Restaurant Association THE Thymes (May 2014)

PHOTO S: ESP L ANAD E, DU NE DI N

MAY 2014

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DINING TRENDS INDICATE INDICATE our dining style is evolving Casual dining, healthy eating and shared plates are three top dining trends highlighted by a panel of local operators and chefs. The way that New Zealanders are dining is evolving and with it, the food choices diners are making.

president’s viewpoint... how reporting can help run your business

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WANDER IN AND SIT DOWN DO WN

What gets measured gets managed. Reporting regularly and controlling costs is essential to successfully running your business. This is especially true in the hospitality industry.

are your employees entitled to work here? getting to know gen Y

SALE ST, AUCKLAND

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Millenials, Gen Y, the Me Me Me Generation. Call them what you will, they are here to stay and they make up the bulk of the hospitality industry’s workforce, so it is worthwhile getting to know them.

sale & supply of alcohol update

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Dining always has been an important part of how New Zealanders socialise and celebrate. During the recession diners were ingenious about managing their eating out budget and we saw a lot of diners opting for more casual establishments. This kick-started a trend towards more casual dining, fitting perfectly with the relaxed kiwi lifestyle; get a group of friends together and on the spur of the moment go out for dinner.

“This habit is now the normal dining experience for many,” says Restaurant Association CEO, Marisa Bidois, “although of course fine dining still plays a vital role at the top end of the sector.”

In line with the casual dining trend, many restaurants and cafes have moved away from accepting reservations, instead opting for a walk-in crowd, or only accepting bookings for large parties.

Jason van Dorstyn, co-owner of Auckland’s Café Hanoi says that relaxed dining has taken off. “It’s fantastic as it makes the industry as a whole more accessible to more people.”

C ONTI NU ED ON FO LL OWI N G PA G E

international update EAT LIKE A CAVEMAN

New style food and health businesses are popping up around the country, with many focusing on the paleo diet - a modern nutritional plan based on the diet of Paleolithic humans – which emphasizes the basic raw eating habits of the original hunter gatherers.

Menu items influenced by the paleo or raw food diet are also cropping up more frequently on restaurant and café menus.

Van Dorstyn says: “We are developing a more health orientated food culture than ever before, and I don’t see this trend slowing down.”

Javier Carmona from the Mexico Group agrees: “Customers are more interested in eating healthily. This transcends the obvious visits to the health food store and has been more about day-to-day choices and exchanging the usual for unusual and more pertinent combinations.”

SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE ALIK E

Adding further weight to the casual dining phenomenon is the shared platter/small plates trend. Restaurants have embraced the small plate concept, either specialising in small plate dining, or devoting a section of the menu to it.

Marisa Bidois says that shared plates usually have a lower price point than a typical restaurant main course.

“Small plates are designed to encourage sharing and for diners to sample across the menu. It is a wonderful way to eat out,” she says.

Nic Watt, owner at Masu, says that the sharing concept is a growing global food trend. “Dining is shifting to allow consumers to engage in a community manner across the table.”

TOP DINING TRENDS

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CASUAL DINING

SHARED PLATES / SMALL PLATES

‘HEALTHY’ EATING

LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE

GASTRO BARS/EATERIES

NO RESERVATION POLICY

“We’re seeing diners become more involved and more inquisitive about what they’re eating. Shared plates makes it easy to experiment and try new flavours and new cuisines in a low risk way.” Nic Watt says.

ARING...

PLATES FOR SH

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The Restaurant Association will share more food trends in the 2014 Hospitality Report to be released at the end of May. Restaurant Association members can reserve their FREE copy now (it’s available to the general public for $150+gst). Email info@restaurantnz.co.nz. need help? call us on 0800 737 827

ceo update

November 2011

09

FROM THE CEO’s DESK IN THIS ISSUE OF THE THYMES WE ARE EXCITED EXCITED TO LAUNCH A PROGRAMME WITH NOVA ENERGY— ENERGY—OFFERING RESTAURANT RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS EXCLUSIVE PRICING NOT ONLY ON NATURAL GAS SUPPLY BUT ALSO ELECTRICITY AND LPG.

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here are also a number of instructive articles that provide useful information to help you achieve your business goals—through better understanding of your regular financial reporting, by getting to know your younger staff members and by proactively managing your employees. And don’t forget about Mothers Day. Although business quietens down at this time of year in many regions, there is still a lot going on. There are Hospitality Awards in Auckland, Rotorua, Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch over the next few weeks and in this issue of The Thymes you’ll find updates on these awards as well as our exciting new Barista Smackdown event and Waiters’Race. The NZ Culinary Fare competition schedule is also enclosed with this newsletter, as well as the latest professional development calendar. Phew!

I’d also like to welcome Israel Evers to our team.

Israel has joined the Restaurant Association as an apprentice co-ordinator and is looking forward to sharing many of his food and life experiences with the young chefs currently involved in our apprenticeship programme.

Israel has had a varied and interesting career in hospitality and many of you will already know him. I’ll let him recount some of his background, in his own words…

“My love for all things food started as a young man. In my early years I was washing dishes and making pies at the famous Foodies Deli in Remuera, Auckland, before and after school. I got a job working in the weekends at Ricks Café American and on leaving school started there full time. What a ride. The place just pumped!

and at the time his brother took over the helm so Rick could open Metropole down the road. I enjoyed many years working at the VBG and then opened the Sacred Hill Vineyard restaurant in 1994.

Verona, on Auckland’s famous K Road, was my first real education in vegetarian fare; Prego restaurant was my Italian renaissance and working at Mikano with Warwick Brown turned my hand at all the sections in the kitchen.

The lure of the film industry took me on my next journey.

First working for the Xena and Hercules film catering, this lead on to feature films and television catering. At the same time my catering business took off and I was lucky enough to work at some of the most beautiful holiday homes of New Zealand’s ‘rich and famous’; all contacts I had made working at VBG many years earlier.

The last seven years I have been in the corporate world selling kitchen equipment, designing kitchens and product managing brands like Rational and Electrolux.”

Israel strongly believes that the skills you gain as a chef are learnt from your peers and practicing these skills in the fast paced environment of a busy restaurant is the best way to refine your craft. The class room just doesn’t teach you the basic fundamentals of hard work in the real pressure cooker of the kitchen like on the job training does. If you’d like to talk with one of our apprentice co-ordinators about recruiting an apprentice in your business, call the Association on 0800 737 827.

One day I got talking to a young waiter who mentioned the new “VBG - Veranda Bar & Grill” was looking for keen young chefs. VBG was then owned by Rick Lewisham

Marisa Bidois marisa@restaurantnz.co.nz

proudly brought to you by Outdoor Concepts ceo’s report

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advertisement

PRESIDENT’SVIEWPOINT ARE BRANDS BECOMING LESS IMPORTANT DUE TO THE RISE OF THE POWER OF ONLINE REVIEW SITES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND RECOMMENDATIONS POSTED ONLINE BY SITES LIKE AMAZON?

BY MIKE EGAN

C

onsumers can now find out so much information about a product that it is no longer a requirement of the power of the brand to instill confidence in potential customers making a new purchasing choice.

Consumers are now empowered to find out as much information as possible about a product or service; therefore the traditional marketing of a brand has fundamentally changed. Marketing used to be about quality proxies where the marketer worked to manipulate how consumers perceived their brand and where it should be positioned. Through traditional advertising this was a pretty straight forward way to communicate quality Now, however, we no longer need this, as there are much more unbiased ways we can make our own assessment of a product or service .

Don’t get me wrong we still need to develop our brand, however, the way we rely on it to be disseminated has obviously changed and as such we now have little direct influence over how our brand is perceived.

Indirectly I believe we can still sway what is said about us on the web and that is by focusing on service. The budget that was spent on traditional media advertising should be used on staff development.

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At the recent ‘2014 Restaurant Leadership Conference’ held in the USA, and attended by the top 1800 operators around the country, the main message that percolated out of the event was:

CUSTOMER SERVICE

EXCELLENCE is the key to differentiating your brand

EVERY CUSTOMER

EVERY DAY EVERY TIME

Train for product knowledge Train for consistent sequence of service Have regular staff appraisals Train to motivate Train to reflect the essence of your brand.

HERE’S HOW ONE TOP US RESTAURANT IS STRIVING FOR CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE

proudly brought to you by Starline

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president’s viewpoint

managing your business

November 2011

14

HARDCORE CODDLING

HOW THIS RESTAURANT MODERNIZED

OLD SCHOOL SERVICE At 3:30 p.m., in the back office of Eleven Madison Park in New York, York, maître d' Justin well--known Roller is Googling the names of every guest who will come in that night. It's a well tactic of the restaurant, an effort to be as familiar as possible with the diners.

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nyone can Google some names and faces, but Roller is going deeper. "I'm looking for chef's whites and wine glasses," he says. A shot of a guest wearing whites means a chef is probably coming to dinner. Wine glasses signify a potential sommelier (or at least a wine geek). This is just the beginning. If, for example, Roller discovers it's a couple's anniversary, he'll then try to figure out which anniversary. If it's a birthday, he'll welcome a guest, as they walk in the door, with a "Happy Birthday."

