Restaurant Association THE Thymes - March 2013 by Nicola Waldren

CRAGGY RANGE, HAWKE’S BAY CRAGGY RANGE, HAWKE’S BAY

MARCH 2013

positive for year ahead

think your café is the best? getting on top of your 06 challenges

Hospitality operators have identified the key challenges of running a business today. We look at the costs hindering business and offer some solutions to assist with business prosperity...

14 CRAGGY RANGE, HAWKE’S BAY

Hospitality operators feeling With the world still affected by the global financial crisis, global economic activity is expected to remain subdued over the coming year. However there have been some encouraging signs on a local level, with industry sales in 2012 reaching $6.9 billion and overall the industry’s outlook is optimistic.

he hospitality industry recorded a positive 6.7% growth in national sales in 2012 over the year previous (an improvement on the 1.1% growth from 2010 - 2011). A breakdown of the industry by sector indicated almost all showed sales growth in 2012. The restaurant and cafe sector, which accounts for 50% of the industry’s sales, enjoyed a 5.6% increase in 2012. Takeaways reported a 9.1% increase to reach almost $1.5 billion. Catering services also recorded a 9.2% increase in sales while pubs, taverns and bars increased by 8.5%. A recent Restaurant Association survey also found that 55% of the industry considered that current business conditions for their business were good or excellent. Further, 77% believe that business conditions for the industry will remain the same or improve over the next 12 months.

overcoming our skill shortages

18 don’t avoid performance management

You can’t put the management of performance issues in the too hard basket. It is an ongoing process, requiring regular discussion and a formal review at agreed intervals during the year.

unpaid trial costly for employer

Almost half of the survey respondents indicated that their sales in 2012 had increased, however they are also finding that it is more challenging to control costs, which as a result means overall profitability was down for some. The biggest challenge for the industry in 2013 has been identified as labour costs. Controlling food costs and operating costs is also causing concern and the Restaurant Association is looking at ways to assist members in these areas. One of the key themes business leaders have been emphasising is the need for the New Zealand economy to rebalance. While this looks to be a challenging task over the next few years, as one Hawke’s Bay member comments: “We all have to be optimistic for the future no matter how hard the outlook may be. We must remain enthusiastic, to keep staff moral up so we can deliver the service and friendly atmosphere customers have come to expect.”

CULINARY FARE CELEBRATES IT’S 21st 21 years of running competitions for the industry – what a milestone! The Restaurant Association is proud to present New Zealand’s only national competition and the largest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Many of our current sponsors have been loyal supporters of this event for the duration of the journey. KEY DATES! This year the 21st NZ Culinary Fare will take place

he event plays an integral part in the industry, it not only showcases our up and coming talent but also shines a light on the current super stars of our industry.

18th—20th August, 2013

The Culinary Fare provides a platform to celebrate excellence and encourages people to raise the bar of standards in our sector. Participants preparation prior to the event requires dedication and a focus on training – great for any business.

at ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane. Auckland

The competitions showcase new trends, classical skills, innovative techniques, and most of all exceptional talent, dedication, and competitive spirit. This year the event will take place at the ASB Showgrounds on the 18th ,19th and 20th of August. This year we are changing the timetable slightly – the competitions will start at 9am and finish at around 5pm or 6pm. We are putting more energy into the prize givings and look forward to sharing more details with you as we move closer to the event date. It is a special year for us and look forward to sharing some of the memories created over 21 years of running the event. In our next issue of the Thymes we will be showcasing our sponsors and going over the competitions. In the meantime keep an eye on our website for updates. For more information contact Emily Harrison at the Restaurant Association on 0800 737 827 or go to www.restaurantnz.co.nz business initiatives

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

ceo update

November 2011

FROM THE CEO’s DESK The year is flying by and although we are hearing from members that they are concerned about controlling some of the increasing costs of running a business, overall sentiment seems positive. We don’t have everyone jumping on the tables in relief yet, but people are more optimistic.… BY MARISA BIDOIS

usiness intelligence is a buzz word that many of our industry are using more and more. It’s about gathering data from a variety of sources - primarily the systems that are used to run the business and external sources of data such as competitive benchmarks and market data and then utilizing technology to serve information to decision-makers in ways that help them to understand where opportunities exist within their business. Through dashboards, reports and analytics users can explore their business - both historical performance and future activity. Typically, a business intelligence system these days will be cloud-based and therefore available as a web application for users to access from their desktops, laptops and mobile devices through an internet connection. The end goal of course is to find ways to increase sales and/or reduce operating costs - to run more profitable businesses. The theory is that human judgment is at its best when supported by a solid foundation of facts presented within the right context, where and when they are needed.

some interest in the position and will be updating you soon on his replacement. If you are interested in getting involved in the committee please let us know. Read Kirstin’s account of the trip in the regional updates.

Local Alcohol Policy We have been receiving regular updates and getting involved with local councils as they formulate their Local Alcohol Polices. We are holding an update for members on the new legislation around the sale and supply of liquor via webinar. This is free for members and $50.00 for nonmembers. It will be on Wednesday 10th April 10.00am – 11.00am and will cover the following: how the changes in legislation may affect your business, opportunities to become involved in developing the LAP, potential for changes in fees, number and location of licences issued and changes to managers licence criteria. Be sure to register for the webinar places are limited. We will run another one if there is the demand from members for it.

Dinefind The Restaurant Association is working on bringing you more options to track these projections in your business.

Christchuch Kirstin Lethbridge and I were recently in Christchurch for a get together with local members. It was great to touch base with a few of the local operators and hear about the many businesses reopening. Michael Turner is stepping down as our president for the region and I would like to thank him for all he has done for the branch in Christchurch. He looked after this role during the most challenging time any president has faced over the years. So thank you Michael. Michael will still be around the region and an active member. We have had

We our nearing the launch date of the new website which promotes our members. Take advantage of the opportunity to list your business for free—it’s a member benefit—and make sure you send us your updated details. MARISA BIDOIS

Surcharging Whether you do surcharge on public holidays, or do not, I have a feeling that the media may leap on this topic again with Easter approaching. Remember it is your choice as to what you do. Every business has the right to decide.

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THE THYMES MARCH 2013

ceo’s update

PRESIDENT’SVIEWPOINT I ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE RECENTLY ON TIPPING ETIQUETTE IN AUSTRALIA ON WWW.GOODFOOD.COM.AU. BY MIKE EGAN

ipping in Australia can be a confusing business. Do you tip at cafes or only restaurants? Ifs so, how much? Is 10 per cent the magic number, or does that make you a “tight arse”? Tipping protocol in Australia works on a loose set of principles, and diners are often baffled about how much to leave and when it's appropriate. Ask any hospitality worker and they'll say, “always, and at least 10 per cent”. But has Australia reached a point where tipping is now seen as compulsory? According to Tara Moriarty, secretary of the liquor and hospitality division of the United Voice hospitality union, “there's no requirement to tip in Australia”. “It's just a discretionary thing if people feel that they've had good service,” she says. “It's the easiest way for diners here to say thanks.” Melbourne restaurateur Simon Denton says some people tip, some people don't and there are “swinging voters” too. If people ask – usually travellers – he'll say to leave 10 per cent but reckons in reality the overall percentage people leave is usually about 7 per cent. The tipping culture here has been heavily influenced by the US, according to The Sydney Morning Herald's chief restaurant critic, Terry Durack. “I lived in England for 10 years where it's just a straight 12.5 per cent – well, I say straight, but when you've had a couple of drinks it's hard to work out,” Durack says. “In the States it's often 20 per cent or higher, and if you leave lower than that they'll abuse you.” Unlike the US, where waiters earn a measly hourly wage, or only work for tips, Australian waiters earn a fixed amount ($15.96 an hour is the national minimum award wage) and tips are seen as a bonus, although many managers and waiters will factor tips into their wage before accepting a job, or determining payment. On average, a full-time waiter in a Melbourne or Sydney restaurant can average about $250 to $500 in weekly

tips, more for really top-end places, where staff can earn closer to $600 or $700. Durack doesn't believe tipping should be compulsory here – especially for a bad experience. “In Australia we usually leave 10 per cent, I think because it's so easy to work out, but it should be up to you, it should be a reward,” he says. The public perception may be that the tipping culture is growing in Australia, but according to Tony Percuoco, from Ristorante Tartufo in Brisbane, the amount people contribute as a tip is decreasing. “I've been in the industry for 40 years. Tips have definitely gone down,” says Percuoco, who reckons waiters aren't making anything like they used to 10 to 15 years ago. In most places credit card tips are usually transferred to the communal pot at the end of the night – usually. But Moriarty from United Voice stresses that diners should tip in cash. “If we are tipping, we want to make sure it gets to the people we mean it for,” says Moriarty. Shifty customers can also be the reason why staff don't receive tips. Kirsten Dickie, front of house at Cicciolina in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda, says it's not unusual for customers to stiff their mates. “The worst one is when six people go out for dinner, everyone's put in a tip, but one person collects the cash and pays by credit card and doesn't leave a tip, so they almost get their dinner for free,” she says. Restaurant manager Belinda Seager also cites examples of this underhanded strategy: “It happens a lot. I reckon I get it a couple of times a week.” “A lot of the staff get quite upset when people don't tip,” says Seager, “especially if they've gone out of their way to make sure the table has had a lovely night and a great experience, and taught them something about the food and the wine. Then the customer walks out and says, 'Thanks very much, that was amazing,' and that's all you get.”

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THE THYMES MARCH 2013

GET ON TOP OF

YOUR CHALLENGES Hospitality operators have identified the key challenges of running a business today. We look at the costs hindering business and offer some solutions to assist with business prosperity...

WHAT ARE THE INDUSTRY’S TOP CHALLENGES? The incredible Summer New Zealand has experienced this year seems to have provided some much needed rise in trade for many regions and anecdotally the mood of the industry seems much improved from 2012. National sales grew 6.7% from 2011-2012, hopefully indicating a swing to more profitable times.

owever, while hospitality operators are cautiously optimistic, the number of business closures reminds us that trading conditions have been extremely difficult over the past few years and there continues to be many challenges to remaining profitable in 2013. “Since December 2012 we have had a good up lift in the business, hugely so in February - making it a record! Mood around this town is much more positive, in fact it is upbeat!”

Restaurateur, Northland A recent Restaurant Association snapshot survey saw operators identify their top challenges, now and in the future. Looking back over 2012, the top challenge facing hospitality businesses was identified as LABOUR COSTS, with 61% of this survey’s respondents choosing this as the biggest test for their business. Operators don’t see this changing in 2013, as it also rates as the highest predicted challenge this year. Needless to say, as hospitality is such a labour intensive industry, any reductions that can be made to your labour costs will positively impact a business’ bottom line. “We have made huge developments in labour cost which has meant we come out of 2012 far better than 2011. When we took over the restaurant labour was at 50%! We are still only halfway and learning the tough balancing act of keeping customers happy but not blowing the budget.”

