagen and Oslo to Dublin and we very much look forward to working closely with them to maximise the promotion of this new route from Helsinki,’ said Tourism Ireland CEO, Niall Gibbons.

Deirdre Named Ireland’s Best Hotelier

Fergal O’Connell FIHI, president IHI, Deirdre McGlone, proprietor/ general manager, Harvey’s Point Hotel, Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar, Natasha Kinsella FIHI, CEO, Irish Hospitality Institute and Kevin O’ Sullivan, editor, The Irish Times at the presentation of the IHI’s Management Awards. Deirdre was named Hotel Manager of the Year.

Harvey’s Point Hotel’s Deirdre McGlone was crowned Ireland’s best hotel manager at the Irish Hospitality Institute’s Management Awards at the Founders’ Banquet in November. McGlone beat off stiff competition from peers in the industry to scoop the prestigious award. Joining her in the winners’ enclosure on the night were Derek McConnell, Compass Group Ireland (Young Hospitality Manager of the Year); Sarah Marr, PREM Group (HR Manager of the Year); Noeleen Fox, Aramark Ireland (Catering Manager of the Year); Rory Rooney, GMIT (Graduate of the Year); Mark Duffy, Radisson Blu St Helen’s Hotel (Environmental Manager of the Year); Aidan Dempsey, The Westbury (Rooms/Revenue Division Manager of the Year). The IHI’s Continuing Professional Development Award was presented to Martin Beirne, Radisson Blu Hotel & Spa, Galway, while Mary Hall, Fáilte Ireland, Paul Gallagher, Buswells Hotel, Clare Macleod, Tourism Ireland, Deborah O’Hanlon, Shannon College of Hotel Management and Margaret Byrnes of Red D were elected to the Institute’s College of Fellows. Action Recruitment’s Brian Fahy was presented with the IHI’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

9% VAT Leads to Job Creation

Wicklow and Kildare’s Grand Turismo

Pictured at the launch of The Grand Tour driving route at Russborough House in Wicklow are Minister of State for Tourism, Michael Ring, and Fáilte Ireland’s head of operations for Dublin and the East, Kevin Moriarty. The Grand Tour links Kildare and Wicklow’s top tourism attractions along a master driving route and themed sub-routes. ‘Fáilte Ireland sees great potential in this particular route as a tourist attraction in its own right – building on its famous history as well as taking in quiet and scenic country roads, towns and villages, with many heritage attractions. It will particularly appeal to motoring enthusiasts in the UK,’ noted Kevin Moriarty. VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

The reduction of the VAT on tourism services to 9% has had a ‘positive and meaningful role in the creation and retention of jobs in the industry’ reports the IHF. Calling for the rate to be extended beyond 2013, IHF president, Michael Vaughan, said: ‘Our research shows that 9 out of 10 (93%) hotels and guesthouses believe that the measure will continue to have a positive impact on business into 2013 with some 50% saying they are likely to take on additional staff over the next year as a direct result.’ The lower rate of VAT, introduced in the Government’s 2011 Jobs Initiative, was maintained for the year ahead in Budget 2013.

NEWS

Tourism Ireland Targets 5% Growth Tourism Ireland is targeting a 5% increase in visitor numbers and 6% increase in revenue this year – a move which would see the island of Ireland attract 7.6 million visitors in 2013 and generate an estimated e3.7bn for the economies in the Republic and Northern Ireland. The marketing agency announced its ambitious plans for 2013 at packed events in Dublin and Belfast in late 2012, where it identified the North American and Mainland European markets as Ireland’s best potential to achieve growth. With a bumper performance in North America last year, 2012 shaped up to be one of the strongest years for the market since 2007 when Ireland welcomed over one million visitors from the US and Canada. Tourism Ireland is targeting an additional 20% increase in visitors from North America

this year, bolstered by The Gathering initiative and the 20% increase in air capacity from the US for the summer. With Mainland Europe now delivering more holidaymakers and revenue than Great Britain, Tourism Ireland is also keen to improve performance on the continent and is targeting a 4.4% increase in visitors, bringing the total number of Mainland Europeans visiting Ireland to 2.5 million this year. It will focus its resources on the major markets of Germany and France, followed by Italy, the Nordics, Spain and the Netherlands. The British market, which has been under significant pressure in recent years, is set for revamp as Tourism Ireland moves to implement a new strategy following on from the publication of the GB Path to Growth review. The new strategy will seek to

grow visitor numbers by 20% – or 200,000 visitors – a year by 2016. Commenting on the year ahead, Tourism Ireland chief, Niall Gibbons said: ‘2013 is about setting us back on a path of sustained growth in the continuing difficult climate. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the pace of economic recovery in our key source markets, we believe that our marketing activity around the globe in 2013 can deliver a 5% increase in visitor numbers, with North American and Mainland Europe representing significant potential. The Gathering Ireland presents an unprecedented opportunity for us to shine a spotlight on Ireland around the world. And we will continue to work closely with our tourism partners, both at home and overseas, to achieve our common objectives and help drive economic regeneration.’

2012 a Mixed Bag

An estimated 7.27 million travellers are believed to have visited Ireland in 2012, generating in the region of e3.51bn in revenue. While some markets rallied, last year proved a mixed performance for tourism in Ireland. ‘2012 has been something of a mixed year, with Dublin and other cites, as well as the tourism “honeypots” doing quite well, but with rural and outlying areas finding the going harder,’ acknowledged Tourism Ireland CEO, Niall Gibbons. ‘Visitor numbers from North America and long-haul markets like Australia look set to reach or even exceed the records levels of 2007. The performance of Mainland European markets has also been quite strong. However, visitor numbers from Great Britain, our largest tourism market, have been disappointing, with a flat economy and weak consumer confidence having a significant impact on travel by Britons throughout the year.’

Concern at High Level of Enforcement Orders The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has expressed concern at the high number of enforcement orders served on food businesses. A total of 14 enforcement orders were served in November, following on from the record 18 orders served in October. In November closure orders were served on Indian Royale (restaurant), Market Centre, Letterkenny, Co Donegal; Salt & Pepper (restaurant), Inchicore, Dublin 8; Brothers Chinese Take Away, Milford, Co Donegal; Madina Desi Curry (restaurant), 60 Mary Street, Dublin 1; Rosbowl (restaurant) (under appeal), Lanesboro Road, Roscommon; Curry Patta (takeaway), Glasnevin, Dublin 9; Fourseas Mart (supermarket), New Ross, Co Wexford; Star King Pan Asian Restaurant, Galway Shopping Centre, Galway; Mining Museum (restaurant), Arigna, Co Roscommon; premises occupied by Mazanek Stanislaw (bakery/ confectionery), Ballymahon, Co Longford and The Eagle’s

Rest (restaurant), The Square, Abbeyleix, Co Laois. Prohibition orders were served on David Reilly trading as Greenglen Meats, Kells, Co Meath; Browne & Sons (butcher), Balbriggan, Co Dublin and M White & Sons (butcher), Dundalk, Co Louth. ‘In October we witnessed the highest monthly number for Enforcement Orders in 10 years. Last month unfortunately, we also found very high levels of non-compliance with food safety legislation, which is just not acceptable. Again and again, we encounter cases of food businesses who put consumers’ health at risk by not complying with their legal obligations for food safety and hygiene. There is absolutely no excuse for negligent practices. Food businesses must recognise that the legal onus is on them to make sure that the food they serve is safe to eat. This requires ongoing compliance with food safety and hygiene standards to ensure the food they are producing is safe to eat,’ said FSAI CEO, Prof Alan Reilly.

Mount Juliet

in the Blue Kilkenny’s Mount Juliet Estate has joined the exclusive Blue Book of Ireland for 2013. The estate, with its Jack Nicklaus designed course, 3 AA Rosette Lady Helen restaurant, luxury spa, equestrian centre and more, is ‘a really wonderful addition to the Blue Book collection’, said Blue Book president, Simon Haden. HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11

NEWS

Shannon Independence Welcomed Hoteliers have robustly welcomed the Government’s move to grant Shannon Airport independence from the Dublin Airport Authority. The move provides a ‘powerful platform’ for the rejuvenation of the airport and wider Shannon region, reports the Irish Hotels Federation, which also endorses the transfer of the region’s tourism function to Fáilte Ireland. The announcement to split Shannon from the DAA will provide a ‘catalyst in energising the region’s economy and local tourism marketing policies’, said IHF president, Michael Vaughan. ‘Minister Varadkar has delivered on a promise to create an autonomous debt-free entity. The region must now galvanise its efforts in the spirit of the pioneering early days of Shannon. Hotels and guesthouses look forward to working closely with Shannon Airport and playing their part in marketing the airport as a tourism hub for the wider Shannon region. This is of vital importance to local tourism businesses in light of The Gathering. Our focus now is on doubling our efforts, developing all possible new routes into the area and realising the enormous potential that exists to promote Shannon as a vibrant holiday destination to overseas visitors, particularly in the lucrative North American market.’

Jurys Inns to Receive e31m Makeover

Ormonde Joins Select

The four star Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel has joined the Select Hotels of Ireland marketing group, bringing the number of members to 25. Select general manager, Una Young, presents the plaque to Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel general manager, Colin Ahern and sales and marketing manager, Deirdre Twomey.

BITE SIZE FODOR’S TRAVEL, the influential travel guide, has named Ireland as one of the top 25 places to visit in 2013 and tipped The Gathering as one of the top six events of the year. The news has been given the thumbs up by Tourism Ireland, with CEO Niall Gibbons vowing ‘We intend to fully capitalise on the opportunities this accolade presents throughout 2013 and beyond’. See fodors.com/go-list/2013 for more. AMERICAN BUSINESS and luxury travellers named Ireland as their favourite overall tourism destination in Global Traveler’s recent reader survey. Ireland came up trumps when the US magazine asked 28,000 readers to select their preferred travel destination in its ninth GT Tested Reader Survey. TOURISM IRELAND has gained recognition for its marketing initiatives. The agency was presented with gold in the travel and holidays category and silver for best use of email marketing at the DMA Awards in London recently and followed with an award for best international marketing initiative at the In Business Editor’s Choice Awards for The Gathering Ireland 2013. THE MORRISON, the four star hotel on Dublin’s quays which was sold by NAMA to Russian billionaire, Yelena Baturina, last year, is to reopen in February following a e7m refurbishment. The hotel, which is now managed by Martinez Hotels

& Resorts, is currently undergoing a complete redesign of its bedrooms and lobby. THE G8 SUMMIT, which is to be held in Fermanagh in June, will provide an unprecedented opportunity to showcase Fermanagh and Northern Ireland to the world, says Tourism Ireland chairman, Brian Ambrose. ‘It will raise the profile of Northern Ireland and ultimately help us achieve our goal of increasing visitors from overseas.’ MARTIJN KAJUITER’S Let’s Go Disco has been nominated in the ‘Best Chef Cookbook’ category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. The Cliff House Hotel chef is now in the running for a ‘Best in the World’ award. The winners will be announced in February. THE FRAWLEY GROUP, owner of the Gold Medal Award winning Cornstore restaurant in Cork and its sibling Cornstore in Limerick, has been named ‘Best Large Indigenous Company’ at the Limerick Chamber Midwest Region Business Awards. The group, headed by Padraic Frawley, includes the Cornstore at Home gourmet deli and foodstore, Aubars Bar and Nightclub and Paddy Frawley’s Pub in Limerick. FRESH MONTGOMERY, the UK exhibition organiser, has acquired the biennial IFEX and annual SHOP shows from Easy Fairs. Montgomery’s Irish Services will operate SHOP from its Dublin base, while IFEX will be run by the group’s Belfast and London offices.

VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

Jurys Inn Hotel Group is to invest e31m in refurbishing a number of its hotels over the next three years. The Dublin Christchurch and Galway hotels are to receive a major upgrade, along with eight hotels across the UK. The group is also investing e2.5m in technology and software upgrades. ‘We have recently invested significantly in developing our new brand identity, positioning and product offering and this investment programme will help bring some of our older hotel stock in line with our latest properties and ensure that all our facilities are consistently of a high standard and fully meet the needs and expectations of both leisure and business customers,’ said John Brennan, CEO of Jurys Inn Hotel Group.

Conference Organisers Confident FOR FUTURE

Business is improving in the conference sector, reports the Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers (AIPCO). Three-quarters of members surveyed by the association reported an improvement in business in 2012 versus 2011, with the remaining 25% stating that business remained level. Over a third of members (37.5%) reported an increase of over 20% in meeting attendance figures.

Portmagee is Top Tourism Town

The fishing village of Portmagee, Co Kerry has been voted Ireland’s top tourism town, picking up the award at the inaugural National Tourism Awards in Fáilte Ireland’s head offices. The new programme, a pilot of the Tidy Towns competition, was designed by Fáilte Ireland to promote the towns and villages across Ireland which are working hardest to maximise their tourism appeal. Portmagee has won a e10,000 grant to help develop itself as a tourism destination, while the nine other short-listed towns have received e1,000 grants. The finalists were Ballyvaughan, Co Clare; Clonakilty, Co Cork; Dundalk, Co Louth; Ennis, Co Clare; Kilkenny, Co Kilkenny; Killarney, Co Kerry; Letterkenny, Co Donegal; Trim, Co Meath and Westport, Co Mayo.

NEWS

Heathrow Slots ‘Vital to Tourism’ A Ryanair proposal to sell 20 of Aer Lingus’s landing slots at Heathrow to British Airways has set off alarm bells in the tourism community in Ireland. The Irish Hotels Federation has called on the Government to do everything in its power to safeguard the slots between Irish airports and the London airport. ‘One thing is clear. The Heathrow slots are of critical strategic importance to the country and the long-term prospects of our national tourism product. I’d be very worried about their future under Ryanair’s proposal which would have serious long-term implications for services into Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports,’ said IHF president, Michael Vaughan. ‘If the slots are not secured, it’s likely they will eventually be sold on or leased to international operators of long haul routes. This would leave Ireland without any connections to the world’s largest traffic hub into Europe – which would be detrimental for Irish tourism. It’s imperative that the Government intervene to safeguard this vital national asset before it’s too late.’

World number one golfer, Rory McIlroy, at Adare Manor, which has been voted ‘World’s Leading Boutique Golf Resort’

Adare Named Number One Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort has been crowned the ‘World’s Leading Boutique Golf Resort’ at the World Travel Awards in New Delhi, India, becoming the first Irish property to pick up a global title at the prestigious awards. The win ‘reflects the ethos of unparalleled excellence of service and facilities across the whole resort’, said general manager, Anita Higgins.

Big Names Line Up for CATEX

‘Tomathon’ Supports Suicide Prevention

Thumbs up to Moran Bewleys Hotel Group chief, Tom Moran, who raised a whopping e191,295 for suicide prevention in Ireland and the UK when he undertook a 250km ‘Tomathon’ walk from Limerick to Dublin. Among those supporting the 62-year-old hotel boss along the way were Kilkenny hurling manager Brian Cody, Irish Olympic legend Ronnie Delany, rugby stars Alan Quinlan and Keith Wood and comedians Brendan Grace and Pat Shortt. Moran presented Pieta House Suicide & Self Harm Crisis Centre with a cheque for e177, 295 following the challenge, with the balance of funds raised going to Papyrus, the UK charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide.

Leading hospitality suppliers have showed their support to CATEX, the biennial foodservice show organised by the Irish Foodservice Suppliers Alliance (IFSA). Edward Dillon & Co has announced it will once again sponsor the National Cocktail Championships at the exhibition in the RDS Dublin on 19-21 February, while Avonmore Milk will continue to support the National Barista Championships. ‘We are thrilled to be involved once more in showcasing the very best talent this country has to offer within the fodservice and hospitality industry. To have confirmed the support of such high profile and respected brands as sponsors of these competitions, alongside our title sponsors Calor Gas and Bunzl Ireland, stands testimony to the strength of loyalty and faith shown towards the skilled individuals in the industry. We’re looking forward to witnessing the passion, drive and excitement on stage at the show finals,’ said IFSA chairperson, Julie Morrissey.

Coming Up at CATEX

CATEX 2013 is bustling 12,000sq.m. display of innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge within the foodservice industry, as well as the stage for some of the most thrilling and hotly contested competitions in the sector. Fresh for 2013 will be an all-new show layout, an artisan food market, an energy and waste management pavilion, and the foodservice heroes’ stage where visitors can learn from the best in the business.

Equality for Breakfast At the Sodexo Diversity & Inclusion breakfast on gender equality recently were Margot Slattery, managing director, Sodexo Ireland; Simon Scrivens, executive sponsor of the Sodexo WomenWork network; Dr Kara McGann, policy executive, IBEC and Tina Roche, CEO, Business in the Community Ireland. Hosted in partnership with BITCI, the event focused on gender equality in the workplace and was attended by senior managers from a range of business sectors.

FILTRO SHUTTLE

MARCO.IE email sales@marco.ie or call +353 (0)1 295 2674 pouring perfection

HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11

COMPANY PROFILE

First Choice

Purchasing Your First Choice for Lower Costs and Greater Profits

Five years into the downturn, the chances are you’ve cut your costs to the quick and you now feel like you have little scope left to make further savings. But you’re wrong. By joining forces with an established procurement group like First Choice Purchasing you can significantly lower costs without scrimping on quality.

ancy shaving e50,000 off your bills? This is how much some Irish hotels have saved when they joined forces with First Choice Purchasing, the awardwinning procurement company which serves hotels, restaurants, nursing homes and catering businesses across Ireland. The firm, headed by general manager Eoghan Donnellan, has reaped significant savings for all its clients through its highly effective and hassle-free procurement service, enabling hospitality operators to benefit from the purchasing power of a group, without sacrificing their independence.

With customers ranging from independent properties such as Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney and Roganstown Hotel & Country Club in Dublin to Choice Hotels Ireland, First Choice Purchasing has built up considerable buying power with quality suppliers across Ireland and it is passing the resulting savings on to clients, cost-free.

No Cost, No Risk

‘The beauty of the First Choice Purchasing model is that there are no fees involved for our customers,’ explains general manager,

Eoghan Donnellan. ‘We provide a free audit where we review the current purchases for prospective clients and identify where we can deliver savings on a range of products and services including ambient, chilled and frozen food, fresh meat, poultry, fish, consumables, linen, credit cards and beverages. The only possible downside is if you are already purchasing so efficiently that we can’t find savings – but that has never happened. We have been able to deliver considerable savings for every business we have audited. Some properties have saved in excess of e50,000 since working with us.

What the Customers

Say… ‘Muckross Park Hotel joined First Choice Purchasing over 18 months ago. Since then, we have made significant savings in all cost centres in our business. The team at First Choice provide excellent service to their clients, staying in touch regularly to make the client aware of better deals and checking if there is anything else the client needs. I would highly recommend First Choice Purchasing – they do the groundwork and the client reaps the savings.’ - Sean O’Driscoll, General Manager, Muckross Park Hotel, Co Kerry

The Flexibility to Suit Your Business

While First Choice Purchasing works exclusively with its nominated suppliers, it offers customers the flexibility to support their own existing suppliers where required. ‘We understand how important it is for hotels and restaurants to work with local suppliers – they are their customers too – and we support that,’ assures Eoghan. ‘Following our audit we will provide you with a list of items where we can deliver savings and you can choose which products or services you wish to go with.’ A 100% Irish owned and operated business, First Choice Purchasing is also keen to support indigenous Irish suppliers. The 35 suppliers the firm currently partners with are predominantly Irish and – where possible – products supplied are of Irish origin. While the company is dedicated to securing savings for customers, it will not do so by compromising on quality, maintains Eoghan. ‘All our suppliers are national and we have built up a very strong supply chain with highly reputable companies. This will ensure that you get the best quality product and best service at the most competitive price.’ First Choice Purchasing’s free and flexible model has proved a hit with hospitality and healthcare providers who are enticed by the significant savings offered by the company. With over 100 customers currently on its books, including 43 hotels, First Choice aims to become the leading procurement company for the Irish hospitality industry. Just two years in operation, it has already been commended for its success on a national platform, recently winning the award for ‘Excellence in Private Procurement with SMEs’ in the National Procurement Awards. ‘Our success to date has been built on

providing our customers with good quality products from service orientated suppliers who, based on the volume that we procure, have provided us with extremely competitive pricing,’ explains general manager, Eoghan Donnellan. ‘Our commitment to our customers is that we will continue to benchmark pricing in the marketplace so that we always remain competitive and we will carry out regular audits for our customers identifying new areas to save money and ensure that their pricing is reflective of our agreed deals.’ u

VING A S T R STA

NOW!

out tion ab and a m r o f ing re in For mo oice Purchas n help a h c C it First Eoghan out how to find osts, contact llan@ tc ne you cu llan at edon ng.com, e Donn icepurchasi visit r firstcho 21 490 8215 o g.com n 0 i l s l a a h c icepurc o h c t s r i f