Even small details are useful: "If I find out a guest is from Montana, and I know we have a server from there, we'll put them together." Same goes for guests who own jazz clubs, who can be paired with a sommelier that happens to be into jazz. In other words, before customers even step through the door, the restaurant's staff has a pretty good idea of the things it can do to specifically blow their minds.

Even as chefs have become the undisputed stars of restaurants, this wasn't always the case. For a long time, dinner at a nice restaurant meant crisp linens and unabashed pampering. Maîtres d' hotel and managers — stars in their own right — patrolled the room, their mere presence an assurance to diners that the evening would unfold in a most civilized fashion.

There aren't many restaurants where this level of care and attention still exists, and even fewer if you eliminate fussy French places where the service can feel like a parody of itself. But Eleven Madison Park does it well — old-school, no-holds-barred customer pampering without overt stuffiness — so I emailed the co-owner, Will Guidara. I wanted to see how he put together a staff where every person working the dining room can seem as charming as Sirio Maccioni in his prime. Guidara invited me to come in for a few hours before service.

As you'd probably guess, management of the front of the house is as detail-oriented as anything that happens in the kitchen. It's not surprising, but it is thorough: The training manual is 97 pages long.

It covers both the correct way to serve coffee and where wine glasses get set depending on whether a customer orders a bottle or pairings. FOH staffers' socks have to be a certain length. Nail polish must be in approved shades ("Bridal colours" are generally allowed). The dining-room pillows must be fluffed and creased in a very, very specific manner. And as with kitchen hiring, everyone who works in EMP's dining room starts at the very bottom, as a kitchen server, tasked with running plates and polishing silverware for hours at a time (seriously — seven people per night alternate three-hour polishing shifts).

But that's the whole point: This weeds out anyone who won't cut it. The restaurant needs someone who has the necessary aptitude, who can be both humble and confident. Then, as general manager Kirk Kelewae tells me, the training is "about giving precision to their instincts." (Kelewae started as a kitchen server six years ago. It was his first full-time job out of college.) That means every person on the floor at any given time has devoted countless hours to learning the exact way EMP's staff does everything. Kelewae gives the example of a great sushi restaurant, where it might take an apprentice ten months to learn how to properly make the rice.

"Here," he says, "it takes ten months to learn how to pour C ONTI NUED ON F OL LO WI NG P AGE water."

SOURCED FROM GRUBBSTREET.COM, AUTHOR, ALAN SYSTMA

need help? call us on 0800 737 827

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member benefits F ROM P RE VI OU S PAGE, Ha rdco re cod dlng

The result of all this training, though, is that the restaurant has a 60-strong army of people prepared to disarm customers with their graciousness and care. As the service staff sees it, the dining room consists of four stations, broken into groups of seven or eight tables. Each station gets its own dedicated four-person staff: A captain, a sommelier, a server, and an assistant server. Four people are assigned to the bar, and five get stationed at the front door. The door staff, as anyone who's been to the restaurant can tell you, is particularly effective. All that Googling pays off when the maître d' greets total strangers by name and wishes them a happy tenth anniversary before they've even taken off their coats. ("We want to evoke a sense of being welcomed home," Kelewae says.) An additional staffer is referred to as the "Dreamweaver" — like the song — tasked with handling special projects and requests from guests.

Of course, Eleven Madison Park holds itself to the same standard as the very best restaurants in the world. All told, Eleven Madison Park has about 40 people working in the dining room on any given night (including an upstairs private dining room). Yet even with all these moving parts, what's truly impressive is that, as a diner, it doesn't just feel like three dozen people offering good, or even professional, service. It feels like they're working to make a connection, to really let you know there is a person looking out for you all night long. Even that connection is systemized, though, through what the restaurant calls "captain non-negotiables," a set number of dishes — at least four, but often more — spaced throughout the meal for captains to return to their designated tables and check in. The effect: Even as a small swarm of servers replace silverware, ferry nearly 20 courses, replenish water or wine, and wheel over cocktail carts, diners have a single face to associate with the meal At 5 p.m., a half-hour before service, Guidara gathers the FOH staff for their daily meeting, line-up. They quickly touch on notes for the night, such as menu tweaks and what beers are on tap (the printed notes handed out to servers even detail the types of flowers that are in the dining room that night). But the meeting is less about service changes and more about rallying the troops.

Today, when all the talk of new restaurants is about the food, why, Guidara asks his staff, would customers return to a restaurant specifically for the service, the same way they might return to eat an amazing steak? What's so special about a great restaurant manager? The answer is obvious: He makes his customers feel good. Really good.

So good that they want to experience the exact same kind of care again and again. After making the point, Guidara looks around at his own staff: "There's nothing wrong with us being the star of the show."

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employment matters

...don’t forget to support the people who support your Restaurant Association key partners...

MEMBERINITIATIVES ENERGY PLANS EXCLUSIVE TO RESTAURANT

ASSOCIATION MEMBERS

Nova Energy is a proud partner of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand as our ‘Preferred Energy Provider’. As part of the partnership Nova Energy provide access to a range of business energy plans exclusive to Restaurant Association Members.

These plans cover electricity, natural gas and LPG. With Nova Energy you’ll enjoy these benefits: O O

O

O

Exclusive energy plans and pricing for the duration of your membership.

Dedicated account management: management one of Nova Energy’s key points of difference is their full service account management including new connection management, site optimisation and consumption assessments.

Great service from a company that is proudly 100% New Zealand owned and operated. operated Winner of the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards Gas Provider of the year for 2012 and 2013.

Convenient monthly billing for all accounts: Nova Energy provide their business customers with the convenient option of receiving just one consolidated bill each month, detailing all sites.

ABOUT NOVA ENERGY Nova Energy is New Zealand’s independent energy company. As part of the Todd Corporation, they have a family culture that’s been thinking differently about energy for the last 70 years – producing and supplying energy effectively, reliably and sustainably. With a mix of electricity, natural gas, LPG and solar, Nova Energy provide tailored solutions to Kiwi families and businesses. In fact around 100,000 homes and businesses have now switched to Nova Energy because of the savings they can achieve on their energy bill. associate+ partners...

WANT MORE INFORMATION? The Nova Energy team will be in touch to offer you a no obligation energy bill comparison for your business and take you through all the details of the Restaurant Association Business Energy Plans. In the meantime you can contact Nova Energy on 0800 432 876 or by emailing info@novaenergy.co.nz to request an appointment time.

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me mber initiatives

ACHIEVING

BUSINESS

SUCCESS

As you think of ways to help your business prosper, we look at techniques to help you achieve success in this competitive market...

MAKING THE MOST OF

MOTHER’S DAY

For the hospitality industry, Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year with many of your customers choosing to celebrate Mother’s Day by dining out. As your business makes plans for Mother’s Day, we remind you about some of the ways you can help ensure this day is a profitable one.

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Give Mums a gift:

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Bring in live music:

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Be prepared to accommodate children and older adults with special needs:

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Add Mother’s Day décor touches:

Make all of the Mums feel great on their special day by giving them a small gift. Consider a fresh-cut rose upon being seated at their table, a special offer to encourage them to come back again, or a personalised gift. Always be sure to brand that personal item with your business logo and name to reinforce future brand awareness.

Enhance your restaurant’s ambiance on Mother’s Day with a jazz guitarist, pianist or a small band.

Encourage guests to put in their favourite requests. Hey, if you have a place for a dance floor, even better!

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Get creative with fixed price menus:

Special fixed price menus are a great way to go on Mother’s Day—it is a smart strategy for keeping the menu manageable and easier to serve guests during the busy rushes. Get creative with your menus with signature food and wine pairings and special desserts that Mum’s will love.

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Turn Mother’s Day into an annual brunch event:

Mother’s Day is notorious for brunch. So if you don’t usually open early, make brunch stand out by offering it only once a year on this special day. Give your customers an over-the-top brunch experience and turn it into an exclusive, annual event for your guests.

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Mother’s Day is a family event, so everyone in the family needs to feel comfortable. Offer an appealing kid’s menu, have entertainment for the kids and keep the noise levels at bay for older members of the family to make sure they are comfortable, too.

Add appeal to your establishment in celebration of Mother’s Day with floral elements and other décor choices that evoke Mother’s Day.

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Introduce a signature Mother’s Day cocktail: There are many ways to turn classic cocktails into signature drinks in honour of Mother’s Day.

ARTICLE SOURCED FROM BUZZTIME.COM

business matters

managing your business

November 2011

14

HOW REPORTING CAN

HELP RUN YOUR BUSINESS What gets measured gets managed. Reporting regularly and controlling costs is essential to successfully running your business. This is especially true in the hospitality industry which runs on tight margins and you need to understand costs and profit drivers. Remember that controlling costs has an immediate positive effect on your bottom line – it’s often easier to save a dollar than to generate additional sales.

