FEBRUARY 2014 P H O TOS : N O VA C A FÉ, D U N ED I N
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TOP CONSUMER TRENDS
to consider in your business strategy
As they say, the first step towards realising your goals is first to set them and many business owners ready themselves for this task at the beginning of the year as they review the year past, take stock of all they have accomplished and set out their strategies for the coming 12 months.
a quick word... seeking good ideas & putting them into action
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recent snapshot survey conducted by the Restaurant Association found that business owners are finding it challenging to encourage repeat custom and to attract new customers, so what are some of the key consumer trends internationally that may help you to develop some of your customer-focused business planning in 2014?
Many of the best ideas on how to improve a business often come from the people who are doing the jobs. How can you encourage them to put forward their thoughts on improvement?
are your employees entitled to work here?
20 are your job ads attracting the right people? Writing a job ad that attracts the right people is harder than it sounds but we give you a guide on getting it right.
sale & supply of alcohol implementation update
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SALE ST, AUCKLAND
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We often hear operators comment that today’s consumers are more knowledgeable about food and drinks than ever before. It is clear that diners are becoming more interested in what is on their plates, where it comes from and how it was prepared. Programmes like Masterchef have encouraged them to think that they can create restaurant quality food in their own kitchen, so it is important to provide a complete experience that they can’t easily duplicate at home. A recent survey of American chefs backs this up, with over 90% saying in an effort to keep up with the evolving consumer palate they are making increasing efforts to source new, unusual ingredients to add to their menus. C ON T IN U ED ON FO LLO WIN G
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international update
November 2011
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F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, T o p c on su me r tre n ds
They are using items not readily accessible to the consumer, or presented in a new way. Of course food is not the only ingredient to a memorable night out - the service, ambience and experience of dining at a well-oiled hospitality business is something no-one can recreate at home. As an American Express consumer insights survey conducted last year uncovered, New Zealanders are also showing a keener interest in health and nutrition with their dining menu choices. This continues to be one of the top consumer trends in the USA where a recent survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) found that 7 out of 10 consumers are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers healthful options. This may lead businesses to diversify their menu options more and we have already seen New Zealand operators embracing this trend to include more ‘healthy’ items on their menus over the past year. Another initiative we have also found New Zealand operators eagerly adopting is local sourcing. Internationally it is a top trend for chefs and operators, as well as consumers – 64% of American adults say that they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally produced items. In New Zealand, a Restaurant Association survey conducted last year found that 37% of operators have taken local sourcing a step further, developing their own garden, or growing their own produce for use in their operation.
TOP 55 MENU MENU TRENDS TOP TRENDS M AMAIN IN DIS HES // C ENTREOF OFPLATE PL A TE DISHES CENTRE
1 2 3 4 5
LOCALLY SOURCED MEATS AND SEAFOOD
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
Food trucks also continue to be a popular addition to the culinary environment internationally and we are seeing more and more popping up around New Zealand. While it is a stretch to think many operators would be able to diversify their business to include operating a food truck, as an extension of their bricks and mortar business, 70% of American consumers say they would patronise a food truck if their favourite restaurant offered it.
NEW CUTS OF MEAT (eg Denver steak, pork flat iron, tri-tip)
NON-TRADITIONAL FISH
HALF-PORTIONS/SMALLER PORTIONS for a smaller price
RS OF EAGER ADOPTE S ARE ALREADY SES SINESSE NEW ZEALAND BU G CING SOURCIN “HYPER’ LOCAL THE THYMES SEPTEMBER 2013
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And as we delve into further in this issue of THE thymes, consumers are showing increasing interest in using technology at dining operations. The NRA’s consumer survey found that consumers would like to see restaurants adding the following technology options: loyalty programmes, ordering, reservations, entertainment and payment. Of course, while focusing on technology can increase a business’ efficiency and may enhance customer service, it can’t come at the expense of the human factor, which as we know is all important to the hospitality experience. A new year has the feel of a fresh start for businesses - have a look at your past goals and add some new ones. While reconsolidating what you already do well is key to your business success, we hope this little look into the mind of international consumers might help influence some of your other strategies for 2014. need help? call us on 0800 737 827
ceo update
November 2011
09
FROM THE CEO’s DESK HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU YOU ALL! I HOPE THE SUMMER SEASON HAS BEEN A PROFITABLE ONE AND CONTINUES TO BE SO. ACCORDING TO RECENT ECONOMIC REPORTS THE INDUSTRY’S SALES ARE UP COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR. SO IT IS A POSITIVE START TO THE YEAR. LONG MAY THIS CONTINUE!
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necdotally, members I have spoken with have experienced an increase in sales and are optimistic about 2014. To kick of the start of a New Year this edition of THE Thymes has been filled with inspirational insights into your business so you can be sure to start the New Year off well. We cover off some essential summer employment relations issues that tend to come up more at this time of the year. At the moment we have been answering a large number of calls about unauthorised absences from work. Our Employment Relations advisor, Kirstin Lethbridge, provides essential information on dealing with this issue. With the New Year people often review and take stock of what is working in the business and what isn’t. One of the most important marketing tools you have is your website. Are you looking to revamp your website or wondering what should be changed to keep it up to date? Check out ‘Six ways to make your website more effective’. Along the same vein of reviewing your business we have been inspired by a story shared by OfficeMax, one of our Restaurant Association partners, about sourcing new ideas for your business. Read about this initiative that resulted in over 200 new ideas for them! With the New Year busy season often comes the need to recruit new staff. We have great tips on how to write the perfect ad for your business to make sure you attract the right kind of applicants. We have also created a guideline on this for members so if you are interested in reading more please contact us.
acceptable to promote under the new Act. We cover off the do’s and don'ts of advertising and promotion under the new Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act. Our members are doing great things around the length and breadth of the country and we have highlighted a few of our wonderful members around the country in this issue – Jester House in Nelson and Mariluca in Wellington. Be sure to check out their stories. Our new professional development calendar has been released for March and April this year. We have expanded our webinar (online professional development) selection due to popularity so be sure to login in and join the learning and regular updates from wherever you are in the country and whenever you like. In other news, we have appointed a new branch president in the Manawatu region—Sean Kereama – read more about this in the Manawatu Region focus page. Thank you Sean for stepping up to the post! Our branch presidents are so important to what we do here at the Association and we appreciate the support. We spent time with Manawatu members at a recent meeting and it was great to catch up with them. Be sure to check in with Sabra our membership manager to see what is happening in your local area. We actively support our members and have your best interests at heart if you see anything you would like changed or have any suggestions for us please feel free to contact me or anyone of the team.
Many of you have come to grips with the new alcohol legislation now but we have had calls about what is
Marisa Bidois marisa@restaurantnz.co.nz
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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A QUICK WORD JESTER HOUSE “We entered the ‘NZ Café of the Year’ competition as an opportunity to engage with our customers by encouraging them to come and try our special dishes and to vote for us.” Jester House, situated in the heart of the Tasman region and owned by Judy and Steve Richards, are the winners of the NZ Café of the Year which was announced at the end of the year. They are currently enjoying the benefits the win has bought them. “The prizes we won are amazing” says Judy. “But the biggest prize of all is the customers. Our weekday trade just about doubled in the weeks immediately after the announcement and the New Year period has been well up on last year. This is the sort of promotion money just can’t buy and we are looking to our best year ever”. As the top 18 finalists were voted in by the public, cafes had to promote awareness of the competition and
muster support from their clientele. There were over 45,000 public votes in 2013. “We promoted it via our database and on Facebook. This process alone was greatly beneficial as more people talked about us, ‘liked’ us and came to eat; they became part of the Jester family,” says Steve. Preparing for the competition also meant ensuring that the staff and systems in place were watertight to showcase Jesters House in its best light.
Judy says there was “elation, euphoria, disbelief and back to euphoria” when they found they were the winners. “After 22 years of building our café from absolutely nothing to being the best in New Zealand felt terrific”, she says. Their words of advice for other café owners? O
Then came the judging and finally the winning!
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“Selecting the winner from the five finalists was a really hard decision” says Kerry Tyack, the Restaurant Association’s head judge of the competition. “What really cemented it for us, was how well Jesters showcase local produce and the character of the area. They’re not following international trends – they’re doing their own thing and celebrating and showing the Nelson region off to its best advantage.”
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Do take the opportunity to use the café of the year competition as a marketing lever, your loyal customers love supporting you. If you win, be ready for the tsunami of extra business, make sure you have systems in place to cope. Know what your key points of difference are and really work on maintaining those. You need to find your “unique selling point”.
“We are very thankful to the sponsors, Watties and Goodman Fielder, for their generous input into making hospitality better in New Zealand – and to our staff, without them none of this would have been possible.” says Judy.
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PRESIDENT’SVIEWPOINT RESTAURANTS AND CAFES CAFES PURCHASE GOODS AND SERVICES OFF A PLETHORA OF SUPPLIERS, MANY WHOM HAVE SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR DELIVERY PEOPLE THAT WE SEE OFTEN, SOMETIMES DAILY, WHEN IT COMES TO PERISHABLE GOODS... BY MIKE EGAN
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ome are small artisan producers who supply us with everything from craft beer to honey. Some of the companies we deal with are large national, even international outfits, that cover the whole country. One thing most of them have in common is that when we are not happy with their service, product or their price we can easily change. However there is a category of suppliers who we can't do without but they make it difficult to change; our energy suppliers.
One of our members who got caught with an automatic 3 year renewal was threatened with a $22,000 break fee if they tried to move. Another was told that their notice not to renew was received one day inside the 3 month notice period so they were stuck for another 3 years at an exorbitant rate.
Typically gas or power supply contracts are onerous in the fact that they have pages of very complex terms and conditions. Why so much paper work when if you don't pay they can easily disconnect you and most of them insist on Direct Debits anyway?
We also helped another member recently who had a similar issue with a waste management supplier. He discovered his contract had a clause which essentially said they needed to be consulted with before moving to another supplier and if the original provider could offer a “substantially similar’” price of the competitor, then the contract was not able to be broken. Moreover this same supplier arbitrarily applied an 80% price increase simply by including as notification a note on a previous months invoice that “rates may increase” in the coming month.
They know that we can't afford the legal advice to read through these contracts or are accepting that the clauses are ‘standard’. However, the common clause that catches our members out is buried deep in the pages of terms. It states that unless you notify them within three months of the contract expiring it will automatically rollover a renewal for another term at whatever the current price they charge. How many of us realise when a renewal is due especially when we may have signed a 3 year term? Surely these agreements could just be in plain English, saying we will supply you energy at a fixed price for this term and within in one month of the term expiring we will notify you. This gives us a chance to go to market and try for a better price at the end of any initial term. Both parties sign and we get on with business. Many of our members are getting caught out and when they try to change to a new supplier at more favourable terms the current provider gets out their contract and the clause is revealed.
A solution is to send an email to your current suppliers giving notice now that you will go to market at the end of the current term. Keep a copy of the email and when the time comes shop around. Our member did fight the large waste management company and in mediation won, so it goes to show the small business owner can triumph. Our industry is not alone in having to deal with these contracts. Energy should be one of the most straightforward products we buy however it is one that causes some of the most problems for members. Be proactive and let's all try and encourage some of these companies to change their practices. Mike Egan mike@monsoonpoon.co.nz
proudly brought to you by Starline president’s viewpoint
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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...don’t forget to support the people who support your Restaurant Association
MEMBERINITIATIVES FE AT U
key partners...
RE D
WIN 1 OF 5 $100 OFFICEMAX VOUCHERS terms & conditions listed below
Join the hundreds of Restaurant Association members who save an additional $600 per annum on average...
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ave money and time so you can focus on your business . . . Place one order, receive one delivery and process one invoice.
Discounts are available on over 20,000 products including: Stationery Printers, Copiers Apple and Android Tablets Furniture Washroom Consumables Cleaning Products Food Handling Products and much, much more!
Order by 5.00pm and receive next day delivery (Monday - Friday), plus free delivery on orders over $50 (ex GST). To open an account, link your current OfficeMax account to the Restaurant Association offer or for any other query, email OfficeMax at: ranz@officemax.co.nz or call Maureen Mayo (09) 259 7407
ENTER THE PRIZE DRAW Every $25 purchased on your OfficeMax account from 1 February 2014 to 31st March 2014 equals one entry in the draw to win a $100 voucher. There are 5 chances to win. associate+ partners...