Restaurateur, Wellington A LACK OF SKILLED EMPLOYEES in the industry, which rated the second biggest challenge in 2012, is a contributing factor to these concerns over labour costs. Owners are unable to find suitable candidates to fill vacant positions in the business and find themselves paying more to secure, and retain, good employees – sometimes more than they can afford. “Our main issues are staff. Not only cost but securing them for a reasonable time while paying them a basic wage. We would love to pay them a better rate but we cannot afford to.”

Café owner, Auckland FOOD COSTS and BUILDING AND MAINTAINING SALES VOLUME are also of major concern. At 37.2%, business initiatives

food costs were rated as the third biggest challenge in 2012. Building and maintain sales volume was slightly behind this at 36.8%. Many business owners commented that although food costs (and other costs) had increased they found it difficult to increase their menu pricing past a perceived threshold. As one Auckland operator commented, “Customers are always looking for value for money and don't appreciate the impact that rising food and operational costs have on the consumer end.” Good operators will be monitoring their operational and other costs in an effort to remain profitable, however many commented that it is become more difficult to control these costs. 54% indicated that it was MORE CHALLENGING TO CONTROL COSTS in 2012 over the year previous. COMPETITION FROM OTHER BUSINESSES also featured as a bigger concern than in previous years. Many regions have seen a proliferation of new businesses opening over the past 18 months. Many operators questioned on how the industry can sustain this growth in the number of businesses as it is ‘spreading the custom slim’. As a measure of BUSINESS CONFIDENCE within the industry, 77% believe that business conditions for the industry will remain the same or improve over the next 12 months and 55% of the industry considered that current business conditions for their business were good or excellent. This comment from an Auckland restaurateur captures the sentiment of many: “Navigating all aspects of business proving difficult due to rising costs. On top of everything our rent increased by $20k p.a late year - ouch! Simply increasing menu prices is not an option. Customers are hurting too. Compliance takes up a lot of management time and resources. Taxes! Don't even go there. Currently we're spending on team building, staff training, building customer loyalty through VIP programs and organising sponsored events throughout the year. Trying various marketing avenues some expensive, some not. Daily-deals? The devil made me do it.”

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

KEEPING FOOD COSTS

UNDER CONTROL Food costs continue to rate as one of the hospitality industry’s biggest challenges. These costs can play a major role in a business’s success or failure, and with margins in the industry notoriously slim, if you can control some of your food costs you’ll assist your business’s profitability.

he simple formula for calculating food cost is: net food purchases divided by net food sales (net means after the change in inventory). The ideal for a restaurant is to maintain a 28% food cost, or less. HERE ARE SOME TIPS THAT MAY ASSIST YOU TO CONTROL YOUR FOOD COSTS:

Build a relationship with suppliers All successful businesses build a strong relationship with their suppliers. Communication is key here; be clear about your business’s needs. Don’t view your suppliers simply as providers of a commodity, instead think of your suppliers as partners in the success of your business. Invite your key suppliers into your business and share with them what you are trying to achieve. Building a partnership with suppliers can also bring some new ideas to a company as they often have their finger on the pulse of new trends. It is also healthy to compare prices with competitors to ensure you are getting a good deal. Keeping up to date on market prices by regular price comparisons can reduce food cost.

Portion Control Food portions may vary for a number of reasons including differences in staff practices and raw ingredient size fluctuations. Minimise portion size variation by training staff on the importance of this in relation to your food costs. Document standard recipes and if necessary measure out portions prior to service. In addition, attention to portion control will ensure more consistency in the dish for your customers.

Monitor Waste Ensure your chefs understand the value of using every piece of a product, particularly the highly perishable products, and encourage them to be creative in using every piece of a particular product. You also can’t control what you don’t measure…. so here are a number of ways to monitor waste: business initiatives

 Implementing a waste log  Waste bin audits  Waste collection and measurement

A balance between reasonable controls and controls that apply excessive overhead is required. It may be useful to implement controls as required (for example when food costs are out of control) and/or spot checks. To decrease waste from spoilage you may consider ordering proteins and other short shelf life items daily.

Order Seasonal products These days you can purchase products that were once seasonal specialties at any time of the year. However, the cost of produce and some other products varies greatly depending on seasons. When produce is “in-season” there is a greater supply, so that demand is easily met, and the price decreases. Needless to say the quality of produce that is in-season is also usually better as it has not been stored for long periods or travelled great distances.

Plan Carefully Effective planning will assist you to order wisely and reduce waste. Sales estimates based on previous periods, same time last year sales, future bookings and special events will assist you to ensure that the proper amount of food is being ordered for the level of business and demand. CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

international update CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE, Keeping Food Costs Under Control

Cost Out your recipes Costing recipes provides a standard by which to compare actual costs. Without a benchmark there is no means to determine if food cost is too high or too low.

Inventory and Stock Rotation Regular inventory of food items will help you to track your food costs and adjust if necessary. One example of an effective way to track your inventory is the "first in, first out” system. Everything should be clearly marked with the date of receipt. Those items with the nearest expiration dates should be considered "first in" and used before items with a later date. This will take the guess work out of stock rotation. Rotating stock not only improves the quality and consistency of your end product but also reduces waste through spoilage of products.

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

Ensure all staff are aware of the importance of stock rotation and understand how your stock rotation system works.

Involve your front of house staff If you need to move some lower food cost items to assist with reducing your overall food costs, or increase sales of higher cost items, communicate with your front of house staff on what items to push. Make a staff incentive around this to see who can sell the most. Better still feature those items you want to move as ‘specials,’ or additions to the menu. You can also use this method to move slow selling stock to reduce food waste.

The most important thing is to maintain a tight control over your food costs. By reducing costs the profit goes directly to your bottom line, however costs can just as easily spiral out of control without vigilance.

HOW TO ADDRESS YOUR

LABOUR COST CONCERNS Labour cost is still your number one concern. When these costs begin to climb, as they seem to have in general over the past few years, anxiety levels rise as well. And while wage costs are quite fixed in some cases up to a certain level of turnover (as there is a base level required particularly when you’re running a kitchen), here are some ideas on controlling your labour costs.

ypical labour costs as a percentage of direct wages / sales sit at:  Restaurants & cafes ~ 29%-33%  Bars (with little or no food) ~ 15% - 24% or (with significant food) ~ 22% - 28% Two keys to controlling your labour costs are improving employee productivity and scheduling your employees wisely

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Simply paying your employees less will not solve your labour cost issues. In fact, businesses paying less than the going wage rate for their location will find it difficult to hire and retain the more productive employees. And if customer service is compromised, the initial savings of a lower payroll cost can be negated by a decrease in sales.

WAYS TO IMPROVE WORKER PRODUCTIVITY

Train your staff Don’t skimp on the training - well trained staff will become more efficient in their jobs. Ensure there are established and written procedures that your employees can use to make their jobs easier and faster.

Cross-train your staff Cross-training can lead to productivity gains that will help you to stay competitive. It will also add interest to an employee’s job by offering some variety and help them to see what others do. A cross-trained employee will have a wider range of skills and be able to help in multiple areas of the restaurant. This will allow you to schedule fewer workers while still being able to achieve the same production and service standards.

Hire the right person for the job It’s easy to say, harder to do – but resist the temptation to panic hire rather than holding out for the right person. Know what each job entails and what necessary skills are required to perform them. Then hire employees that best match those skill sets.

business initiatives

Happy employees are productive employees...

Hiring the best candidate for each job will both reduce labor costs and increase your production and efficiency. Consider also that if productive employees are treated no differently from marginally productive ones, there is no benefit to the employee to do more than average as they will get the same remuneration anyway. So look at ways to reward them.

SENSIBLE SCHEDULING Efficient scheduling reflects the variations in business volume that occurs during the working day. The goal is to accomplish the necessary workload while maintaining a consistent level of service, with a minimum number of labour hours.

Break down your annual budget Break the budget into monthly budgets to help divide the money into weekly sections. This will give you a weekly budget, from which you can determine labour costs and make an appropriate roster schedule. To allow for shifts in things like projected sales, or other factors that can affect your business adjust the number of staff scheduled each week to keep compliant with weekly budget constraints. CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

international update FROM PREVIOUS PAGE, How to address labour cost concerns

Monitor start and finish times Have systems in place to accurately record employees’ arrival and departure. If they arrived late then their start time should be adjusted accordingly. Make sure a manager monitors the timesheets or use a system that is tamper-proof, as all those half hours here and there add up.

Make sure all roster changes or shift swapping is authorised Your wise scheduling will go out the door if people start arbitrarily swapping their shifts around with others. Make sure a manager authorises any proposed changes in the schedule.

Avoid Over-Staffing The fixed-cost portion of payroll is the staff you need to open your doors even when sales revenues fall to their lowest levels. The employees who are added to the fixed schedule are ‘variable-cost’ employees. It is having too many variable-cost employees on the schedule that will put your labour percentages out of skew. It may be tempting to schedule more people than necessary in order to ensure that the business runs smoothly. However, scheduling too many employees will increase your labour costs and reduce your overall profit. If you find that you have over-scheduled, you can send staff members home early. This comes back to training and having the right people on the job to work quickly and efficiently to your business’ levels of service. As with your food costs, to keep your labour costs at optimum levels you’ll need to monitor them closely. Be proactive, rather than reactive – finding out your labour costs were over budget a month ago won’t help your business. You need to stay on top of these figures and adjust week by week as necessary.

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

November 2011

DEVELOPING SKILLS FOR HOSPITALITY There are some exciting developments on the training front for the industry. HSI have merged into a new ITO, ServiceIQ, and as far as the Association’s apprentice scheme goes, we believe it offers an answer to New Zealand’s skill shortage problem...

managing your business

November 2011

IT’S GOODBYE FROM HSI AND HELLO SERVICEIQ The Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) has transformed into ServiceIQ, the new Industry Training Organisation for, Aviation, Hospitality, Museums, Retail, Tourism, Travel, and Wholesaling. Collectively these industries account for around 20 per cent of the national workforce.

erviceIQ – 'shorthand' for service industry qualifications that develop smarter people for smarter businesses – aims to have a world class New Zealand service industry through qualified people. By helping to produce a workforce with nationally recognised qualifications who contribute to greater business productivity, and profitability, the ITO will help increase our sector’s contribution to the national economy. It’s new Chief Executive is Dean Minchington. A New Zealander with a mainly aviation background, he has been involved in industry skills training throughout his career, working with registered training organisations in New Zealand and the Industry Skills Council in Australia. Dean says he is glad to be bucking the Trans-Tasman DEAN MINCHINGTON migration trend by returning home to New Zealand, after nine years in Australia. “It’s good to be back, and to see the vibrant and varied hospitality industry that has developed here over the past decade. I definitely want to help build a stronger voice about the importance of our service industry; a large and growing sector that employs around one in five New Zealanders.”