BY ANDREW HARRIS & FONO SOSENE, GRANT THORNTON LTD

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here are four key aspects to reporting that will assist with management decisions:

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WEEKLY REPORTING MONTHLY REPORTING FORECASTED CASH FLOW FLOW

Monthly reporting

ANNUAL REPORTING

Weekly reporting Analysis reports for sales/margins/wages typically come from your point of sales (POS) reports. These should be used by managers to track outcomes for a given period e.g. to drive sales, push higher margins on certain products or manage hours worked by staff. Managers should be using this information to analyse and measure against forecasted results.

A manager should be able to determine what level of daily sales is required to break-even and then map the week out accordingly. Sales reports should assist managers in determining whether staff are upselling, how much each staff member is ‘selling’ per hour and how much income is generated per head of staff.

This is all valuable information to drive sales and to train staff in how and what products to promote. Margins for food and alcohol need close monitoring.

Remember to factor wage costs into your food margins. Are you making small margins on food that take an age to prepare?

Information about wages taken from your POS reports can assist with determining when you’re busy and quiet periods occur. Ensure you get maximum bang for buck, by carrying minimum staff and keep staff as busy as possible. Adjust starting times accordingly based on when sales typically start kicking off and send staff home early (if possible) during quiet periods.

Essentially your profit and loss (P&L) tells you how much profit the business has made. The balance sheet tells you how you are spending that profit and the health of your business financial position.

A monthly P&L is a useful tool to monitor margins against benchmarks. Ideally, over time you want to see the business getting some economies of scale and therefore the percentage of wages and overheads should be decreasing as sales increase. Comparing month-onmonth P&L results with previous years will assist with determining seasonality fluctuations – which is also useful for forecasting.

The balance sheet shows you what cash you would have if the business stopped. It includes income tax liabilities, GST, debt repayment obligations, capital expenditure, owner’s drawings and working capital. Working capital is important because it tells you whether the company has sufficient cash in order to pay its short term debts and operating expenses.

Forecasted cash flow Remember that ‘cash is king’.

Can you work with suppliers to find alternate ingredients that maximise your margins? business

C ONT INU ED ON F OL L OWIN G PAGE

SMART FINANCIAL REPORTING WILL SEE THE END OF THOSE HEADACHES

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member benefits

F ROM P RE VI OU S PAGE, How runni ng can he lp run your busi nes s

You need to carry enough cash buffer to pay your creditors and taxes. If you know a slow period is looming, ensure sufficient cash reserves are available to cover this downturn.

A forecasted cash flow will give you an idea of when you expect money to come in and at what level, verses money going out. If cash is tight, you may have to prioritise creditors and defer payment as much as possible.

Also, there is the trade-off of shareholders wanting to take money out of the business verses ensuring there is enough cash to pay debts. A forecasted cash flow will give owners a better handle on when they can take money out. If cash is tight you need to forecast cash flow out for at least 10 weeks. Talk to your advisor for more cash flow tips.

Annual reporting The annual report should be used to track year-on-year performance and to assist with forecasting. At this point there should be no surprises as the report should confirm the results that you’ve already seen from your monthly management accounts, which in turn were confirmed from your weekly analysis reports. If the results are drastically different to what you had expected, then you will need to go back and drill into the detail.

FOR FURTHER ENQUIRIES CONTACT: CONTACT: Andrew Harris, Partner, Privately Held Business Grant Thornton New Zealand Ltd Phone: (0)9 308 2986 Email: andrew.harris@nz.gt.com

Fono Sosene, Manager Grant Thornton New Zealand Ltd Phone: (0)9 308 2596 Email: fono.sosene@nz.gt.com

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employment matters

PREPARING YOUR BUSINESS FOR SALE If you are thinking of selling your business there are some commandments to consider when preparing your business for sale to maximise the price you receive….. BY CLYTH MACLEOD

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Thou shalt provide proof of profits!

All books and records should be clear and readily available.

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Thou shalt be willing to train!

Most of those purchasing a business are first-tome buyers and will need a minimum of two weeks training.

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t my recent webinar for the Restaurant Association on this topic I stressed the importance of having a business plan in place, giving serious thought to an exit strategy and having your business in a saleable condition at all times.

All sellers (or potential sellers) should be aware of the “10 commandments” as well as the valuation process which shows what your business is worth.

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Thou shalt provide a covenant not to compete!

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Thou shalt provide a complete list of assets!

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Thou shalt keep thy business in good repair!

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Thou shalt prepare the landlord for the sale!

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Thou shalt avoid surprises!

Buyers want to make certain they will not be competing with you for the same customers.

Buyers want to know what they are buying before making an offer.

Clean, neat appealing businesses sell.

And for those undergoing a rent review, remember the importance of undertaking research, understanding the landlord’s perspective… and being friendly.

Here are the sellers 10 commandments:

Landlords can be real ‘deal killers’ and buyers need to know if the lease will be assigned or a new lease will need to be negotiated.

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Thou shalt not be greedy!

Buyers look at many businesses before buying. Offering a reasonable price and terms will get a prudent buyers attention.

Surprises tend to destroy the buyers trust and will send them running, not walking, to another opportunity.

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Thou shalt have a good reason for selling!

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After the buyer asks “How much?”, the next question in “Why is the seller selling?”. The reason must be logical… to the buyer.

Thou shalt list with an experienced business broker!

That’s Clyth MacLeod Ltd...

business matters

WHY PAY FOR

GOODWILL? We sell cafes, restaurants, and fast food businesses priced from $10,000 to $millions. Often the goodwill part of the price is very high‌ and some prospective buyers think that they can save this by opening a new business.

BY CLYTH MACLEOD, CLYTH MACLEOD LTD .

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EMPLOYMENT

M AT T E R S

We examine some of the latest employment news, including getting to know your gen Y employees, job offers, performance management and more...

managing your business

November 2011

14

GETTING TO KNOW

GENERATION Y

Millenials, Gen Y, the Me Me Me Generation. Call them what you will but Gen Y are here to stay and they make up the bulk of the hospitality industry’s workforce, so it is worthwhile getting to know who they are, what motivates them and how we can connect best with them. BY NICOLA RICHARDS, Owner of Monsoon Poon & Chair of the Service Professionals Association of NZ

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ur Gen Y team at Monsoon Poon were mostly born in the 90s, an era of huge growth in technology, so they prefer to communicate quickly and effectively – mostly through email, text and social networks. They are motivated by clear goals, incentives and participation.

Generation Y’s are ambitious and confident, they respond well to feedback and gratitude and will look for opportunities for growth, often expecting things to move very quickly! Teamwork is very important to them and they need to feel involved.

So how can you get the best results from your Gen Y team?

Here are some suggestions: Your induction information should include career path options and opportunities for growth within the workplace.

Communicate team events, reminders and meetings through text message.

Create a staff facebook page where the team can communicate with managers and each other. Utilise this page to follow up training sessions with fun quizzes, photos and team announcements.

Celebrate Success! Emphasize fun and create energy, seek feedback from your team at meetings, on shift and through facebook.

Email your roster with some personal notes – congratulations on sales results, birthday wishes, welcome to new team members and so on.

Set goals for individuals and team to strive for.

Share your top sales figures – best selling dishes, cocktails and the like – the team need to know they have contributed to the success of your business.

Catch people doing something right and give them an instant reward.

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Generation Y want to be involved and included. They are keen to contribute and participate in decision making and there are a number of ways to make this happen.

employment matters

O O

O O O O

Ask for feedback when creating new menus and wine lists. Include team members in tasting new products.

Ask them to run the next wine tasting, this often gives you a better turnout and gives the presenter(s) a great new challenge.

Create a mentor or buddy program where your more experienced team are contributing to staff training.

Train the trainer and let them pass their skills on.

Reward your managers for helping people grow, focus on upskilling and cross-training.

Create a staff referral program which enables your current team to recommend a friend for available positions. Friends and family are very important to Gen Y and a great team culture with like minded people can stabilise your staff turnover.

Like everyone, Gen Y will experience failure or mistakes – use this as an educational moment and provide some life mentoring with your own stories. Take the time to guide and nurture your Millenials, they, and your customers, will love you for it!

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PROACTIVE WAYS TO

ADDRESS PERFORMANCE Addressing the issue of an employee who is not reaching a satisfactory level of performance in your business is often filed in the too hard basket. However the only acceptable manner of managing these types of issues is to proactively work through them, over time, and with employee input.

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e’ve heard many cases where an employer will choose to reduce an employees hours (sometimes drastically) rather than address these performance concerns. However, this 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.

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

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NOT PROACTIVE...

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.

need help? call us on 0800 737 827

employment matters

KEEPING YOUR PROMISE

HAVE YOU MADE AN OFFER THAT YOU CANNOT KEEP? An employment relationship commences with an offer and acceptance of employment. This is a simple contract law premise, but there are a few legal tips that employers need to watch out for, especially in relation to trial periods and personal grievances.

