Restaurant Association THE Thymes - November 2012 by Nicola Waldren

SIDART RESTAURANT, AUCKLAND

think your café is the best? planning for christmas 09

SIDART RESTAURANT, AUCKLAND

NOVEMBER 2012

No Shortage Of Managers

In NZ… apparently

The plan to remove Café, Bar and Restaurant Managers from Immigration New Zealand’s essential skills in demand list is a move that will hurt the hospitality sector. BY MARISA BIDOIS

ecruiting and retaining high calibre staff able to work as café, bar and restaurant managers has always been a challenge for the industry. Many of our workers consider a hospitality job as a short stop on the way to a job somewhere else, rather than the legitimate career that it is.

For employers planning rosters, or closedowns, over the Christmas/New Year period, or those wanting clarity on paying staff for public holidays. We outline some of the key information to help you get through these busy weeks.

Evidence from the industry indicates there continues to be a severe shortage of skilled staff available to fill these management roles and this situation has worsened over the past two years. An informal survey of members we conducted just last month found that 90% of respondents reported an unacceptable level of difficulty in recruiting for these positions.

While business owners are committed to developing, training and promoting from within as well as incentivising staff to stay by providing additional benefits, it has not been enough to stem the rising tide of shortages. We have also played a role; since 2006, the Restaurant Association has run professional development programmes for the industry ranging from induction workshops for front of-house staff through to emerging and first time manager workshops. However, despite these efforts there is strong evidence of continuing difficulties in recruiting for these positions.

don’t neglect the detail... you’re not the only responsible host

The shortfall in suitable management staff is impacting the sector overall, but most importantly it is impacting business owners. Many report working significantly longer hours because they have been unable to recruit a manager. This adds stress not only to the owner, but other workers too, and impacts the work environment. It also has the potential to impact customer service levels and therefore customers’ dining experiences and perceptions of the industry.

Getting your staff match ready for the busy summer season should involve a refresh of your host responsibility policies.

SIDART RESTAURANT, AUCKLAND

We can be justifiably proud of our hospitality sector, but at the same time we should be doing all we can to make sure it is as strong and as vibrant as it can possibly be. Removing this manager position from the Essential Skills in Demand List will do our industry and our country no favours.

effective staff incentives

Classic Kiwi Dishes Get Creative Spin For NZ Café of the Year Home-grown hospitality and creative cuisine are the winners in the Cafe of the Year competition with the top 15 coming from regional New Zealand. Around 400 cafés are involved in the nationwide competition and with more than 20,000 public votes, it is Warkworth, Timaru, Te Kuiti, Napier, Greymouth and Gore who host some of the country’s most popular small eateries. In its inaugural year, the NZ Café of the Year competition pits cafés from the length and breadth of the country against each other.

The top three café finalists in the five regions are: 

Upper North Island: Chocolate Brown (Warkworth), Urban Soul (Botany, Auckland) and Paper Moon (Mairangi Bay, Auckland).

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Central North Island: Bosco Café (Te Kuiti), Capers Café (Rotorua) and Corogate Café (Thames).

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Lower North Island: Mega Café (Masterton), Café Ahuriri (Napier) and Macfarlanes Caffé (Inglewood)

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Upper South Island: Maggies Kitchen (Greymouth), Artisan by Rangiora Bakery (Rangiora) and Luciano Espresso Bar (Christchurch).

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Lower South Island: The Roost Cafe (Oamaru), Jagz of Village Green (Invercargill) and The Green Room Café (Gore).

Public voting determined the 15 regional finalists and now the cafés are being judged on appearance, atmosphere, service, meals and overall experience by an expert team of judges, organised by the Restaurant Association of NZ. The winning café, announced on 12th November, claims the title of NZ Café of the Year 2012 and will feature on the popular primetime TV segment Food in a Minute.

Some rather creative bacon and bean dishes are among the finalists: Warkworth’s Chocolate Brown “Kiwi Special”. It features Wattie’s Baked Beans, crispy Kiwi Bacon, home-made potato rosti, soft poached egg, fresh herb salsa verde and watercress. Another clever creation comes from Café Ahuriri in Napier with their classic dish with a twist. A filo shell filled with Wattie’s Baked Beans with an egg cracked over the top, finished with a dusting of Grana Padano cheese. It is baked in the oven until crisp and served on a bed of crispy streaky Kiwi Bacon and topped with mascarpone cheese and spring onion curls. The dish is finished with a watercress pesto drizzle.