To enter, simply send an email to ranz@officemax.co.nz with the words "Enter me in the draw" in the subject line. The prize draw will be held on 11th April 2014. TERMS & CONDITIONS: Winners will be notified by phone or email and vouchers must be redeemed within 30 days of notice. Selected products will be valued at the lower of the Restaurant Association national price or any special offer. Prize recipients are the legal entity as named on their OfficeMax account. The prize draw offer is made on behalf of OfficeMax New Zealand Limited. Employees of OfficeMax and members of their immediate family are not eligible to enter.
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
member initiatives
NEW YEAR
BUSINESS GOALS As you focus in on what you want your business to achieve over the coming year, we outline some of the business and technology ideas you might need to adopt for business success in 2014...
managing your business
November 2011
14
WAYS TO DRIVE
MOBILE ENGAGEMENT Restaurants today, whether mommom-andand-pop shops or nationwide franchises, have trouble engaging with consumers past the seated meal. In a world of overstimulation, it is no longer enough for a restaurant to have amazing cuisine — much more is needed to keep diners coming back. So what’s the secret to extending the conversation past the inin-store dining experience? Say it with me: “Mobile.”
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ithin the restaurant industry, mobile is an underutilised yet key component to customer engagement. Research from the National Restaurant Association in the USA explains that customers specifically want mobile technology to be incorporated into their dining experience. With an effective mobile strategy, restaurants can start a conversation with diners, not only to keep them entertained during the seated meal, but to bring them back for repeated visits, offer them discounts and deals, and use it as a means of learning preferences and demographics of valued consumers.
Sad to say, but not quite. Restaurants need to tap into mobile not only to complement the in-store dining experience, but to motivate guests to come back for more.
So how do you incorporate mobile into a larger marketing engagement strategy?
Bagger Dave's, in the USA, is all about customization when it comes to allowing patrons to craft their own burger. To this extent, the brand wanted to further enhance their personalized experience with their tailormade loyalty programme. Their campaign was built with the flexibility to optimize, based on consumer insights and program performances. It rewards guests who check-in at any Bagger Dave’s location, purchase specific products, rate their dining experiences, refer friends, or share the program on Twitter or Facebook. The mobile program also includes dynamic instant win game experiences with gift certificates, and a $10,000 holiday shopping spree.
Here are four need-to-know tips to effectively bring mobile into your restaurant’s marketing initiatives — to increase brand loyalty and ultimately drive sales:
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Saying hello! Start a conversation with your guests.
There’s nothing better than feeling immediately welcome. With mobile, marketers can welcome guests, starting a dialogue through a customer’s most personal device, their mobile phones, as soon as they walk into the restaurants’ front door. Whether sending text messages upon entry, presenting diner’s with daily deals, or offering mobile discount codes for a free appetizer or dessert, marketers can make customers feel special before they even sit down to eat. Once seated, restaurants can use table tents and menu to offer compelling content, such as mobile-based special rewards, chances to win, or interactive mobile games. This helps to continue the conversation between restaurant and diner.
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“No, you hang up, No, you!” How to keep the
conversation going A family of four spends a lovely evening dining in your restaurant. That’s enough for them to keep coming back every Thursday as a weekly ritual, right?
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
Have you considered a loyalty program for your restaurant? The National Restaurant Association reports that 57 percent of consumers are more likely to choose restaurants that offer reward programs. Fans will be pleased to have a ritual loyalty experience and this dedication will heavily aid in bringing repeat customers and take the mobile experience to the next level.
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We’ve got the POWER: The power of customer data With mobile, restaurants have a direct channel to cull important information from visitors, the challenge is using that information to offer a personalised communication channel, not a spammy one. As a restaurant marketer, have a set frequency with which you plan to collect data — it doesn’t make much sense to ask your guest their favourite food as they’re walking out the door. Always ask for small amounts of information — no more than three marketing-related questions at a time is a good rule of thumb. C ON T INU E D ON F OL LO WI NG P A G E
member initiatives
managing your business F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, 4 wa ys t o d ri ve m ob ile e n g age me n t
Requesting this data helps to establish a customer profile to help track diner’s preferences and use for future marketing activities. If diners indicate that they normally join you for lunch, you can encourage a dinner visit. If you know they typically order an entrée only, create special promotions that cross sell appetizers or cocktails. Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar understands the impact of customer data to create a personalised customer strategy. To drive loyalty and engagement at 51 locations in the US, Boston's built a mobile programme that incorporates location-specific alerts and coupons. Guests are rewarded with a mobile coupon for a free pizza, as well as deals and alerts specific to their favourite store.
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Treating mobile as a key piece of the multichannel puzzle
While mobile is integral to the success of a campaign, it should be treated as just one part of an essential multichannel strategy. Restaurants need to not only become familiar with the mobile space, but to take the plunge into multichannel. Mobile is simply the glue that holds it all together. Each form of marketing should be leveraged to build up and enhance another form.
need help? call us on 0800 737 827
November 2011
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Consumers access different channels at different times of day, and a multichannel approach will help you tie in all your marketing efforts to create a holistic approach. We already know that mobile users are who you want to target, as research shows that consumers who use mobile regularly are not only the most digitally-savvy customers, but have a higher average income and order take-out more than customers who don’t use mobile regularly. What’s more is that 50 percent of adults want daily communication with their favourite brands; implementing a cross-channel strategy will help increase communication and engagement (source: National Restaurant Association, USA, 2012). Industry trends demonstrate that mobile is becoming a main focus for restaurants today. And when a mobile campaign is integrated into a multichannel strategy, your business will soon stand out in your customers’ minds as a place to return to again and again. SOURCE:
www.fastcasual.com, author Sara Kowal
THE THYMES NOVEMBER 2013
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2014...A BOOM YEAR
ARE YOU READY?
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” – Alice in Wonderland
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014 is here. The year of the Horse – a year for fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance!
Now is the time to plan and set goals for the coming financial year. The indications are that this will be a strong year for our economy – construction booming in Christchurch and Auckland, net migration rising, dairy exports healthy, unemployment falling, and the NZ dollar remaining high. And it’s election year so there will be some bribes offered. The hospitality industry is more exciting than ever with new outlets opening and new trends emerging. With all this going on owner-operators need to stay sharp and continually improve. Cafes, restaurants, and fast food outlets are simple businesses, but not easy ones. There needs to be a constant focus on the cost of goods, labour costs, and occupancy expenses.
Take time out to plan for the coming year. Write it down. Carry it with you. Review it regularly. Set specific goals. Reward yourself when you achieve them. Set a realistic budget for the year, monitor it constantly, sales are vanity, profits are reality! Your food needs to be great, your service awesome, your ambience fun and friendly, and work the hours. Learning and goals are the surest method to achieve success. Take advantage of the Restaurant Association’s education and professional development programs – the more you learn, the more you earn – and attend their networking events. You will meet some nice people. We hope 2014 brings you all your heart desires. BY CLYTH MACLEOD, CLYTH MACLEOD LTD
THE THYMES February 2013
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managing your business
November 2011
14
OLDER DINERS OVERTAKE
YOUNG AT RESTAURANTS
Johanna Karas took a look at her budget and decided that between the hassle of shopping for groceries and cooking for one, she might as well eat out. So whether she's dining solo or with friends, the 7474-yearyear-old widow does just that, taking meals at local restaurants three or four times a week. BY BRITT KENNERLY
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he Florida woman has a lot of company at tables nationwide. For the first time in the United States, people older than 49 are eating out more than younger diners, according to a study released by the NPD Research Group, a market research company. Chalk it up, at least in part, as one more recession-based trend. Industry experts say unemployment has hit younger people hard: Younger adults are more than twice as likely as those 55 and older to be unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That may have something to do with the 12 percent dip since 2008 in the number of times they dine out per year. In contrast, the older baby boomers and "mature traditionalists," the generation ahead of the boomers, upped their restaurant visits by about 6 percent, the NPD study found. This doesn't surprise Dixie Crossroads manager Clay Townsend. While the Titusville, Florida, restaurant isn't back to 2008 numbers, sales are going back up for the first time since the recession started, Townsend said. And older customers are an important part of the Dixie Crossroads clientele. "They're more established incomewise, with more disposable income," he said. "They tend to cherish what a special moment it can be, eating out with family and friends — enjoying that situation and moment in time without crippling their budget." The National Restaurant Association in the USA says boomers and older diners make excellent regulars. And restaurants, in turn, are responding with comfortable seating. Large-type menus and good lighting, healthconscious offerings. Choices that embrace tastes from around the globe but down-home "comfort food," too. By the time you factor in gas and food cost and time spent, Karas said, it can be just as economical — and more fun — for an older person to eschew cooking. "We don't cause problems," she said, laughing. "And we can be good tippers."
At Pineda Crossing Bar & Grill in Florida, older customers have been a staple since the eatery opened. "I think since the recession hit, what the study shows is true," said owner Cathy Popp. "Younger people who used to go out and start partying by eating dinner and going on somewhere else aren't doing that like they did." And while they were at first resistant to the early-bird specials loved by much-older diners, they're offered now. The restaurant "would be lost without Indian River Colony Club," home to many Air Force retirees, said Popp, adding that she's gotten so close to older customers, it's like losing family when one dies. "When we first opened, a lady in that age range discovered us and single-handed brought us the entire Suntree Country Club," Popp said. "And then the people from Indian River Colony Club all adopted me. ...We have really strong regular customers." It's the same at Dixie Crossroads, Townsend said. "Many of our servers have very deep relationships with our guests," he said. "A lot of regulars who come in, we know all about them, their family and their history, and they value that recognition." SOURCE:
need help? call us on 0800 737 827
www.usatoday.com, author Britt Kennerly THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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WAYS TO MAKE YOUR
WEBSITE MORE EFFECTIVE
Once upon a time, hungry customers relied on their ‘local’ to perform every kind of fun -having function. The ‘local’ was where they met after work for a beer or four, where they went on first dates, where they drowned their sorrows when their first dates didn’t work out, where they celebrated special occasions. These days, foodies have a lot more choice. BY JAMES KEMP, GrabOne Marketing Director
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hey like to experiment, to mix it up a little, to invest in a whole dining experience instead of just dinner out. They also like to look around and make informed decisions and the wonderful world of the internet gives them so many options it’s often hard to choose. Take an objective look at your website through a potential customer’s eyes. What do you see? Out-dated and sameold menus, or vibrant seasonal options that are regularly revised? Fuzzy amateur nondescript photos that look like they were taken on your phone, or slick professional images that draw customers into the total (insert the name of your restaurant here) package? Next, take a look at your biggest competitor’s website. Is their website sexier than yours? Be honest. If the answer is yes, you’ve got some work to do. If the answer’s no, look again. Don’t let your competition win your next customer – and don’t get complacent either. Encourage more people through your doors by overhauling your online presence.
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Make your site mobilemobile-friendly Gone are the days when we used phones to make calls and computers to send emails. A whopping 50% of mobile phone users use mobile as their primary source to browse the internet*.
It’s important, then, to ensure your website works well on a phone too. Make your website responsive to the size of a mobile phone screen; include an easy-to-use local search functionality; encourage users to share your site with their friends via Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. If you feel like the evolution of technology has whizzed straight past you, it’s time you joined the 21st century. It’s what all the cool kids are doing. And you want the cool kids eating in your establishment, after all. #yolo**
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Invest in highhigh-quality images
Hiring a photographer is one of the best investments you’ll ever make. They don’t have to be really expensive or even that awesome, but they do need to know how to light and frame a decent shot and highlight the sexiest parts of your restaurant and what you have to offer. Fuzzy, badly-lit, poorly-framed photos of empty rooms are a big no-no. Opt for wide open spaces, well-lit closeups of your best dishes and happy attractive people enjoying themselves instead.
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Make it easy to find you online
The internet is a massive place filled with an immense amount of content, but high-quality writing is becoming more and more important to search engines and readers alike. Google’s latest update, for example, pushes low-quality, advertising-heavy sites with badly-written copy to the bottom of search results. Ensure the person who writes the content on your site has great understanding of grammar, punctuation and the English language and even better SEO (search engine optimisation) know-how. The higher up a user’s search results you appear, the better. C ON T INU E D ON F OL LO WI NG P A G E
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
business technology
industry sales report F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, 6 wa ys t o m a ke y ou r we b si te m ore e f fe c t ive
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Give them a reason to visit
Ask yourself, “What does my restaurant have that makes it extra awesome?” People who like to eat out have a lot of choice so when they visit your website for information, give them what they’re looking for otherwise they will leave your site as quickly as they stumbled upon it. Upto-date menus; daily specials; a wellstocked gig guide; free and handy parking. All the nice extras culminate into a whole dining experience, not just an average meal out.