BY JODI SHARMAN, Senior Solicitor, Hesketh Henry

I

t is important to remember that the definition of an employee under the Employment Relations Act 2000 (ERA) includes a person intending to work. A person intending to work is subsequently defined as a person who has been offered, and accepted, work as an employee.

OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE An offer of employment can take many forms. For example, it could be an offer over the telephone or via an email, or the successful applicant could receive a letter of offer or a written employment agreement to review. The key requirement is that it must be an offer which is capable of acceptance; that is, an offer where the person knows, or is aware of, the essential terms of employment such as hours of work, location, remuneration, the position and its duties.

The ERA requires an employer bargaining for an individual employment agreement to provide a copy of the intended agreement to the employee, advise the employee they can take independent advice, give them time to do so, and consider and respond to any issues raised by the employee. The clear implication (although it is not specifically set out) is that the offer of employment must be in writing, in the form of an agreement. The failure of an employer to do this does not invalidate the employment offer or agreement. All it does is establish that the employer has breached the ERA in respect of the bargaining process. This renders the employer liable to a penalty.

All terms of employment do not have to be settled for a contract of employment to have formed but the successful applicant does have to confirm acceptance of the offer.

Acceptance can also take many forms, such as a ‘yes I would love the job’ on

JOB

18

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

the telephone or by reply email, or the returning of a signed employment agreement.

Note that if the employer’s offer requests that acceptance needs to be in writing, then it needs to be in writing for acceptance to be effective. It is also important to note that an offer can expire or be revoked if not accepted prior. However, once accepted, the offer can no longer be cancelled or revoked and the successful applicant magically turns into an employee!

PERSONAL GRIEVANCES As a person intending to work is an employee under the ERA, they are entitled to access the statutory personal grievance procedure from the date they accept the offer of employment.

It is important to remember that even if the employee has not commenced work in the business yet (in fact, they may still be working for another employer), they must be treated as an employee for all intents and purposes. For example, an employer cannot decide that they no longer require the successful applicant and advise them that they are no longer needed. This would almost certainly amount to an unjustified dismissal.

TRIAL PERIODS Employers can employ employees, whom they have not previously employed, on a trial period for up to 90 days from the commencement of employment. The employee on a valid and enforceable trial period is then barred from bringing a personal grievance in respect of any dismissal during the trial period.

OFFER

Employment commences when it is offered and accepted.

C ONT INU ED ON F OL L OWIN G P AGE

member benefits F ROM P RE VI OU S PAGE, Keep ing you r p ro mi s e

If the offer of employment does not contain a written trial period then the employee cannot subsequently be placed on one.

The reasoning for this proposition is that an employee employed previously includes an existing or current employee of the employer, even if they have been an employee for only a short while, and even though the employee may not have yet commenced work. If employment has commenced prior to the written trial period being agreed then the person is already an employee and cannot then be placed on a trial period. For example, if there is an offer and acceptance of employment on the telephone or via email and only after does the employer give the employee a draft employment agreement to review, with a compliant trial period in it, the person is already an employee and therefore the trial period will be null and void.

Employers need to be vigilant that they (or any recruiter acting on their behalf) do not make an offer of employment capable of acceptance over the telephone as there is then no possibility of a trial period.

BEST PRACTICE In a nutshell, do not make an offer of employment that you cannot keep.

If you wish to place a new employee on a trial period it is best practice that the offer of employment includes a written employment agreement containing a compliant trial period, and the agreement should be agreed and signed before the employee commences work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR For more information please contact Jodi Sharman, Senior Solicitor at Hesketh Henry on 09 375 7637 or email jodi.sharman@heskethhenry.co.nz

employment matters

employment matters

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

WHETHER TO OPEN OR NOT

We are not quite done with the public holidays yet, with Queens Birthday approaching in a few weeks. As there was still a lot of confusion arising over the Easter public holidays and ANZAC day (primarily around when businesses are allowed to trade) we’d like to refresh your memory about opening on these days.

Q

ueen’s Birthday is observed this year on Monday 2nd June. If you’d like to open as usual then you are entitled to do so – there isn’t a restriction on when you can open, or whether you are able to serve alcohol to your patrons on this day.

Any employees who work on this Monday are entitled to be paid time and a half for the hours they work and if Monday is a normal day of work for them then they will also receive a full day’s paid leave to take some time in the future, as recompense for working on a public holiday. The paid day off is paid when the employee takes the day off, not ‘paid out’ straight away.

We recognise that almost half of the industry now close on public holidays. So if you choose to close your business on that day, your staff who normally work on Monday’s will be entitled to be paid for the statutory holiday.

Not sure if a particular staff member is entitled to be paid or not? While it is generally straightforward for those on set rosters to establish whether that day would otherwise have been a normal working day, the situation is often more complex when it comes to the hospitality industry and employees who work irregular hours and shifts. Common sense and good communication are key here. You need to be able to show that you calculated as fairly as possible whether an employee would have worked on that day, had it not been a public holiday. As a suggestion, look back over five weeks and see how many Monday’s they worked. You may also need to consider things like week on, week off rostering and other factors. Be reasonable in your calculations.

What about surcharges? Results of Restaurant Association surveys on public holiday surcharges indicate that there is an evenly split opinion in the industry about them. Our view is that if the best decision for your business is to apply a surcharge, then by all means do so. It is essential that your customers know that one will apply – and not up at the cashier when they go to pay after their meal. This must be communicated before they have eaten, either by the wait staff, with signage, or on the menu. This provides the customer with the option to choose to dine elsewhere if they have an issue with paying a surcharge (although we think in reality very few do).

Obviously, as the surcharge is a way to recoup back some of the additional labour costs incurred on public holidays, it would not be appropriate to apply the surcharge on any other days over the long weekend.

If you decide not to surcharge, again, that is an individual business decision. We hope that you build the extra cost of trading on public holidays into your menu pricing over the year, rather than simply bearing the additional cost of opening.

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

19

EVENTS PROGRAMME While winter is a quieter time of year for business in many regions, there is certainly still a lot going on.

Have a look at some of the events and awards coming up...

COME DISCOVER THE EVENT WHICH IS

THE HUB OF HOSPITALITY 2014 NZ CULINARY FARE | 1717-19 AUGUST, 2014

T

he Restaurant Association and our generous sponsors are proud to bring you the NZ Culinary Fare which is being held at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau. Diary these dates now!

| START PLANNING NOW FOR THE EVENT | The NZ Culinary Fare 2014 schedule has just been released and is enclosed with this copy of THE Thymes. It is also available online at www.restaurantnz.co.nz. Please advise your staff of the numerous competitions at the Culinary Fare and encourage them to enter. The official entry form is available from the website. | ENGAGING NEW COMPETITIONS | As well as all the popular, favourite classes, we are introducing some new classes this Year.

The Waiters’ Race is a fun new feature for the whole team to get involved in, with up to $10,000 in prizes. We are also hosting the final of Auckland City Council’s Fusional Food cook-off competition.

We also see the return of prestigious competitions where NZ titles are up for grabs; Training Team of the Year, Nestlé Toque d’Or and Cookery Apprentice of the Year.

Plus many other additions to the schedule.

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SOUTHERN HOS

nd

We are looking forward to seeing you and your competing staff at the New Zealand Culinary Fare!

For more information contact Emily Harrison or Pip Duncan at the Restaurant Association on 0800 737 827 and go to www.restaurantnz.co.nz for regular updates

P I TA L I T Y

ta

| COMING FROM OUT OF TOWN? | Accommodation offers are available at the Jet Park Hotel and IBIS Budget at Auckland Airport and there are several other options within walking distance of the Vodafone Events Centre.

LTD

For all your h

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lit pita

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qu

ipm

en

May—June MAY

05

05

06

Start of Term Two (schools)

Restaurant Association national webinar, webinar Pinterest and Instagram for Beginners, presented by EvaEva-Maria

Restaurant Association professional development, Strategies to Increase Your Bottom Line, presented by Richard Sigley, Don Fletcher & John Hellebrekers

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

06

06

06

09

Restaurant Association Visiting Hour @ Orakei Bay

- 9, HOFEX, Hong Kong

Bidvest Food Show, Auckland

- 11 Wellington Culinary Fare, Westpac Stadium, Wellington

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.hofex.com

www.bidvestfoodshows.co.nz

www.nzchefs.org.nz

10

11

12

14

Southern Lights Salon Culinaire, Aoraki Polytechnic, Timaru

Mothers Day

Restaurant Association Hawkes’s Bay Branch @ Craggy Range, Staff Retention and Immigration Issues, presented by Mike Egan & guests

Restaurant Association Masterclass @ taste, 45 Normanby Road, Pacific Asian Cuisine, presented by Che Barrington

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

15

16

17

- 18 Noosa International Food & Wine Festival, Noosa, Australia

Restaurant Association professional development, Managing Staff Performance, presented by Keith Vaughn @ Café Valentino, Christchurch

- 20 NRA Show, Chicago, USA

www.noosafoodandwine.com.