“We’re delighted with the calibre of the cuisine we are seeing in this competition,” says Kristy Blackman, Kiwi Bacon senior marketing manager. “There are some truly classic dishes coming through and one of them is set to be enshrined as a Kiwi favourite.”

WHO IS INVOLVED?

This competition is supported by iconic food brands KIWI BACON and WATTIE’S, together with the RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION. For more information go to the website www.nzcafeoftheyear.co.nz

BELOW FROM LEFT: Chocolate Brown’s Kiwi Classic; Bosco Café’s Bean to Bosco dish; and Mega Café in Masterton’s Kiwi Breakfast

ceo update

November 2011

FROM THE CEO’s DESK The last two months have been all go here at the Association. BY MARISA BIDOIS Immediate Skills Shortage List

Café of the Year

One of the main concerns on my mind at the moment is the possible removal of Café, Bar and Restaurant Manager from the Immediate Skills Shortage List. Our most recent survey addressing this matter turned up that 90% of you are struggling to fill these positions. This is an increase from a similar survey that was sent out in 2010, pre Rugby World Cup.

The Association is a supporter of NZ Café of the Year (along with principal sponsors Watties and Kiwi Bacon) and the fifteen finalists have been announced.

With this kind of information in its hands I fail to see how a government department can make a decision to remove these positions from the list. The government is on a strategic mission to employ New Zealanders and I am all for that, but the reality of the situation is that many of our own are not interested in taking up these positions or they are being enticed overseas by the prospect of higher wages. A letter from the department in response to our submission read as follows: “Before we finalise our advice we want to let you know that our recommendations will be to remove Café/ Restaurant Manager from the Immediate Skill Shortage List on the basis that this occupation has been on the list for several years and industry has had time to train and develop New Zealanders into these roles. As you might remember we reviewed this occupation in 2010 and retained the occupation on the Immediate Skill Shortage List in order to meet the extra hospitality demands associated with the Rugby World Cup.” The Association will do all we can to ensure that these positions remain on the Immediate Skills Shortage List and will keep you posted on our activities. If you would like to be involved please contact the Association or your local branch president. Be sure to keep an eye on the website and Facebook for updates and share your stories with us about your recruitment troubles.

I would like to send special congratulations to our members that have made the finalist list: Bosco Café in Te Kuiti, Capers Café in Rotorua and Macfarlanes Caffe in New Plymouth. Well done! The Association has been involved in organising the judges for the final leg of the competition. We have selected a panel of experienced professionals to select the overall winner of the competition. With some 20,000 public votes this has been a very successful first year for the competition. A few changes on the home base... There have been a few changes to our team here at the Association. We welcome back Kirsten Lethbridge who has returned from parental leave to look after membership and the employment helpline. We farewell Blair Fergus who was covering Kirsten’s role while she was away. Margaret Main has been providing employment advice in Kirsten’s absence and will stay on, on an ‘as and when needed’ basis. Christmas madness Over the Christmas New Year period the Association’s offices will be closed on the public holidays and also Christmas and New Year’s Eve. However, we are still contactable on our after hours Marisa Bidois helpline (027 559 7777), so we’re never far away if you need advice. I hope this time of year will be profitable for you all. Thank you for your continued support of the Association and I look forward to working with you more in the New Year. We have a great year planned for 2013.

proudly brought to you by Outdoor Concepts ceo’s update

THE THYMES November 2012

RESTAURANT DO’S &DON’TS DO:

Make the customer feel special Greet the guests promptly. Some restaurants even establish a time limit, usually fewer than 2 minutes, by which a patron must be acknowledged. This is the first impression guests get of your restaurant, and at this point they are very much free to walk down the street to the next place if it seems like you can't be bothered to notice them. Be warm and friendly, but discreet. It's your job to provide excellent service, not be their new friend.

Know the menu You should know every part of the menu inside and out, no exceptions. When you are knowledgeable about the product you set the customer at ease—this is your time to shine as a server. Not only is it part of great service, but allergens are no joke—if a customer tells you they're allergic, you'd better know the ingredients of everything that will touch their plate, and what dishes are likely to be prepared alongside theirs.