‘At Carton House we have been working with FCP for the last number of years, we have seen an improvement in the service we receive from our suppliers, the quality of the supplies and the prices we receive. Overall our margins have been improving with the support we receive from FCP and we consider them an important partner in our continued success.’ - David Webster, General Manager, Carton House, Co Kildare ‘As an independent property our association with FCP allows us to access pricing that our scale would not allow us to achieve alone. We have benefited greatly from the purchasing power that FCP delivers. Once they carried out the initial cost comparison analysis the decision was an easy one to make.’ - Martin Cassidy, General Manager, Cassidy’s Hotel, Dublin

COVER STORY

Time to Gather

on the western front. They’ve been through the hoop with the media since Ireland’s former cultural ambassador whipped up a storm by describing the courting of Irish diaspora as a ‘scam’ and they’re not taking the bait now. ‘Well, he’s a very good actor...’ muttered one, with a cryptic smile, when quizzed about their views on Gabriel Byrne. The Usual Suspects star may have given The Gathering a proverbial elbow in the

conversation going. What people don’t necessarily realise is that we had already done a massive amount of work meeting with communities around Ireland and there has been a huge buy-in from the public. They are very engaged with The Gathering. More people stepped forward to support The Gathering in the two weeks following Gabriel Byrne’s comments than ever before.’ But whether you subscribe to the theory that there’s no such thing as bad press or not, there’s no denying that The Gathering has experienced some birthing pangs since its conception at the Farmleigh think tank in late 2011. Its gestation period of a little over a year has been rapid, considering the amount of work involved in pulling together a project of this size, the funding hasn’t exactly been flush (e12m isn’t a figure to be sniffed at, but it’s not a lot in the grand scheme of promotional extravaganzas) and the initiative has drawn its fair share of negative criticisms on the airwaves, down the pubs, at office watercoolers, and on social media platforms from folk who, like Gabriel Byrne, believe it is reprehensible to hit up Irish emigrants for support back home when so many have been forced off the island in

COVER STORY (we suspect it was the politicians) but clearly 325,000 in the current climate is a hefty target. The approximate 2,000 gatherings already booked for 2013 are expected to yield an additional 80,000+ visitors, though Jim Miley is keen to underline that this is a conservative estimate. ‘We’re on target,’ he assures us. ‘One of the challenges of doing something like this is that you don’t know the result until after the game is over, but we’re confident. We think that there is a lot going on that we don’t know about yet and we’re encouraging people to log on to the website and tell us about their events.’ Does this confidence mean that The Gathering will hit that 325,000 visitor target? ‘It’s achievable,’ says Jim Miley, cautiously, clearly keen not to commit himself to the number. Can it be surpassed? ‘Given more than a fair wind,’ muses an equally cautious Shaun Quinn. ‘To me The Gathering is not really about the 325,000 extra visitors, however. It’s

potential for the tourism industry, maintains John. Of the 2,000+ currently in the pipeline, about one-third of these are existing events, many of which have ‘bolted on a Gathering strand’ and the rest are new additions created specifically for 2013. For tourism operators such as hotels and restaurants, this provides a huge opportunity to partner with event organisers and other businesses. ‘I think that’s what’s interesting about this project,’ says Jim Miley. ‘The Gathering has really pushed people into a collaborative frame of mind. There are conversations being had and things being done that weren’t done 12 months ago.’ ‘That’s what we want from The Gathering. We want it to have a lasting legacy,’ explains Shaun Quinn. While this legacy will benefit the local communities which have worked together to do something special in 2013, it will have the greatest impact on the tourism sector, the Fáilte Ireland boss maintains. ‘The Gathering will come

‘The Gathering has really pushed people into a collaborative frame of mind. There are conversations being had and things being done that weren’t done 12 months ago.’ about the longer term impact for the country and for the tourism industry.’ Nonetheless, with so much attention now on The Gathering it will be judged in terms of cold, hard numbers – bums on plane seats, heads in beds and euros in the Exchequer. Securing any funding from the Government in these straitened times is quite an achievement and all eyes will be on tourism to see if it delivers on its e12m. Jim Miley knows what they have to do. ‘If you take a very conservative multiple of e470 per visitor, which is about half of what tourists usually spend, then we need 25,000 extra visitors to deliver on a straight revenue basis. If you only took the VAT component then we will need in the region of 90,000 to 100,000 visitors for us to be in the black,’ he notes. ‘The business side – the money – is only one part of it, however, there is also a social legacy to be gained from The Gathering,’ adds John Concannon. ‘If the events are a success in 2013 quite a lot of them will be repeated immediately in 2014.’ The expanded line-up for events throughout the year offer a huge

and go but this is a great opportunity for the industry to reposition itself. It could form a new approach to the way the industry tackles VFRs (visiting friends and relatives). To date this is a category which has been largely taken for granted and maybe overlooked but it offers huge potential.’ With local communities, clubs, celebrities (for every Byrne there are many more in favour of The Gathering), sporting institutions, educators and corporate giants and more putting their shoulders to the wheel and reaching out to invite people of Irish descent and with links to Ireland home in 2013, Shaun Quinn is encouraging the tourism industry to do the same. ‘The Gathering is a community initiative for which tourism is the big beneficiary. We would urge everyone to put their best foot forward. Securing additional funding from the Government in these tight times is not easy. The Gathering gives us a wonderful opportunity to show the Government what we can achieve when we work together.’ u

The Magnificent Seven: 2013 Highlights 1. Irish dancers the world over will be invited to the home of traditional Irish dancing for a three-day festival celebration of Irish dance with workshops, masterclasses and events taking place in various venues around Dublin, culminating in a world-record attempt at the longest Riverdance performance along the banks of the River Liffey. 2. Throughout 2013, South County Dublin will host ‘Meet to Compete’: 25 international sports tournaments across several sports including basketball, baseball, cricket and soccer, inviting teams from the USA, Canada, UK and Europe. Over 18,000 visitors are expected to attend the events from February to October 2013. 3. Over 50 overseas choirs are expected to attend a packed calendar of choral Gatherings next year with The Messiah Gathering in Dublin 12-15 April, Cork Choral Gathering 1-5 May, the Mayo Choral Gathering 23-26 May. The inaugural ‘Limerick Sings’ will take place over the June Bank Holiday weekend. From 9-18 August, the Kilkenny Arts Festival Choir will join forces with choirs from Kilkenny’s twinned cities: Leicester (UK); Moret-Sur-Loing (France) and Xuzhou (China) for a gathering of voices. The Sligo International Choral Festival in November will round up a year of choral Gatherings. 4. The ‘Morpeth Roll’, probably the longest farewell card in the world, signed by over 250,000 people in Ireland in 1841 at the request of Daniel O’Connell and presented to the outgoing Lord Morpeth, the well respected and much admired Chief Secretary of Ireland, will go on public display for the first time ever as it undertakes an exhibition tour around Ireland in 2013. The Morpeth Roll exhibition will open in Dublin on St Patrick’s Day and tour the country throughout the year with stops confirmed for Kilkenny, Clonmel, Derrynane, Westport and Belfast. 5. A special Jazz Gathering at the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival is expected to attract over 1,000 music students from around the world for a weekend of free jazz education, including free tuition from some of the most famous names in jazz. It also offers them the opportunity to perform and be involved in one of Europe’s top jazz festivals. The famous Berklee College is an example of the calibre of music schools which will be targeted. 6. Members of the tribes of Galway living in North America are invited to compete in an oyster eating competition at the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival. 7. The GAA will host three international Football, ladies football and camogie tournaments in 2013 over three days, with the finals being held in Croke Park on 27 July, while An Aer Lingus international hurling tournament will take place in Galway from 18-21 September.

PLAY YOUR PART, GET INVOLVED: It’s not too late to be a part of The Gathering. The Gathering team offer a range of supports to help you organise and promote your event. See thegatheringireland.com for more.

14 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

HOTELS

With liabilities of e6.7bn, the Irish hotel sector is estimated to be in e4bn negative equity according to economist Alan Ahearne. Image: © Images_of_Money

Unburdening the Hotel Sector While the Irish sector is undergoing a fledgling recovery (two-track that is – the cities and major tourism hotspots are faring better than those off the beaten track), any occupancy or revPAR gains achieved are not enough to service the burdensome debt which is smothering the industry. Sizing up the greatest issue affecting its members, the Irish Hotels Federation has asserted that fresh investment is needed to turn around the hotel sector.

HOTELS at Northbrook Road eager to eliminate any interference from outside noise and concentrate on getting down to business. And getting down to business means illustrating to investors that Irish hotels are still a sector worth investing in, despite the hairy headlines which dogged the business pages throughout the collapse of the economy. Of course, opportunists will tell you that there is never a better time to invest than in a recession and venture capitalists are jetting into Ireland by the plane-load to sniff out bargain basement deals. Ireland’s trophy hotel assets are up for grabs, and we’ve seen the British, Russian, Swiss, American, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Israeli et al., scout about for prized possessions. While they are getting mega deals which will wipe much of the debt off the balance sheets of encumbered hotels, the big fish are not of pressing concern to the IHF. Recent market offerings, such as the 500+ bedroom Burlington Hotel, landmark Ashford Castle, highly profitable Fota Island Resort and picturesque Parknasilla do not tax the mind of IHF chief Tim Fenn. Pondering the challenges faced by the hotel industry which is smothering under the weight of a e6.7bn debt, he reflects ‘the big assets will be sorted – there are enough people out there to buy trophy assets. But there are a lot of good, profitable businesses around the country that will not attract the big, international buyers and they are the ones that need to be recycled back into the industry.’ What to do with the multibillion euro debt problem is an issue which has been vexing strategists in IHF HQ and, as Tim Fenn points out, ‘there

are genuine challenges out there that require unique solutions’. If it is to have any chance of survival then the industry needs to be recapitalised with support from interested parties who will ‘put together funds to assist the industry retake control of hotels’, he explains. Economist Alan Ahearne underlines why this is so important. Noting that as a whole the Irish hotel industry is potentially profitable, and that business is starting to improve after several years of decline, he asserts that the growth is still not enough to service the stifling debt blanketing the sector. With liabilities of e6.7bn, equating to approximately e113,250 per room, hoteliers need to double the average profit per room of e5,200 to e10,750 in order to service the debt – no mean feat in the current climate. ‘The debt overhang will mean that, after paying interest payments, the industry will not have sufficient earnings to reinvest in the hotel stock, make principal repayments to reduce leverage, or deliver a reasonable risk-adjusted return to equity investors,’ reported Ahearne. Quite simply, as it faces up to the fact that it is sitting on e4bn-worth of negative equity the hotel sector will not be able to get itself out of the hole it currently finds itself in without outside assistance. But external assistance does not come easily, particularly for smaller hotels outside the tourism honeypots who have little chance of attracting the attention of deeppocketed international investors. ‘Realistically, only domestic residents will be bidding for these hotels,’ notes Alan Ahearne, concurring with IHF chief, Tim Fenn. But herein lies the crux of the problem. Even if the hotel sector can present itself as a viable