He points out that it’s through on-going engagement with industry that our qualifications retain their quality and relevance and offer a real return on investment for business. “ServiceIQ plans to actively increase its engagement across all our industries, continuing the discussions that ensure we create fit for purpose qualifications, from apprenticeships through to management levels.” In 2013, ServiceIQ will be looking at how it can better support the on-job delivery of qualifications to ensure they really do make a positive difference and reflect how learning and assessment actually occurs in the workplace. The ITO is making progress on what it will offer as online training—an e-learning package—and looks forward to bringing that into the mix soon. A key benefit of the new ITO is that it will be able to offer a wider range of qualifications, including the vital core skills that are transferrable across the service sector industries it covers. Skills specific to each industry will not be lost either, with the provision of specialist qualifications continuing under the one umbrella.

For more information, visit ServiceIQ.org.nz

THE THYMES MARCH 2013 business guidance

managing your business

November 2011

OVERCOMING OUR

SKILL SHORTAGES Modern apprenticeships may be the remedy for our industry’s skill shortages. It will take time, but you have the power, and we can help you, to change the current lack of skilled labour... BY MARTIN HARRAP The Restaurant Association took over the running of the modern apprenticeship programme for the hospitality industry (for most of the North Island) last year and it is run by a passionate team of industry professionals; myself, Peter Le Grice and Tracey Lines. All three of us have been at the “coal face”; we have worked the hot line, done the large numbers and come out the other side! If your business has some issues recruiting skilled staff, Peter sums up how we think we can help.

“W

hen I’m talking with chefs and restaurant owners, the theme that continuously comes up is the lack of basic skills shown by people entering the industry. In particular knife skills, work ethic, basic stock rotation, the list goes on. If you want to change this, then I think you must seriously consider employing an apprentice. The more apprentices that we train now, the bigger the pool of experienced staff we will have in the future to choose from. I don’t have to tell any of you how hard it is to find a good demi chef or chef de partie. Not only are Restaurant Association modern apprentice’s gaining qualifications, but more importantly the life skills and industry knowledge they will need to be successful in this ever changing and vibrant sector. We work closely with them to make sure that all of their assessment and mentoring needs are met, as well as taking care of the paperwork that is involved in any apprenticeship. Only you can change the chronic skilled labour shortages that we face.” We are sure you can see the advantages of taking on an apprentice. Not only are we investing in the future, but even short term the effect that a good apprentice can have on your team will certainly outweigh the initial settling in period. From our personal experience an apprentice can improve morale in your restaurant. With more experienced members of your team wanting to show your apprentice new skills, this is only going to lift the standard of your business. Therefore, a big thank you to all of the restaurants who have so far backed apprenticeships; it is fantastic that you are investing in the industry’s future.

business guidance

INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT ABOUT POTENTIAL HOSPO STARS FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Talk with people like Tracey...Tracey was the first HSI apprentice trainee in New Zealand to complete the National Certificate in Cookery level 3 and 4 in 2002, while working at Ruth Pretty Catering. She is extremely passionate about on-the-job learning and feels a modern apprenticeship is an exciting and rewarding way to learn. She believes an essential part of the co-ordinator role is to encourage, mentor the apprentices, and provide support by working closely with the apprentice and head chef to achieve the training plan. We each currently have several outstanding modern apprentice candidates who are highly motivated and enthusiastic. They all have kitchen experience and are looking for an opportunity to start an apprenticeship within the hospitality industry. If you are considering taking on an apprentice, now is the time to act. The Restaurant Association staff who are looking after the programme are happy to visit to discuss the apprenticeship programme or any other membership issues. Tracey looks after Wellington up to New Plymouth and across to Palmerston North. Peter covers Auckland, Waikato and Coromandel and I look after the other bits in between. (Gisborne, down to Danniverke and across to Napier and Hastings is looked after by EIT and the South Island have their own people who we can help you get in touch with.) Martin Harrap | 09 632 1408 | martin@restaurantnz.co.nz Peter Le Grice | 09 632 1403 | peter@restaurantnz.co.nz Tracey Lines | 04 802 7882 | tracey@restaurantnz.co.nz THE THYMES MARCH 2013

WHAT HAPPENS IF? The Association often fields calls from the public seeking advice about something that has occurred while they have been dining out. To assist you when you are formulating your own responses, we share some of those most frequently

need help? call us on 0800 737 827

I was told that I could not bring in my favorite wine to drink with dinner. Can restaurants do this? Yes. A fully licensed restaurant can refuse to allow you to bring your own wine. There should be no problem if the restaurant has a BYO (bring your own) licence. What about beer? As with the wine, it's up to the restaurant. Some do not allow customers to bring their own spirits or beer.

I want to book a table but my favourite restaurant doesn't accept bookings. Restaurants do not have to accept bookings.

I've booked a table for two tonight but now realise I won't be able to make dinner. If I don't turn up, can they charge me? Yes. Making a booking with a restaurant creates a contract which places obligations on both parties. If you don't turn up, the restaurant can legitimately claim you have broken the contract and caused it to lose business. If you realise in advance you won't be able to make it, let the restaurant know. They're unlikely to charge if you tell them in reasonable time.

We arrived late and our table was gone. Can the restaurant do this? Yes, within reason. If you are significantly late, you have broken your contract with the restaurant. If you know you will be late, call ahead.

The restaurant manager wouldn't let me in wearing my favorite retro jeans. Can they do this? Restaurants are allowed to set any codes of dress and behaviour they want. Provided the Human Rights Act is not breached (see ‘6’), restaurants may impose conditions of entry. legislation update

The restaurant said "No babies". Can they do this? Although the Human Rights Act bans discrimination on the basis of age, this does not apply to children aged under 16. A child can be prevented from entering a restaurant. The Act does ban discrimination on the basis of family status, which includes adults having responsibility for the care of children. In effect, this means restaurants cannot refuse to let you in just because you have a baby or children with you. However, if your children cause a disturbance, you can be asked to take them away.

I plan to take my daughter, who is 16, out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. Is it OK if she has a glass of wine? Yes. No age limit applies provided a parent or legal guardian is present and actually purchases the alcohol, and you will be dining.

What if the food isn't ‘good enough’? The food must be acceptable for the circumstances. A cheap diner's fish of the day doesn't have to be as good as a five-star restaurant's. But some things should be right no matter what the price. A hot meal, for example, should be served hot. Complain as soon as you discover the problem. You can't eat the food and then refuse to pay.

When I tasted the house wine I realised I didn't like it. Can I reject it? No. If you are offered a taste of the wine to check whether it is "corked" (air has got through the opening and turned the wine bitter) and it is, the restaurant should get you another bottle. If you ordered by the glass and the wine is clearly 'off', complain to the waiter. But if you just don't like the wine, that's too bad.

The portions were too small and I'm still hungry, do I still have to pay the full price?

November 2011

Yes, unless you were specifically promised a particular amount of food and the restaurant didn't supply it.

The waiter has spilled red wine on my new white shirt. Is the restaurant responsible? The Consumer Guarantees Act says service must be provided with reasonable skill and care. You can expect to be reimbursed for the cost of cleaning the shirt or replacing it if necessary.

The corkage charge was $7 per person per bottle. Can they ask this much? Corkage is a fee to help cover the costs of glasses, service, cleaning, the BYO licence and so on. If this charge is shown on the menu, then you must pay what's listed.

Can a restaurant have a minimum charge regardless of what I buy? Yes. Restaurants can set minimum charges. But they should make the customer aware of these.

The bill has arrived and they've added GST to the prices listed on the menu. Can they do this? Not unless the menu clearly states GST will be added. Falsely representing the price of goods or services breaches the Fair Trading Act.

I was going to pay by Eftpos but they don't have a machine. What can I do? Restaurants can choose which noncash methods of payment they accept.

There was a group of 10 of us and we wanted to pay individually. The restaurant wouldn't let us and would only give us one account for the whole group. Can they do this? Yes. Most restaurants have signs up that let you know that this is their policy. If it's going to be an issue for your group then phone to ask in advance whether the restaurant will let you pay individually.

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

EMPLOYMENT

MATTERS

DON’T AVOID

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT A lack of skilled employees is one of the big challenges for hospitality. As a consequence we’re sometimes finding less experienced staff are being moved into more senior roles to fill the void and without the additional support and training they’ll require this may result in some not reaching a satisfactory level of performance.

erformance management… you can’t put the management of performance issues in the too hard basket. We’ve heard many cases where an employer will choose to reduce an employees hours (sometimes drastically) rather than address these performance concerns. Let’s be clear, that is not an acceptable way to manage performance issues and would likely result in severe consequences should the employee choose to seek legal advice. Sometimes an employee will require extra training and support to achieve performance levels to your expectations. Performance management is an ongoing process, requiring regular discussion about an employee’s performance and a formal review at agreed intervals during the year. Managing performance in a fair and clearly defined manner can also help avoid problems later if an employee is not meeting agreed standards. The first step however is to ensure employees clearly understand what is expected of them. When a new employee starts do you discuss your expectations relating to the employee’s work? Delivering to agreed targets will enhance their contribution to your business, helping you to achieve your business goals. It is also more likely to result in higher productivity and motivation through increased job satisfaction. Do you also provide all your employees with regular feedback on their performance to ensure there are no surprises when a formal review takes place? And if there are some work performance issues do you provide support and guidance so that the employee can be sure to know what they need to do to improve their performance? If necessary you may need to provide additional training to assist them to improve.

employment matters

If an employee’s performance has not improved with coaching and regular performance discussions, you may need to implement a formal performance management process. A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) can be used after less formal methods have first been explored and are looking for ways to improve an employee’s standards. It is designed to be a constructive discussion between an employee and employer which will clarify the work performance to be improved. As it is a more formal process, it may potentially result in more severe consequences. A Performance improvement plan should illustrate the performance issues clearly; the required performance improvement; and how performance will be measured; the support to be provided to assist improvement; and a clear timeframe for improvement, or review date. The employee should have input into the plan, comment on the issues raised and the performance standards or expectations set. It is important that a reasonable timeframe for review of performance be set and the Performance Improvement Plan should also state the consequences of failing to improve to an acceptable level. For further advice on performance management systems, or to receive a free Performance Improvement Plan template, contact the Association on 0800 737 827.