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Make it easy to find your restaurant
If a prospective customer needs to hire a detective to find your contact page, you’ve got problems. Make this page easy to find – at the top of the page with an obvious button, not hidden away in the middle of a lot of clutter. Include your opening hours and a map in there too. A reliable online booking system is a great way to convert traffic instantly, particularly if you’re not open during the day.
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Get people talking about you
Whether you like it or not, people talk. Encourage customers to review their dining experience, either on your own website or facebook page, or on an external review site. It’s important that if your restaurant is on a review website that past customers are saying nice things about you. Of course, that ultimately comes down to awesome service. If you give them a bad experience, they’ll tell everyone about that too. * Sourced from www.digitalbuzzblog.com/ infographic-2013-mobile-growth-statistics on Friday 17th January, 2014. ** #yolo = you only live once
business technology
HOSPITALITY STAFF CAN LEARN
ONLINE, ANYTIME
A new initiative from ServiceIQ has a lot to offer restaurant owners and managers wanting to make sure their customers get great service – as well as making it easy (and free) to complete the LCQ Bridging Test requirement for everyone who is renewing or applying for a Manager’s Certificate.
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erviceIQ Skills Online (www.ServiceIQskillsonline.org.nz) is a learning centre where the Ministry of Justice -supported test can be done at no cost.
While it’s no surprise that the most used part of the site for now is the LCQ Bridging Test, there has been good interest in the selection of other courses also available, that were launched at the same time as the Bridging Test. These cover some key essentials for restaurants: an introduction to customer service skills, resolving complaints, and consumer legislation. Specific to the hospitality sector is a course on being a responsible host. All of these have received good feedback. They can be done anywhere, anytime, and can be paused and picked up again whenever time allows, making them ideal for hectic workplaces and busy people. This initial suite of four courses has a special introductory price of only $25 each. Courses are purchased online, and can be done on smartphone, tablet or computer.
More courses, covering a wide range of topics, will be added throughout the year. ServiceIQ CEO, Dean Minchington, says the online courses offered are based on the same standards and cover some of the same material as qualifications taught offline. “Everyone can learn useful skills and gain new knowledge from these courses because they are based on parts of training programmes. Think of them as a taste of what it’s like to study towards a qualification, as well as the opportunity for staff to upskill or have those vital basics reinforced. “Every successful course completion also generates a certificate that can be printed out to show that your staff have acquired new skills and knowledge. “ServiceIQ’s Skills Online learning is an excellent option for restaurants because it’s time and cost-effective, and the course can be done whenever time allows. Whether you want to sit and complete the course in one session, or break it up into chunks, it’s up to you. The system remembers where you got up to, and you simply pick up from where you left off.” Registering at www.ServiceIQskillsonline.org.nz is free. This allows you to explore the site, check out the comprehensive FAQs and get more information on each of the courses. THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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international update
DISPLAY IT WITH PRIDE
YOUR SYMBOL OF COMMITMENT TO THE INDUSTRY P
lease show your pride in the Restaurant Association and your industry by displaying your 2014 membership window decal (left) on the window or other prominent place of your operation. By displaying your decal you are identifying to potential customers that you are a member of the Restaurant Association and that you are committed to the standards that it represents.
The Restaurant Association is continually promoting our members and encouraging the public to “look for this window sticker”, so it is essential that the current year‘s emblem is displayed.
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the restaurant association logo is a symbol of your commitment to the quality and unity
that makes our industry as strong as it is today
If you have not received your sticker this year, please contact the Restaurant Association today on 0800 737 827 or email info@restaurantnz.co.nz. We’d also like to remind you to remember to display the emblem letting customers know that you accept Restaurant Association gift vouchers. We’ve just reprinted a batch, so if you need another copy, contact us and we’ll send a new one out to you.
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ARE YOU IMPLEMENTING NEW INITIATIVES
IN 2014? SEAN BURNS | MILK & HONEY—Hawke’s Bay “We’ll be using our in-house, private ‘staff facebook page’ to upload websites and videos, as another tool in our training programme. It’s another forum to show the staff what other restaurants, wineries, bars and cafes are doing. A great way to keep staff up to date with trends, and keep ideas flowing. We’ll also be creating more videos for our website. Short, sharp and fun. Some behind the scenes stuff, some educational (quick cocktails, quick kitchen tips, wines we love etc). BARBARA OLSENOLSEN-HENDERSON | BACH ON BREAKWATER—New Plymouth
“I’m ‘casualising’ my menu slightly to give it a slightly more modestly priced look. Taking off the most expensive item (which was pretty much always ordered if the customer had one of our vouchers and got it free) and accordingly altering the value of our free birthday meal vouchers. This means we’ll make a little more profit on what we’re selling, and hopefully encourage our clientele to come with more friends like they used to when money was flowing more readily. They’re not major changes but I’m already seeing more profitable evenings. MARCEL ROOD | RAUPO CAFÉ—Blenheim “We are focusing on front of house training. Each staff member is taken through the steps with one of our senior staff. We have created several training steps for each area of our front of house. This is to ensure that everyone is doing exactly as we wish and that we create consistency. Through this we hope to achieve confidence in our wait staff and therefore increase our average sale by having confident staff that know their product and feel comfortable with suggestive selling. It is ongoing obviously, however we decided to invest considerable time and money into this member initiatives and I think it is paying off!
EMPLOYMENT We examine some of the latest employment news, including dealing with absent employees, attracting the right staff, changes to health & safety and employment relations laws and more...
employment matters
AWOL EMPLOYEES
how to manage absence & lateness It’s the season of beachbeach-goers, late summer nights filled with barbeques and the odd cider; it’s also arguably one of the busiest times of year for our industry and having staff turn up to their rostered shifts is imperative. However, how often do you find yourself without a key member of staff because they ‘slept in’ or because it’s a beaming hot day outside… BY KIRSTIN LETHBRIDGE, Employment advisor
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t’s one of the most frustrating situations, to have a staff member turn up several hours late to their shift because they slept in from the night before, or having staff not turn up to their shift at all because it’s a ‘beach day’, especially during the busy summer period. I typically refer to the summer season as the naughty season because often employees seem more interested in socialising or taking advantage of the warmer weather than turning up to their shifts.
So how do we deal with it? In the first instance, lateness and time management issues need to be dealt with in an informal manner, as these issues are seen as performance-related by the courts. However, if the situation resembles that of a head chef turning up three hours late to their shift and your lunchtime service is now looking a bit like World War 3 then I would certainly suggest inviting the employee to a formal disciplinary meeting. At that meeting the employee can be given the opportunity to respond to the issues and you, as the employer, can determine any disciplinary sanction. This type of conduct can put the business in disrepute and senior positions certainly have more serious consequences than those in front-line positions. To touch on aspects from the law, as always your actions are to be based on the circumstances at hand and doing what a fair and reasonable employer would do in those given circumstances. For example, an employee who is several hours late to a busy shift where you had a table booked for 40, because they slept in (and you know they were out the night before), would be a reasonable situation to investigate the conduct in a formal matter. Repeated lateness can also be dealt with formally. And what about an employee who didn’t turn up to their shift at all? No reasonable explanation, a simple shrug of the shoulders – what do you do then? Again, this needs to be addressed in a formal matter where you invite the employee to a meeting (in writing) to discuss the conduct and allow them to provide an explanation.
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Once you’ve listened to their comments, you can decide on the appropriate outcome—which may be a warning, or no further action depending on the reasons provided.
What about outcomes to these meetings? Can you terminate the employee’s employment for lateness? How many warnings should you give before terminating someone’s employment? Again, outcomes are based on the circumstances given. A series of minor time-management concerns would typically be dealt with with several formal warnings and a final warning. Serious misconduct can lead to a final written warning, and in some cases, instant dismissal. However, the courts have made it very clear that serious outcomes (like dismissal) must be as serious as the charge given. And as always an employee must be aware that their employment is in jeopardy and given the opportunity to provide any feedback and comments on the matter before you make a decision on any outcome. Any decision must not be predetermined under any circumstances. To conclude, it is important to assess each situation as it arises. More serious situations, along with recurring lateness, without reasonable explanations can result in formal disciplinary meetings. Employees who fail to turn up to their rostered shifts can also be addressed in a formal meeting and outcomes are always based on the information you have at hand as well as the seriousness of the conduct.
Need some assurance on your procedures? Give the Restaurant Association a call on 0800 737 827. We can walk you through the disciplinary process, provide letter templates and suggest an appropriate sanction for the situation.
member initiatives
managing your business
November 2011
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HEALTH & SAFETY CHANGES DON’T BE CAUGHT OUT! Believe it or not, 2014 is here (and January has been and gone!). Now that the festivities have passed for another year, it’s time to turn to goals for the New Year. The Government has set itself a goal to pass legislation that will drastically change workplace health and safety obligations. How will this affect your business? BY ALISON MAELZER, Senior Associate, Hesketh Henry
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he new legislation traces back to the Pike River tragedy in 2010, the Royal Commission that followed, and the public anger that no one has been held accountable for the deaths of 29 miners and contractors. This, combined with statistics showing New Zealand has one of the highest rates of workplace deaths in the OECD, led an Independent Taskforce to call for changes. Parliament has now heard those calls and is about to act.
Where a PCBU is a company, the officers will be the directors of the PCBU (and potentially other senior employees as well). For an unincorporated body, an officer will be any person who occupies a position comparable to that of a director. The definition of an ‘officer’ is cast pretty wide. Any officer or very senior employee, who has the authority to make or be involved in making the big decisions, will have the new obligations.
What is changing? The soon-to-be-implemented Health and Safety at Work Act (called “the Act” for the purposes of this article although it has not yet been passed or come into force) will impose an active duty on those in governance roles to proactively manage workplace health and safety.
Who is affected? Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (“PCBU”) will be subject to duties under the Act. PCBU will include any legal person, company or entity which conducts a business of any sort, or size, whether it is conducted for profit or not. Essentially, every business operation will be a PCBU.
What are the new obligations? Where the PCBU owes a duty, then its officers must exercise due diligence to ensure that the PCBU complies with that duty. Under the Act, “due diligence” includes taking reasonable steps to:
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Acquire (and keep up to date) knowledge of work health and safety matters; and Gain an understanding of the nature of the operations of the PCBU generally or the hazards and risks associated with those operations; and Ensure that the PCBU has available for use (and uses) appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety; and Ensure that the PCBU has appropriate processes for receiving and considering information regarding incidents, hazards and risks, and responding in a timely way to that information; and Ensure that the PCBU has, and implements, processes for complying with any duty or obligation of the PCBU; and Verify the provision and use of the resources and processes referred to in the above paragraphs.
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Note that the above requirements are cumulative and concurrent – to comply, each officer must meet each and every one of those due diligence requirements. CON TI N U ED ON FOLLO W I NG PA G E need help? call us on 0800 737 827
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F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, He al th & Safe t y c h an ge s, Don ’ t be c au gh t ou t
When will this happen?
What happens if an officer doesn’t meet the obligations?
Over the coming months, legislation will be introduced into Parliament to implement the new health and safety regime. The Act itself will likely come into effect in late 2014/early 2015. In the meantime, the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 will continue to apply.
An officer of a PCBU can be convicted of a failure to meet the due diligence requirements whether or not the PCBU has also been convicted of an offence under the Act. There does not have to have been an accident or injury for an officer to be prosecuted. There are three tiers of liability under the proposed legislation: Reckless conduct
Individual but not a PCBU or Officer Individual who is a PCBU or Officer Body Corporate
Up to $300,000 fine and/or up to 5 years’ imprisonment Up to $600,000 fine and/or up to 5 years’ imprisonment Up to $3m fine
Failing to comply with duties and exposing individual to risk of death or serious illness or injury
Failing to comply with any duty (including the due diligence requirements for Officers)
Up to $150,000 fine
Up to $50,000 fine
Up to $300,000 fine
Up to $100,000 fine
Up to $1.5m fine
Up to $500,000 fine
Given the broad support for strengthening New Zealand’s health and safety laws, the Act will become law in the near future. Do not be caught short belatedly trying to meet your obligations or implement health and safety policies and guidelines. Now is the time to review your current situation and get your health and safety matters in order. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
For more information please contact Alison Maelzer, Senior Associate at Hesketh Henry on 09 375 7628 or email alison.maelzer@heskethhenry.co.nz
THE THYMES February 2013
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SEEKING GOOD IDEAS PUTTING THEM INTO ACTION It has been said that it is easier to improve a hundred things by 1% then to improve one thing by 100%. Since many of the best ideas on how to improve a business often come from the people who are doing the jobs, establishing a business culture which encourages staff to put forward improvement ideas is a great way to make your business more profitable and a more engaging place to work.