Source: Central Bank of Ireland and economist Alan Ahearne 16 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

Debt Collecting International Lessons Economist Alan Ahearne looked overseas for lessons on how to deal with the hotel sector’s crippling debt issue. This is what he found: ‘Many countries have experienced credit booms and busts in business sectors over recent decades and have faced the challenges of working out distressed assets. The historical experience in other countries highlights several methods available to lenders to restructure hotels. The choice of which method to use should be taken by lenders on a strictly commercial basis. Hotels that are economically non-viable should be closed. The international evidence clearly shows that maintaining credit flows to non-viable borrowers reduces the profits for healthy businesses, which depresses investment and employment growth. In practice, a hotel that is unable to generate an operating surplus, even after restructuring of its business model, is unsustainable and should cease to trade. In the case of a viable but over-indebted hotel: • The lender may decide to put the hotel into receivership and the receiver sells the hotel as a going concern at market value to new owners. The new owners usually finance the purchase of the hotel with a mix of debt and equity. If there are no acceptable bids for the hotel, the lender may choose to lease the hotel with a view to selling the business at a later stage. • The lender may decide to restructure the loan and the current owners continue to operate the hotel with lower debt payments. The restructuring deal sometimes includes a debt-for-equity swap, which gives the lender upside potential. Along with reducing the debt, it is common for lenders to require the owners (or some thirdparty investors) to inject new equity into the hotel to provide funds to restructure the hotel’s business model and improve the hotel’s operating performance. • From a lender’s perceptive, it is important that decisive action is taken to resolve the problem of debt overhang and repair balance sheets. A strategy of forbearance invariably ends up raising the cost of distressed loans to the lender. After restructuring, viable hotels are returned to a financial position where they can operate on a long-term sustainable basis.

Debt Restructurings and Hotel Performance

In a recent econometric study of 115 over-indebted Austrian ski hotels, Giroud et al. (2010) found that reducing a debt overhang by restructuring debt leads to a significant improvement in operating performance (measured by return on assets and net profit margin). In particular, a reduction in leverage leads to a decrease in overhead costs, wages and input costs and to an increase in sales. The authors also provided a case study of a hotel located in a small village with famous ski areas nearby. The hotel is managed by the owner and his family. The hotel has an average of nine employees (not counting family members) and 34 rooms. The owner is individually and personally liable for all of the hotel’s liabilities. The hotel experienced a sharp decline in demand in the years prior to the debt restructuring. Compared to four years before the debt restructuring, the number of nights stayed dropped by 32%. As a result, the hotel’s net profit margin (EBITDA/sales) dropped sharply in the two years prior to the debt restructuring. The hotel’s return on assets in the year prior to the debt restructuring was only 6.3%. In the debt restructuring, the hotel received substantial debt forgiveness. The hotel had only one lending bank, which agreed to forgive about e830,000. As a result, the hotel’s (book) leverage ratio was reduced from 1.84 to 1.41. In response to the debt forgiveness, the owner family agreed to contribute funds of their own. In the years after the debt restructuring, the hotel’s performance improved substantially. Return on assets increased from 6.3% prior to the debt restructuring to 10.9% in the three years after the debt restructuring.’

HOTELS

Source: Time to Invest: Proposals to Restore Financial Sustainability to the Irish Hotel Industry by Alan Ahearne

industry to invest in, there is little finance accessible to prospective Irish buyers. Alan Ahearne, therefore, makes three key recommendations: • The current (but soon to be abolished) Employment and Investment Incentive Scheme (EIIS) could be extended to include restructured hotels, thereby providing incentives to private investors to inject equity into restructured hotels; • A Hotel Restructuring Fund could use funds from the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF) and the sale of state assets to invest in hotels that have reasonable prospects for profitability, growth and providing sustainable employment; • A Qualifying Investor Fund could be established for hotels which may be attractive to private investors, especially from abroad, who would like to invest in Irish hotels but who do not wish to own hotels directly.

While Tim Fenn is eager to enlist the support of Government for Ahearne’s blueprint, the IHF is not hanging around waiting for State assistance. In the meantime, it has opened the lines of communication with leading finance houses, promoting the benefits of investing in profitable Irish hotels. The response to date has been positive, he says. ‘The Federation is looking to recapitalise the industry and attract interested parties who will put together funds to assist the industry retake control of hotels,’ explains Tim. While the EIIS is a suitable vehicle for smaller properties seeking investment, he sees the opportunity for like-minded medium to large hotels to group together in a fund, making them more attractive to investors. ‘The Time to Invest conference was a wonderful success. It certainly opened the minds of those in the financial markets.

They see the potential of putting funds together to manage investments in groups of 10 or 20 hotels. There has been interest from different financiers and we are hopeful that some sort of structure will arise from this that will give people hope. Up until now the markets haven’t had a structure to facilitate their interest.’ Whether the Government listens and makes the NPRF or EIIS available to hotels remains to be seen, but something must be done to help the hotel sector, and wider business community, address the debt debacle, argues Tim Fenn. ‘We see ourselves as a case study for what will happen in Ireland Inc. The entire country has to get recapitalised, get restructured and get on it. If we continue to labour under overhanging debt we’re going to choke our industries. We have used the hotel example as a study of what can happen.’ u

HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 17

HOTELS

Big Game Hunting

International Investors Eye Ireland’s Trophy Hotel Assets When Donald Trump’s reps jetted in with dreams of building a lavish casino on the lands of a five star resort it served to illustrate just how hot Ireland’s hotels had become internationally. Lenders are cleaning up their balance sheets and in the process offering prime assets at heavily discounted prices to cash-rich buyers. ‘The Donald’ soon lost interest once he was informed of Ireland’s gambling laws, but other international investors have not been so easily swayed. (Did you hear the one about the Asian billionaire who wanted to dye an Irish golf course pink?) After a quiet few years, Ireland’s hotel property market perked up in 2012, with a number of big assets hitting the market.

Going…

Fancy living it up in Quiet Man country? Mayo’s Ashford Castle was voted one of the hotels that Irish hospitality operators would most like to own in Hotel & Catering Review’s Most Admired & Desired survey in 2012, and now, if you have a spare e25m lying around you have the chance to do just that. The ‘Queen of Cong’ was offered up for sale by receivers in the autumn at half the price developer Gerry Barrett paid for it in 2008 when he shelled out a cool e50m for the 13th century castle. Savills is handling the sale. Bids of £10m (e12.3m) have been sought for Fermanagh’s five star Lough Erne, which has been placed on CBRE’s books by lender, 18 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

Lloyds. Another deep discount, it was built by businessman Jim Treacy at a cost of e35m.

Going…

Investors can get into the hotel market without the pain of operating a hotel with the sale of the River Lee Hotel building in Cork. The building is let to PV Doyle Hotels Ltd on a 35-year lease (from October 2006), with a substantial group guarantee. Rental income is approximately e2.04m per annum, with five year upward only rent reviews. Savills is seeking e24.5m or more for the property which includes 182 bedrooms, spa, health club and conference centre.

Gone…

Russian billionaire Yelana Baturina kicked off 2012’s big sales when she paid NAMA approximately e15m for the four star Morrison hotel on Dublin’s quays. The hotel has closed for a e7m refurbishment and will be opened by new operators, Martinez Hotels & Resorts, in February as a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel. The sale was handled by CBRE. Private equity firm, Brehon Capital Partners, bought the Grand Canal Square hotel and apartment block for e30m from Lloyds last spring. The hotel, to be named The Marker, will be operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts when

1. The River Lee Hotel building, let to PV Doyle Hotels Ltd on a 35-year lease, is for sale with a guide of e24.5m 2. Cork International Airport Hotel sold for e5m last year 3. Another McNamara hotel, Parknasilla Resort, changed hands for e10m 4. The Morrison was bought by Russian billionaire Yelana Baturina who is investing e7m in a refurbishment 5. The landmark Burlington Hotel was the biggest deal of 2012, bought by Blackstone for e67m

it launches this spring. The biggest sale of 2012 was The Burlington Hotel, sold to private equity giant, Blackstone, for e67m – a mere snip of the e288m developer Bernard McNamara paid for the Dublin hotel five years ago. Blackstone is to invest e16m in a refurbishment of the 501-room property which will also be branded DoubleTree by Hilton. Meanwhile, SwissLebanese investor Jacqui Safra has purchased the landmark Parknasilla Resort in Kerry for e10m. Another McNamara hotel, it was bought for e40m by the developer who spent an additional e30m on its upgrade. McNamara’s Cork International Airport Hotel also sold in 2012 for e5m and will remain under the operation of Tifco. Elsewhere in Cork, the five star Fota Island Resort has been snapped up Chinese billionaire Chanchai Ruayrungruang, who purchased the hotel from NAMA for a figure in the region of e22m – a considerable discount on the e90m that was spent on its development by builder John Fleming. Finally, at time of going to press a deal was expected to complete on Kenmare’s luxury Sheen Falls Lodge. The five star hotel owned by Danish shipping magnate Bent Hoyer is expected to change hands for e5m. u

OPENINGS

What’s New?