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

employment matters

UNPAID TRIAL RESULTS IN

UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL A Nelson food outlet has been ordered to pay $6,200 to someone who worked for just 5 hours, for which the owner of the outlet claimed was an unpaid trial.

he worker claimed that she had been unjustifiably dismissed but the owner of the operation denied the claim, saying the worker had only been on the premises for an unpaid three-hour trial to see if she was suitable for the job. We draw this case to members’ attention for the reason that in the hospitality industry the “unpaid evaluation” of usually one shift, to assess a prospective employee’s suitability, is common . This judgement may be cause to rethink those evaluation periods. In this particular case there was some dispute as to whether the trial period was discussed or not in the job interview. The worker was adamant that when she was interviewed, it ended with her being offered the job. She says there was no mention of any trial. The employer disagreed with this, saying that she made it clear that the worker would be required to undergo a three hour trial. Nothing was put in writing to this effect. The chain of events that set up the personal grievance claim involved the ‘prospective’ employee’s trial extending over two days (due to illness of the supervisor on the first day) for a total of five hours (although that also was in dispute). At the end of the second day the owner found the till had a $52.36 shortfall and concluded that the worker had taken a $50 note. She essentially terminated any further employment via an unfortunate series of text messages in which the owner said to the worker “there is no job”. The worker was not paid for the five hours she “trialled”.

prior to commencement. They are also, according to this statutory scheme, paid employment and there is no facility for unpaid experiments. It is arguable the industry practice that the employer evidenced of a short unpaid trial followed by a formal 90 day paid trial is an unlawful devise which deprives prospective employees of their statutory rights.” The conclusion that the worker was an employee led the Authority to determine on the justifiability of the dismissal. As there was no compliance with the requirements for the employer to investigate the allegations, raise the issue with the employee, give them the opportunity to respond or consider the explanation, the dismissal was found to be unjustified. The amount the employer was directed to pay included $1,215 in wages lost as a result of the dismissal, $5,000 for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury and $67.50 for the unpaid wages from the (alleged) trial.

WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE EMPLOYERS WHO CONDUCT UNPAID TRIAL SHIFTS?  We also advise that you seek advice and consult with the

Restaurant Association on any redundancy situations through our 24/7 HELP LINE on 0800 737 827 .

In the course of this judgement, the Authority needed to determine whether or not the worker in question was an employee or not. Based on the fact that on the first day she was preparing food for sale and on the second day she also served customers, she was working. As a result they concluded that she was indeed an employee. The Authority member went on to comment that “since April 2011 trial periods must be confirmed in writing

employment update

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

employment matters

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

CONFUSION

Easter would have to be one of the more confusing public holiday periods. Is Sunday a public holiday? Does the observance of the days transfer to another day? To alleviate any confusion, we’d like to remind members of their obligations over these upcoming public holidays.

he public holidays over the Easter period this year are Good Friday (29th March) and Easter Monday (1st April).

WHEN CAN YOU OPEN?

This means that those employees who normally work on Sunday are not entitled to a paid day off, or time and a half for the hours they work (unless this is provided for in their employment agreement).

Easter Sunday (31st March) is not classed as a public holiday although it is a restricted trading day for some businesses (along with ANZAC Day). Under the Shop Trading Hours Repeal Act 1990, there are 3 ½ days when some businesses have trading restrictions. These are Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday; and Anzac Day, until 1.00 pm.

If staff usually work on a Friday or Monday and you require them to work, the usual time-and-a-half applies plus one day in lieu. If they don’t normally work on these days but you require them to, they get paid time-and-a-half of their usual hourly rate.

However, in general, foodservice businesses can trade as usual as the Act specifies that takeaways, bars, restaurants and cafes can trade when “you only sell food that is already cooked or prepared, and is ready to be eaten”.

Looking ahead to April, ANZAC Day (25th April) is also observed on the day that it falls, which is a Thursday this year.

With regards to the sale of liquor, there are some restrictions preventing bars and pubs to sell or supply alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This restriction also applies until 1pm on ANZAC Day. However, for restaurants and cafes with liquor licences your trading should be unaffected. So long as your customers are “on your premises for the purposes of dining” you are free to provide them with a drink to accompany their meal.

Easter Sunday is NOT a public holiday.

If you do intend to open and plan to apply a surcharge ensure that this fact is clearly displayed to your customers (most usually on the bottom of the menu and on the front door). The days on which you will be faced with increased labour costs are Friday and Monday (but not Sunday).

MINIMUM WAGE TO INCREASE The minimum wage will be increased to $13.75 per hour from 1 April 2013. This is a 25 cent increase on the current wage of $13.50, despite calls from some (not employers) for the wage to rise to $15 an hour. The training and new entrants' minimum wages will increase from $10.80 to $11.00, which is 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage.

BUT STARTINGOUT WAGE DELAYED The implementation of the new “starting-out wage” has been delayed until 1 May 2013 following a report of the Select Committee. The original commencement date was 1 April 2013. The Select Committee otherwise recommended the implementation of the proposed starting-out wage which allows eligible 16 to 19-year-olds to begin work on no less than 80 per cent of the minimum wage for the first six months of their employment.

AND KIWISAVER GOES UP Employers are also reminded that the rate of compulsory employee and employer contributions to KiwiSaver schemes will increase from 2% to 3% of an employee's salary and wages for pay periods starting on or after 1 April 2013.

employment matters

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

managing your business

November 2011

DON’T LET THE TRUTH

GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD STORY The New Zealand Herald reported on 21 January 2013 about a manager at Independent Liquor (referred to using the Bond-esque title “Mr X”) who was accused of being drunk and misbehaving while representing the company, and then dismissed. The media’s interest was stirred as Mr X had been awarded $62,000 in compensation for his (unjustified) dismissal. Looking at just those facts, one could easily think that the world had gone mad. BY JIM ROBERTS, Partner, Hesketh Henry

he article was an intriguing story. The events apparently occurred at a charity “Fight For Life” boxing match. The Prime Minister even merited a mention as he was in attendance, and the company claimed that it was in “highly delicate negotiations” at the time in relation to the Government’s proposed alcohol reforms. Allegations were made by the company that Mr X was grossly intoxicated at the event and exhibited abusive as well as sexually harassing behaviour. Further, Mr X was held responsible for the “out-of-control” behaviour of a client who arrived already drunk. The story then ended by simply saying that the Employment Relations Authority: “found that Independent Liquor failed to follow proper procedures and ordered it to pay $58,118.70 in lost income and bonuses and $4000 in compensation for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings”.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: a procedural error alone will not make an otherwise justified action or dismissal unjustified, unless it results in the employee being treated unfairly, affects the substantive decision of the employer, or it means that the employer fails to comply with the four requirements of section 103A(3) of the Employment Relations Act 2000 (“ERA”). This section requires an investigation, raising the concerns with the employee, giving the employee an opportunity to respond, and genuinely considering the employee’s response before taking any action. How stringently these requirements are applied is coloured by the resources available to the employer (such as a large HR department or legal team). Now let’s turn back to the case of Mr X. Independent Liquor raised the various allegations with Mr X for the first time within the disciplinary meeting (at the end of which Mr X was dismissed). Independent Liquor later provided notes of the disciplinary meeting but Mr X disputed much of the content. However, even assuming the notes were an accurate record, the Authority found that Independent Liquor did

THE THYMES March 2013

not meet any of the basic requirements for justified dismissal. Independent Liquor was well resourced but did not sufficiently investigate, and did not adequately raise the allegations. It did not provide sufficient detail when Mr X asked for it, even undertaking to come back to discuss an allegation further in response to a direct query and never doing so. It also appears that Independent Liquor could not (or would not) identify the source of a number of the key allegations that were relied upon. Where it did identify the source, neither of the managers conducting the investigation had actually spoken to the alleged complainants. Lastly, the company did not advise that one of the decision makers had spoken directly to a witness. The Authority found that Mr X was not told that he could be represented at the meeting or that the allegations could result in his dismissal. In addition, as he did not know what the allegations were prior to the meeting, he was not given a reasonable opportunity to respond. Mr X did do his best to respond, and the Authority considered whether Independent Liquor reasonably considered the explanation that Mr X gave. The decision to summarily dismiss Mr X at the end of the meeting was made, or at least contributed to, by two managers who were not present at the meeting at all. The Authority was unable to find that the managers who were in the meeting accurately conveyed the explanation that Mr X gave to the decision makers, especially as Independent Liquor’s notes of the meeting were not completed until some days after the dismissal. As a consequence, the Authority found that Independent Liquor could not have genuinely considered Mr X’s explanation before making the decision to dismiss. CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE

employment matter

industry sales report FROM PREVIOUS PAGE, Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story…

The four requirements in s103A(3) of the ERA mentioned before were enshrined in the ERA from 1 April 2011.But they have been fundamental employment law requirements since 1983. Not satisfying any one of the four fundamental elements is likely to be fatal to justification. The Authority found that Independent Liquor did not satisfy any. In short, Independent Liquor was simply in no position to form the view that it did with regard to Mr X’s conduct. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS CASE? It is easy to blame process, and the oft-called “onerous” procedural requirements of employment law, when dismissal goes awry. It is also easy for the media to report on the allegations, as they often make good story, rather than balancing the report with the actual reasoning and methodology followed by the Authority or Employment Court. The requirements in s103A(3) are really just an application of natural justice, which in its broadest form means not reaching any decision until the employee has been given an opportunity to comment.

Clearly an employee must have the details of what it is that he or she is expected to comment about, and a reasonable time to do so. The more serious the outcome or potential outcome, the greater the requirement is to detail the allegations and give an employee the reasonable opportunity to respond. It is not rocket science. To a degree, particularly with serious misconduct, the application of the principles is proportionate. Not only must the process be more thorough when it is likely to result in a dismissal, but also the evidence relied on “must be as convincing as the charges are grave”. The best advice for an employer is: be prepared to slow up the process to ensure that the decision is one that is open for you to make. That is, whether the decision is actually open to you given the allegations and details put to the employee and the employee’s response or explanation. That may seem straightforward but often an investigation may veer to a conclusion that has not been properly formed using the allegations actually made and put to the employee. About the author This article was written by Jim Roberts, Partner at Hesketh Henry email: jim.roberts@heskethhenry.co.nz

THE THYMES March 2013

employment matters

NO VOTE YET TO

SURCHARGE ADDED FOR BAD TIPPERS

Longer than usual debate on local bills meant that Parliament did not get to vote on whether to “Mondayise” Waitangi and ANZAC Days when this Bill to amend the Holidays Act had it’s second reading.

As our media get worked up every public holiday over the surcharge debate, we wondered what they would think of this town, which adds 18 per cent to the bill for anyone who speaks French… because ‘foreigners are bad tippers’.

printed out on bottom: "We suggest an 18 or 20 percent tip."'