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.restaurant.org

18

19

20

24

Central Salon, Hawke’s Bay Culinary Fare, EIT, Napier

Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards, MTG Century Theatre, Napier

Bluff Oyster Festival, Bluff

www.nzchefs.org.nz

www.foodhawkesbay.co.nz

Restaurant Association professional development, Understanding Your Clients To Help Drive Sales, presented by Margaret Main @ taste, 45 Normanby Road, Mt Eden www.restaurantnz.co.nz

26

26

Bidvest Food Show, Hamilton and 27— Tauranga 28—Rotorua

Christchurch Hospitality Awards, Christchurch

www.bidvestfoodshows.co.nz

www.hospitalityawards.co.nz

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www.bluffoysterfest.co.nz

01 JUNE

Lewisham Hospitality Awards, Shed 10, Auckland www.lewishamawards.co.nz

02

08

10

16

-04 London Wine Fair, Olympia, London

Northland Chefs Salon, Northtec, Whangarei

Restaurant Association professional development, How To Attract The Right Staff @ taste, 45 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland

Restaurant Association national webinar, webinar Understanding Your P&L presented by Fono Sosene

www.londonwinefair.com

www.nzchefs.org.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

events—national & in ternational

employment matters

BARISTAS SET TO FIGHT IT OUT AT BARISTA SMACKDOWN The Restaurant Association's newest national event is the high energy, intense competition of the 'Barista Smackdown', sponsored by Tiger Coffee and IncaInca-Fé.

This fastfast-paced tournament style event will pit up to 96 baristas against one another over three days of action.

A

dapted from a successful international format, the New Zealand Barista Smackdown is the brainchild of Restaurant Association Canterbury President, Sam Crofsky. It will be the first competition of its kind to take place in Auckland and the biggest the country has seen to date.

This smackdown will be tournament style, with single elimination rounds. Two names at random are called up to face each other in a one on one, lay the smackdown on your opponent, win or go home, pour off. Whoever outpours the other will be showered down upon with praise, while the loser’s latte will be discarded mercilessly.

Too harsh? Too intense? Hey, this is the smackdown.

Sponsored by Inca-Fe and Tiger Coffee, the winning barista will receive $1000 cash and their registered cafe will receive an equipment pack valued up to $1000.

The event will be held at Fine Food NZ, ASB Showgrounds (Hall 4) from the 22-24 June 2014.

Registrations are now open so go online to www.restaurantnz.co.nz to enter (registrations close on 29th May).

Only one lucky barista can be crowned Smackdown champion!

...AND FOR FRONT OF HOUSE STAFF SPEED AND AND AGILITY IS KEY

TO WINNING THE WAITERS’ RACE W

e are inviting you to get together your wait staff to go head to head with other establishments from around the country, armed with a waiter’s tray, a full glass and a bottle of wine...for the New Zealand’s Best Dining Guide Waiters’ Race. Races will be held for Auckland/Northland (2.30 pm on 19th August at the NZ Culinary Fare), Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and the finals will be held in Auckland.

As an amazing incentive for businesses to gather their team together to enter, NZ's Best Dining Guide has need help? call us on 0800 737 827

offered up to $10,000 in prizes for the winning establishment in each region.

We’ll confirm further details shortly so start planning now.

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

23

SALE & SUPPLY

OF ALCOHOL

Now that the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act has come fully into force, we update on some of the key issues arising from it’s implementation. In this issue we look at staff training...

employment matters

STAFF TRAINING FOR NEW ALCOHOL LAWS While having a formal staff training plan in place for the sale and supply of alcohol is not a legal requirement of the new Act, it is certainly something you will be required to outline when you undergo your liquor licence renewal. A training plan provides staff with clear roles and responsibilities and develops service that will ensure that staff are successful in implementing your host responsibility practices and meeting your obligations under the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

T

he object of the Act is to ensure the sale and supply of alcohol is undertaken safely and responsibly.

Training in this area will comprise part of an employee’s initial induction as well as ongoing instruction for all staff.

As a tool to assist members to implement a staff training plan, we outline some of the key considerations when formulating one for your premises.

of

INTOXICATION Staff should know how to recognise signs of intoxication, methods of preventing intoxication, and know the steps they need to take if dealing with an intoxicated person.

1

What happens if an intoxicated person tries to enter the premises? Staff should know that they are required by law (and failure may result in them, and the manager and owner, receiving a fine) to: O Prevent anyone becoming intoxicated O Refuse service to anyone who is intoxicated O Ensure intoxicated customers leave the premises O Prevent intoxicated persons from entering premises O Remove violent, quarrelsome, insulting or disorderly customers from the premises

2

How do you recognise intoxication? Training should be provided to all staff on recognising typical intoxication indicators. The law says that a person is intoxicated when they are affected by alcohol or drugs, or other substances, to such a degree that two or more of the following are evident: O Speech is impaired (slurring, difficulty forming words, loud, repetitive, loss of train of thought, nonsensical, unintelligible) O Coordination is impaired (spills drinks, trips, weaves, walks into things, unable to stand or sit straight) O Appearance is affected (bloodshot eyes, eyes glazed, unable to focus, tired, asleep, dishevelled) O Behaviour is impaired (inappropriate actions or language, aggressive, rude, belligerent, obnoxious)

3 26

How do you monitor a customer’s consumption?

Provide tips on a servers role in monitoring the effect

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

of alcohol on customers – things like talking with the customer/building a rapport, monitoring glass collection.

4

How can you prevent intoxication? Staff also need to know techniques for preventing intoxication. This may be the encouragement of low or non-alcoholic beverages, or food. Providing water alongside their drink or slowing down service are also useful techniques.

5

What do you do if you think someone is intoxicated? It needs to be made clear at what point a staff member should involve management and others about what is going on. What is the policy on who can refuse service - is this communicated to a customer by the manager, or the server? Whose responsibility is it to remove a customer from the premises or to a place of safety (and do all staff know where that place is)?

MINORS ON THE PREMISES PREMISES Depending on your liquor licence, people under the age of 18 may be allowed on the premises, but they will not be able to purchase alcohol under any circumstances.

1

Explain the designation of the premise’s liquor licence and what that means. If the licence is undesignated or supervised explain that people under the age of 18 are allowed on the premises, and may even be able to sale & supply of alcohol

drink on the premises, but only if the alcohol is purchased for them by a parent or legal guardian. Outline the definition of a legal guardian – it’s not just an older person with them, it is a legal status and customers will be responsible for establishing proof of the relationship.

2

If they look underage what is the policy? Many premises will have a policy to ask anyone who looks under the age of 25 to provide ID. Servers need to be clear that there are no exceptions to your establishment policy and be made aware of the potential consequences, for them, and the business, for serving to a minor.

3

ID – what proof of age is allowed? There are only three types of acceptable forms of ID outlined in the sale and supply of alcohol regulations. These are, a current passport (New Zealand or overseas), a New Zealand photo drivers licence, an approved 18+ evidence of age card. Staff need to be aware they can (and must) refuse any other types of identification.

4

Date of birth - calculating the age correctly. Do you have a sign to help ensure servers identify the correct age? If you do, make sure they know where to find it. This is useful as you don’t need to rely on a staff member’s mathematics skills and it can easily be updated daily. If you don’t do this, ensure servers are comfortable with making this calculation on their own (today’s date, subtract 18; anyone born after that date is under age).

5

Checking ID. Do you have a procedure for checking ID? Go through this process and outline tips for spotting a fake ID. O Check the date of birth first – you may not need to go any further than that point O Hold the ID and feel for: raised edges around the photo, bumpy surfaces, irregular lamination, cuts, slits, or pin holes, peeling lamination or uneven corners, thickness and quality of the ID O Check the photo: look at the person first and try and identify distinguishing features, then look at the photo – do they match?

O Shine a torch behind the photo and date of birth.

O If in doubt you can ask for a second piece of ID, or get them to sign, then check their signature

6

What do you if it is suspected the ID is fake? Be clear on the procedure at this point. In all cases the ID should be retained and the involvement of the manager should be requested.

LOW & NONNON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE OPTIONS

1

What options are available? Are staff as familiar with the range of low and non alcoholic drinking options as they are with your wine list’s other beverage options?

Have a quiz to see if they know the range and talk through ways of promoting these options. sale & supply of alcohol

2

Drinking water. The Act specifies that free drinking water must be readily available for customers.

Ensure all staff know where to direct customers, if a water station is set up in a particular area of the premises, or what the policy for promoting and providing free water is if it is accessible from the bar.

3

Does the business have a policy for offering these options as part of your host responsibility plan? If so staff need to be trained on when and how these options may be encouraged for designated drivers or subtly suggested to customers who need to slow down their alcohol consumption.

FOOD OPTIONS A range of substantial food options need to be available at all times that the premises is still operating.