NEW OPENINGS The Kemp sisters of Itsa fame have joined forces

with former corporate financier, Jerry Mellerick, casual dining operator, Roark Cassidy, and food writer, Hugo Arnold, to launch Hatch & Sons, a casual new eatery on Dublin’s bustling St Stephen’s Green. Named after a dairy located on nearby Leeson Street in the 19th century, Hatch & Sons centres on the concept of an Irish kitchen, serving wholesome food guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart. The list of suppliers reads like a Who’s Who of great Irish producers, including a tempting range of artisan beers. Hatch & Sons is open daily and until 8pm on Thursday for late night shoppers. A little slice of Paris has opened on Wicklow Street in the heart of the capital. Elizabeth Wichur and Paul O’Grady have introduced Le Petit Parisien to the hip city centre street, offering authentic French cuisine with an Irish twist. Think soup de jour with Guinness bread, toasted brioche and a full Irish breakfast. Interiors are French-themed, with dark woods and Versailles-inspired mirrors. Cocktails are enjoying a revival in the new, oh-so-cool VCC (Vintage Cocktail Club) in Temple Bar’s Crown Alley, which has become so talked about by locals that Dubliners have started to venture back into the city’s tourism hub. While the cocktails are nabbing all the attention, the food is also worth a try, with chef Mark Bradley cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Grazing is made easy with a range of snacks, smalls and boards. Try fried Brussels sprouts with an apple cider glaze and celeriac puree or grilled pickled mackerel with warm fingling potato salad and mustard seed crème fraiche. Food is served nightly and on Saturday for brunch.

1. 1. James Winans at the Purty Kitchen 2. Breda Stackpool and Danny Desmond have taken over Preston House 3. Westbury Hotel GM, Edward Stephenson, and Irish rugby captain, Brian O’Driscoll at the launch of the new look Marble Bar 4. The Marble Bar at The Westbury 5. VCC’s Fondant Potato, Black Pudding, Mango Chutney, Fried Egg

NEW BEGINNINGS Dun Laoghaire’s Purty Kitchen has

reopened under new management. Stepaside’s The Step Inn co-owner, Ashley Sheridan, has bought the well-known watering hole and gastro bar and hired head chef James Winans to reignite the food business. In homage to its location expect plenty of seafood, with salmon croquettes with sweet potato, deep fried calamari with sweet chilli dressing, and mussels with Aspall cider. A haven for beer lovers, self-confessed ‘beer anorak’ Ashley has introduced a range of 45 craft beers and ciders from around the world and pledges to reward customers with stamps for each new beer sampled. Once everything is ticked off the list (not in one sitting we guess) they will receive a personalised beer tankard. That’s what you call a local. Danny Desmond, ex Lindsay House and The Ivy, London, Rustic Stone and Bang Café, Dublin and Castlemartyr, Cork, has purchased Preston House in Abbeyleix with partner, Breda Stackpool. The former school, which dates back to the 19th century, features a 70-seater restaurant, private dining room, function room, guest lounge and six guestrooms. Danny and Breda have ambitions to turn Preston House into a dining destination and have enlisted the help of Robert Groot Koerkamp, the Dutch native who has worked in Michelin restaurants in Holland as well as Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin where he served as sous chef. ‘We want Preston House to not just reflect our vision and style of cooking, but the agricultural culture of Laois with our menus reflecting the local agri landscape,’ says Danny.

NEW LOOK The great and the good came out for the launch of The

Westbury Hotel’s new look Marble Bar recently when TV presenters, rugby aces, and Irish personalities descended on the Dublin five star to check out the style. Taking a concept of ‘edgy sophistication’, Denis Looby of Sheehan & Barry Architects created a polished space with parquet flooring, suede wall covering, faceted mirror panels and custom embossed leather and mohair upholstery. Luxury is the word. u

5. HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 19

PROMOTION

Positioning Ireland f or G rowth T Tourism Ireland Looks Back on a Busy 2012

he island of Ireland performed reasonably well from a tourism perspective in 2012, despite the challenging international economic environment. By the end of the year, Tourism Ireland expects that around 7.27 million people will have visited the island of Ireland from around the world, yielding around e3.51bn in revenue. Ambitious targets are in place for 2013, aiming to welcome 7.6 million visitors to the island of Ireland in 2013, representing growth in visitor numbers of 5% over 2012. Commenting on the year ahead, Niall Gibbons said: ‘As we look ahead to 2013, we are very much aware that the economic landscape presents a challenging environment for travel. However, despite the uncertainty surrounding the pace of economic recovery in our key source markets, we believe that our marketing activity around the globe in 2013 can deliver a 5% increase in visitor numbers, with North America and Mainland Europe representing significant potential. In particular, The Gathering Ireland 2013 and Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013 present tremendous opportunities for us to shine a spotlight on the island of Ireland around the world.’

island of Ireland on St Patrick’s Day and to kick off a major spring promotional drive to grow overseas tourism this year.

March: Taoiseach launches visa waiver extension in China

During a trade mission to China, Taoiseach Enda Kenny launched a major development to help grow tourism business from China: the extension, until October 2016, of the visa waiver scheme for Chinese tourists who wish to visit Ireland. The announcement was made at a Tourism Ireland event in Beijing attended by 150 leading Chinese travel trade, media and airline representatives. The Taoiseach also signalled Ireland’s warm welcome for Chinese visitors – with the introduction of a short-stay visa for individual travellers. To date, 24 Chinese tour operators who previously only programmed Great Britain are now also promoting the island of Ireland.

SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF 2012 FOR OVERSEAS TOURISM January: ‘Jump into Ireland’ goes live to 200 million people

Tourism Ireland kicked off 2012 with the roll-out of a new global advertising campaign – ‘Jump into Ireland’ – to promote the island of Ireland overseas over the next three years. The campaign went live on television in Great Britain, France and Germany; in cinemas in GB and the US, Spain and Italy; on outdoor sites in GB; and online in the other 22 markets in which Tourism Ireland has a presence, to an estimated audience of 200 million potential visitors worldwide.

January: ‘Russian’ to Ireland – Tourism Ireland targets BRIC markets

Tourism Ireland announced a new strategy to attract more highspending visitors from the emerging BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) tourism markets. In January, Tourism Ireland and a number of Irish tourism operators travelled to Russia for a travel trade mission in Moscow and St Petersburg, in a bid to grow Ireland’s share of this emerging and fast-growing tourism market.

March: Turning the world green on St Patrick’s Day

Niagara Falls, the London Eye, Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Coit Tower and City Hall in San Franscisco and the Leaning Tower of Pisa were just some of the iconic buildings and attractions around the world which went green this year as part of Tourism Ireland’s biggest ever global promotional programme of activities to showcase the

June: Tuscan town turns green for Trappatoni’s Ireland

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD and Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland (centre), in Beijing in March, with six online travel agents who are offering Ireland holiday packages for the first time ever, following the introduction of a new short-stay visa for individual Chinese travellers.

Montecatini, the Tuscan town where Giovanni Trapattoni and Ireland’s Euro 2012 squad spent their final weeks preparing for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland, was turned green by Tourism Ireland in June. Using a variety of material supplied by Tourism Ireland, the businesses of Montecatini dressed their windows and shop-fronts, competing to win the prize for the best green windows in town! And over beside the squad’s training ground, at the ‘Casa d’Irlanda’ centre for media and the general public, Tourism Ireland distributed brochures and information about holidays in Ireland. As the fans headed off to support Ireland in Poland later that month, Tourism Ireland teamed up with Ryanair at Dublin Airport to deliver a ‘big green wave’ to Poland, with over 2,000 giant green hands given out to Ryanair passengers travelling to Poznanń to promote Ireland during Euro 2012.

August: Bollywood blockbuster set in Dublin goes on release

This highly anticipated Bollywood film Ek Tha Tiger went on release in 24 countries to a massive audience of over 100 million people in August. The romantic thriller, starring two of Bollywood’s most celebrated actors, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, was shot on location in Dublin. The film features spectacular dance sequences and stunts in lots of well-known locations and landmarks – including Trinity College, Temple Bar, the Ha’penny Bridge, the Millennium

6.6.

Bridge, Grafton Street, The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin Castle and even the Luas! Ek Tha Tiger was the biggest Bollywood blockbuster of 2012 and has become the third all-time highest-grossing Hindi movie ever.

Autumn: Getting ready for The Gathering Ireland 2013

Tourism Ireland’s busy programme of promotional activity in autumn highlighted The Gathering Ireland 2013 around the globe. A ‘Gathering’ roadshow led by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar took in the cities of New York, Chicago, Boston and Toronto, reaching key enablers such as business networks, clans, cultural and sporting associations, Irish clubs and societies, to encourage them to participate in The Gathering. Minister Varadkar also promoted The Gathering in Australia. Up to 19 million people in GB saw Tourism Ireland’s TV ads this autumn, which included an invitation to visit for The Gathering Ireland 2013. In the United States – building on the tremendous success of the Notre Dame vs Navy game in Dublin in September – Tourism Ireland ran a highly visible TV and online campaign with CBS in New York, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia around Notre Dame’s games, reaching about 7.5 million viewers. Radio, print and online ads also targeted 13.5 million Americans of Irish descent in Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

September: Festival focus for Tourism Ireland’s autumn campaign

Tourism Ireland launched a e19m promotional campaign in September, aimed at boosting late-season travel to Ireland from around the globe and teeing up The Gathering Ireland 2013. The campaign highlighted the many festivals and events taking place right around the island – from the Dublin Festival Season, to the Belfast Festival at Queens (which this year celebrated the important milestone of its 50th anniversary), Wexford Festival Opera, Westport Food Festival, Cork Jazz Festival and the Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival.

October: New air routes between Ireland and the US announced

Autumn saw the announcement of a number of important new routes between Ireland and the US, which were

Above: 1. The Leaning Tower of Pisa turns green for St Patrick’s Day 2. Michael Cawley, Ryanair deputy chief executive (back, second left) and Niall Gibbons, Tourism Ireland chief executive (right), at Dublin Airport with football fans travelling to Poznan for Euro 2012 3. Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, two of India’s most celebrated actors, during filming of Ek Tha Tiger in Trinity College, Dublin 4. Tourism Ireland’s activity to highlight The Gathering Ireland this autumn included print ads in key publications 5. Niall Gibbons, CEO, Tourism Ireland; Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar; Éamonn McKeon, CEO, Irish Tourist Industry Confederation (ITIC); Vivienne Jupp, chairperson of the Tourism Recovery Taskforce; Shaun Quinn, CEO, Fáilte Ireland; and Vanessa Markey, Tourism Ireland’s head of GB, at the announcement of the new GB Path to Growth strategy 6. Niall Gibbons, Mark Henry, Brian Harte and Sarah Fitzpatrick, all Tourism Ireland, celebrate reaching the ‘magic million’ Facebook fans

warmly welcomed by Tourism Ireland. United announced a new service from Chicago to Shannon, to commence in June 2013; US Airways announced a new, daily flight between Philadelphia and Shannon Airport, which will commence in May 2013; and American Airlines announced a new, daily flight between JFK, New York and Dublin, to commence in June 2013. Aer Lingus will also increase capacity on routes to Dublin from Orlando, Chicago and Boston. In all, the number of airline seats from the United States to Ireland is set to grow by +20% for the summer of 2013. Tourism Ireland will continue to work closely with all carriers to maximise the promotion of, and drive demand for, all routes to the island of Ireland.