The Bill provides that when Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day fall on a weekend, employees will be entitled to a day off on the following Monday.

Some waiters in the New England tourist town have begun adding a mandatory tip onto the bill of foreign diners.

Ms Kong, who was born in Hong Kong, said other foreigners are often lousy at leaving money for the wait staff. 'Asians do it also. But it seems that Canadians tip the worst,' she said.

MONDAY-ISE HOLIDAYS

The Select Committee reported back on the Bill, recommending that it not be passed. National, who oppose the Bill argue that although they are supportive of the Bill in principal, it would be expensive to implement and would place a burden on the economy. It is supported however by Labour, the Greens, New Zealand First, The Maori Party, Mana and United Future, providing sufficient support to progress to its final stages. We will keep you informed on progress.

n Burlington, Vermont, there seems to be an 18 per cent surcharge for speaking French.

Restaurant owners say it's their solution to an influx of French-speaking Canadians from Quebec who are extraordinarily bad tippers—sometimes leaving just $1 or a few cents tip on $50 or $100 tabs. At least one Vermont resident, who grew up in France, says the new rules are discrimination and they might be illegal. She has been slapped with an automatic 18 per cent gratuity three times because she often speaks French to her friends during dinner.

Meanwhile the Bill advocating for six months paid parental leave has been delayed. Reporting back by the committee will now happen in August.

Restaurant owners say there's no policy in place to include mandatory tip on diners from Canada and other countries. They claim they have left the decision up to individual waiters and waitresses.

PART-DAY HOLIDAYS DECLARED IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

However, the practice is so common, servers refer to it as the 'Queeb tax' -- after the Quebecois who inspired it, Seven Days, a Vermont news site, reports.

South Australia have introduced new “part day” public holiday penal rates for employees. They apply on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve between 7pm— midnight, meaning many businesses in South Australia choose to close. Permanent staff also must be given the option of choosing not to work at those times. employment matters

The Asiana Noodle Shop is one restaurant where foreigners are likely to be hit with an 18 percent gratuity included on their bill. Owner Sandy Kong told ABC News that she was tired of her waitresses getting bad tips. 'Some Canadians come in, they spend like $100 or $150 and they leave the wait staff maybe a $1 tip,' she said. 'It happens pretty often. I realize that the Canadians think it's discrimination, but on all the receipts it's

Anne-Marie Humbert, who lives in a nearby town in Vermont, first noticed the practice when she had dinner with her husband at Splash at the Boat House on Burlington. The two spent their dinner speaking French to each mother. Ms Humbert was born and raised in France, but has lived in the United States for 30 years. When the bill came, it looked too steep, until she realized the waitress had included an 18 percent tip on top of the total for the meal. Ms Humbert protested and the server removed the surcharge. Ms Humbert says she left a 15 per cent tip. The policies are discrimination, Ms Humbert says, because waiters are targeting anyone who they assume isn't American. The problem likely arises from a cultural difference. In Canada and most countries, tipping 10 to 15 per cent is customary, though many restaurants automatically include a gratuity on the bill. Waiters in Vermont make just $4.10 an hour without tips.

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

international update

November 2011

SELLING YOUR BUSINESS YOURSELF?

NOT A GOOD IDEA

If you are thinking of selling your cafĂŠ, restaurant or fast food outlet it will pay to have it listed and marketed by an experienced specialist business broker. They add value to the process. BY GLORIANNE CAMPBELL, CLYTH MACLEOD VALUATION EXPERTISE

NEGOTIATING

The experienced business broker understands the market and has statistics on recent sales to guide you. Price it too high and serious buyers wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even look. Price it too low and you leave hard-earned money on the table.

A specialist can negotiate a fair price, terms, provide follow-up, and control the process.

PROTECTION CONFIDENTIALITY Most owners do not want their staff, customers, or suppliers to know they are considering selling. Brokers can secure confidentiality undertakings, screen prospects, and manage the release of information.

Business brokers are trained in the legislation and documentation. Leases, financial accounts, employment matters, liquor licensing, council consents, etc.

MARKETING Specialist business brokers use a multi-pronged marketing program to provide maximum exposure. Internet, Print ads, direct mail, ethnic newspapers and database marketing all help to find the right buyer.

business initiatives

For a sale in the shortest time, at the best price, with the fewest problems trust your business to a professional broker.

THE THYMES February 2013

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO

SURVIVE IN THIS INDUSTRY? We talk to the owners of two restaurants who have been on the scene for 30 & 50 years respectively, serving up a consistent offering of old fashioned hospitality.

international update

November 2011 SPOTLIGHT ON

TONY’S WELLESLEY ST, AUCKLAND Tony’s in Wellesley Street, Auckland celebrated its 50th birthday in February. Opened in 1963 by Tony White, it was originally a pasta restaurant and one of the few in Auckland’s inner city. In 1978 Kenn Henderson and 4 other partners bought both the Lorne St and Wellesley St Tony’s; the 5 partners lasted a year before the businesses were separated Kenn still works 3 ½ days per week in the Wellesley Street establishment; ably assisted by his son Kelson, his restaurant manager of 22 years, Donna, and his Head Chef, Peter, who has also been running the kitchen for over 20 years. They estimate they are up to 2.7million meals since 1963 (statistics courtesy of John Banks – an original Tony’s partner). How have customers, and their behaviour, changed over the years? Tony’s was one of 10 restaurants in town in 1963 (excluding the hotel restaurants) and it was prior to liquor licensing laws being changed. We used to turn a blind eye to people bringing in their own wine and hiding it under the table…

Does Tony’s have a marketing plan? We have run ads in the past, but it can be difficult to monitor what works. Radio in particular – it’s impossible to judge the response. We have found that what does work is to offer coupons for customers after they have finished dining with us…e.g. a voucher for a free glass on wine on their next visit.

Now the anticipation of going out for dinner has gone – it’s not the event it used to be. Frequently people are dining with us because they can’t be bothered cooking. Last week a guy came in who said ‘my bus leaves in 1 1/2 hours – I thought I‘d get a steak before I go home’. 30 years ago that would have been unthinkable.

We did run a GrabOne special not long ago…never again! We sold 500 vouchers in 3 hours; the deal was $16 for a $30 voucher. A huge proportion was sold to loyal existing customers anyway. The vast majority of new customers spent the $30– not a dollar more- and were never seen or heard from again.

Men generally used to order for women, now a lot of the time, they don’t even let them order first. And men certainly don’t pick up the bill every time – couples are much more likely to go 50/50.

Do you remember the introduction of ‘proper’ coffee? Did you anticipate how big and dominating the coffee market would become? We certainly weren’t one of the first to get on board - it ended up being one of the things you HAD to do. We had a small Altura machine out the back. It was pre the flat white; customers either had an espresso or a cappuccino. The cappuccino was all about the foam – we aimed for a tower of milk!

In the 80’s, groups of (generally businessmen) used to come in for lunch; by 1am we would be turning the music down and putting up bar stools around them in an attempt to get them to leave. Customers often lacked dignity and were a bit obnoxious –clientele are much ‘tidier’ these days. Do you have a strong regular clientele? Absolutely – groups who have been coming in for years. We have a group of ladies at the moment who come in for lunch 3 times a week. It can get a bit challenging – guests say things like ‘I come here for my birthday every year! We see over 1000 customers every week, we can’t possibly remember everybody’s name so they all have nicknames. Remembering your regulars is so important – like the Cheers song. Or Faulty Towers, depending on the night! What was your busiest night at Tony’s? We did 302 for a dinner service during the Lions Tour. Last year’s World Cup was nowhere near as successful – we hired two additional staff and gave our existing staff a pay rise! It felt like tourists were directed to Heineken bars only; we probably had slightly more tourists in, but otherwise it was business as usual. business initiatives

THE THYMES September 2012

international update

November 2011 SPOTLIGHT ON

Joss Lamers & Kees Peters

RESTAURANT INDONESIA, NAPIER Restaurant Indonesia in Napier has been operating for 30 years. Started in 1983 by Jan & Gre Machiela, who had emigrated from Holland, it was then handed over to their son Harry who operated it for another 17 years. Joss and Kees emigrated (also from Holland) in 1990 and have extensive experience in New Zealand hospitality including owning and operating Bayswater Restaurant, Crab Farm Winery, boutique lodge Cornucopia, Vintners, Hearty (a soup restaurant in Wellington) and ZiggZagg Café. The couple bought Restaurant Indonesia in 2010. How did you come to be involved in the New Zealand hospitality industry? In Holland we bought our first food business in 1987, sold this and came to New Zealand. Prior to that we both originally worked in psychiatry. In psychiatry you're dealing with a very broad spectrum of personalities and in that sense, it’s not that different than hospitality. You also recently bought a restaurant in Spain? We were for a very short period in Spain to take over an Indonesian restaurant which we refurbished and changed it's name to... 'Restaurant Indonesia'. It is still operating but it's hard going in the Eurozone. Your current marketing campaign offers the opportunity to win prizes by dining in the restaurant to celebrate 30 years of business. Are you happy with the trade that this is generating? It has been surprisingly easy to get all the sponsored prizes. The prize package stands now at over $10,000. We try to get the message out (mainly on Facebook) but it's too early to gauge if it is generating business. For sure it's generating a buzz with all these fantastic prizes and especially the grand prize - an all inclusive dinner for 30 guests… Did you embrace social media immediately or has it been a bit of a learning curve? What is your advice to others in the industry considering starting a facebook page or twitter account? Social media: it's a learning curve. Very time consuming and very hard to gauge results. Facebook seems better and more pleasant than twitter. We encourage our diners to review us online, we always ask for direct feedback when people are dining with us. How do you recruit, and retain, staff? Recruiting staff is generally by pure chance. We have never placed job vacancies. Retaining staff is not a problem for us and we have a very good record of people working for us for long periods of time. Both of us are completely hands-on and work very, very hard. and that's what our business initiatives

staff see; it motivates them as well. We couldn't run a business by not being there ourselves.... Do you set goals and plan e.g where do we want to be in 5 years, or is it more organic? Both being in our early 60's, this is a tricky one. We're not sure which way we want to go… Carrying on for another 5 - 10 years? Calling it quits? Can we live without being in the hospo game? Hospitality only works well when you genuinely love what you're doing. It's hard work, customers can be demanding (but 99.9% are fantastic) and you have to accept that it is hard to have a social life for yourself. Tell us about your best, and most challenging, night in business? One of the best and challenging nights was actually approximately 1 year ago. During one of those extremely busy Hawke's Bay weekends suddenly a party of 7 arrives saying they have a booking with us. Initially I questioned this until I noticed at the back of the line the lady who made the booking. I had taken the booking on my night off whilst I was dining somewhere myself, wrote it on a piece of paper and must have lost it... But a very full house and only minutes earlier I had accepted another group of 4 casual diners. What to do? After asking some people to move tables, re-arranging the restaurant a little bit we managed to get them in. Quite a few glasses of wine on the house, everyone happy...You always get there, one way or the other. Love challenges...