Anticipate, anticipate, anticipate The hallmark of truly excellent service is taking care of needs without the guest having to ask. Note this is very different from hovering. Drink refills, child seats, knowing where each dish is going before it gets to the table. If one order is holding up the rest significantly, address it – different establishments will have different policies.

Combine tasks Anywhere you are moving and whatever your task, always be thinking, “What else could I be doing?” From clearing plates, going around the floor with water refills, or helping another server carry their order out, there should rarely be any reason for you to be empty-handed. There is never downtime in a restaurant.

Source: www.fohboh.com

THE THYMES September 2012

DON’T: Be pushy, interrupt It's true what your grandma told you— patience is a virtue. Wait for pauses in conversation before checking in on a table or reciting specials. While it's good to be attentive, don't obsessively refill drinks or clear plates when other guests are still eating. It's good to be available, but more important to be discreetly helpful than annoyingly hovering.

Be hard to reach The other side of this coin is to make yourself available to your table at all times, even when you are completely slammed. When you're moving, your eyes should be constantly scanning. You can't be everywhere at once, but simply making eye contact with a patron and acknowledging that you will help them soon goes a long way toward alleviating the tension a guest feels when they need you and you're nowhere to be found— or worse still, they can see you and you're ignoring them.

Get defensive Dealing with criticism is part and parcel of the job, and it's important to take complaints with grace, even (especially) the outrageous ones. A well-run restaurant empowers staff to take customer problems and make them right. You will never make any situation better by blaming the customer. international update

PRESIDENT’SVIEWPOINT I ENJOYED AN ARTICLE BY JAMES MULCAHY WHICH FEATURED ON ZAGAT.COM RECENTLY AND I’VE HIGHLIGHTED THE BEST BITS BELOW... BY MIKE EGAN

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A FOOD NERD WHEN Photo Mania Your friends should know better than to start eating before you've Instagrammed it. And you've lost all shame for setting off your flash at a crowded restaurant.

Fancy Condiment Fanaticism Regular ketchup and mustard just don't cut it anymore as food nerds reach for sriracha. Bingo - nerdiness confirmed as they slather this spicy sweet Thai sauce on pretty much everything.

Proper Gear In their kitchen you have to look for tricked-out gear that you think seems like it would rarely have the occasion for use. The more expensive, the more devoted you are to geekery. An at-home sous-vide machine is the perfect example - shiny, not that functional and expensive.

You Have a Restaurant Bucket List Hitting every new restaurant that's worth going to is pretty much impossible, but that doesn't mean you can't try. Food nerds are passionate about going out, and they are always looking for new place to hit. Once a new hole-in-the-wall Thai joint or crazy-expensive fine-dining establishment is found, it goes on the list. The selection of potential restaurants is always getting updated, and by its ever-expanding nature it's impossible to hit every one. When looking for a place to go on a random night, they will consult the list (and new friends with similar tastes will compare lists to DINE AT make plans). THE

Things to d

o… ...

You are a Food Truck Follower Another piece of evidence that your love of eating on the go may bring you into the geek category is your social feeds. If you use Twitter to stay on top of the trucks, and will up and run from wherever you are when you find out one is close to you, you might as well hashtag #FoodNerd when you at-reply them to say you're coming.

Cocktail Geekery Whether you're making basil gimlets at your home bar on a Monday evening or debating Campari vs. Aperol at a high-end lounge with a mustachioed bartender, a fine appreciation of cocktail culture is pretty much a sure sign of food nerd-ness.

Discretionary Income, and Then Some If you're still doubting your food-nerd status, look at your bank account. If you've paid rent a few days late because you wanted to splurge on that impossible-to-get reservation or if you've racked up the bills paying for ingredients like starfruit and saffron, chances are that you're laying out the dough to satisfy your inner geek. If you go to a restaurant and you think it's no big deal to spend $4 extra for them to put fresh ramps on your salad, chances are your wallet will be bare, but your cupboards anything but. Food geekery is expensive - cha-ching!

proudly brought to you by Starline president’s viewpoint

THE THYMES November 2012

What’s On WHAT’S ON!

2 08

November

...