1

Ensure that all staff are aware that food items are available at all times, times even after the kitchen may be closed for service of main meals. Make it clear that it is not acceptable to say that the kitchen is closed – if the business is still open then menu items need to be available, although it may be a different menu. Quiz staff to see how familiar they are with the late night or snacks food items and on promoting this menu.

2

Train staff on the reasons for, and how to go about, encouraging the consumption of food when customers are consuming alcohol.

TRANSPORT OPTIONS An on-licence holder must ensure that there is free, readily available, comprehensive and accurate information about the forms of transport that are available from the premises.

1

What alternative forms of transport can customers use when leaving the premises? Make staff aware that it is their responsibility to provide information on alternative transport options and make arrangements for customers if necessary. Ensure all staff know where they can find this information and if you have a relationship with a particular transport provider. What is the business’ policy – will you provide the customer with business cards and let them phone themselves, or will your staff do that for them?

2

What is the policy if a server is concerned about ensuring a customer gets home safely? safely

These are just some of the key areas that may form the basis of your staff training with regards to the sale and supply of alcohol. Ensure that your training plan is regularly reviewed and updated, and be consistent with retraining existing staff to ensure they get regular a refresher of information on your premises policy.

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

27

international update

November 2011 MEMBERSPOTLIGHT SPOTLIGHT

27

THE COFFEE CLUB The Coffee Club began in November 1989 in Australia at Brisbane's Eagle Street Pier. Founded

by Emmanuel Kokoris and Emmanuel Drivas and joined by an additional director, John Lazarou, in 1990, The Coffee Club franchise now boasts over 340 outlets, including 280 cafes throughout Australia and 49 in New Zealand. We talk to NZ directors, Brad Jacobs and Andy Lucas about The Coffee Club and the franchise industry in New Zealand.

BRAD ~ You have an average of five to six new cafes opening each year. Do you build from scratch or do you remodel existing sites?

ANDY ~ Most operators in New Zealand Fare and so many other smaller groups. I find attracting and retaining great staff is a believe it does build customer loyalty but more importantly it provides TCC brand challenge. How do recruit staff?

It is a challenge, but we have found that the strength of The Coffee Club brand has certainly helped us over the years to attract a better calibre of team members. We also have good opportunities for team members to work their way into more senior positions within The Coffee Club Do you have long term relationships with Group. Most of our training team the companies that fit out your outlets?

We have been using Shears and Mak since members over the years have been team the first store opened in Wellington and we members from stores that we have still use them today. Over time as we have recruited into our Support Team. gone through years of significant growth, we have also used Southern Hospitality to What systems are in place to ensure build our stores. consistency across the outlets? Do you The majority of new stores are built from scratch, but often using existing locations.

This allows us to build the café or restaurant to suit The Coffee Club model.

have mystery shoppers?

Do franchisees pay you a flat annual rate, or is it a % of turnover?

The ongoing franchise fee is 6% of weekly sales. This revenue is used to remunerate our support team of professionals who provide ongoing support to all franchisees in the relevant areas of our business.

Is there a restriction on how many km’s apart outlets must be located?

This varies, but it is usually 2km.

The Coffee Club provides their franchisees with an Operations Manual which covers all the operations systems that will be required to run The Coffee Club and ensure consistency across all stores. More importantly though, our Business Development Managers visit stores on a regular basis to assist with improving operations and sales, as well as consistency and compliance to The Coffee Club brand.

We also run a mystery shopping programme using GAPbusters. Mystery shoppers visit The Coffee Club stores and The cost of raw coffee beans usually takes experience our food, coffee and service about 12 months to hit us in New Zealand. provided as a normal customer.

Having said that, we have always tried to The Coffee Club is active in providing absorb those increases in cost within our business or have worked with our suppliers sponsorship to a number of charities, as well as supporting the Restaurant to absorb the cost. For example, we have Association’s NZ Culinary Fare. Do you not had a menu price rise in over two find sponsorship as a marketing initiative years.

Is the global coffee bean shortage a cost that is passed on to your customers, or are the café owners absorbing it?

What are the biggest challenges in operating a café in New Zealand?

New Zealand has a very proud coffee market and is very experienced. We are always working hard to stay ahead of the market when it comes to coffee. The café market is also very competitive, so a successful operator needs to ensure they deliver above and beyond the customers’ expectations if they want to retain them. business initiatives

helps to build customer loyalty and introduce new customers to the business?

with a higher level of credibility.

You are now the title sponsor of the Good Morning show. Have you noticed a change/increase in clientele since this was launched?

Through the sponsorship and the launch of our Good Morning Combos, we have definitely seen an increase in some customer markets. It is still early days though and we will be looking to focus more advertising on the Good Morning Combos throughout the year.

What are your most successful marketing schemes? Do you offer any loyalty programs?

One of our most successful campaigns was our generic brand awareness campaign on TV where we showcased exactly what The Coffee Club was known for, Good Food, Great Service and Excellent Coffee. It was successful because it struck at the heart of our customers with a strong reinforcement of what The Coffee Club is all about.

Our VIP Club is our loyalty programme which offers a range of benefits. Unlike other loyalty programs, The Coffee Club's VIP Club provides our customers with fantastic benefits as soon as they join, such as ‘Buy one coffee, get one free’ as well as other offers. Our average VIP Club member saves more than $400 per year!

How do keep in touch with your customers? Do you engage with social media?

We communicate to our customers in a range of ways, particularly on social media as its presence has increased in the Our intention to support charities and market. We have a strong following on sponsor not-for-profit events has been driven by our attitude to ‘give back’ to the Facebook and we try to keep our posts and updates as dynamic as possible. We community who has helped us grow TCC also have a Twitter and Instagram brand to what it is today. As we have grown, we have been fortunate enough to following but it is definitely Facebook which we find is most engaging with our help others though sponsorships with KidsCan, Blue September, the NZ Culinary customers.

THE THYMES September 2012

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UPCOMING MEETING 6 T H M a y , Au c kl a n d

UPCOMING AWARDS 1 S T J u ne , Au c kl a n d

UPCOMING AWARDS 2 4 T H Ju ne , Ro t o r u a

UPCOMING AWARDS 1 9 T H M a y, N a p i e r

UPCOMING MEETING 1 7 T H Ju ne , N e w Pl y m ou t h

REGIONAL UPDATES

UPCOMING MEETING M a y , Q u e e n s to w n

UPCOMING AWARDS 2 6 T H M a y, C h r i s t c h u r c h

new members

November 2011

19

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.

Abode Café, Lower Hutt

Mozaik Cafe Takapuna, Auckland

Benediction Café, Auckland

Norma Blue Café, Wellington

Cafe Chavi, Wellington

Okurukuru Restaurant, New Plymouth

Cafe Royale, Palmerston North

Pita Pit Pakuranga, Auckland

Casey's Café, Oakura

Raja's Indian Restaurant and Bar, Auckland

Cavalier Tavern, Auckland

Raviz Food and Liquor, Auckland

Clean Eats, Tauranga

Raviz Indian Cuisine, Auckland

Columbus Coffee Tauranga (Gate Pa), Tauranga

Recaffeinate, Tauranga

Eduardo's Restaurant, Auckland

Sierra Coffee, Centre Place, Hamilton

Fast N Fresh, Auckland

Thai Lotus Restaurant, Hastings

Flour and Water Eatery, Mount Maunganui

The Coffee Club Mission Bay, Auckland

Grand Thai Restaurant, Hamilton

Mexico, Ellerslie, Auckland

Matsu Sushi, North Shore

The Night Owl Restaurant and Bar, Piopio

Mavis Made to Order, Hamilton

Tin Goose, Queenstown

Mint Café, Wellington

Village Pizzeria One Tree Grill, Auckland

Mozaik Café, Grafton, Auckland

www.dinefind.co.nz ~ the Assoc iation’s online directory

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

31

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… …

TARANAKI

September 2011

tales from

taranaki

W

e have had the most brilliant summer weatherwise. Weeks – months(!) of sunny, dry days which have kept people out and about.

Not too many changes and new eateries this month. Fitzroy has seen the opening of The Contented Pig – a little café selling predominantly vegetarian food. Sam and Russell Holder, a young English couple, have had a change of career path; from engineer to self-taught chef for Russell and Sam has studied naturopathy, nutrition and herbal medicine.

Fred and Kate Laude who own Petite Paris, our cute French-themed café, have produced another offspring called Paris Plage – an outdoor summer café, constructed from two shipping containers, on the Coastal Walkway.

MEXICO

The containers are enhanced by casual seating made up of butterfly chairs, bean bags and an eclectic mix of other seats. They have just gained their liquor licence, and plan to hold outdoor movie evenings, singer/songwriter events and weekend entertainment for the children – their focus being a familyfriendly environment. They’ve had a most successful first summer and will close at the end of May, reopening on Labour weekend.

A Turkish café has opened in Moturoa, which makes about 3 or 4 of that particular cuisine style in town now, plus a caravan option for late night diners in the Huatoki Plaza.