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fficeMax, one of New Zealand’s largest business consumables providers (and Restaurant Association key partner), implemented a staff suggestion programme in 2010 that has resulted in nearly 200 ideas – many of which have been implemented and helped improve customer satisfaction, workplace productivity and reduced costs. The programme reflects the company’s values where everyone’s ideas are encouraged to help the business “work smarter, not harder.”
OfficeMax’s suggestion programme is called “GIDI” (Good Idea, Do It). Due to the size of the company, a formal process was implemented that uses a paper form to enable staff members to submit their ideas. The GIDI form categorises opportunities into the areas of improved customer satisfaction, improved productivity, workplace safety and cost reduction. All GIDIs are reviewed monthly as part of the leadership team’s meetings and feedback is provided to each idea originator shortly after. Improvement opportunities are prioritised in terms of their ease of implementation and benefit to the business. Ideas can be implemented immediately, or temporarily parked if deemed worth doing but requiring other process changes to be implemented first. Other ideas may be incorporated into current improvement projects or result
in the formation of a project team to further develop and implement the idea. In some cases, an idea may not be do-able or financially viable. Every staff member who submits a GIDI receives recognition in their team meeting of the idea. The leadership team also selects one GIDI each month based on its overall improvement to the business and the person who submitted it receives a $50 Prezzy Card (with one GIDI selected annually as the best too). As with any programme, you can track and measure as you like. Be it the total number of ideas submitted, number of ideas implemented, or their resulting impact. Above all, keep reminding everyone in your business of the positive impact that their ideas will have. When the GIDI programmes were started at OfficeMax, there were a surge of ideas which then trickled off in the ensuing months. Each time GIDI is discussed in team meetings, it results in a spike in the number of ideas submitted. There isn’t a perfect staff suggestion / idea programme. If you are considering implementing one in your business go to Google and search on “suggestion box.” You will find hundreds of websites and articles that can help you develop a programme that fits the size, culture and goals of your business. OfficeMax has become a better business by fostering a culture that encourages improvement ideas from anyone and everyone who takes the time to offer ideas. OfficeMax’s most important learnings through this process have been to review every idea with an open mind, provide prompt feedback and recognition to the people who have taken the time to present their idea and to keep the programme fresh and at top of mind for all staff. Ideas don’t have to be submitted via a GIDI form, it’s just one way to provide the team with a way to share their ideas. THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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employment matters
ARE YOUR JOB ADS ATTRACTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE? Writing an ad to attract the right people is much harder than it sounds and when you are spending hundreds of dollars advertising for the right candidate, you need to make sure you know how to best capture their attention and get the best value for money for your advertising. BY SABRA MOORE
H
ere are 10 top tips to help you secure the best candidate to fill your role, every time.
Before you start writing an ad for your available position, have a look at other ads that have been placed recently for the same or similar roles. You’ll find there are some really good and really bad ones out there. We’ll show you how to emulate the good ones.
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Use the right lingo
Use the same language as the people you are trying to attract. If you are recruiting for a motivated, funky café manager use the type of language in your ad that will attract them. If you need a fine dining restaurant manager make the ad more formal and focus the language on high standards and perfection. For a chef you need different language again – talk money, opportunity, learning and development, fresh produce and supportive management. Think of the language your best staff in those roles use; you want more of them.
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Be specific about the role
Don’t miss out the essential details. Where is the job? How much will you pay them? Is there career progression? How many covers are you doing on average daily? Is the business seasonal? Have you won awards? Will it be good for someone’s CV to work for you? Are you looking at opening multiple sites? Tell them why you’re so good to work for. When a potential employee is reading an ad they are thinking, what is in this for me/ why would I work here and you need to provide some of those answers.
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is a ement , s i t r e v ad t new Every to star e big! e t a l s blank h and creat res think f
Think about your ideal candidate
Think about who the perfect person for the role might be and try to tailor the ad around their interests and personality. Make it more about them and less about you.
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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What specific information does this person (your ideal candidate) need to know about the role that will indicate to them that it fits their key passions and interests? Make it stand out – you are competing for top staff in a market with acute shortages.
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Make your ads fun and don’t be afraid to think outside the square. For interest and point of difference you could choose a theme and have it running through your entire ad. Think of a song title and song lyrics or use your business name as a pun or a rhyme to make it stand out. For example: “Baker wanted, roll out the new year”. Then include references throughout the ad that refer to bakery techniques – ”cut out a career path”, “whisk your way up the management ladder” anything to keep them reading your ad and entice them to apply.
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Make the ad interesting to read
Make the job sound exciting
If you don’t make the job sound fun, exciting and vibrant, why would someone apply? Use upbeat language, get the thesaurus out and find some synonyms that will work. C ON T INU E D ON F OL LO WI NG P A G E
need help? call us on 0800 737 827
employment matters F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, A re you r a ds a ttr ac t in g th e r igh t s taf f?
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For example: “Great team environment”, “all career hospitality professionals”, “hardworking and fast paced”, “amazing food, great wine list”, “the coffee will blow your mind”!
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Use creative headings to get your points across
Keep headings short, simple and bold. For example: ”Completely Confident Café Manager Needed Now!”, “Culinary Ninja Needed”, “Head Chef With X factor Required”, “Top 50 Metro Restaurant Manager Needed – immediate start”.
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Keep bullet points short and to the point
These days everyone reads an ad on Seek or Trade Me on their phones so use short, punchy bullet points which tell the facts but also holds a potential candidate’s interest long enough to apply for the role.
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Don’t use language demands like “English must be your first language” or “must have a minimum of 6.0 IELTS”. Remember that you can’t, as an example, ask for a female or state ”would suit female”. You can’t take opportunities away from people or contravene the Human Rights Act. You can however filter your potential candidates by using targeted headings like “ideally you will have” and list specify qualifications, specific experience and certain expertise and skills that you need to be successful in this role.
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The do not’s: O
Be clear on the process
What will happen after the candidate has submitted their CV? Will you contact every single person or will only successful applications be responded too? For the successful applicants, what do they need to have ready for the job interview? Will there be a walk around or a ‘practical interview’? How quickly do you need them to start (people in management positions will sometimes need to give between 4 and 8 weeks’ notice so how flexible on start times can you be)? O
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Check it before you post it O When an ad is well spaced and clearly laid
out it does look better than a book of information you need to wade through. This is harder to achieve than it sounds but have it in the back of your mind when putting your ads together. O Check how your ad looks when you have it all
employment matters
O
loaded and if you need to go back and space it out, then do that. It needs to look good both on a computer screen and on a phone so when the ad goes up - check it on both your desktop and your phone to make sure it is looking as good as it is sounds!
HOW TO DO IT— IT—here’s a template Follow the basic instructions below and you should be able to throw together a great ad when you need to!
TITLE (list the position, + something to attract eye) SUB HEADING: (Where, What, When, $$$ - approx. 40 words) BULLET POINTS ( x3 be specific, exciting) • • •
THE COMPANY/ ABOUT US: (talk about what a great environment you have, how busy it gets, how long people stay working for you, your staff development/training focus, how long you have been open and any awards you have won) THE ROLE: (talk about the job itself and what it takes to make it successful, make it sound fun!) IDEALLY YOU WILL HAVE: (list the skills, experience, management experience, qualifications, budgets, rostering, staffing, training and development experience, barista/bar/sommelier knowledge/chef skills, whatever you need them to have usually 5 bullet points on this) • Skills/quals/experience • Have managed budgets upwards of $...... • Food handling licence, liquor licence • Costing and ordering experience • Multi-site experience WHY WORK HERE? (talk about how great you are to work for, make it sound genuine and interesting, talk about low staff turnover or opportunities to get qualifications or training, cool team, award winning food, great for your CV, be specific here with money ie $18-$22 per hour depending on level of experience—usually another 5 bullets) We are looking to have this position filled quickly. Don’t miss out! Apply now!
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managing your business
November 2011
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EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS more tweaking of the rules coming... In December, following consideration of submissions, the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee released its recommendations on the proposed Employment Relations Amendment Bill.
T
he Bill, which was originally introduced to Parliament in June last year, includes proposed amendments to the law regarding O the duty of good faith in relation to disclosure of information; O the extension of employees' rights to request flexible working arrangements; O an exemption from the continuity of employment provisions in restructuring situations for small to medium-sized businesses; and O increasing flexibility around rest and meal breaks. It also addresses collective bargaining; strikes and lockouts provisions and setting of timeframes for Employment Relations Authority determinations.
An example of where these provisions may come into practice are when an employee who is affected by a restructuring has had to apply for either a redefined role or a new position, and is unsuccessful in their application, and as a result requests information to understand why they were unsuccessful. The Bill would now allow an employer to refuse to provide access to confidential information where that information would involve an unwarranted disclosure of the affairs of another individual. It is not an absolute right to all information about other affected people (as an example other applicants for the role). Largely they are entitled to information about themselves and only if it is warranted, information about other persons.
Some of the key proposals of the Bill include:
The Bill makes it clear employers still have obligations under the Official Information Act and the Privacy Act.
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GOOD FAITH
Under section 4 of the Employment Relations Act employers have an obligation to provide employees access to information relevant to the continuation of their employment in situations where an employer is proposing to make a decision that will, or is likely to, have an adverse effect on the continuation of that employment. An employer does not have to provide confidential information if there is a good reason to withhold it (although examples of good reasons to withhold confidential information are provided in the Employment Relations Act). The Bill amends this section to provide that an employer is not required to provide access to confidential information if that information is ‘about an identifiable individual other than the affected employee’.
VULNERABLE EMPLOYEES CONTINUITY OF EMPLOYMENT (PART 6A):
The object of part 6A of the Employment Relations Act is to provide protection to specified categories of (vulnerable) employees if their work is to be performed by another person as a result of restructuring. This includes rights to transfer their employment and rights to redundancy entitlements. Employees who are covered by the special protections of Part 6A include employees that provide cleaning,, food catering, catering caretaking, orderly and laundry services in specified places of work. The Bill provides that employers with fewer than 20 employees (including employees of associated entities) would be exempt from the regulations regarding vulnerable employees. This ensures that small to medium -sized enterprises would not be constrained by having to take on staff from a previous employer. C ON T INU E D ON F OL LO WI NG P A G E
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employment matters
member F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, C h an ge s to e mp lo y me n t re l ation s
The Bill also proposes that the Employment Relations Act be amended to provide an implied warranty by an outgoing employer (in a situation, for example, where a company has lost a catering, or cleaning, contract to another company) that they have not changed any arrangements of the work, or the terms and conditions of the employees performing that work for the purposes of adversely affecting the business of the incoming employer. This could be where the outgoing employer increases employee entitlements immediately prior to the restructuring so the new employer is required to provide for them, or they reorganise work so that poor performing employees do the work that is the subject of the restructuring (and the new employer is required to take them on) – thus providing a “poisoned chalice” for the incoming employer.
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Rest and Meal Breaks
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Flexible Work Arrangements
The proposed changes introduced by the Bill mean more flexibility around meal and rest breaks, allowing employers and employees to negotiate in good faith about workable arrangements for how and when breaks will be taken. This means that you would not be faced with a situation where your head chef drops pans in the middle of lunch service to have his meal break – although common sense would seem to already generally prevail anyway.
CHEF SKILL SHORTAGE
RECOGNISED IN REVIEW The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment has completed its review of the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) and Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL) and as a result chefs have been retained on the long term skill shortage list.
T
he Association surveyed members about their recruiting difficulties and as a result of that feedback prepared a submission for the Ministry that advocated that chefs remain on the list. It is likely we will have to make the same argument again in the future, but for the time being it is a good decision by the Ministry. Unfortunately, however, the restaurant, café, bar manager occupational group has now been removed from the ISSL. Removal from the immediate skill shortage list does not mean that migrants cannot come to New Zealand. There are other immigration options that may be appropriate where an employer cannot find suitable New Zealanders for a role (see the table below ~ we can provide a larger copy).
These include: O
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ESSENTIAL SKILLS work visa (subject to an employer demonstrating that they have unsuccessfully tried to recruit New Zealanders for the position) ACCREDITED EMPLOYER - facilitating recruitment of skilled workers from overseas where the salary is at least NZ$55,000 per annum. This option provides a pathway to residence. APPROVAL IN PRINCIPLE PRINCIPLE – where a number of migrants are being sought. SKILLED MIGRANT CATEGORY CATEGORY – under which migrants can apply for residence in New Zealand.