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER

-11 Food and Wine Classic, Hawkes Bay

-10 Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair, Hong Kong

-17 NZ Cup and Show Week, Christchurch

Winner of NZ Café of the Year announced

www.fawc.co.nz

www.hktdc.com

www.nzcupandshow.co.nz

www.nzcafeoftheyear.co.nz

Restaurant Association Front of House Induction Workshop @ taste, Mt Eden. Auckland

-18 Taste of Auckland

-18 Taste of Melbourne

Canterbury Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

Toast Martinborough, Martinborough

December

Restaurant Association webinar series, Employment Law FAQ’s, presented by Hesketh Henry solicitors

Air New Zealand Wine Awards announced, Wellington

Whitebait season closes

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

www.airnzwineawards.com

Cherry and Raspberry season begins!

School finishes (secondary schools)

School finishes (primary and intermediate schools)

Christmas Day (public holiday)

Boxing Day (public holiday)

New Years Eve

Westland Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

January

1 02

New Years Day (public holiday)

www.toastmartinborough.co.nz

www.tasteofauckland.co.nz www.tasteofmelbourne.com.au

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

Day After New Years Day (public holiday)

2013

-12 Heineken Open tennis tournament, Auckland

Southland Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

Wellington Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

www.heinekenopen.co.nz

Auckland Seafood Festival, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland

-31 Pinot Noir NZ 2013, Wellington

Auckland Anniversary Day (regional public holiday)

www.seafoodfestival.co.nz

www.pinotnz.co.nz

06 THE THYMES November 2012

events—national & international

managing your business

November 2011

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO SELL?... The best time is when there are keen buyers in the market to purchase a business—and that is the case now. But if you are thinking of selling, a broker will need to understand your business in order to appraise it and give you an honest opinion on the current market value. So you’ll need to get some affairs in order. BY GLORIANNE CAMPBELL

What do you need to do? Meet with the broker so they can learn the nuts and bolts of your business, the history and further potential of the business. Provide a copy of the lease which will outline the duration of the lease, other factors pertaining to the business’ use and the landlord requirements relating to the lease. Provide GST returns and/or financial statements relating to the business. Looking at these will assist in ascertaining the cost of sales, gross profit of the business, wages, rent and other expenses and the likely profit achievable from the business. In the absence of financials the broker will need to sit with you and learn what your usual costs of running the business are and also what your weekly sales are. Staff roster – this indicates the level of staffing that is required in the business and how the owners of the business work in the business. This is a very important component of the business to understand when looking to marry prospective buyers of a business into different staffing roles. Details about any leased or hired items of the business that you will require the buyer to take responsibility for from settlement date. After meeting with you a broker will be able to give you an indication of the value of your business and can also recommend what you might be required to do in order to achieve the maximum value for your business. The other thing to remember, if you are looking at valuing, or selling, your business, is to choose a firm that is passionate about and has experience in the sale of food and beverage businesses. ADVERTISEMENT

PLANNING FOR CHRISTMAS For employers planning their rosters, or their closedowns, over the Christmas/New Year period, or those wanting clarity on paying staff over the public holidays. We outline some of the key information to help you get through these busy weeks.

Christmas Day ~ Tuesday 25 December 2012 Boxing Day ~ Wednesday 26 December 2012 New Year's Day ~ Tuesday 01 January 2013 Day after New Year’s Day ~ Wednesday 02 January 2013

Payment for working on a public holiday Anyone who works on a public holiday is entitled to be paid at a rate of time and a half. If the public holiday is a day that they would normally work (for instance the public holiday is on a Tuesday and the employee usually works on a Tuesday), and they do work it, then they are also entitled to one days full paid leave – an alternative holiday - to take sometime in the future. If the public holiday falls on a day that is not a normal day of work for the employee, and they do work it, then they are entitled to be paid at time and a half but they do not earn an alternative holiday.

Payment if not working on a public holiday The Restaurant Association individual employment agreement sets out that employees will be required to work on public holidays if requested by the employer. However, if an employee would normally be working on the day that the public holiday falls, but it has been agreed that they have the day off,

10 THE THYMES November 2012

Closedowns During a closedown an employer may require employees to take all or some of their annual leave during the period of the closedown, even where this requires employees to take leave for which they are not fully reimbursed. As an example, for employees in their first year of employment, the level of annual holiday pay for the period of the closedown can be established by:  the employer paying the employee 8% of gross earnings to date, or  the employer and employee agreeing to the employee taking annual holidays in advance and being paid even though there is not yet an entitlement to take the accrued leave. If you are planning a closedown you need to give your staff 14 days notice of a closedown period (so now is the time to notify your employees). And don’t forget that a public holiday that occurs during an employee's annual holidays must be treated as a public holiday and not as part of the employee's annual holidays. The employee is still entitled to be paid for a public holiday if the holiday would have otherwise been a working day for the employee. If you have queries about paying your staff for public holidays or closedown periods, call our HELP DESK on 0800 737 827.