Mexico has just opened.

Once again New Plymouth hosted an International Triathlon Event a few weeks back. We had brilliant weather for the day and it was well attended by both overseas and national entrants. The only down side was that it started and ended at the port which is our stomping ground, and the road closures effectively ruined the Sunday trade for all the businesses in Breakwater Bay—businesses which include two restaurants, a café, a takeaway fish and chip shop, gift shops, a hunting and fishing shop, a fishing charter business, the local underwater fishing club, surf life-saving club and several more.

As Sunday is our busiest day of the week this event generated a lot of unnecessary anger and frustration for the business people. Our submissions to council succeeded in keeping one road partially open, but the detour route was so obscure it was difficult for people to

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THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

drive to us. I’ve made more submissions to council and to the organisers since the event, and I’m hoping this will ensure at least some communication and cooperation between the organisers and ourselves before the next event. We lost a lot of trade (read money!) as a result. As I pointed out to the council, it doesn’t seem quite right that the organisers make their money by effectively depriving us of ours – and we’re the local rate payers after all.

They’re here today and gone tomorrow!

WOMAD came, bringing all the flavours of the world with it and even though the weather wasn’t as good as it could have been, it was as successful as ever.

Food, Flavour, Fun and Foreigners – everywhere! It was great. Such a colourful fabulous event for the young and not-so-young. It really was a good ending for the summer.

A single-handed yacht race set out from New Plymouth on Easter Sunday. The Solo Trans-Tasman Challenge, an ocean race sailed every four years between New Plymouth and Queensland’s Mooloolaba, set sail virtually from our front door. These yachts are the other end of the spectrum from the million dollar babies we watched battling it out on television just a few short months back. We had our coffee machines at the ready to slake the thirst of the crowds lining up to send off this years’ 15 brave adventurous souls.

I always appreciate the opportunities that the Restaurant Association’s professional development calendar offers us.

C ONT INU ED ON F OL L OWIN G PAGE

re gional update

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… …

WELLINGTON

regional updates

F ROM P RE VI OU S PAGE, T a ran k i Ta l k

from the capital: from the capital:

hot plate coming through

changes Lone Star, Matterhorn and Fox Glove are all on the market.

Martin Bosley's restaurant has closed at the expiration of the lease.

Grill Meats Beer, a new eatery on Cuba Street, had its opening delayed due to issues with the extract system not being fit for purpose. This highlights the need to make sure any design and build contracts clearly state who is responsible for rectifying problems and making good any losses.

rumours, happenings and events Whilst Easter trading hours don’t normally impact on our members who are predominantly restaurants and cafes we do have a few who operate as bars and therefore have to close from midnight Thursday and reopen midnight Friday and then trade for just 4 hours.

This has significant impact on their turnover and at this stage it looks like these restrictive hours over the Easter holidays are here to stay.

FOX GLOVE

from the front line!

One of our members seated a group who were celebrating the hosts’ investiture at Government House, where upon the host turned and said to the Maitre D’ “as a member of your upper demographic, could you turn the music off".

Even though many of the seminars are in Auckland, we find it well worth the effort of bringing key staff up to experience these seminars. We brought eight front of house staff up in March and a couple of chefs up for The Riverhead masterclass at the end of April. We look forward to perhaps hosting some quality speakers in Taranaki in the coming year.

We had an excellent turnout to our local meeting in March, with nearly 25 of us enjoying Ron Trigg showcasing Mikes Organic Beers, Nicolas Han’s delicious canapés and Sohnke Danger’s hospitality at Okurukuru..

Allan Roukema from Nova Energy spoke to us about what Nova has to offer our members and he also donated a spot prize of a dozen of Mikes Ales. Sabra and Tracey from head office were talking to us about the apprentice programme, rounding up new members and helping us with our AGM which we held at the same time. After four years as Restaurant Association president for the local region, Joe Deegan stepped down from the role and I was voted into the position. I feel quite humbled as well as honoured that people put their trust in me and I’m looking forward to the fun and the challenges ahead.

Kind regards Mike Egan, Restaurant Association National President

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday June 17th from 5pm – 7pm – venue yet to be decided. I’m interested in how other businesses retain their valued customers and generate regular return visits, so I’ve invited Lindsay Loveridge to speak to us on that very subject. Lindsay has owned several very successful hair salons and has some good stuff to offer. Her clientele are our clientele – women who have money and want to regularly spend it with successful operators who make them feel good! I’m also working on a local wine supplier to lubricate the evening so watch this space. I hope lots of you can join us for this next meeting.

e: monsoonpoon@actrix.co.nz m: 021 966 667

With warm regards El Presidente : )

Another manager soothed a stressed waitress who was having to deal with a super grumpy customer in the restaurant by saying, “Hey, silver linings! You only have to look after her for an hour or so, that poor guy with her has to wake up next to her every morning!”.

Barbara Olsen-Henderson Bach on Breakwater e: barbara_olsen@xtra.co.nz c e o ’ s r e pEoAr tTS BEER GRILL M

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REGIONAL ROUNDUP… …

HAWKE’S BAY

September 2011

23

news from

wine country

Workers and associates of the Hawke’s Bay hospitality sector have spoken and the finalists for the Hawke’s Bay Hospitality Awards 2014 have been announced.

T

he finalist list includes some establishments and personnel who are highly regarded amongst the industry, proving they have stood the test of time and also recognised are new, emerging establishments offering a fresh and innovative dining experience to the region.

The next phase of the event sees the industry vote for one of the four finalists in each category and the person or establishment that receives the most votes in their category will be announced as the winner at an awards ceremony to be held at the MTG Century Theatre, on Monday 19th May 2014.

Vicky Rope, Manager Food Hawke’s Bay, organiser of the event said “it’s great to have such a high calibre of finalists, such as the coffee baristas that have represented NZ in championships, and the return of long running establishments standing their ground in a busy dining market”.

The 2014 finalists in each of the sponsored categories are:

ORTON CATERING OUTSTANDING WINERY EXPERIENCE

Clearview Estate Winery Black Barn Vineyard Elephant Hill Craggy Range

FOXTON FIZZ OUTSTANDING CAFÉ EXPERIENCE

Milk & Honey F.G.Smith Eatery Adoro Cafe Taste Cornucopia STEINLAGER PURE OUTSTANDING ESTABLISHMENT

Shed 2 Rose & Shamrock Common Room Emporium RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OUTSTANDING ETHNIC RESTAURANT

Indigo Namaskar India Restaurant Restaurant Indonesia Mamacita ZEELANDT BREWERY OUTSTANDING WINERY RESTAURANT

Clearview Estate Winery Restaurant Elephant Hill Terroir at Craggy Range Black Barn Bistro DHALL & NASH OUTSTANDING WINE & BEVERAGE LIST

Deliciosa Common Room Mister D Milk & Honey EIT OUTSTANDING FRONT OF HOUSE TEAM

Deliciosa Pacifica Mister D Emporium EFTPOS SPECIALISTS OUTSTANDING FRONT OF HOUSE PERSONALITY

Kees Peters, Restaurant Indonesia Prue Barton, Mister D Chris Dobson, Emporium Kim Davis, Deliciosa GRANDE GOURMET OUTSTANDING ESTABLISHED RESTAURANT

Pacifica

regional update

Mister D Deliciosa Milk & Honey ELEPHANT HILL OUTSTANDING EMERGING RESTAURANT

Mahia St Kitchen Mexi Mama Mamacita Emporium CLEARVIEW ESTATE WINERY BEST AMBIENCE AND STYLE

Mister D Emporium Mamacita Mission Estate Restaurant SACRED HILL OUTSTANDING CHEF

Paolo Pancotti, Molto Italian Kitchen Cliff Fernandes Emporium David Griffiths, Mister D James Beck, Taste Cornucopia NAPIER I-SITE OUTSTANDING BARISTA

Andrew Feldon, Hawthorne Coffee Al Borrie, Box Espresso Bar Hans Seitzinger, Adoro Cafe Ben Simcox, Groove Kitchen BASEPOINT OUTSTANDING LOCAL

Rose Irish Pub Westshore Inn Rose & Shamrock Common Room FOOD HAWKE’S BAY OUTSTANDING SALES REP/SUPPLIER

Lisa Clarke, Clearview Estate Winery David Thompson, Grande Gourmet Steve Olley, Elephant Hill Jan Patulski, Vetro Fine Foods REGAL MARLBOROUGH SALMON SUPPORTING CHEF

Harata Neera, Pacifica Restaurant Andrea Davis, Mister D Joe Smith, Emporium Courtney Booth, Mint Restaurant

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35

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… CANTERBURY

Catching up with

canterbury

I

t is also awards season for the Canterbury Region, with finalist voting currently underway for the three finalists in each category. Trents, Crombie Lockwood, the Restaurant Association, Coca-Cola, Brown Bread, McCarthy and The Press have come on board to support the Awards.