THE THYMES September 2012

What’s On WHAT’S ON!

MARCH

...

march-may

-17 Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Melbourne. Australia

Feijoa season! (main supplies from now until June)

St Patricks Day

www.melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Restaurant Association national webinar “Employment mistakes to avoid”, presented by Alison Maelzer

Sydney International Wine Competition top 100 exhibition, Sydney. Australia

Otago Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

Restaurant Association professional development Emerging Managers, presented by Krishna Botica @ taste, Mt Eden

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.top100wines.com

Good Friday (national public holiday)

Scallop season ends (Auckland / Kermadec areas)

APRIL

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

Easter Monday (national public holiday)

Restaurant Association national webinar “Embracing Social Media”, presented by Eva-Maria www.restaurantnz.co.nz

Restaurant Association seafood masterclass , presented by Shane Yardley

Restaurant Association national webinar “update on sale & supply of liquor legislation’

-16 Fine Food Western Australia, Perth. Australia

-21 Food and Wine Expo, Auckland

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.finefoodwesternaustralia.com.au

Restaurant Association professional development “Finding Money In Your Trash”, presented by Stephen Thompson @ taste www.restaurantnz.co.nz

School holidays start

ANZAC Day (public holiday)

Restaurant Association national webinar “The Business Chasis”, presented by Angelique Jon-Green

Bidvest Food Show, Hamilton

Bidvest Food Show, Rotorua

www.bidvestfoodshows.co.nz

MAY

www.foodandwineexpo.co.nz

05 End of school holidays

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

Bidvest Food Show, Tauranga

Southern Lights Salon Culinaire, Cromwell

Restaurant Association professional development Northland Update @ 35 Degrees South Restaurant

www.bidvestfoodshows.co.nz

www.nzchefs.org.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

Bidvest Food Show, Queenstown

Bidvest Food Show, Invercargill

Restaurant Association professional development “Develop A Sale Focus”, presented by Margaret Main @ taste

-17 Hospitality Design Expo, Las Vegas. USA

NRA Show, Chicago. USA

www.bidvestfoodshows.co.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.hdexpo.com

www.restaurant.org

THE THYMES MARCH 2013

events—national & international

praise for...us HAVE YOUR SAY

hank you so much for listening yesterday. As an employer you feel you very much stand alone. Even the law is against you. You listened and then one of my staff phone me and thanked me very much for being so understanding. It all works out in the end. A good nights slept helped as well. Thanks again..

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.

desserts...

murky glassware…

Sometimes our role at the Association involves educating the public on the in’s and out’s of the industry. We received this query on dessert pricing...

“H

ello. I am freelance writer currently looking at the cost of desserts in New Zealand restaurants. I was wondering if you can provide some feedback for me. Having recently dined in a quite nice but nothing out of the ordinary restaurant in Northland, I was once again stunned to see that on the dessert menu, a piece of boysenberry cheesecake is charged at $15.50 per plate. While I realise I know nothing of food preparation or cost of ingredients, I find such prices to be simply ridiculous. This view however, is based on much overseas travel where desserts in North America or Europe tend to be at 1/3 the cost of a main and not 1/2 to 2/3. Can you advise why restaurants in NZ cost so much?

Thank you kindly, Danielle Murray Huarau Northland

THE THYMES February 2012

Our vice president, Steve Logan provided some of his thoughts:

“N

ot all desserts are the same!

Some could be bought ready made and just cut and plated by a cafe. Others may be made from scratch by professional pastry chefs using speciality ingredients. Guests are not just paying for food cost when buying a dessert. They are also renting a seat, hiring plates, cutlery and attendance. Simply looking at ingredient cost is not the reality. People are happy to pay $5 for an ice cream made in a factory from a shop. Paying 3 times that for a hand made dessert with natural ingredients, served to a table is pretty good value.

“W

ondering if you can send me in the right direction… I’m looking for a supplier of a product that we can use to get rid of that smoky glaze or film that one can get on one’s glassware? I think back in the day it use to be called CXA and you soaked your glasses in a big bucket of it overnight and presto super clean shiny glasses. Our glassware expert, nigel fannin, from macphersons, answers:

“

There are some situations where a glass can get a film on it if it is stored in a humid environment. In this situation calcium can actually leach out of the glass – yes glass is porous. The other is if you are using hard water – i.e. high calcium content. Soaking in white vinegar can help or using that shower head cleaner stuff. But in my experience I have not been able to get it off.

The USA wage cost is also a fraction of NZ’s so they can afford to charge less.

member viewpoint

new members

November 2011

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS... 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. Antons Seafoods Limited, Auckland

Pita Pit Terrace End, Palmerston North

Asahi Japanese Restaurant, Whangarei

Sangeet Indian Cuisine Limited, Auckland

Asahi, Warkworth

Sierra Cafe Victoria Street West, Auckland

At Siam Street Food Café, Taupo

Soul Café, Taihape

Bread & Butter, Auckland

Spice Guru, Wanganui

Cafe Coghill House, Whitianga

Subway Beach Road, Auckland

Columbus Coffee Henderson, Auckland

Subway Wairarapa, Masterton

Cuba Street Bistro, Wellington

Taste Greece Food Trading, Auckland

Farm Gate Deli, Waihi Beach

The Coffee Club Lincoln Road, Auckland

Food Truck Garage, Auckland

The Coffee Club, Chartwell

Global Stir, Auckland

Vaniye, Auckland

Granger Tap House & Kitchen, Auckland

White and One Café, Auckland

Greenkeeper Café, Auckland

Zigg Zagg Café, Napier

Greg Pringle, Auckland Hahei Beach Café, Hahei Beach La Cigale Parnell, Auckland

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)

Nando's New Lynn, Auckland Oporto Manukau, Auckland

Hospitality Total Services, Napier www.hospitalitytotalservices.co.nz

Pho 68, Wellington Pita Pit Papakura, Auckland

NZ POS Systems Ltd, Auckland www.wizbang.co.nz

REGIONAL UPDATES

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… WELLINGTON & NELSON

regional updates

November 2011

nelson news

from the capital: from the capital:

hot plate coming through

he summer festival season is coming to a close. Most recently Taste Nelson

was held at Founders Park. This was a great day with crowd estimates at around 6000. It looks like this will become a permanent summer event.

Rumours, happenings and events Simply Paris, a bakery and café, has closed with a reported $1.2million in debtors. Zeta is another new restaurant to open on Tory St. Poquito, a tiny tapas bar, has also opened on Tory St. The Mount Victoria Chippery in Majoribanks St has opened and is operated by the same team as Vista Café in Oriental Bay. The White House, the fine dining restaurant in Oriental Bay, is to open a new operation in the Huddart Parker Building opposite Queens Wharf. Ambelli, the fine dining restaurant in Majoribanks St, is to close while they look for a new location. The Rugby 7’s is a bit of a turn off for regular restaurant customers in the CBD over the 7’s weekend. They mistakenly think that the fans will be in all the restaurants and bars during the afternoon and evening rather than at the stadium and stay away from the city.

The registrations for Visa Wellington on A Plate have closed with over 110 restaurants and cafes participating as well as over 100 individual events to compliment the activity in the restaurants. Tickets will go on sale later in the year for this August event.

The season on the whole has been up and down. There seem to be a good number of international tourists in town at present and hopefully this will continue through until Easter weekend. Hotel and motel owners are reporting that there has been a slight drop off in the

Pinot Noir 2013, the international wine symposium, was another success for the city with over 500 attendees who obviously have a penchant for great food and wine over the four day extravaganza.

number of holiday makers. Historically Canterbury has been the major source of guests over Summer and this market is not as strong as in the past. The local golf tournament for members of the Restaurant Association is looking likely to be held on Monday 8 April—we’ll email you more details soon.

Kind regards Mike Egan, Restaurant Association National President e: monsoonpoon@actrix.co.nz m: 021 966 667

If any local members are interested in doing a combined promotion over a one or two week period during the quiet time I am more than happy to organise a get together to discuss ideas and options. Here’s looking forward to a steady, if not busy, next few months.

PINOT NOIR 2013

Harry President Nelson Branch / Harrys Bar e: harrys.nelson@xtra.co.nz m: 027 525 8665

THE THYMES February 2012

PHOTO: KEVIN STENT/Fairfax NZ

regional round up

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… ROTORUA & WAIKATO

November 2011

what’s on

waikato kia ora from

rotorua

ia ora from Rotorua.

Rotorua has had a fabulous February, with Te Matatini (the kapa haka festival) bringing in an estimated $15 million into the city, and attended by 40,000 over four days. It was an overwhelming success and has cemented Rotorua as the lead city in New Zealand for Maori culture. It was also very moving to see three of our amazing Kapa Haka leaders that have passed on being acknowledged at the event such as Taini Morrison, Atareta Maxwell & Wiremu Williams (a personal friend of mine). The accommodation sector was at full capacity and they welcomed the chaos by making the most of it, as January was a wee bit quieter. Bars and restaurants have also reaped the benefits. John Knight (our Branch vice president) said that the end of February had been busier than usual with a great atmosphere around town. “Any event is important to all of us as everybody gets to share piece of the pie” he says. Rotorua also hosted the Australasia pistol shooting championship and restaurants, cafes & bars benefitted, day and night. Takeaways were also much busier than usual. It never ceases to amaze me the kindness that our members show and case in point is Jo Orr from Ciccios who made a massive 20 kg cake, based on the movie Shrek for a 13 year old who is in remission from a cancerous tumour on his brain. regional round up

013 has started off with an unprecedented amount of sunshine in the Waikato region. Hopefully this has translated into thirsty punters for everyone and the tills have been ringing overtime! There are always a few changes in the hospitality landscape over this time of the year and the beginning of 2013 has been no exception.

During his surgery and everything else around his treatment he watched Shrek continuously. Jo has been making things out of sugar since she was a child and is a qualified pastry chef. The cake was an initiative of Operation Sugar which is a New Zealand wide, non-profit group which provides free custom birthday cakes to seriously ill children and those who require frequent hospitalisation. For more information go to www.operationsugar.org.nz. Jemma Wild, Food & Beverage Manager, Skyline Rotorua has moved on to more adventures. We are holding our first Branch meeting this month with our guest speaker Justine White from Crombie Lockwood.