WAYS TO STAY MERRY! Here is some tried and true advice to help you and your staff get through the season.

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Remember to train your staff well on your businesses protocol for large bookings, i.e limits, numbers, set menus etc so that you secure those bookings right away. First point of contact to the customer is crucial. Put incentives in place for staff to up-sell bubbly over the festive season, make a competition out of it and get your reps to provide some bubbly as the prize. Over the festive season this can be a great way to boost takings. Make sure there is some bubbles on ice for you to toast the end of the year. Most important! Hayley Scott, Zinc Café. Hamilton

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The thing that my team like best is TIME OFF! So over the years I’ve gotten into the tradition of being closed on Christmas Eve night (as everyone really wants to be home wrapping those last minute presents) and Christmas and Boxing Day. We also don’t open on New Year’s Eve. I find it’s for revellers, not quiet diners. Whilst it may not be the most profitable move closing at those times, it does make me very popular with my staff and that’s not such a bad thing. Barbara Olsen-Henderson, Bach on Breakwater, New Plymouth

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Look after your staff and have fun. If it’s not fun and they do not enjoy their work, will your customers enjoy their experience? It all comes down to selection in the first place, choose people who care about others…they are the ones who care about the team, care about the customer and care about your business.

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The public holidays over the Christmas/New Year period in 2012/2013 are

they are entitled to be paid the amount of pay that they would have received had they worked on that day (their relevant daily pay). If the employee does not work on a public holiday because it is their normal rostered day off, there is no obligation to pay the employee for that day.

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ith the busy season upon us many employers are considering their rosters over the Christmas and New Year period and with this comes the usual confusion over payment for workers on the public holidays. Thankfully this year these days fall during the week, making the process a little simpler than last year...

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Shelly Witchalls, Shelly’s Food for Friends, Blenheim

christmas game plan

new legislation update

EMPLOYING SEASONAL WORKERS What is the best way of hiring temporary staff to help out over your busier times of year?

f you are hiring seasonal staff for a few months over summer, it is advisable that they are employed on a fixed term employment arrangement. Employing someone for a fixed period of time to help out over a busy trading period is a legitimate business arrangement but there are a few key points to remember: 

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 

Details of this arrangement should be clearly outlined in writing, in the employee’s employment agreement, to avoid any confusion as to the nature of the employment relationship. With fixed term employment arrangements employment is not on-going and comes to an end on a specific date or in response to the occurrence of a particular event. Once the employment comes to an end at the completion of the fixed term this does not constitute a dismissal or a redundancy situation. A fixed term agreement cannot be used in order to establish the suitability of an employee for permanent employment. This is what trial period or probationary period clauses are for.

Ensure you review fixed term arrangements as circumstances may change with the possibility that the employee may become a permanent employee. You may also find that you need to hire some casual employees to help you out over particularly busy times. Casual employment can be defined as where an employee is employed when and if needed, and where there is no particular expectation of continuing employment. Some hospitality businesses do legitimately have a selection of casual employees. They usually form part of a group of employees upon whom the employer can call, when required, to help out on a busy night, or to assist at a function, or to fill in for a sick employee. As true casuals have no ordinary working days, and their employment is not continuous, they typically have no entitlement to service-related benefits such as sick leave, bereavement leave or parental leave, or to any additional payment (day in lieu) for working on public holidays. They will not become entitled to four weeks’ annual holiday, but the employer is required to pay 8% of the employees gross earnings at the completion of each work engagement in recognition of their entitlement to annual leave. It is important that this amount is clearly indicated as a separate payment on their pay slip. Casual employment must be closely monitored. Where ‘casual’ employees are being used regularly each week, or on certain days of the week, it is likely that their status has changed to permanent part-time workers. This can cause payment and entitlement problems, so we advise seeking advice.