October: New strategies unveiled for Great Britain and the United States

A significant new strategy to revitalise performance in the British market, GB Path to Growth, was announced, outlining a plan to restore growth from our largest source market by identifying areas of best potential growth and recommending that future marketing and development plans be focused intensely on these. A new three-year plan was also unveiled for the US market – Make Ireland Jump Out – which will be rolled out by Tourism Ireland in the United States in 2013.

November: Tourism Ireland reaches the ‘Magic Million’ on Facebook

Tourism Ireland reached one million fans on Facebook around the world in November, making it the second most popular tourism board in the world, after Australia. Tourism Ireland has doubled its Facebook fanbase in the past 12 months – from 500,000 fans in 2011 – and from just 81,000 fans in 2010. Reaching one million Facebook fans is significant because each fan has an average of 220 friends – so Tourism Ireland is just one click away from having its message shared with 220 million people. u

RESTAURANTS

Nando’s

Takes OFF

Starting out as a takeaway concept in South Africa, Nando’s has gone global with a successful brand of Portuguese-style chicken dishes served by trendy staff in buzzing restaurants. Now, the group has ambitious plans for Ireland. Country MD, Alan Snyman, tells SARAH GRENNAN about Nando’s expansion.

here are few businesses fortunate enough to command a queue in recessionary times, but rock up to Nando’s in Dundrum Town Centre at any stage since its launch and the likelihood is that you’ll be joining a line snaking out the door. Those ‘Yummy Drummies’ sure do like their periperi chicken, their appetites’ whetted by the glowing endorsements from Leinster rugby players on Twitter. But BOD’s approval aside, Nando’s following is growing and, despite the dark cloud of the downturn hovering above, the recession has had some pleasant side effects for the Portuguese-style chicken purveyor. While the pressure on consumer spend has suited operators in the casual end of the restaurant sector better than their fine dining counterparts, the greatest boon has been the availability of cheaper rents – a colossal advantage to a business in expansion mode. ‘Thankfully landlords have come to their senses,’ observes Alan Snyman, the South African native tasked with expanding Nando’s in Ireland. ‘We’ve been here since 2008 and we’ve been negotiating with landlords since earlier than that and the rents during the Celtic Tiger years were crazy. Dundrum was the first lease we signed and we probably paid over and above what we should have. We’ve negotiated it down since, but it’s probably still too high.’ Despite the hefty rent still commanded by high-volume sites like Dundrum, the more sensible rates charged elsewhere have helped Nando’s grow to a group of nine restaurants across Belfast, Cork and Dublin. Rents are now approximately 25-30% lower than they were in the boom, making some sites a much more realistic proposition, notes Alan. The latest additions to the Nando’s family, in west Dublin’s Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown shopping centres, launched within a couple of weeks of each other in November and plans are advanced to open a 10th Nando’s in Dun Laoghaire (on the site of the former Harbour Bar) in late March/early April. Elsewhere in Dublin, negotiations are 22 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

ongoing on a site in Tallaght and another in the Omniplex, Santry, while Nando’s is doing its homework on Galway and sniffing out possibilities in Derry. There’s no doubt that Nando’s is a chain that is going places, although ‘chain’ is a term which irks the management. ‘Okay, it is a chain in the strictest sense of the word,’ Alan concedes, ‘but we try and tell ourselves it’s not. It’s a bit of a forbidden word for us. We try to keep each restaurant different with its own unique style and every restaurant is set up as an individual restaurant. The management team is given a level of autonomy to run the restaurant themselves. We want each Nando’s to be different. You get a more personal experience then.’ While the group likes the restaurants to be individual, at the same time it prefers to keep the Nando’s concept under its own control. All Nando’s in Ireland and the UK are wholly owned by the South African parent, and while the franchise model is in place in other countries, the mothership is moving to buy some back. ‘With 1,000 Nando’s worldwide

we’re not going to be able to buy all of them, but we’ve started work on buying some. Franchising does work well as a model, but it is hard to make changes to the operations. The challenge we face now is how to overlay a structure through Nando’s worldwide.’ As the group moves into new markets (Alan is currently in a friendly expansion race with his pal who heads the US operations, where Nando’s has 10 outlets) the plan is to at least double the number of Irish sites over the next few years. ‘We’d like to see a minimum of 20 Nando’s in Ireland by 2015. With Dun Laoghaire coming on stream we’re half way there. I think we can do 20 without being too brave and having to go to smaller places. We still have cities like Limerick to move to. I think there’s definitely room for us to open 26 or 28 restaurants.’ When searching for new opportunities there are three models that work best for Nando’s – high streets, strong retail parks and leisure parks. As a rule, the group tries to stay away from costly locations on main high street pitches, however. ‘We prefer to trade

Nando’s busy outlet at Dundrum Town Centre was the first outlet to open in the Republic of Ireland

RESTAURANTS

Nando’s core product – chicken and chips

Nando’s Factfile Locations: Nine in Belfast, Cork and Dublin, with four more in the pipeline for 2013 Sector: The ‘easy eating’ market Food: Lashings of chicken covered in Nando’s signature Portuguese-style peri-peri sauce Average spend: e13-e14 per head

on the side. We’re confident in the product and the guys working in the restaurants. We think we can bring business to us,’ says Alan, although he is keen to point out that while they’re very confident in the brand, it’s not to the point of arrogance. ‘We know the product is good. It’s a simple product but we do it well. For us, it’s 100% about the team.’ With 380 employed in Ireland, 100 of whom joined the team with the launch of the two outlets in Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown, Nando’s is becoming a significant employer. Each new site opened will create up to 50 jobs and, if all goes to plan, we can expect Nando’s to double its workforce in the next couple of years. What does the group look for when hiring? ‘Enthusiasm and the desire to make a difference – you can train everything else. We have lots of students working with us and lots and lots of graduates – it’s a sign of the times. It’s awesome to be creating jobs in times like these, but to be honest, while

Leinster Loves Nando’s: Rugby players Fergus McFadden, Rob Kearney, Eoin O’Malley and Brian O’Driscoll swap the pitch for the counter at Nando’s Dundrum

the PRs tell us it’s a good news story, it’s not something we really think about that much. I’m just focused on giving great chicken.’ Doing business in Ireland can be frustrating at times, admits Alan, particularly when you’re expanding as the red tape can take time to negotiate, ‘but Ireland is similar to South Africa in that regard, so we’re used to it’. That said, it takes three to six months longer to open a site in Ireland than it does in the UK, surely not a good sign at a time when we should be helping and not hindering job creation. Is there anything the Government could do to make it easier to do business? ‘They could help by cleaning up the legislation. There is so much new legislation on top of old, an example being the JLCs. It’s hugely confusing. The fact that the national minimum wage was superseded by the JLC is really bizarre.’ Nando’s is not

endeavouring to reduce the minimum wage, Alan explains, but just make it easier to understand it. ‘We like to think that we offer a little more than the minimum wage. We regularly benchmark what we pay against the likes of Wagamama, GBK and McDonald’s. If you want quality staff then you have to make sure you stay competitive.’ Competition is, of course, fierce in the casual dining sector – or ‘easy eating’ as Alan calls it – but competition is healthy and Nando’s is committed to trying to enhance the product. ‘We never try to reinvent the wheel but we always try and push the envelope. We never want to become complacent and not challenge ourselves. What’s made Nando’s a success is that we don’t deviate from the core product – which is chicken and chips. We keep it simple and we do it well.’ u HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 23

INGREDIENTS

Out with a

Bang(er)

Sausages have never been so cool, notes MARILYN BRIGHT.

amb with rosemary and plum, pork with cracked black pepper and red onion, duck with spring onion and ginger – not just a random list of flavour marriages, but some of the inventive Irish speciality sausages that are winning accolades at home and abroad. Butchers from all over the country compete to win gold in the hotly contested Sausage of the Year competition run by Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland. Originally founded as a search for best traditional – mainly breakfast – sausages, the growing taste for new flavours and main course options has meant that a category for speciality sausages was introduced, with entries often outnumbering traditional sausages in the regional heats leading up to the grand final in Dublin. McGettigan & Sons of Donegal won the Supreme Champion 2012 award with their traditional sausage, a product that was also awarded top prize in Europe in 2011. With the butcher’s sixth in 10 years, Ernan McGettigan recalls the first entry just a decade ago was a hickory and maple pork sausage. ‘When the publicity came out, sausage sales went from 30-50 pounds a week to 700 pounds. Things have calmed down since but it’s still one of our best sellers.’ Interest in ‘different’ and main course sausages continues to grow and today McGettigan’s produces 25 varieties. Pork sausages include garlic and leek or rhubarb and ginger versions as well as a pork blend with home cured bacon and Irish cheddar promoted as tasting like ‘a nice cheeseburger’. Cranberry and basil bangers have a holiday twist and the curry, banana and mango sausage is said to be cracking in a stir-fry. Lamb sausages are flavoured with rosemary and plum and South African visitors were won over by McGettigan’s boerwurst – 90% meat as opposed to the 24 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

usual 70-80%. Ernan feels growth is being driven by the current economic situation, with home customers looking for affordable meat options and variety sausages appearing on popular menus and publicised by chefs. Neven Maguire championed McGettigan’s chilli, chocolate and orange sausage and it remains in demand when it appears on the counter. Sausages and mash with caramelised onion gravy remain a pub food mainstay and popular brasserie/bistro menus feature continental-style sausages like chorizo and Toulouse with rustic stews, puy lentils and cassoulets. The Romans made the first recorded sausages, the name derived from the Latin salsus, meaning salted. It was a way to use the leftover bits and scraps from pigs slaughtered in the autumn, and preserve them for winter eating. Cooks ever since have appreciated the economy of sausages, developing myriads of regional varieties and techniques for flavouring and preserving by drying and smoking. Beef, mutton, game, poultry and even seafood may be given the gourmet sausage treatment and some chefs are making their own in-house, a cost-effective way of using off-cuts and adding variety at the same time. Garrett Byrne at Campagne buys the whole venison carcass, butchers out the prime cuts and uses the bits for pies, terrines and sausages while William O’Callaghan uses his butchery skills to make herby sausages for Longueville House’s luxurious breakfasts. Jane Grigson’s Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery is the best authority for aspiring sausage makers and she gives basic formulas for French type 100% meat sausages, as opposed to our traditional breakfast sausage which contains a proportion of rusk or breadcrumbs. Fat content is essential for succulence and most recipes use one part pork fat to two parts lean meat – veal, pork, beef, game or mixtures of these.