Further information is available at www.immigration.govt.nz or contact the Restaurant Association on 0800 737 827.
The Bill extends the right to request flexible working arrangements to all employees (not just those with caring responsibilities) and amends the timeframes and limits for such requests.
The next step in the legislative process is for the Bill to come back before Parliament for its second reading and consideration. The Bill will be passed into law after its third and final reading. employment matters
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new members
November 2011
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we would like to welcome the following new members of the restaurant association who have recently joined us:
congratulations... you have joined the only organisation that exclusively assists you to safeguard the viability of your café or restaurant. We will help guide you through the regulatory minefield that exists in today’s business environment. You have joined 1700 of New Zealand’s most dynamic and profitable hospitality businesses. 10 O'Clock Cookie Bakery Café, Masterton Barefoot In The Bay, Auckland BBK Group Ltd, Christchurch Black Cottage Café, Auckland Black Estate Vineyard, Amberley Boodles, Auckland Bugger Café, Tauranga Burger Fuel Hataitai, Wellington Caluzzi Bar and Cabaret, Auckland Coastal Minimart, Auckland Cobb & Co, Rotorua Cobb & Co, Taupo Columbus Coffee Featherston Street, Wellington Curry Leaf, Kumeu Elieve Caffeine Ltd, Auckland Enoch's Cuisine, Auckland Exotica Enterprises, Auckland Greta Point Café, Wellington Habitual Fix – Airport, Auckland Habitual Fix - Sylvia Park, Auckland Harbourside Ocean Bar Grill, Auckland Jades Garden Café, Auckland Jagz of Styx Mill, Christchurch La Padella, Wellsford Lone Star Manchester, Christchurch Lone Star Manukau, Auckland Lone Star Newmarket, Auckland Lone Star Waitakere, Auckland Mavis & Co, Hamilton Merge Cafe & Catering, Auckland Orion Café, Auckland Peppertree Restaurant & Bar, Coromandel Pita Pit, Whangarei Pita Pit, Glenfield, Auckland Pita Pit - South Island Mobile Unit, Christchurch Pita Pit, Helensville Pita Pit, Queenstown
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
Pita Pit, Wellington Pita Pit, Warkworth Porterhouse Grill, Auckland Pronto Ltd, Tauranga Quality Hotel Emerald, Gisborne Robert Harris Cafe - Albany Whitcoulls, Auckland Sake Bar Nippon Takapuna, Auckland Sale & Pepe, Auckland Slowfish Café, Tauranga Spice Paragon, Christchurch Sweet Chilli @ Pt Chev, Auckland The Brasserie, Akaroa The Coffee Club Botany Junction, Auckland The Larder, Wellington The Native Chef, Auckland The Packing Shed Café, Auckland Todd Property Group, Auckland Touquet, Auckland Wilder and Hunt, Auckland William Souter Espresso, Auckland Yum Food Company, Taupo AND these supplier members supporting the industry… (go to www.restaurantnz.co.nz and click on ‘partners’ & ‘industry guide’ for contact information on a range of industry suppliers of good and services)
Cookright Kitchen Services, Nationwide e: steve@cookright.co.nz w: www.cookright.co.nz Creative Edge Food Company, Auckland e: jenn@creativeedgefood.co.nz w: www.creativeedgefood.co.nz Electrolux, Auckland e: Stephen.roberts@electrolux.co.nz w: www.electrolux.co.nz Farro Fresh Food Limited, Auckland w: www.farrofresh.co.nz www.dinefind.co.nz ~ the Association’s online dining directory
SPOTLIGHT ON MARILUCA Since opening in 2011, Wellington restaurant, MariLuca has become something of a Wellington institution, gathering a loyal following of repeat clientele. Owner Guiseppe Malaponti talks about operating a small Italian restaurant in the capital.
international update
November 2011 MEMBERSPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT
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GUISEPPE FROM MARILUCA Owned and operated by Guiseppe and Isabel, MariLuca restaurant is named after the couple’s children Marina and Gianluca. Guiseppe has been in New Zealand for 19 years; the couple met in London, decided to give living in Isabel’s hometown a try and loved it so much, they never left. Giuseppe has extensive front of house experience. In 1997 he was young waiter of the year in the UK and in 2002 voted outstanding Maitre d’ at the Felix Awards in Wellington. Guiseppe talks about operating in today’s environment. Did you work in restaurants in Italy?
What is your biggest challenge ?
Yes, as a student I had several part time jobs in local places around Turin, where I grew up from the age of 5. I left Italy at the age of 20(after my compulsory military service) and went to London where I shaped a career in hospitality for 12 years, working in places such as L’Aperitif Restaurant (Brawn’s Hotel, Albemarle and Dover street), L’Amico Restaurant (Horseferry Road) and Le Caprice in Arlington Street, Mayfair. All places gave me lots of training on food and wine knowledge.
Finding a balance of work, personal and family time.
Do you source Italian ingredients and wine? Do you feel your customers understand Italian wines or do you educate them a little? We currently have a list of about a dozen of suppliers, mainly local with a couple from Auckland, who help us source our products. Wellingtonians seem to have a sophisticated knowledge when it comes to food and wine, but we do chip in with suggestions on food and wine matches. Italian wines are quite an obscure venture but they are quite easy to split into local variety styles.
What is your opinion on Grab One etc? False economy. Our industry is hard at its best and I don’t think we need to work more for less. Our belief is that you over deliver but no discounts.
MariLuca were one of the top performers for DineAid (MariLuca raised $877.50 in coin donations). How did you persuade customers to support the What is the best advice you could give charity? to someone thinking of buying a As simple as, when they came up to pay restaurant? the bill we mentioned that if they had any spare coins we were trying to help the City Change activity! (just joking)…. Have a Mission for Christmas. It was very effective, clear idea of what you want to do and enjoy doing… Stick to those guns. nobody minds parting with a coin by the looks of it. And some of it was notes!
How do you recruit?
How do you feel about social media? Not sure. I think it looks like a good game, but it also immensely increases the workload and could become a very inflationary exercise. It feels like we are creating jobs that we could probably do without. I suppose it depends on how big the premises you operate are, to see some benefit. Ours is too small to see any immediate benefit from the exercise, although we do do some in order not to be excluded.
We have been very fortunate so far - word of mouth has been enough. We had a few ads, but not much joy with it. We still operate with basically the same people we stared with two and half years ago.
Have clientele attitudes changed over the years? Is there a change in attitude towards front of house staff now?
As I mentioned earlier, the industry is growing more sophisticated, offering a much wider and eclectic choice of goods and service. Customers are embracing the Do you read and pay attention to online changes. It is nice to see that younger What can New Zealander’s learn from generations are starting considering reviews? overseas operations and trends? We do have a check from time to time. It is hospitality as a good career option for their future. Definitely there is a big future Patience and consistency is a key factor. nice to see that people like MariLuca, but ahead of us. Treat other establishments as promoters of we feel OK with the day to day feedback the industry rather than as competitors. on the way out - that counts a lot more for Don’t try too hard to be unique, for people us. Once somebody gave us a really bad What are the biggest challenges in like what they like and it seems to be that managing hospitality staff? review because he had to pay for bread sometimes simpler is better. Managing staff is a universal problem that ($4.00). He was OK up until then. I embraces all industries pretty much the suppose one cannot win them all. What’s the best thing about the New same way. Perhaps hospitality suffers the Zealand hospitality industry? fact that remuneration for work is very low How do you seek feedback from It is ever growing and it is nice to be part compared to other working environments, customers? of it. The produce is impeccable and is a hence the motivational issues are a little Just talk and be very open, never go on great pleasure to work with. One can deflated. My opinion is that pricing is the defensive. Making people feel that always rely on outstanding flavours after what they say is valued and is important to always about four years behind schedule, processing. or that is what I have experienced in the you. We have made a few changes to business initiatives 19 years I have lived in Wellington. dishes for that reason.
THE THYMES September 2012
15
SALE & SUPPLY
OF ALCOHOL
Now that the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act has come fully into force, we update on some of the key issues arising from it’s implementation.
employment matters
ADVERTISING & PROMOTIONS REGULATED BY NEW LAWS New measures to regulate alcohol promotions came into force from 18 December 2013, with the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 creating offences and penalties for certain alcohol promotions or activities.
U
nder section 237 of the new Act, promotions that are deemed irresponsible can result in fines of up to $10,000 and licence suspensions. What is deemed to be irresponsible promotion will need to be considered on a case by case basis but the following information will help members to understand their requirements under the new legislation.
IT IS AN OFFENCE TO: Encourage excessive consumption of alcohol. Promote or advertise discounts on alcohol of 25%
or more, anywhere that can be seen or heard from outside the licensed premises. Promote or advertise discounts that are likely to lead people to believe the discount is 25% of more. O It is not an offence to promote or have a discount on licensed premises of over 25% if it cannot be seen from outside the premises. O It is not an offence to promote or have a discount that can be seen from outside the premises if it is less than 25%. Promote or advertise free alcohol. Offer goods, services, or prizes on condition that alcohol is bought. O This does not apply to offers made only on licensed premises relating to the buying of alcohol. Loyalty programmes where rewards or discounts are not primarily applied to the purchase of alcohol are allowed, for example the Entertainment Card. EFTplus loyalty programmes however may need to monitored as you would not be able to offer a discount of 25% or more out to your data base that related to alcohol only. Individual rewards may be interpreted differently however. Promote alcohol in a way that has special appeal to minors.
THE ADVERTISING STANDARDS STANDARDS AUTHORITY Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol All advertising and promotions should also comply with the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) voluntary Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol.
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The Advertising Standards Authority’s ‘Code for Advertising and Promotion of Alcohol’ identifies principles by which the acceptability of alcohol advertising, promotions and sponsorship should be judged. Alcohol advertising and promotions shall:
observe a high standard of social responsibility be consistent with the need for responsibility and moderation in alcohol consumption and be directed at adult audiences both in content and placement.
OnOn-licensed premises: WHAT IS PERMITTED AND PROHIBITED? Examples of promotions which can be seen or heard from outside a business include flyers, sandwich boards, websites and Facebook.
C ON T INU E D ON F OL LO WI NG P A G E
sale & supply of alcohol
industry sales report
CATERERS OFF-LICENCES GET REPRIEVE ON TRADING HOURS Some caterers— caterers—those trading with a caterers offofflicence— licence—faced a potential issue with the final roll out of the Sale & Supply of Alcohol Act around the new maximum trading hours.
M
any caterers under the Sale of Liquor Act were endorsed with a caterers off-licence. This meant that when maximum trading hours were implemented through the new Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act on 18th December, they were potentially going to be restricted (if they were catering a function which involved the sale and supply of alcohol) to new off-licence trading hours of between 7.00am— 11.00pm. Many functions (particularly around the Christmas / New Year period) obviously require the ability to trade later then this 11.00pm deadline.
F R OM P R E VIO US P A G E, A dve rt isin g an d p ro mo ti on s re gu la te d by n e w l aws
Permitted advertising and promotion outside the business under the Act:
Promotion of alcohol at a discount that leads people, or is likely to lead people, to believe that the price is 25% or more below the price at which the alcohol is ordinarily sold. Promotions which do not mention a discount but which customers are likely to believe will involve discounts of more than 25% because of the use of words describing discounts. For example promotions such as ‘huge savings on tap beer’ or ‘massive deals on favourite wines’. Promoting alcohol as a prize for a competition or reward for purchasing a certain amount of alcohol. Promotions that have special appeal to minors. Promotion of free alcohol.
Promotion of discounts of up to 50%. Promotion of complimentary samples (for example wine tasting or samples). Promotions such as a ‘happy hour’ or ‘amazing deals’ which do not mention a discount but which involve discounts of up to 50%. Promotions involving free alcohol providing they do not encourage the consumption of alcohol to an excessive extent. Promotions that have alcohol as a prize for a competition, providing they do not encourage the consumption of alcohol to an excessive extent. Promotions that offer a prize to people who buy more than a certain quantity of alcohol, providing they do not encourage the consumption of alcohol to an excessive extent.