The Woodbox and Coopers have changed hands and are now going to be run by David Kerr and Ryan Ladbrook of Kerr & Ladbrook. They also took over the lease of the former Turtle Lake Café at the Hamilton Gardens recently. The venue is looking fabulous after an extensive refurbishment and is now another great venue for the region. Adrian and Suzanne of Suburbia have closed the doors on their popular suburban café and are about to open the substantially larger ‘The District’ up the road in Te Rapa. Vivo closed it’s doors in the Dining Lane this week but apparently the doors are set to reopen in another reincarnation shortly. It is also on the cards that the popular Mexico from Britomart will be opening in Hamilton in the near future. The Waikato Times Food and Wine Festival was held a few weekends ago at their new venue, Claudelands, and celebrity chef Josh Emmet proved to be the main attraction for the crowds. Of course the sun was shining and by all accounts a great weekend was had by all.

Naku noa Sharon Wallace Rotorua Branch President Waiariki Institute of Technology

In short we are all hoping for a steady and prosperous year in the hospitality sector. It seems to have started off well and here’s hoping we continue to see improvements over the coming months.

e: Sharon.Wallace@waiariki.ac.nz m: (027) 233 4146

e: hayley@zinccafe.co.nz m: 027 525 8665

regional round up

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… HAWKE’S BAY

September 2011

news from

wine country

f there is a month that Hawke’s Bay hospitality businesses look forward to, it’s February. The weather is sensational, the month is filled with events and weddings and visitors from New Zealand and afar head in our direction. 2013 did not let us down. Like the rest of the country Hawke’s Bay experienced magical weather. Many days around 30 degrees and a minuscule amount of rain created a summer that was full of positivity for restaurants & cafes (our farming community saw the month slightly differently). February is a key month for events in Hawke’s Bay. The month kicked off with the Great Long Lunch. This year saw the event change from a Sunday lunch to a Saturday late lunch with the festivities starting at 5pm. From all reports this move was a huge success. Two major radio stations bought their tours to two prominent wineries. Black Barn hosted the Classic Hits Winery Tour. The following weekend Sileni Estates hosted the More FM Winery Tour. The third weekend of February is Art Deco Weekend. Last year the event saw 25,000 attendees and it grew to 30,000 this year. While the weekend is highly valued most of the action is in THE GREAT LONG LUNCH Photo: Napier Inner City Marketing

THE THYMES November 2012

Napier and many restaurants in Havelock and Hastings report little benefit from the event. The Black Caps came to town to lose the second match in their series with England. Not the result we wanted but their timing was perfect with the match played on the Wednesday right in between Art Deco & Mission Concert weekends. Many visitors stayed on or came earlier for the match and restaurants in the region reported a strong 10 days of trading. The last major event of the month was the Mission Concert. Typically the concert draws around 25,000. Whilst Barry Gibb was very well received, some say the concert did not get nearly the same numbers as other years; but it still brought a huge amount of outside money into the local economy. The Mission Concert promoters did have complicated issues with their liquor licence. After the DLA approved the special licence the Police appealed the decision. The National Licensing Authority was called in to resolve the dispute. The Police had concern with what areas were a part of the licence and the time the licence allowed alcohol to be sold. Due to the timing, the appeal threatened the ability for the promoters to sell alcohol at all. In the end the conveying Judge agreed with Police on issues with sales in the car park but allowed a start time of 1pm for liquor sale. The promoters complied with the decision and the licence was issued. Interesting developments in the Napier cafe scene... A new Kiwiana style cafe called Two Fat Lattes recently opened in the Napier. As soon as one opens, another closes. The Napier

Esquires franchise closed very suddenly after Art Deco weekend. Staff turned up for work on Monday and the owner was nowhere to be seen. Staff were not given notice of the closure and not one of them had been paid. Esquires Head Office is stepping in to try and resolve outstanding pay for the staff. Watch this space. Cruise ship visitors have been flocking to Hawke’s Bay in record numbers but their benefit to restaurants and cafes is minimal. These visitors seem to spend their time either doing group tours or simply wandering around Napier. Only a handful of restaurants or cafes report any increase in business. The 2013 vintage is due to start any day now, with Chardonnay typically the first variety picked by most. Many are saying growing conditions have never been better and the potential is there for wineries to produce extraordinary wines across all varieties. Finally, our local Hospitality Awards are under way for the 6th year. Nominations are being called in the various categories. The organising committee went to the industry recently on two issues regarding how we nominate and vote. Based on industry feedback the awards have been slightly tweaked. But more about this next month. Wishing everyone the best for a strong March. Sean Burns Hawke’s Bay Branch President Milk and Honey e: sean@themilkandhoney.co.nz m: 027 623 2223 re

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… TARANAKI

tales from

taranaki

reaking News… we are indulging in alfresco dining here in Taranaki— without patio heaters, without plastic curtains, without blankets or pashminas! In my 17 years of experience here this is unusual. At Bach on Breakwater, we seldom reserve our outside tables in the evenings as it just gets too cold, and if we do (to indulge a customer), we always set up a corresponding table inside for when they come back in half way through their meal (and they always do come back in). Not this summer I’m happy to report. It’s been fabulously warm and sunny and we’re loving it. I know the farmers are wanting rain, but there are no complaints from restaurant owners.

As some of you who follow the news might know, we had Lucy Lawless and her green friends here a while back holed up on an oil exploration ship having a bit of demo. As a result the Port authorities indicated that they might have to close the port area to the public for security reasons if this sort of thing occurred again. This would mean of course that potentially, the restaurants down here would cease to trade, an unpleasant situation which I fervently hope will never come to pass. I guess they got the attention they were hoping for, but hopefully not at the cost of shutting down New Plymouth’s popular beach and seaside areas to the public. I think Summer trading has been a bit ordinary this summer. Perhaps a fraction ahead of last year but nothing to get too excited about. And personally, I don’t think lots of opening and closing businesses is a sign of a buoyant economy – quite the reverse really. It’s a sign of hopes being regional round up

raised and hopes being dashed, often by the reality that our industry is not the industry of rampant profits that new operators assume it will be. I’ve been approached recently to mentor a couple wanting to open a café/bar in a region outside of ours. Hard-working people with a dream which actually does look quite good on the face of it and I sincerely hope that as time goes on they follow my advice. Certainly talking to a long-term operator before you commit yourself is a good first step, as we all know. Speaking of good operators, Alan and I have been visiting some other regions recently and have really enjoyed the cafes and restaurants we ate out at. In Raglan there is lots on offer for vegetarians such as ourselves, with warm, happy staff at most places to make our experience that much better. We experienced the same in Wellington when we went to the Manhattan Transfer Concert. We loved enjoying the hospitality of other good operators. It was a treat. In early February we were also treated to a sampling of the wonderful dessert that Nickolas Han prepared for his entry in the Fonterra Proud to be chef competition in Melbourne. On the opening and closing front, we have a veritable plethora of new and changing operators:  Zanzibar has been refurbished as The Federal Store by Jeremy and Susan Burton  Montrose is to become The Hourglass under the guidance of Mark Louis & AJ of Our Place  55,which was so called due to its

The Federal Store address on Devon Street West, is now located at 55 Devon Street East (the former Grumpy Mole site)

 Kathkali is the new name for Bangkok Gardens specialising in South Indian cuisine  Broadway has been purchased by Layne Rapira and his brother and is undergoing a refit and to be called Rhythm  Rig 66 has opened in the old Crusty Corner shop by Graeme and Tracey Tompkins  Shifty’s is under the new management of Bruce Candy  Lone Star is under the new management of Michael Borostyan  Laughing Buddha has new owners coming in

One to watch is the upcoming boxing match between Craig McFarlane and Mark Louis on 6th April at TSB Stadium. This event marks the professional debut of local, Sam Rapira. For more info go to www.rapiraboxing.co.nz. The Halamoana committee are planning this year’s event. The date has tentatively been set for 13/10/13. We’ll keep you up to date on developments. Warmest regards to everyone, Barbara Olsen-Henderson Bach on Breakwater e: barbara_olsen@xtra.co.nz THE THYMES MARCH 2013

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… CANTERBURY

F E AT U R E D P R O D U C T . . .

November September 2011 2011 24 23 Model Job

Descriptions

Handbook outside, looking in to

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.

christchurch

BY KIRSTIN LETHBRIDGE arisa and I touched down in the Christchurch region on 6 March, where we had a productive day catching up with local operators and the council.

The Handbook includes Job Descriptions for 24 positions. PHOTO: C1 EXPRESSO

We were greeted with sunshine and walking through the streets of the CBD told a story of rejuvenation and emotion. I was impressed with the calibre of food establishments that were around. Everyone was humming and smiling while eating their lunch and sipping their coffees. I was particularly fascinated with the container precinct, which was equally busy with locals, tourists and visitors. Our meeting with the Christchurch Council regarding their local alcohol policy was very informative. There are several factors influencing the local policy and we are pleased that we will be kept in the loop from the Council regarding updates and anything else that affects our industry. After the AGM it was lovely to relax with some of the region’s best operators over a glass of wine. We were hosted by Café Valentino, which reopened a few months ago and we were highly impressed with the space that Michael Turner has reinvented. From the high ceilings, to the original bricks lining the walls, the restaurant was lit with hanging lamps. The memorabilia kept our eyes occupied (a story of its own – Michael salvaged them from the old site) and the pizza oven delivered some of the best pizza I’ve tried.

Christchurch branch president, has stood down from his position and while we appreciate his reasons, he will be missed as our local representative. We were lucky enough to be taken to the roof top of Sam Crofskey’s newly developed café/restaurant, C1, where we were able to see the city from a height and grasp the destruction that was caused. What an experience! I am not a Cantabrian, but being able to see an isolated city in the final stages of dusky light made you appreciate the little things and at the bigger things to come. I felt proud to be in Christchurch as the people have survived one of our darkest days and the city is slowly (but surely) coming together again. I also have to add, C1 Espresso is very cool. Sustainable, quirky and relaxing. Sam has pushed the bar even higher with a vineyard on the rooftop, organic bee hives, tube-fed orders and recycled water. They have not only created a green operation, but a nurtured culture with a fresh stance on business. As our visit came to an end, the sun disappeared behind the mountains and we toddled off to catch our evening flight. A worth-while trip and we will be sure to return again soon. Thanks Christchurch!

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 through www.restaurantnz.co.nz or call 0800 737 827.

Help is never far away! The Restaurant Association appreciates that hospitality is a 24/7 industry and as a result employment issues can occur at a variety of times. A reminder that we have a HELP DESK, capably managed in-house by CEO, Marisa Bidois, which is contactable Monday to Friday 8.00am6.00pm on

0800 737 827

and outside these hours on 027-559 7777. The service is for members with urgent employment problems.