The basic process is simple mincing, but the herbs, spices and seasonings make all the difference. After salt and pepper, additions can be as varied as onion and garlic, thyme, rosemary and sage, hot or sweet peppers, pistachio, chopped chard and wine, as well as a whole range of spices. Quatre-epices is a good French addition and chorizo gets its orange colour from a good proportion of hot or mild paprika. To stuff in casings or not is the question for in-house sausage makers. Food processors have attachments to make the job easy and ready-to-use natural casings are available from suppliers. Alternatively, frozen caul fat is carried by the large wholesalers and pieces of the veil-like fat can be used to enclose hand-shaped parcels of sausage meat which go by the French name of crepinettes. If the caul fat is a little stiff, it can be softened in a little tepid water with a dash of vinegar. Spicy American sausages eschew casings altogether and are served up as small patties to go with the breakfast pancakes and syrup. In her book, A Kitchen Year, chef and Gold Medal Awards judge, Paula McIntyre, takes sausages main course, seasoning minced pork with onion, garlic, fennel seeds, oregano, rosemary, chilli and paprika to serve with goat’s cheese polenta and rich tomato sauce. In the south of France, Languedoc cooks flavour the sausage mixture with garlic, parsley and walnuts to be wrapped in cabbage leaves, poached in stock and presented as poules verte, green chickens. Sausages lend themselves to hearty rustic dishes as in the French cassoulet that many chefs have put their own stamps on. They’ve gone upmarket too as the return of nose-to-tail eating has encouraged cooks to get creative with sausages and come up with combinations like seared scallops with chorizo or a blissful cocktail snack of hot spicy sausages with chilled oysters – definitely in the champagne class of taste marriages. u

Glamour

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL NEWS

G is for

PAULINE REILLY has recently been appointed head chef at Restaurant Gigi’s in Galway’s ultra glam G Hotel. She answers our quick fire questions.

I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE… head chef of a hotel and so I was delighted to be appointed to the position in Harvey’s Point, but Galway has a special place in my heart so it has been fantastic to get the opportunity to work in The G again.

THE STYLE OF FOOD IN RESTAURANT GIGI’S IS… an exciting and modern take on Irish cuisine.

THE MOST POPULAR DISH IS…fillet of beef.

eating in school. Kids are taught about the food pyramid, but not what types of dishes they should actually eat. The only four things all of us will definitely do is eat, pay taxes, sleep and die. Young people should be educated about how to do the first three properly.

THE DISH I’M CURRENTLY WORKING ON IS… agnolotti pasta of butternut squash, parsnip purée, shaved parmesan, sage butter and pumpkin oil.

I LOVE WORKING WITH… lamb. I LOATHE… poached eggs. maybe a cheese toastie.

THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN PROFESSIONAL KITCHENS IS DEFINITELY IMPROVING… but like everything else in life, there is always room for more!

THE KIT I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT IS… a Robot Coupe

MY AMBITION IS… to take Restaurant Gigi’s to the next level.

I’D LOVE TO GET MY MITTS ON… a Thermomix or Pacojet.

IF I WASN’T A CHEF… I would be doing something in science. I have a

I TEND NOT TO COOK AT HOME… all I usually manage is a cup of tea or

MY FAVOURITE COOKBOOK IS… Michel Roux’s Pastry: Savoury &

degree in science from NUIG.

Sweet.

MY FAVOURITE RESTAURANT IS… III Passo, Praia da Rocha. I stumbled

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT BEING A CHEF IS… being part of a team.

across it while on holidays in Portugal and was blown away by the incorporation of the local olive oil into every course – especially the olive oil sorbet and goats’ cheese ice cream.

I HATE… the unsociable hours. I’M IRKED BY… lack of attention to detail and poor service. THE WORST DISASTER I’VE HAD IN A KITCHEN… was when we had a small fire and someone set off the powdered fire extinguisher. It made an awful mess and created total panic as we were just about to serve a wedding of 300. Thankfully the wedding went well in the end.

THE GREATEST LESSON I’VE LEARNED IN THE KITCHEN IS… to never take anything or anyone for granted.

MY LEADERSHIP STYLE IS… firm but fair. THE ADVICE I WOULD OFFER BUDDING YOUNG CHEFS IS… invest the time now, when you’re young, to pay attention to detail. It will pay off later as it will come to you naturally. And invest in a good pair of shoes!

MY HEROES ARE… Stephen Matz in the kitchen – he’s always there for me – and in life, my parents.

THE CHEF WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST INFLUENCE ON MY CAREER IS… Again, Stephan Matz. Not only is he a gentleman, but he also trained me in my early days.

THE STANDARD OF FOOD IN IRELAND… is improving all the time. We have a great way of working with cheaper cuts of meat (oxtail, ham hocks, pork neck etc) to create and incorporate them into fantastic dishes.

IF I WERE IN GOVERNMENT I WOULD… put more focus on healthy

THE MOST MEMORABLE MEAL I HAVE EVER HAD IS… the tasting menu at Chef’s Table, Maze, London or Le Bernadine, New York.

MY GUILTY PLEASURE IS… a massage in the Espa @ The G after a long week.

FOR MY LAST SUPPER I WOULD CHOOSE… my mother’s lamb roast dinner with all the trimmings and extra gravy. Top: Pauline at The G and PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW… that (inset) Restaurant Gigi’s I’m not really sure when I was born. It’s an ongoing debate in our house as to whether I was born on the 9th or the 16th of the month.

Below: Pauline’s dream dinner guests include Lady Gaga and Neven Maguire

I RELAX BY… eating out with friends or watching a chick flick.

MY FOUR DREAM DINNER GUESTS ARE… Michael Jordan, Lady Gaga, fellow county man Neven Maguire and the ever entertaining Noel Cunningham. u

HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 25

RECIPES

Recipes

for Success

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud chef de partie, CIARAN ELLIOTT (24), was crowned Ireland’s best young chef at the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year competition in November. Here is a selection of his winning recipes.

Skills Test

Ciaran cooked this dish for judges at the allimportant skills test in the competition.

Poached Hubbard Chicken, Leek and Celeriac, Roast Jus, Sauce Suprême Chicken Breast 2 chicken breasts, trimmed 1 sprig thyme ½ clove of garlic, sliced 1 /3 leek, outer green part, blanched Salt Black pepper Butter Chicken Thigh 2 chicken thighs 1 /3 leek, outer green part, blanched 1 sprig tarragon Salt Black pepper Butter Chicken Skin 1 chicken skin, trimmed 26 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

20 leaves thyme Salt Mashed Potato 400g rooster potatoes 150g butter Salt Celeriac 1 celeriac, peeled Salad 60g salad leaves 50ml hazelnut vinaigrette 3g hazelnut Black pepper Salt Sauce Suprême 2 chicken wings, chopped ½ shallot ¼ leek ¼ celery 3 button mushrooms, sliced 400ml white chicken stock 200ml double cream Black pepper Salt 1 sprig tarragon 1 bay leaf 1 sprig thyme Roast Jus 1 chicken neck, chopped ¼ chicken thigh bone, chopped ½ shallot ¼ carrot ¼ celery

Apple cider vinegar 300ml Brown chicken stock Black pepper Salt 1 bay leaf 1 sprig thyme Ravioli 2 chicken oysters, cleaned and sliced ¼ chicken thigh 1 chicken heart 1 chicken liver ½ shallot 120ml chicken jus 50ml apple cider vinegar Salt Black pepper Tarragon

Chicken Breast: Place the leek on a large rectangle of cling-film. Place the thyme sprig and sliced garlic on top. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, place on the leek. Add a knob of butter, and roll the leek and chicken in the cling-film. Tighten and tie each end. Place in an immersion circulator set at 70°C for 35 minutes. Remove from the water, allow to rest in a warm place. Chicken Thigh: Season the chicken thigh on both sides with salt and pepper. Place on a large rectangle of cling-film with the tarragon. Place the leek in the middle of the chicken thigh. Add a knob of butter, and roll the chicken in the cling-film. Tighten and tie each end. Place in an immersion circulator set at 70°C for 35 minutes. Remove from the water, allow to rest in a warm place.

RECIPES Chicken Skin Crisp: Grease the outside of two flat trays with neutral oil. Season lightly with salt.Place the trimmed skin on the tray out flat. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Place the other tray on top, followed by a weight, and place in a 165°C oven for 35 minutes. Remove from the tray immediately and cut into portions Mashed Potato: Slice the peeled potato into equal sized pieces. Place into a pan of water, season and place on the heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked. Drain the potatoes, and pass through a moulis or potato ricer into a clean pan. Add the diced butter and stir to combine. Season to taste. Pass through a fine chinois into a clean pan, adjust the seasoning and keep warm. To serve, re-heat gently. Celeriac: Slice the celeriac on a slicing machine or mandolin into 2mm slices. Cut out four circles 9cm in diameter, and four circles 6.5cm diameter. Reserve the trimmings for other uses. Blanch the celeriac disks in seasoned water for approx. 2 minutes until tender. Refresh in iced water. Drain and pat dry. To serve, re-heat

in the reserved white stock. Sauce Suprême: Add the chicken to a hot pan with a little oil, followed by the mirepoix and herbs. Sweat without colour, then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Skim, and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain into a clean pan. Reserve half of the stock for re-heating the celeriac ravioli, reduce the remainder by half. Add the cream to the reduced stock, bring to the boil and reduce to the desired consistency. Strain through a fine chinois into a clean pan, adjust the seasoning, cover and keep warm. Roast Jus: Add the chicken to a hot pan and allow to colour on all sides. Add the mirepoix and herbs, allow to colour evenly. De-glaze the pan with the vinegar, reduce then add the brown stock. Bring to the boil, skim and then simmer for 15 minutes. Strain into a clean pan, reduce to the desired consistency and adjust the seasoning as required. Strain through a fine chinois into a clean pan, cover and keep warm. Ravioli: Add the oyster and thigh meat to a hot pan with a little oil and allow to colour evenly. Add the heart and liver, followed by the shallot. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with the vinegar, allow to reduce

and add the chicken jus. Reduce to the desired consistency, cover and keep warm. To serve, re-heat and add the chopped tarragon. Salad: Dress the salad with the vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a tray, top with the shaved hazelnut. To Serve: Place the celeriac disks in the reserved chicken stock to warm up. Remove the chicken from the cling-film and dry on a clean towel. Carve the chicken breast and thigh, placing the breast into the white sauce and the thigh into the brown sauce. Baste each with the sauce. Place a quenelle of mashed potato on each serving plate. Place a drained 6.5cm celeriac disk on the plate, followed by a slice of the chicken breast, and top with another celeriac disk. Spoon the suprême sauce over. Place the chicken thigh on the plate, and spoon over the roast jus. Finish with a few leaves of thyme and a piece of crisp chicken skin. For the ravioli, re-heat the offal. Place a drained 9cm disk of celeriac on the plate, and place a pastry ring on top. Spoon in the offal, remove the ring and place a second disk of ravioli on top. Sauce the plate. Top the ravioli with the dressed salad.