Prohibited advertising and promotion inside the business under the Act:
Any promotion, signage, or activity that encourages the excessive consumption of alcohol or encourages faster than normal drinking. Promotion of discounts of over 50%. Promotions involving large quantities of free alcoholic drinks, eg free drinks for women all night. Promotions along the lines of ‘all you can drink for $x’. Promotions that have special appeal to minors. Time related promotions that may lead to excessive or rapid alcohol consumption, e.g. ‘free drinks until the first goal is scored’.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: contact the Restaurant Association Help Desk on 0800 737 827
Permitted advertising and promotion inside the business under the Act:
sale & supply of alcohol
Prohibited advertising or promotion outside the business under the Act:
We can reassure any caterer members who have a caterers off-licence that this issue has been recognised and already rectified through an amendment to the Act which was passed in December. This amendment means that existing caterer off-licences are permitted to trade within the national maximum trading hours for on-licences (which is 8.00am—4.00am). While this later time will be more than satisfactory for most events or functions, any one-off requirement to trade later than this would require the application of a special licence.
Promotion of a particular brand of alcohol that provides incentives to purchase that brand, as long as the price and promotional material does not encourage the consumption of alcohol to an excessive extent. Promotion of a single price that does not lead people to believe it is a discount of more than 25%. Promotions involving competitions that do not require alcohol to be bought. Promotion and advertising of loyalty programmes that provide rewards or discounts, as long as the rewards or discounts are not primarily redeemed for alcohol. Promotion of complimentary samples (for example wine tasting or samples). Promotion of a wine and food match or degustation with wine in a flyer.
Any promotion that is acceptable outside the premises.
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
03
employment matters
INSTANT INFRINGEMENT FINES PART OF NEW ALCOHOL REGIME Hospitality business owners could face instant fines for breaches of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, which allows Police to issue the instant infringement notices for offences that previously required court proceedings.
I
nfringement notices carrying a $500 fine may be issued if, for example, the licensed premises have intoxicated managers or employees on duty. A $250 fine can be issued for things like failing to ensure food is available for sale and consumption, not having a reasonable range of non alcoholic or low alcoholic beverages available, failing to provide information about safe transport options, allowing minors to be in restricted or supervised areas, or failing to comply with a licence condition.
Patrons can also be issued with the instant fines, for example: •
•
Of note, an instant infringement of $250 can also be issued for failing to have the name of the manager on duty prominently displayed inside the premises. The table below provides more information on the infringement offences.
People violating liquor bans could be issued a $250 on-the-spot fine. A minor using a fake ID would get a $250 fine and serving a minor at a licensed premises would cost the minor $250 and the manager $250.
INFRINGEMENT OFFENCE
Section New or of Act existing?
Police issue?
Inspector issue?
Buying of alcohol by people under the purchase age
243
Existing
Yes
No
Minors in restricted areas or supervised areas
244
Existing
Yes
No
Permitting minors to be in restricted areas or supervised areas
245
New
Yes
No
Manager intoxicated on duty
250
New
Yes
Yes
Employee intoxicated on duty
251
New
Yes
No
Sales of spirit in vessel exceeding 500ml
254
New
Yes
Yes
Offences relating to evidence of age documents
257
New
Yes
No
A breach of section 214(3): name of manager on duty to be displayed
258
New
Yes
Yes
Failure to comply with certain requirements and restrictions imposed by or under this Act (section 259)
259
New
Yes
Yes
SALE & SUPPLY OF ALCOHOL FAQ S ADVERTISING & PROMOTION
Q
. Would a beverage package— package— where a group of people pay a certain amount per head and they can drink as much as they like in a certain time frame— frame—contravene the new law?
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
A
. Yes, any promotion or activity that contains a time frame or potentially encourages excessive consumption of alcohol would more than likely contravene the Act. Time related promotions that may lead to rapid or excessive consumption of alcohol would certainly contravene the object of the Act.
legislation update
member
ENSURE YOUR BUSINESS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2014
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will feature over 200 incredible events across the state from 28 February – 16 March 2014.
T
he Festival, presented by Bank of Melbourne, opens with a dedicated wine weekend. At Acqua Panna Global Wine Experience (1–2 March) international wine luminaries Tim Atkin MW (UK) and Château Coutet’s Aline Baly (France) will guide once-in-a-lifetime wine tastings. Over the middle weekend Langham Melbourne MasterClass (8–9 March) will gather an exciting line-up of the world’s top chefs including, Christopher Kostow (USA), Rodolfo Guzmán (Chile) and Johnny Iuzzini (USA), for mind-blowing cooking demonstrations. For the final weekend all events move out of the city for Regional Weekend (14 –16 March). With 22 Regional World’s Longest Lunches taking place simultaneously on Friday 14 March and a whole host of beautiful experiences from riverside degustation's to charming farmers’ markets over the weekend, it’s the perfect excuse to pack your bags for a mini-break. Another hot ticket in the 2014 Festival calendar is Water MasterClass (15 March). For the first time the Festival’s outdoor MasterClass experience will transport guests out of the city for a spectacular day out on the Bellarine Peninsula with chefs Peter Gilmore (Australia), Nathan Outlaw (UK) and Aaron Turner (Australia) as well as hands-on oyster-shucking, mussel farming, fly-fishing and smoking demonstrations.
To book and for more information visit www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au ceo’s report
The challenges facing the hospitality industry are increasingly complex and investment in education and skills is paramount in ensuring your business remains competitive. What areas of your business could benefit from a little more attention and investment in upskilling or a new approach?
T
he Restaurant Association recognises that with the surplus of information available, finding topical, industry focused training can sometimes be challenging. So we have put together short, relevant workshops across a range of mediums. Due to the busy, hands on nature of the industry it is often impossible to justify the travel time and expense involved in getting to workshops. Providing professional development opportunities to business owners across the country, regardless of location, through our webinar programme is an initiative that the Restaurant Association is committed to. Some new and exciting online events are in the pipeline for 2014! Simply register your interest for a webinar via email and you will be sent a unique log-in code. Log-in on the day and the workshop will start at the time specified. It is run ‘live’ so you can ask (type) questions or discuss topics throughout the workshop – just like you were all in the same room. All webinars are also recorded so you will receive a link after each event for you to watch the presentation as many times as you like and share with your key staff. Featured webinars for the first part of 2014 include legislation updates on the proposed new Health and Safety Reform Bill and Employment Relations Amendment Bill, immigration law changes and how to prepare your business for sale. A catalogue of webinars we ran in 2013 is also available to purchase; please contact Jo for more information. Workshops held at taste. in Auckland will continue to be offered monthly. The first sessions will feature four successful
operators – Krishna Botica (Prego & Café Hanoi), Nicola Richards (Monsoon Poon), Melissa Morrow (Ponsonby Road Bistro) and Mimi Gilmour (Mexico) - discussing effective business systems for front of house. Attendees can submit questions to the panel prior to the seminar, effectively guiding the session to your requirements. We’ve found that this approach generates a lot of healthy discussion! We are also aiming to provide workshops that are most useful to the industry, so if there are any subjects or updates that you would like to see covered, please don’t hesitate to contact jo@tastenz.co.nz. More information is available online at www.restaurantnz.co.nz or check out the March and April timetable of events inserted into this issue of the newsletter.
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
31
managing your business
November 2011
14
NEW YEAR, NEW STAFF
NEW APPRENTICE Now that the madness of Christmas and New Year has passed many business owners will be taking a breath and planning their new initiatives for 2014. There is every indication that it could be a very lucrative summer for the switched on restaurateur but you need the right staff to help your business to thrive... BY PETER LE GRICE
I
n my travels as one of the Restaurant Association apprentice co-ordinators, talking with chefs and restaurant owners, one theme continuously comes up; the lack of basic skills shown by people entering our industry for the first time. In particular the basic skills that seem to be missing are knife skills, prep and service speed, basic stock rotation and work ethic... If the industry requires more from our young workers then business owners should consider employing a chef apprentice. You will have the opportunity to train the worker from day one and mould them into the type of young professional the business, and the industry, needs. The Restaurant Association’s apprenticeship program covers NZQA level 3 (basic cookery) and level 4 (advanced cookery) and takes approximately 3 years to complete. Each of the apprentice’s module assessments are conducted in the workplace, so there is no need to send the apprentice on lengthy polytechnic block courses. There is no age limit for an apprenticeship, which means you may already have an employee who would like to get a national qualification working for you. The Restaurant Association apprentice team can also help you match the right apprentice to your particular business and will be there to monitor and assess their progress throughout the 3 year apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships help to address our skill shortages As you will be aware, the industry is already experiencing critical staff shortages. The more apprentices that we train now, the bigger the pool of experienced staff we will have in the future to choose from. Young industry workers value training and qualifications just as much as any generation does, but they are aware that they need hands-on experience as well. If we want to grow the professionalism of the industry we must actively endorse training and encourage personal growth to have any chance of retaining a skilled workforce in the future. Here is a great opportunity to engage and to train our future chefs.
The businesses that have embraced our apprenticeship program have realised that by training junior staff they will have a much better employee retention rate in the future as these young workers grow to fill senior roles within the business.
Gaining new skills and knowledge
TAMARA JO HN MODERN AP SON, 2013 SERVICEIQ PR COMPETING ENTICE OF THE YEAR AT THE COM PETITION
Not only are Restaurant Association apprentices gaining qualifications, but more importantly they are gaining the life skills and industry knowledge they will need to be successful in this vibrant sector.
At the Restaurant Association’s NZ Culinary Fare last year it was very encouraging to see nine of the industry’s top apprentices battle it out in the ServiceIQ Modern Apprentice of the Year competition. The standard shown by the competitors was very high and it was good for the industry to see so many young people with the passion and commitment to achieving excellence at this national event. The industry needs to tap into this enthusiasm and not only encourage more young people to enter competitions, but also actively help them to gain qualifications.
Getting started... The Restaurant Association apprentice team have some modern apprentice candidates who are highly motivated and enthusiastic and are looking for an opportunity to start an apprenticeship within the hospitality industry now. If you would like to learn more about hiring these potential hospo stars, please call one of the team. Peter Le Grice (Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel) | 09 632 1403 | peter@restaurantnz.co.nz Daniel Wheway (Northland, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo) | 09 632 1408 | daniel@restaurantnz.co.nz Tracey Lines (Wellington, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Taranaki) | 04 817 5243 | tracey@restaurantnz.co.nz
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
need help? call us on 0800 737 827
HAVE YOUR SAY Have you got something to say? We welcome your feedback and comments: by email to info@restaurantnz.co.nz or by post to PO Box 8287, Symonds Street. Auckland.
The do’s & don’ts around encouraging return custom... We received this letter from a member of the public who had a rather insane café experience recently. We hasten to point out of course that this is only the one side of events...
M
y family (mother, husband, 6yr old & 8 month old)were travelling to Christchurch and stopped at the Springfield Store and Café for morning tea and a break from driving. After we had finished I noticed there were no changing facilities for my baby, so I laid him down on the couch by the door with a changing mat underneath and changed his nappy, not thinking that it would be an issue as it wasn’t a soiled one. The next thing a man was yelling at me from behind the counter saying. “Do you mind not doing that there, that’s disgusting, it’s a health and safety issue. People have to eat there you know.” It took me by surprise that I wasn’t approached and asked, instead yelled at from the other side of the café. I said to him “you don’t need to be so rude about it”. The lady behind the counter started yelling at me also, again calling us disgusting. I told her to not be so abusive and yell at me in front of my child (6year old) and she said “well you started at us first”. At this stage my mother took my son out to the car so he didn’t have to hear anymore. I went over to the counter and tried to tell the lady that I had a changing mat down on the couch. She continued to go on about changing a sh**y nappy in a café was absolutely disgusting and then called my family a “pack of disgusting pigs”.
This comment really got my blood boiling and as I was at the counter trying to argue my case, matters deteriorated very badly. Next thing the woman accused me of spitting on her counter and this started another round of calling myself and family disgusting. I said to her “how dare you call me disgusting, you are serving food with cat or dog hair on your jersey”. Obviously this was the wrong thing to say, as the man screamed at me “get out now or I will deck you!”. At this stage I had moved from the counter the lady was standing at and was making my way to the door. I stopped and said “I didn’t spit on your counter”, I put my hand on the counter and said “show me where I spat on your counter?”. Next thing I knew the man had come from behind the counter and stood with his chest pushed into mine, yelling “get out, get out now or I will f**ken knock your block off!” The thing that shocked me the most was I was holding onto my baby when he did this. I just stood frozen to the spot and looked him up and down, while he still yelled at me. At this point my husband put his hand up and said “now just calm down” but he still stood in my face and kept yelling “get out, get out”. I turned and looked at him and the lady and said “you’re f**ckin crazy” and gave them the loopy sign.