Sadly, Michael Turner, our regional round up

35 33

THE THYMES MARCH 2013 THE THYMES February 2013

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… SOUTHERN LAKES & MARLBOROUGH

regional updates

November 2011 24 November 2011 24

message from

greetings from the

deep south

reetings from the Deep South.

What a cracker of a summer we've had down here! Endless stretches of hot sunny weather and lots of people out there making the most of our extra long days. Outdoor dining is at its best in these conditions with diners able to take in the epic views up until ten o'clock at night. Our summer concerts and festivals were all blessed with perfect conditions as well, with many sunburnt revellers spotted piling of the buses after the Pat Benatar concert! Summer has also brought several new additions to our restaurant scene. Most notably in Queenstown are Simon Gault's Jervois Steak House in the Sofitel Building and Sasso Italian which took over and refurbished the old Dux de Lux/ Mcneills cottage. In Wanaka Bistro Gentil has opened its doors, offering modern THE JERVOIS STEAKHOUSE, QUEENSTOWN

marlborough

French bistro cuisine with some of the best views in the region. Visitor numbers on the whole appear to be up but we're starting to see some highs and lows within the peak seasons. January was flat out for the first two weeks but the second two weeks were very slow which was quite bizarre. The face of the average summer visitor is changing with a noticeable influx of Chinese and Indian travellers and not as many Americans and Europeans than in previous years. But one thing we know for sure is that after the dreaded shoulder season in May and early June, the Aussie skiers will come in force! Cam Mitchell The Bunker Restaurant & Bar Southern Lakes Branch President e: info@thebunker.co.nz m: (021) 441 205

SASSO ITALIAN, QUEENSTOWN

t has been a fine and steady summer in Marlborough with the weather definitely adding to the upswing in positive vibes. Tourism numbers were steady and did not fall back on last year so things are improving. Vintage starts in the next two to three weeks and the buzz is that it will be one of the best in years…spending will also be up as all the extra staff for wineries and catering kick into action. I will be making a move to Hawkes Bay in the year ahead, back to my roots! I wonder who will buy a great café in the Vines and enjoy the tourist contact and local support that I have had over the past 6 years, after 20 years here in Marlborough to temporarily run a Sounds resort and 4 operations later it is time to take it slower. It gives me cause to reflect on 25 years as a small company continuously trading in hospitality and food I feel proud to have survived and thrived and now will enjoy watching the next generation make the new business moves. One of the things that has evolved with our business has been our involvement with people with disabilities, due to our own daughter, now 18, who has Autism. I would love to help any business who thinks they can find a place for others and encourage you to think outside the square. It is good for your whole workplace and is a contribution to the triple bottom line that should be a part of every business. It is not too hard when approached with the supports that are available… Best of luck to you all in the year ahead, may your fridges keep working and your staff keep running! Shelley Witchalls Branch Secretary Marlborough Branch Shelly’s Café and Larder e: shellyscafe@ruralinzone.net

THE THYMES February 2012

regional round up regional round up

November 2011

MAINLY OF INTEREST TO

auckland members... news. The Brewery Britomart changed hands at the end of February. Taken over by The Pack Group it will continue to trade under the same name and the old crew will continue to brew one of their beers from out of the premises. Also down Britomart way, District Dining closed at the end of December, with reports that they will be opening a new restaurant on the site this month. Rumour has it that when pop-up restaurant The Hamptons (Des Harris & Tony Stewart from Clooney Restaurant) closes at the end of May it will be reinvented as Aspen for the cooler months. IMPERIAL HOT DOGS

Sisters Renae and Leisha Jones have opened a new lunchtime café Honeytrap in K’road’s St Kevins Arcade. The pair have taken a rustic approach with wooden tables, blackboards and industrial light shades, with a selection of sandwiches and fresh salads. Sean Marshall has opened a mobile hot dog stand, Imperial Hot Dogs, which is parked up on Imperial Lane. It’s a hot dog cart serving a wide variety of artisan snarlers, takeaway or eat in and you can wash the dogs down with one of their on tap beers. Meanwhile Celia Hay has opened Celia’s Pies on Customs Street West. The Food Truck Garage in the City Works is set to open on 1st April, with Al Brown’s new venture also due to open shortly after in the same space.

HONEYTRAP

Cameron Timmins, mixologist at Japanese cocktail bar Fukuko has been selected as a semi-finalist in the prestigious Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year competition. Beginning on a cruise ship on the French Riviera and happening in Barcelona from the 4-9 July, the global final of the Diageo Reserve World Class competition will see the winner becoming a ‘Diageo Brand Ambassador’ and walking away with $10,000. Ponsonby Central restaurant, Tokyo Club have appointed Hideharu Shimura as their executive chef. He has just arrived in New Zealand after finishing his role as Executive Chef at the Michelin-star rated property Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo. He will be one of the most experienced Asian chef’s in the country.

TOKYO CLUB

Auckland training provider, NSIA, has reportedly sold to Intueri Group, however it is business as usual. The Hip Group’s three new operations in the new Britomart area, The Pavilions, are all now open. Ortolana, with it’s ingredients sourced from the Hip Group’s very own market garden and orchard in Kumeu, is already

auckland members

THE THYMES February 2013 ORTOLANA

r e s t a u r a n t 1 2at hs fse bor uca riy ,a mtu i on annual golf day riwai golf course

November 2011

MAINLY OF INTEREST TO

auckland members...

a good day for golf

the 2013 restaurant association golf day was supported by...

successful Auckland Branch Golf Day was held at Murawai this year, with 39 teams registered and all holes sponsored, thanks to our wonderful event sponsors. The Restaurant Association could not be more thrilled with the event and just look at the stunning day.  Congratulations to all our business card prize winners and particularly our golf game prize winners who were:

the top 5 teams… 1 2 3 4 equal

Sails Restaurant Hospoworld Sorrento Wildfire Kitchen & Euro

with 54.25 with 54.75 with 55.12 with 55.37

other prizes went to… Best sponsored hole: Red Bull Final Five: Best dressed team:

Goodman Fielder Wildfire Urbano Bistro

Watch this space ~ Mark next year’s event in your calendars - TUESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY. We have had some amazing feedback from the event, and we will also be adding 2nd and 3rd place, The Longest Drive and some other ‘ambrose-specific’ prizes to our categories for 2014. If you would like to register your interest early please contact Emily: emily@restaurantnz.co.nz

LEWISHAM AWARDS KEY DATES... 11 MARCH Online nominations open

01 MAY Media launch and release of finalists. Finalist voting opens and tickets on sale

Online nominations close 09 APRIL need help? call us on 0800 737 827

Voting closes 26 MAY

02 JUNE Lewisham awards (SKYCITY)& Afterparty

with supporting sponsors…

Mills Reef, Nova Energy, Delmaine Fine Foods, Subway, Mexicano Corn Chips, Bidvest, Moa, Te Waihou Water, Suntek, Carlton Party Hire, Tip Top, Unilever Food Solutions, New Zealand King Salmon, The Pastryhouse, DMK. THE THYMES MARCH 2013

Online nominations for Auckland Lewisham Awards 2013 (to nominate go to www.lewishamawards.co.nz)

St Patricks day

Otago Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

Restaurant Association professional development, Emerging Managers, at taste, 45 Normanby Road, Mt Eden. Auckland (www.restaurantnz.co.nz)

Good Friday (public holiday)

11-09April

School holidays start

ANZAC Day

RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND

dribbled like a basketball.

WWW.RESTAURANTNZ.CO.NZ

1 The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma. 2 A restaurant’s food costs should typically sit at around 28% of turnover. 3 Cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be

CELLARING & SERVING

NZ Pinot Noir shows the fine tannins and elegance of good Burgundy with the added excitement of vibrant, intense fruit and secondary herbal, spice and game characters. Distinct regional styles have emerged. The Wairarapa wines are full-bodied and dense with rich dark plum and chocolate flavours. Marlborough and Nelson show complex, tight structure with bright cherry flavours. Waipara Pinot Noir shows hints of pepper and spice whilst Central Otago are known for their herbal notes, berryfruit and firm tannins.

FOOD MATCHING Its unique qualities enable our Pinot Noir to elevate A variety of dishes. The vibrant cherry flavours of the more southerly Pinot Noirs flatter the flavours of turkey like the classic garnish, cranberry sauce.

“I have long been writing about the potential of New Zealand to supplant all other competitors of Burgundy and I see no reason to change my mind.” - James Halliday, winecompanion.com.au

Intense, expressive, fruit-driven

PINOT NOIR

Wine Facts...

0800 737 827

No. If you are offered a taste of the wine to check whether it is "corked", and it is, the restaurant should get you another bottle. If you ordered by the glass and the wine is clearly 'off', complain to the waiter. But if you just don't like the wine, that's too bad.

2 When I tasted the house wine I realised I didn't like it. Can I reject it?

What about beer? As with the wine, it's up to the restaurant. Some do not allow customers to bring their own spirits or beer.

Yes. A fully licensed restaurant can refuse to allow you to bring your own wine. There should be no problem if the restaurant has a BYO (bring your own) licence.

1 I was told that I could not bring in my favorite wine to drink with dinner. Can restaurants do this?

If a customer asks...

26 MARCH ~ Emerging and First Time Managers professional development workshop, presented by Krishna Botica @ taste, Mt Eden. Auckland. In this workshop Krishna will show you that the advanced skills required for staff management do not always come naturally. Conflict management and coping with unexpected pressures are part and parcel of a new management role. This interactive workshop deals with real restaurant issues and offers lots of methods and solutions that managers can take straight back to the restaurant and put into immediate effect. For more information go to www.restaurantnz.co.nz or email jo@tastenz.co.nz

Check Out…

Did You Know?

Easter Monday (pubic holiday)

April

Nominations open for Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards (www.foodhawkesbay.co.nz)

March

Key Dates…

rip it out and pin it on your noticeboard etc...

Industry update for hospitality staff, bought to you by the Restaurant Association of NZ

Hospo Thymes staff page

Marisa Bidois

Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington)

Bart Littlejohn (Sails Restaurant, Auckland) Steve Logan (Logan Brown, Wellington)

Andrew Targett (Elizabeth Café & Larder) Watch this space! Sean Burns (Milk and Honey, Napier) Marcel Rood (Raupo Cafe, Blenheim) Howard Morris (Harry’s Bar, Nelson) ) Cam Mitchell (The Bunker Restaurant & Bar, Queenstown) Joe Deegan (Pacific International Hotel Management School, New Plymouth) Hayley Scott (Zinc Café, Hamilton) Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington) Poverty Bay: Grant Bailey (Fettuccine Brothers, Gisborne)