November 2011

$tarting Out Wage Gains Support Of Employers Employers have generally welcomed the announcement of a new “starting-out wage” which allows eligible 16 to 19year-olds to begin work at 80 per cent of the minimum wage. The Government’s focus, with the introduction of this wage, is providing further opportunity to help young people to get into work, earn money and get the job experience they need. The youth minimum wage was abolished in 2008 and replaced by a ‘new entrants wage’ which applies for the first three months or 200 cumulative hours (from all current and previous jobs). Research indicates that the new entrants wage is used by only 2 per cent of employers, with businesses complaining that it’s too complicated, impractical and fleeting to bother with. This new starting out wage will be available to eligible employees for six months (doubling the three months of the new entrants wage) and 16 & 17 year olds remain eligible for the starting out wage with each new employer . The new wage also extends the availability to 18 and 19 year olds coming off the benefit. The three groups of employees eligible (unless they are training or supervising others) are:  16 and 17-year-olds in their first six months of work with a new employer;  18 and 19-year-olds entering the workforce after more than six months on a benefit;  16 to 19-year-old workers in a recognised industry training course involving at least 40 credits a year. The changes are planned to come into effect from 1 April 2013.

THE THYMES November 2012

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T NEGLECT DETAIL

IN DISCIPLINARY PROCESS Several determinations by the Employment Relations Authority recently which have found against the employer emphasize the importance of following correct process in employment matters. We look at two cases involving hospitality businesses...

! d e s s i Dism

employment matters

EMPLOYER PAYS $10,000 FOR UNJUSTIFIED DISMISSAL Owners of Auckland cafe ordered to pay staff member $10,000 after firing him for allegedly stealing money.

n this case, an employee began work at a café in Auckland in October 2011. At the end of his shift on 14 January 2012 the owner of the café asked the employee to sit down with her at a table, in the middle of the busy café, in full view of patrons and other staff. When the employee joined her at the table the owner immediately alleged that two of his colleagues had seen him take money out of the till and put it in his pocket during his shift one week prior, on 07 January 2012. When the employee could not readily offer an explanation for what his colleagues had allegedly seen (07 January was one of the café’s busiest days with customers lined up outside the café’s door for most of the day) he was dismissed with immediate effect. The meeting took less than ten minutes. The employee then spent the next few days going over and over in his mind what incident the café’s owner could have been referring to and wrote to her on 17 January denying stealing from the café and expressing embarrassment at the way he had been dealt with. The employee asked his former employer to reconsider his employment but she did not respond to his letter. On 18 January the employee then recalled that on 07 January he had served a family who had been billed $85 which the father paid for with a $100 note. When he processed the payment he forgot to give the customer their $15 change so he apologised to the customer when he returned to the table and said he would bring their change over. He said the customer told him to ‘keep the change’, so he returned to the till and removed $15 cash which he put in his pocket as the tip he had been given. He says he did not recall this earlier because when he was questioned on 14 January he was blindsided and therefore too shocked to be able to recall anything specific about 07 January. The employee said he believed he was entitled to keep the tip because it was given to him personally and because that had been the usual practice with other hospitality jobs he had held. In their determination the Authority assessed whether the employer’s actions, and how the employer acted, were employment update

what a fair and reasonable employer could have done in all the circumstances at the time the dismissal occurred. Because the café had not checked or retained till receipts for 07 January, it could not corroborate or disprove the employee’s explanation about the personal tip. The cafe also failed to investigate the day's total takings against the till receipts, and was actually $11 up on January 7. Furthermore, the cafe failed to obtain written statements from the witnesses or to consider that the employee made no attempt to conceal his actions when he took the $15. An employer also has statutory good faith obligations to give an employee whose ongoing employment may be in jeopardy access to information relevant to the continuation of their employment and an opportunity to comment on that before a final decision is made. The Authority found that the café did not act fairly or properly when it raised its concerns with the employee. He had no advance notice of the meeting held on 14 January and had no idea it was to be a disciplinary meeting. He had no idea his ongoing employment was in jeopardy or why, and, other than being accused of theft, he was not given relevant information during the meeting. The café’s actions deprived the employee of any opportunity to: a. Access or respond to the information upon which they based the decision about his ongoing employment; b. Take advice; c. Arrange for a support person or representative to accompany him at the disciplinary meeting; d. Prepare his response to the theft allegation.