We then left the café. The man followed me out the door and the lady came around and yelled out my mother’s car registration number. My mother said “what are you writing my car registration number for? This has nothing to do with me”. But the whole time my mother was trying to speak the man was saying “blah, blah, blah, blah”. I was absolutely stunned that something like this had even happened and I was shaking so badly when we drove away. In hindsight, yes I shouldn’t have changed my babies’ nappy on the couch, but I didn’t even think before doing it. If I had been approached by the couple and spoken to instead of yelled at, I would have realised my actions and been apologetic. I am also ashamed that I swore at them in retaliation of the verbal abuse that I received. Calling my family a pack of disgusting pigs made my blood boil. However, I should have just walked out and not got into an argument with them. What disappoints me is that this café is on the tourist route. How many tourists are stopping here, getting this type of treatment and leaving with incidents such as this as their last impression of New Zealand? These people are damaging the reputation of New Zealand as a tourist destination and also the restaurant/café industry. Nobody deserves to be abused and humiliated in this way. NAME PROVIDED
viewpoint
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
33
UPCOMING MEETING 3RD March, Auckland
UPCOMING MEETING March, Tauranga
UPCOMING MEETING 25TH February, Rotorua
REGIONAL UPDATES UPCOMING MEETING UPCOMING MEETING March, Blenheim
UPCOMING MEETING 18TH February, Queenstown
UPCOMING MEETING 13TH February, Dunedin
March, Wellington
February— February—March 2014
FEBRUARY
11
13
14
Restaurant Association Auckland Branch Golf Day, Muriwai Golf Course
Restaurant Association Dunedin Branch regional meeting
Valentines Day
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
15
16
18
23
25
Mission Concert, Mission Estate, Hawke’s Bay
- 17 Devonport Food and Wine Festival, Auckland
Restaurant Association Southern Lakes Branch regional meeting and AGM
-27 Gulfood, Dubai
Restaurant Association Rotorua Branch regional professional development @ Abracadabra, “Getting the numbers right”, presented by Angelique JonJon-Green
www.missionconcert.co.nz
www.devonportwinefestival.co.nz
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
www.gulfood.com
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
26
28
- 2March Ellerslie International Flower Show, Christchurch
- 16March Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Melbourne, Australia
www.ellerslieflowershow.co.nz
www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au
04
08
10
11
Restaurant Association professional development Front of House Management & Systems, presented by Nicola Richards, Krishna Botica, Mimi Gilmour, Melissa Morrow
Wild Foods Festival, Hokitika
Taranaki Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)
Restaurant Association national webinar, webinar Marketing Right and Measuring Your Success, presented by James O’Connell
01 MARCH
www.wildfoods.co.nz
Bluff oyster season opens
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
15 Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival, Gladstone
www.wairarapawines.co.nz
15
15
15
Havelock Mussel Festival, Havelock
Feijoa season! (main supplies from now until June)
The New Zealand Beer Festival, Auckland
www.beerfestival.co.nz
www.havelockmusselfestival.co.nz
14
17
18
19
St Patricks Day
Restaurant Association professional development Managing Staff Performance, presented by Keith Vaughan
Restaurant Association product webinar, webinar Collecting, Tracking and Utlising Your Data
Restaurant Association Japanese Masterclass, presented by Nic Watt, Masu
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
22
24
24
31
Marchfest, Nelson
Otago Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)
Restaurant Association national webinar, webinar Essential Health and Safety & Employment Relations legislation update, presented Alison Maezler
Restaurant Association national webinar, webinar Immigration update, presented by Carl Andrews
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
www.restaurantnz.co.nz
www.marchfest.com
events— events — national & international
31 Scallop season ends
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
35
BAY OF PLENTY & MANAWATU
REGIONAL ROUNDUP…
November September 2011 2011
news
BOP ell it’s been a busy time in the BOP over the last six months. Here’s a quick catch up...
CRUISES Cruise ship numbers are up for cruising season with a total of 84 cruise ships visiting the Port of Tauranga. Every year the Port sees cruise ships from Australia, the Pacific Islands, North America and Europe, pass through the Tauranga harbour. Port of Tauranga is situated close to the heartland of New Zealand's North Island tourism industry, with the scenic wonders of Rotorua, Taupo and the Waikato, all being major drawcards for international tourists. International visitors can experience New Zealand's Maori culture and see the most scenic parts of the country within a short journey from the Port. OPENINGS The Raft opened at the end of October, in time for the Summer season. Espresso bar, bar and eatery, The Raft is on Chapel Street and open every day from 7.00am—till late. Located on the Strip, and part of the 59 The Strand venue, Macau is an Asian inspired eatery with Joseph & Kirsty Goddard at the helm. Brew craft beer pub also opened on The Strand. An initiative of Paul Croucher and Nigel Gregory of Croucher Brewing Co, Brew has the full range of Croucher Brewing beers on tap, along with a selection of other NZ craft beers. There is another Brew in Rotorua.
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
MACAU
Luca café in Mt Maunganui. Mark McIntyre and partner Bronwyn Whorskey, of the highly successful La Barca Italian Restaurant in Mount Maunganui, open Flour & Water Eatery at the end of December. The Mount is blossoming into a place that has a distinctly village-feel to it, but with cutting-edge style, like Melbourne. NEW OWNERS A few changes of ownerships over recent-ish times: Alimento ~ new owners are Paul and Linda. Latitude 37 at the Mount. Bravo ~ new owners are Jeni Fountain and Ryan Gregorash. New owners also came into Blue Restaurant and Café in Mt Maunganui and after a big refurbishment reopend as Dixie Browns. There is another Dixie Browns in Taupo. Rumours of new owners at Slow Fish (to be confirmed) and new mangers at Phils Place. And finally, moving to a new, bigger, building is Lone Star. I have missed a few but that’s a start. Things are looking up in the Bay for 2014 with lots of action planned. Andrew Targett Bay of Plenty Branch President Elizabeth Café & Larder e: eat@elizabethcafe.co.nz m: 021 231 5699
KEREAMA LEADS HOSPITALITY IN THE MANAWATU
W
e are pleased to welcome on board such a well-respected hospitality professional to the team at the Association. Sean Kereama is the newly elected Manawatu Branch President. Kereama brings vast industry, teaching and hospitality awards experience to his role as Manawatu Branch President. Currently the Executive Chef at Wharerata Function Centre, Kereama’s varied 25 year career includes time as head chef at the Palmerston North Quality Hotel (now the Kingsgate), executive chef at Valentine’s and a range of teaching and large event functions. He also plays a part in finding the industry’s rising stars in his role as Chairman of the renowned Manawatu Hospitality awards, and as a judge at the Restaurant Association’s New Zealand Culinary Fare. It’s so important for hospitality business owners to know they have support and someone they can call for advice. Sean’s experience will be of enormous benefit to hospitality business owners in the region.
“The hospitality community in the Manawatu is vibrant”, says Kereama. “That’s not to say there aren’t challenges; of course there are. One of my first tasks will be to bring industry members together and get them working more collaboratively, sharing ideas and seeing what we can do to promote hospitality, encourage diners and profile the industry as a career option. “I am really looking forward to taking on the role of branch president and helping to support the industry that I love,” he says.
regional update
REGIONAL ROUNDUP… ROTORUA
FEATUREDPRODUCT FEATURED November 2011 24
HOLIDAY & LEAVE Record Pads kia ora from
rotorua
elated Happy New year to you all! Everyone here at work are on diets, me included. It has been a busy holiday season in Rotorua with most businesses doing better than last year. Eat Streat down the Lake End of Tutanekai Street is now opened and has been busy with tourists. The new overhead structure has certainly been a great advantage to most of the businesses in that area and it is also good to see that most of the cafes and restaurants in other streets are doing exceptionally as well. Richard Sewell (Urbano) reported that business has been booming over the last month and that it has been the biggest trading summer for them ever. I think that most businesses are looking to ensure they make hay while the sun shines over the summer period and then are able to consolidate and look at how best to market their respective businesses over the winter period. Planning for the 2014 Rotorua Hospitality Awards on 29TH June, is well underway, with most sponsors coming on board again thank goodness. On a sad note Richard & Julie Sewell (Urbano), lost their much loved mother and mother-in-law, Annette, to cancer in December. Together Annette and husband Herb (Rotorua Hospitality Award Icon recipient 2012) owned Herbs Restaurant. I remember I used to teach hospitality above the restaurant and one day I asked if I could use their bar for training. Herb, Richard and Julie said regional update
that’s fine. So, the next day I went down stairs with about 20 students and Annette said to me “that will be $50.00 for the use of the bar thank you Sharon”. I thought, “don’t mess with this lady”. She was a tough but caring person who will be sadly missed. To let me use their bar was a huge trust and I never betrayed that trust.
Under the Holidays Act 2003 there is a requirement to maintain a holiday and leave record containing very specific information about each employees employment, including: • •
• • THE SKYLINE ROTORUA TEAM
• •
Congratulations to Skyline Rotorua and Urbano Bistro for winning Beef & Lamb Excellence Awards for the second consecutive year. Skyline had two wins at the Rotorua Hospitality Awards last year for Emerging Chef (Kane Peni) and Outstanding Waiter (twice in a row). Urbano also won Outstanding Restaurant in 2013. I would like to welcome the Four Forks team. The Café is adjacent to Waiariki Institute of Technology in the Holiday Motor Camp. The coffee is amazing and it is nice to be able to nip off campus without having to go into town. Naku noa na Sharon Wallace Rotorua Branch President Waiariki Institute of Technology e: Sharon.Wallace@waiariki.ac.nz m: (027) 233 4146
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the name of the employee and the date employment commenced the days on which an employee works, if the information is relevant to entitlement or payment under the Holidays Act the date the employee last became entitled to annual holidays the employee's current entitlement to sick leave and annual holidays the dates any annual holiday, sick or bereavement leave was taken the amount of payment for any annual holidays, sick leave and bereavement leave taken the dates of and payment for any public holiday worked the number of hours worked on any public holiday the date on which the employee became entitled to any alternative holiday the dates and payment of any public holiday or alternative holiday on which the employee did not work, but for which the employee had an entitlement to payment the cash value of board and lodgings provided the cash value of any alternative holidays that the employee has surrendered for payment the date of termination and the amount of pay for holidays on termination
ORDER NOW… The Restaurant Association’s Holiday & Leave Record and Time / Wages record pads satisfy all these requirements & are available for just $12.00 (incl of GST and P&P). Order online through www.restaurantnz.co.nz. THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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REGIONAL ROUNDUP… … HAWKE’S BAY
September 2011
news from
wine country
NEW IN THE BAY Meximama opened in West Quay at the beginning of summer. The restaurant is managed by Jamie Buckley (son of Shed 2 owner Denis Buckley). Jamie & Denis are the brains behind the restaurant, with help for the opening from consultant chef Grace Ramirez. The restaurant is part of the iconic Shed 2 / Caution / Hep set Mooch family. Te Awa Winery Restaurant relaunched under new owners Villa Maria with Hawke’s Bay Chef Stephen Tindall (former Craggy Range Head Chef & Chef /Owner of Bayswater) returning to head up the kitchen team after 5 years in Melbourne. Molto Italian Kitchen opened at Red Barrel Winery on Te Mata Road, Havelock North. Husband & wife team Sass & Paolo Pancotti (former Milk & Honey Head Chef) open their new restaurant for weekend dining under their vineyard pergola over summer; and will then reopen with a new dining room in October this year (with a trip to Italy in between). The dining room will also be a cellar door for Red Barrel wines, owned by John & Juliet Lockie, former partners in the Balthazar Wine consortium.
MEXIMAMA
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
COMMON ROOM, HASTINGS
Zepplin Gallery Café has opened in Clive. Owners Charlie Davidson & Bryam Stubbings have built and opened the new daytime cafe. Charlie’s wife, Susan, has established an onsite gallery and paints from her studio above the cafe. Chef Stuart McGechan heads up the kitchen team. The Factory in Ahuriri was sold to Chef Arnault Vallee (former Head Chef of Orton Catering). Arnault re-launched the restaurant as Mahia St. Kitchen in the New Year, opening for breakfast and lunch with the promise that dinners will follow soon. Chef Brent Cameron has returned to Hawke’s Bay to replace Paolo Pancotti at Milk & Honey. Brent has been Head Chef at Rebo in SKYCITY for the last 4 years, but is known in the Bay for his time working for the Robertson family as both Head Chef at Te Awa Winery and the Clubhouse Kitchen at Cape Kidnappers golf course.