Awards Dinner Ciaran was tasked with cooking dessert for guests gathered at the Young Chef of the Year final in Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin. Here is his barley pudding recipe.

Barley Pudding, Smoked Connemara Whiskey, Pear, Milk & Honey 4 Portions Barley Pudding 100g barley 1,000ml milk Salt 50ml honey Peated Connemara Whiskey Pear 1 Pear Pear Sorbet 500g pear purée 100g caster sugar 50g liquid glucose 2 tbsp Poire Williams 250g water

Milk Foam 500ml milk 120g caster sugar To Serve 20 puffed barley

Barley Pudding: Bring the barley and milk to the boil, add the honey and simmer gently until the barley is soft (approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour). Season lightly and allow to cool. Add the whiskey to taste once cool. Pear: Peel the pear just before serving and dice into large dice. Pear Sorbet: Heat the water, pear purée, sugar and liquid glucose in a large pan. Bring to the boil, whisk to combine fully and allow to cool. Once cold, add the Poire Williams liqueur and whisk. Strain the mixture through a sieve. Process in an icecream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Milk Foam: Bring the milk to the boil, simmer and reduce by half. Whisk in the sugar and check the taste. Keep warm. To serve, create a foam with a hand blender. To Serve: Place a tablespoon of the barley pudding mixture into the bottom of a martini glass. Top with the freshly diced pear. Add a scoop of pear sorbet, then scoop off the milk foam from the pan with a deep spoon and pour over and around the sorbet. Finish with a few pieces of puffed barley. u HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 27

SEASONS NEWS

OrangeDelight

pring is in the air bringing with it promise of a bountiful spell ahead for Irish food producers. Root veg continues to reign supreme during the blustery days of the changing seasons as Brussels sprouts, parsnips, turnips and co. celebrate their last showing before wrapping up until autumn. Alongside these indigenous menu staples comes one bright spark from sunnier climes – the blinkand-you’ll-miss-it Seville orange season. These zesty little delights have the snappiest of windows, available for just a few short weeks in January and through to February, but chefs make the most of their appearance, stocking up on supplies which can be frozen whole or chopped for later use, or incorporated into preserves to be stockpiled in the larder for yearround supply. Sevilles aren’t the only stars of the show of course, and northern hemisphere oranges which made an appearance pre-Christmas can be found on the shelves until March. We’re big fans of blood oranges, deliciously tasty and stylishly pretty in fresh salads, while mandarins, tangerines and clementines are as popular in New Year desserts as they are in Christmas stockings. Noma chef, Trevor Moran, tells Hotel & Catering Review this issue that ‘There is nothing better than the perfect orange. No three star dessert can compare!’ and do you know what? We totally agree.u

Seville Orange Meringue Pie Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall offers this zesty recipe to chase away the Winter blues. He recommends saving the skins of the squeezed oranges – freeze them and use them in a batch of marmalade. Pastry 225g plain flour 25g icing sugar Pinch of salt 150g chilled butter, cut into cubes 1 egg yolk 3 tbsp iced water Filling About 8 Seville oranges, enough for 400ml of juice, strained Finely grated zest of 1 navel orange 75g cornflour, sifted 4 egg yolks 250g caster sugar Meringue 4 egg whites, at room temperature 220g caster sugar

Heat the oven to 200oC/400oF/gas mark 6. Make and blind bake the pastry for 12 minutes in a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin, letting any loose pastry hang over the sides. Remove the greaseproof paper, brush the bottom of the tart with the egg wash and return to the oven until the pastry is cooked and slightly golden, about another

28 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

eight minutes. Lower the oven heat to 150oC/300oF/gas mark 2. While the shell is cooking, make the filling. Pour the orange juice, zest and cornflour into a bowl, and whisk until smooth. Bring 250ml water to a boil, then pour in the juice mixture. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, until it thickens. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, and stir into the thickened orange juice. Bring back to a simmer, whisking until it begins to bubble, remove from the heat and pour into the tart shell. To make the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition, until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue over the top of the orange tart filling and swirl into peaks with a fork. Bake for about an hour, until the meringue is crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. Serve warm or cold. Serves six to eight. u

ALSO GOOD NOW: Beetroot Purple Sprouting Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Carrots Celeriac Kale Parsnips Swedes Turnips

nd e To U 0 I Tp Y1S T L A

AWARDS

To p 1 0 U

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ITYST d L n eA A

nd e To p 10 U

ITYST L A

H O S P I TH O S P I T

Coming Soon...

Hotel & Catering Review’s nd e T op 10 U

HOSPITALITY STARS THE Top 10 Under 30 Are you a rising star in the Irish hospitality industry? Do you have what it takes to be named one of Ireland’s top young managers? If you are under 30 years of age (as of 1 June 2013) and great at your job then Hotel & Catering Review is looking for you! Hotel & Catering Review will shortly launch a new annual awards programme dedicated to identifying the top emerging talent in the Irish hospitality industry. Each year the ‘Top 10’ hospitality managers under the age of 30 will be crowned Hospitality Stars, a prestigious title bestowed on the very best young leaders in the Irish hotel and catering industry. We are looking for standout managers and leaders in the following categories: General Manager Finance Manager Sales & Marketing Manager HR Manager Rooms Division Manager Catering Manager Food & Beverage Manager Restaurant Manager Bar Manager Spa Manager Entry forms will be circulated shortly. For further details, stay tuned to hotelandcateringreview.ie and keep posted of Hospitality Stars updates by signing up for our ezine bulletin on our website, liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

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HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW VOL 45, ISSUE 11 29

NEWS FIVE MINUTES WITH

Trevor MORAN

’s Best voted the ‘World n, ge ha en op ly to C chef at Noma in tive Dublin recent us na s so hi t uc to e od m pr e ho Th g, jetted tition. ree years runnin of the Year compe f he C g un Yo Restaurant’ for th d Irelan uro-Toques/Fáilte in town. help judge the E at while he was ch k ic qu a r fo m We nabbed hi How did you land the job in the ‘World’s Best Restaurant’? I was travelling on a food pilgrimage with friends which included a visit to Noma. It wasn’t as well known as it is now, but I had heard some ripples about it. I think at the time it was number 10 on the ‘World’s Best Restaurants’ list. I was blown away by the experience and applied for a stage. It was very easy to get one then. I offered to work for free to gain experience and at the end they offered me a full-time job. Now it’s a big deal – there is a proper scheme in place and, as you’d expect, we receive a huge volume of requests. We have 20 chefs working on a stage with us at any one time.

What does your job as product sous chef entail?

Every product that comes in the door I’m in charge of. There is a lot of responsibility but it’s a really cool job. In my spare time I spend a lot of time researching products and talking to farmers and producers. It’s nice to be able to meet the people who make our food – they’re all mad! Some of them have become very good friends and it’s great to work with people who are so passionate about what they do.

What is it like winning the ‘World’s Best Restaurant’ title?

It’s so exciting. The first time we won it I was back home, having dinner in L’Ecrivain with a friend and trying to talk him into coming to work with us. I got a call from one of the Swedish chefs to tell me we were number one and I freaked out. I was jumping all over the place. The waiter came over to ask me if I was okay. Needless to say, my friend said yes to joining us. I was there when we were given the award again in 2012 and it was an amazing experience. I’m very proud of what we have achieved at Noma. Everyone who works there is really nice and we’re a great team. It’s been an honour to be involved.

Will you stay at Noma or do you plan to come back home someday?

I’m thinking of coming home in 2013. I want to come back because Ireland is my home, but also because of the amazing produce we have here. We have great animals, seaweed, dairy produce... The quality of food here is surprisingly high. I think you only realise just how great it is when you go away.

Are you thinking of opening a restaurant? I am but I can’t tell you anything about it!

Go on, give us a hint…

All I will say is that it will be based around local food. Local is in my heart now and it’s one of the reasons I want to come home.

Local sourcing is very hot right now.

It’s the way you should cook. It’s the way it always was, I think 30 VOL 45, ISSUE 11 HOTEL & CATERING REVIEW

Trevor Moran pictured with Euro-Toques Ireland commissioner-general, Gearoid Lynch, during the Young Chef final

What other trends are emerging in food?

Across the board internationally you’re starting to see less technique and more product. The real flavour comes from the quality of the product. There is nothing better than the perfect orange. No three star dessert can compare! Great food now is about being honest – doing honest, simple things to a high standard.

What did you think of the finalists in the Young Chef competition? Is the future of Irish food in good hands?

I was blown away by the quality. Some of the dishes the finalists created were so accomplished. Seriously, some of them were so good they annoyed me! I am absolutely confident about the future of Irish food when I see talent like theirs. What EuroToques is doing with the competition is amazing. It’s great for the industry. Taking part in the judging was a fantastic experience. I got a great sense of community among the chefs here and that feels very nurturing. I’m very excited about coming back. Ireland is a small country, to create a scene here we have to stick together and I can see that the chefs are very close. They are good chefs.

We have such a great reputation for our food in Ireland but can our restaurants achieve the same acclaim?

Absolutely. I think we already have. When Enda McEvoy got the star in Aniar in Galway it was talked about on a worldwide stage. All of us at Noma were so excited for them when the list came out. What they are doing there is phenomenal. They’re making terrain rock‘n’roll. The fact that they got a star for what is essentially a café shows just how great they are. With social media the world is getting smaller and smaller. Someone could be eating a three star meal in Paris and tweeting about it and you’re following them and eating it with them. What this means in the restaurant industry is that you can’t have a bad night. But on the flipside, technology is moving so fast that it’s breaking down barriers. You could be the smallest restaurant on the smallest island and you could take off on social media and draw people from all over the world. People travel to eat now. Food is the new tourism. u