Go to www.hospitalityawards.co.nz today to make your vote but be quick as voting closes on 14th May. Here are the finalists:

PROFESSIONALS OF THE YEAR ABSOLUT BARTENDER OF THE YEAR Toby Eaton - Harlequin Public House Greg Robinson – Astro Lounge Adam Wood – King of Snake DJCA MANAGER OF THE YEAR Ross Herrick – Dux Dine Keith Anderson – Fiddlesticks Edward Martin – Baretta

SPECIALTY SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR Mercato Canterbury Cheesemongers Good Honest Products

ONE MUSIC BAR OF THE YEAR Baretta Civil and Naval The Monday Room

ISITE & SIGNBIZ BEVERAGE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR Hancocks Pernod Ricard Three Boys Brewery

GRABONE RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Harlequin Public House Chillingworth Road Dux Dine

STONELEIGH FIT OUT DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Baretta – Simon Scarlett & Gregor Ferguson, LSDC Gorilla - Callum Pankhurst, Crafted Harlequin Public House - George Binnersley and Johnny Schwass

ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE YEAR MEADOW FRESH CAFÉ OF THE YEAR C1 Espresso Beat Street Cafe Ris’ tretto

RADIO LIVE REGIONAL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE YEAR Black Estate Pegasus Bay Winery Nor’ Wester Café NEW OR RETURNING ESTABLISHMENT OF THE YEAR Dux Dine Black Estate Harlequin Public House

The awards will be held on 26th May, with tickets on sale soon.

GRINDERS CHEF OF THE YEAR Darren Wright – Chillingworth Road Tristan Anderson - Dux Dine Nick Freeman – Freeman’s HUHTAMAKI BARISTA OF THE YEAR Luciano Marcolino – Luciano Espresso Bar Brad Howard - Ris’tretto Matthew Rudge – Little Vintage Amberley

SUPPLIERS OF THE YEAR FLY BUYS GOODS & SERVICES WHOLESALER OF THE YEAR Bidvest Solotti Food Company Trents Wholesale

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THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

re gional update

November 2011

34

MAINLY OF INTEREST TO

auckland members news.

As we move through Autumn there is still plenty happening in Auckland’s hospitality scene…

Rosie

Rosehip Café on Parnell’s Gladstone Road, down near the Rose Gardens, has undergone a makeover and reopened as Rosie. The eatery is part of The Hip Group’s (Ortolana, St Heliers Bay Bistro, Café on Kohi, Takapuna Beach Café, Richmond Road Café etc) offerings and has their signature impeccable style about it. It is open seven days from 6.30 in the morning onwards.

Mimi Gilmour and chef Adrian Chilton have opened Burger Burger in Ponsonby Central. With a 1950’s milk bar sort of a vibe the focus is on quality ingredients (where possible organic) to produce the best burger patties (and burgers) in town.

Little and Friday have taken over more of the Belmont block that houses their café to open After Hours. This new eatery offers a changing menu of hot meals to take away, alongside terrines, potato dishes, old-fashioned sticky puddings and a selection of salads. Heading the kitchen is Sophie Beck, who comes from London’s River Café. After Hours is open Wednesday – Saturday with desserts and salads available from 2pm and hot meals from 5pm.

Burger Burger

Loop is a new bistro and bar in Kingsland opened by chef Craig Rodger (ex-Pyrenees, Remuera), his wife Hailey Rodger, and her brother, Elliot Boock. Located on the site most recently known as Blunderbuss, Loop offers a short, regularly changing menu with a focus on local, seasonal, and sustainable, produce.

After Hours

Meanwhile, in the City Works Depot, the newest addition is The Botanist, an all-day café, bar and florist. Owner Anthony Browne is a coowner of Brothers Beer Brewery (also located at City Works) and their beers make an appearance on the drinks menus, along with other craft beers and a small wine list. The chef is Sara Simpson (ex The Tasting Shed, Tribeca and Clooney). The Botanist menu is influenced by the latest healthy-eating trend many establishments are embracing, including omelettes, and gluten free dishes and a range of salads.

It has recently been reported that the Hard Rock Café franchise will open a new operation in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour in the prime site formerly Kermadec Restaurant (which closed at the end of January after 20 years). The American restaurant chain has 170 establishments across 50 countries and has already had one foray into the New Zealand market – our first Hard Rock Cafe, in Queenstown, opened in 2001 but closed after four years. The Auckland Hard Rock café is expected to open before the end of the year.

Loop

aucklan d members

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4 The Botanist

03

MAINLY OF INTEREST TO

auckland members what’ what s on akl. akl

news.

A number of the larger franchise groups seem to be currently going through some rapid expansion, with The Coffee Club set to open its 50th New Zealand store later this year. Their latest opening is The Coffee Club Mission Bay, on Tamaki Drive, with new owners, Amit Chatrath and Amit Luthra taking care of front of house and the kitchen respectively.

Over on the North Shore, William Souter Espresso is another recent opening and a welcome addition to Forrest Hill (which is not typically renowned for it’s eating out options). The café is located on a suburban street, William Souter Street, in amongst a small block of shops.

Owner Sarah Stratford is also the Operations Manager for Sierra Coffee. William Souter Espresso has plenty of choices available from their extensive blackboard menu, along with a well stocked cabinet selection.

The eagerly awaited Metro Magazine’s top 50 restaurants for 2014 were recently announced – the 12th year for these awards. In amongst the top restaurants ten are newcomers; three of which are in the Federal Street dining precinct, three in Ponsonby and Herne Bay, two in the ‘burbs, one in Britomart and one in Parnell.

01 —18 May New Zealand International Comedy Festival

www.comedyfestival.co.nz

06 Restaurant Association professional development, development Strategies To Increase Your Bottom Line

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

06

06

Restaurant Association Visiting Hour @ Orakei Bay

Bidvest Food Show, ASB Showgrounds, Auckland

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.bidvestfoodshows.co.nz

14

William Souter Espresso

Metro Magazine have recognised the emergence of entrepreneurs like The Hip Group who this year have three restaurants in the top 50 (Ortolana, St Heliers Bay Café and the just reopened Rosie). Michael Dearth, who owns The Grove, has also opened a very successful second restaurant in Baduzzi, on North Wharf. And the team behind Moochowchow in Ponsonby have done the same with The Blue Breeze Inn, Metro noted. They also commented that there are several small-scale independent operators who have renewed their commitment to quality and upgraded their own offering. “The owneroperated Engine Room in Northcote Point, which is now twice as big and every bit as good as it ever was, is an excellent example,” says Metro Magazine’s editor, Simon Wilson.

Tickets are now available for the 2014 Lewisham Awards. Contact the Restaurant Association by email: emily@restaurantnz.co.nz.

38

Restaurant Association Masterclass, Asian Pacific Cuisine, presented by Che Barrington

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

14

20

Auckland Readers and Writers Festival

Restaurant Association professional development, development Understanding Your Clients To Help Drive Sales

www.writersfestival.co.nz

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

01 Lewisham Awards, Shed 10 www.lewishamawards.co.nz

10 Restaurant Association professional development, Hiring The Right Staff

THE THYMES M A Y 2 0 1 4

need help? call us on 0800 737 827

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

The Restaurant Association was formed in 1975 with the aim of serving and representing owners and manger of foodservice operations. It represents 1,700 members throughout New Zealand who employ 13,000 full and part-time employees. This is an industry that has an annual turnover of over $7 billion, that employs some 100,000 workers, that is each week visited by 340,000 diners and serves another 1.15 million takeaway customers. This makes it a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economy.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Marisa Bidois

NATIONAL PRESIDENT: Mike Egan (Monsoon Poon, Auckland & Wellington; Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington)

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

BRANCH PRESIDENTS: Auckland: Bart Littlejohn (Sails Restaurant, Auckland) Bay of Plenty: Andrew Targett (Elizabeth Café & Larder, Tauranga) Canterbury: Sam Crofskey (C1Espresso, Christchurch) Dunedin: Steve Richardson (Table Seven Restaurant, Dunedin) Hawkes Bay: Sean Burns (Milk and Honey, Napier) Manawatu/Wanganui: Sean Kereama (Wharerata Function Centre, Palmerston North) Marlborough: Marcel Rood (Raupo Café, Blenheim) Nelson: Howard Morris (Harry’s Bar, Nelson) Rotorua: Sharon Wallace (Waiariki Institute of Technology, Rotorua) Southern Lakes: Grant Hattaway (Pier 19; Captains Table Restaurant, Queenstown) Taranaki: Barbara Olsen-Henderson (Bach on Breakwater, New Plymouth) Waikato: watch this space!

Wellington: Michael Egan (Monsoon Poon, Auckland and Wellington; Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington)

RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND KEY OBJECTIVES 1.

Protect, promote and advance the interests and rights of its members

2.

Promote industry quality, reputation and excellence

3.

Provide relevant value added services to members

4.

As an organisation achieve best practice stewardship within the business association sector

s