The Common Room in Hastings opened last year, but doing great things and is a fantastic addition to Hastings. Owned and run by husband and wife team Gerard Barron and Jess Soutar Barron.
EVENTS 1ST FEBRUARY
Pask Winery Late Lunch, Napier
1ST FEBRUARY
Valley Vibes with Dick Johnson, Maya Vanya, P Money, Esk Valley
5THFEBRUARY
Church Road The Classic Hits Winery Tour, Napier
Black Barn winery concerts, Havelock North The Nudge, Tropical 1ST FEBRUARY Downbeat Orchestra, Ben Throp & Co The Classic Hits Winery 7THFEBRUARY Tour 15TH FEBRUARY Sol3 Mio & Dame Malvina Major 22ND FEBRUARY Pokey LaFarge
Rebecca and Jeremy Rameka, owners of Pacifica, and Fox on the Quay’s Heather and Shane Fox have opened a French Bistro style restaurant together on Marine Parade, Napier. Bistro 311 is located in the Quality Inn, but is an independent restaurant opened to the public. The bistro is open for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
COMING UP
Chris and Jonelle Jarvis - owners of the Bay Espresso Roastery and Cafe’s have just opened their 9th venture on Marine Parade, Napier under the brand Six Sisters – a cool coffee house looking out to sea.
The Hawkes Bay Hospitality Awards 2014 is in planning stages. May 19th has been set as the date. Awards will be at Hawke’s Bay Opera House and the after party venue is close to being confirmed. Watch this space!
Tonic Juice Bar in Taradale recently opened.
Sean Burns Hawke’s Bay Branch President Milk and Honey
The Bluewater Hotel restaurant has been re branded as the Salt and Pepper Club.
e: sean@themilkandhoney.co.nz m: 027 623 2223
15TH FEBRUARY Mission Concert, The
English & Irish Invasion, Napier 20RD-23RD FEBRUARY
Tremains Art Deco Weekend, Napier
regional update
REGIONAL ROUNDUP… … WELLINGTON
regional updates
November September 2011 2011
from the capital: from the capital:
THE CANTEEN
hot plate coming through rumours, happenings and events
The Canteen (above right), a new cafe on Bond Street, has opened.
Charlotte Steak Restaurant has closed on Cuba St and is now Cuba Street Bistro.
Goose Shack (below) a local cafe takeaway and mobile catering business is to open in Berhampore.
The Dixon St branch of Simply Paris is now called Cafe Lazeeza. Logan Brown is to open a more casual eatery just up the road from their flagship in Cuba St focusing on meat and craft beer. Cafe Istanbul,, a longstanding Turkish restaurant in Cuba St, has closed and is rumored to become an Italian restaurant.
Golding's Free Dive; the name refers to it being a free house and the dive to the recycled furniture and furnishings that make up its interior, has opened on Garett Street just off Cuba Street. The group that own Scopa and Duke Carvells are opening a new operation on the old Bodega site in Willis Street. The George, a new tavern, has opened on the ground floor of the Old Hotel St George.. Kind regards Mike Egan, Restaurant Association National President e: monsoonpoon@actrix.co.nz m: 021 966 667
K GOOSE SHAC
FEATUREDPRODUCT FEATURED
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
Handbook
Spruce Goose a cafe and function space has opened at Lyall Bay adjacent to the airport.
The owners of Floriditas are opening a new cafe on Cuba St on the former Simply Paris location.
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The Restaurant Association have developed a Model Job Descriptions handbook for members. This provides a valuable resource for creating position descriptions to help businesses hire the most qualified applicants for their operation. The handbook includes job descriptions for 24 positions. Job descriptions are intended to help an employer determine whether a person is qualified to perform a job. This handbook provides generic position descriptions, which can be customised to reflect the specific tasks and responsibilities of your employees. We have identified the attributes, experience and competencies that could be associated with the various positions.
ORDER NOW… The Restaurant Association’s Model Job Descriptions handbook is available for just $12.27 (incl of GST and P&P) - order online @ www.restaurantnz.co.nz or call 0800 737 827.
employment matters regional update
REGIONAL ROUNDUP… … NELSON
regional regional updatesupdates
November 2011
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nelson news LICENSING LAWS The council has been through the hearing of submissions in regard to the Local Alcohol Policy. This is going to be one of the first things to be in front of council when they reconvene. Having spent the day in chambers as submissions were made I certainly wasn’t feeling that confident about leaving these decisions up to council. There was a definite lack of understanding from the councillors as to the full impact any decision they make will have on a lot of people that run hospitality businesses.
Paula and business partner sister Jo Kilkelly have set up the “grab and go” off shoot of Paula’s Plate. Serving the surrounding businesses and customers of the design store. There is lot of commercial business ‘close at hand’ and good parking to drop in and out quickly. The café outlet is looking to develop packed lunches for the close by workers to be able to grab on the run. There is seating inside for those that wish to take some more time and relax after checking out the design store.
NICOLA CAN TRICK
The main focus at the Cantina will be on food but I have been told Tequila will be available. MORRISON SQUARE Chilando Mexican Taqueria has opened in Morrison Square. Chilando offers a 3 step design to build choosing Quesadillas, Tacos, Burrito or nacho—choose your topping and finally choose your heat. A range of beverages and children’s menu are also on offer. Chilando is not licensed.
Personally I feel Government have taken a total back seat approach to this issue and placed the onus on local body politicians that are really not qualified to cope with this job.
NICOLA’S CANTINA
PAULA’S PLATE
Nicola Cantrick who has vacated the Edito site to merge her two Mexican Cantina operation’s into one is opening in Church Street by the end of February.
Nelson cafe owner Paula SaengthianNgam has expanded the Paula's Plate brand to premises on the city fringe. Paula's Plate @ Edito has filled the space in Vanguard Street's luxury interior store Edito, left vacant by the recent shift of Nicola's Cantina to central Nelson.
Nicola has signed a lease on the site that was originally the short lived Saphire Bar. Most recently the site has been an interior design store—seems Nicola likes to mix it up with design. Refurbishment is being carried out at the moment and the hope is for them to open by the end of February.
regional update
CHILANDA MEXICAN TAQUERIA
Harry Nelson Branch President Harry’s Bar e: dine@harrysnelson.co.nz m: 027 525 8665
THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
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November 2011
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MAINLY OF INTEREST TO auckland members... news. The Hip Group’s Jackie Grant and Scott Brown have recently taken over the premises formerly known as Beesonline. Located on State Highway 1 in Waimauku the new eatery is called Provenance Matua Valley. The menu is designed to showcase the fresh produce sourced from their own farm and from other local suppliers. While the café has opened and is looking great, major refurbishment is planned for March. This will include an outdoor kitchen where they plan to barbeque meat from their own butchery next door. A full time beekeeper has also been retained from Beesonline and they plan to increase honey production to supply all of The Hip Group sites. This isn’t the only new project for the group – they’ve also opened Waihi Beach Eatery and Store in the Waihi Beach Hotel. Provenance Matua Valley
Bedford Soda & Liquor opened before Christmas on a corner site of Ponsonby Central; a New York inspired neighbourhood bar and eatery owned by Matt Nichols, Sam Ainsley (part of Pack and Company) and Jeremy Wells. Bedford Soda & Liquor has an extensive drinks menu, including home made sodas and retro styled cocktails, whereas the menu focuses on meatballs, just meatballs. You can take your pick from five varieties of meatball – beef, chicken, pork, vegetable, or the weekly special and order via a laminated menu which is provided complete with a whiteboard marker to make your selections.
L’oeuf
The end of last year also saw the opening of L’ouef in Mt Albert. A funky all-day eatery, L’oeuf is owned by brothers Jasper and Ludo Maignot and Celeste Thornley. L’oeuf is egg in French and the menu has an eggy theme but with an innovative slant to it. The team also bake their own cakes, slices and other treats each morning and the coffee is courtesy of Atomic. Lot 23 on Minnie Street in Eden Terrace has opened a café, adding to its gallery, film and video production house and event space. The café’s walls are hung with works from rotating art exhibitions and the menu includes Best Ugly bagels, salads, and house-made doughnuts.
Lot 23
Chop Chop Noodle House & Whiskey Bar has opened in Ponsonby Central out the back (and brought to you by the same people) of the Blue Breeze Inn. Described as a hole in the wall noodle bar they serve “BBQ ramen from Japan, spicy Korean fried chicken & crab, Chinese pork buns, Hong-Kong cocktails & plenty o' smoky whisky”.
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THE THYMES FEBRUARY 2014
auckland members
MAINLY OF INTEREST TO auckland members... news.
what’s on akl.
You are invited to the 2014 Restaurant Association Auckland Golf Day. There are only a few team spots left though, so get in quick. Next year’s event is on Tuesday 11th February at Muriwai Golf Course. A team of four is $315+gst, or sponsor a hole for $360+gst.
14 -17 Taste of Auckland, Victoria Park
The golf day is a fantastic day of ambrose golf with your fellow hospitality members. RSVP to emily@restaurantnz.co.nz.
www.tasteofauckland.co.nz
Popular spot, Sale St, has been bought by the Barworks group, bringing their total number of establishments to 22.
16 -17 Parnell Festival of Roses, Parnell Rosegarden
This year marks DineAid’s 5th anniversary of helping New Zealanders in need and they’re having a special celebration on Friday 15 November at the Taste of Auckland Festival. Guests will enjoy a delicious mini taster menu prepared and introduced by three of New Zealand’s most acclaimed chefs. Dishes will be matched to premium wines by leading wine makers and a complimentary bar will operate for the evening. Host is DineAid founder, Mark Gregory, who, together with the organisers of Taste have collated some amazing auction items with all proceeds going to the Auckland City Mission Food Banks. Cuisine will be prepared by Ben Bayly - The Grove, Mikey Newlands - Bracu, Nick Honeyman - The Commons. If you’d like to find out more call 09 531 5524 or email sales@tasteofauckland.co.nz.
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Farmers Santa Parade
-1 Dec Taylor Swift, Vector Arena
www.santaparade.co.nz
04 Winner of NZ Café of the Year announced
Twisted Tomato is a welcome addition to Pt Chevalier. The eatery is owned and run by chef Thomas Walden, who worked at TriBeCa, under Hayden McMillan, and his partner Tamara Wright.
Twisted Tomato, Pt Chevalier
www.nzcafeoftheyear.co.nz
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CocaCoca-cola Christmas in the Park, Auckland Domain
Christmas Day (public holiday)
www.christmasinthepark.co.nz
26 Boxing Day (public holiday)
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-4 Jan ASB Classic women’s tennis tournament
THE THYMES JUNE 2013
www.festivaloftennis.co.nz
The Restaurant Association was formed in 1975 with the aim of serving and representing owners and manger of foodservice operations. It represents 1,700 members throughout New Zealand who employ 13,000 full and part-time employees. This is an industry that has an annual turnover of over $7 billion, that employs some 100,000 workers, that is each week visited by 340,000 diners and serves another 1.15 million takeaway customers. This makes it a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economy. CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Marisa Bidois
NATIONAL PRESIDENT: Mike Egan (Monsoon Poon, Auckland & Wellington; Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington)
VICE PRESIDENTS: Bart Littlejohn (Sails Restaurant, Auckland) Steve Logan (Logan Brown, Wellington)
BRANCH PRESIDENTS: Auckland: Bart Littlejohn (Sails Restaurant, Auckland) Bay of Plenty: Andrew Targett (Elizabeth Café & Larder, Tauranga) Canterbury: Sam Crofskey (C1Espresso, Christchurch) Dunedin: Steve Richardson (Table Seven Restaurant, Dunedin) Hawkes Bay: Sean Burns (Milk and Honey, Napier) Manawatu/Wanganui: Sean Kereama (Wharerata Function Centre, Palmerston North) Marlborough: Marcel Rood (Raupo Café, Blenheim) Nelson: Howard Morris (Harry’s Bar, Nelson) Rotorua: Sharon Wallace (Waiariki Institute of Technology, Rotorua) Southern Lakes: Cam Mitchell (The Bunker, Queenstown) Taranaki: Joe Deegan (Pacific International Hotel Management School, New Plymouth) Waikato: watch this space! Wellington: Michael Egan (Monsoon Poon, Auckland and Wellington; Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington)
RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND KEY OBJECTIVES 1.
Protect, promote and advance the interests and rights of its members
2.
Promote industry quality, reputation and excellence
3.
Provide relevant value added services to members
4.
As an organisation achieve best practice stewardship within the business association sector
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