THE OUTCOME: As the Authority found that the employer’s actions were not what a fair and reasonable employer could have done in all the circumstances at the time the employee was dismissed, it was therefore unable to justify his dismissal. The café was ordered to pay the employee $4,662.50 in lost remuneration and $5,400.00 for distress compensation. THE THYMES November 2012

employment matters

DISMISSAL OF INTOXICATED WORKER JUSTIFIED BUT PROCESS FLAWED A

nother Authority case involved a prominent catering company who dismissed an employee for being intoxicated off duty, which was contrary to the business’ company policy. In this case, while it was found that there was justification to dismiss the employee a slip up with the process in conducting the dismissal procedure resulted in the employee successfully arguing a claim for unjustified dismissal. The employee worked as an operations manager at the Cloud, the Rugby World Cup venue in Auckland, where the catering company had a contract. In October 2011 the employee turned up to the Cloud on her day off in an intoxicated state and began to act inappropriately. As there was concern that an incident may develop the human resources manager for the catering company was called and she arrived with the sales director to investigate the incident. The employee had left at that point but several employees were interviewed about the events of the evening and on that basis it was decided that further investigation would be required. The following day four other employees were interviewed and when the employee arrived for her scheduled shift she was told that she was suspended on full pay until the investigation was complete. The employee indicated that while she had been informed that the suspension was connected to an investigation that she had been drunk whilst on duty and to allegations of abuse, the suspension had not been confirmed in writing despite her requesting this in three emails, nor had she been given any indication of how long the suspension was to last. After a disciplinary meeting the following week the employee was dismissed with immediate effect on the grounds of serious misconduct. ‘Being intoxicated on site whilst off duty’ constituted serious misconduct as set out in the business’ house rules. The Authority considered that the catering company had fully investigated this allegation and that they had reasonable grounds for concluding that the employee had been intoxicated whilst off duty at the Cloud on the evening in question. They had justification for dismissing the employee on this basis. The Authority held however that the dismissal was procedurally unfair.

THE THYMES November 2012

The employee was suspended the day following the incident and informed that the allegations against her were that she had been drunk on duty and abusive. The law is clear that the employee should have been provided with access to pertinent information about the decision to suspend her, and the opportunity to comment on this information prior to the decision to suspend her being made. However this did not occur despite requests for this information. These initial allegations were expanded on in a telephone conversation with the employee’s lawyer, prior to the disciplinary meeting, to include allegations of being intoxicated on the premises; however two other allegations (of opening an unauthorised bar account and inappropriate use of a radio) were not mentioned. Again, details of the allegations were not confirmed in writing despite a request for them to be. The Authority found that a fair and reasonable employer would have provided the employee with full information concerning the allegations against her, both at the time of her suspension and prior to the disciplinary meeting being held. As a result of the employers failure to do this the Authority found that the employee was unjustifiably dismissed. The Authority awarded compensation of $3,000 to the employee however this was reduced by 90% due to the contributing actions of the employee, resulting in a reduction to $300.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THESE TWO CASES?     

Don’t rush to any conclusions without fully investigating the alleged incident. Arrange a time to meet the employee privately, away from customers and staff. Ensure you inform the employee of their right to bring a support person or representative to the meeting. Ensure that the invitation to a disciplinary meeting is in writing and outlines the reasons for the meeting. Provide the employee with all the information that you have concerning the allegations against them and any decisions you make using this information.

employment update

RESTAURANT FINED AFTER EMPLOYEE SERIOUSLY INJURED

ON THE HORIZON

A recent Court case in Tauranga is a reminder that members need to vigilant in managing the safety of their staff.

Waitangi Day & ANZAC Day

Tauranga restaurant has recently been ordered to pay a fine of $20,000 and reparation of $6,000 after an employee sustained serious injuries after trapping his arm in a pasta maker. The Tauranga District Court heard that on 10 January this year an employee of the restaurant was preparing fresh pasta in an industrial-sized pasta mixer where the raw ingredients were combined and then extruded into the required pasta shapes. As he opened the lid to check the consistency of the pasta dough the employee’s arm became caught around the mixing rod in the hopper. Before he could stop the machine he had received multiple fractures, soft tissue damage and tendon and nerve damage to his left arm. The Court heard that the interlock switch on the pasta machine was broken, meaning that the mixing arm inside the pasta machine did not automatically stop when the lid was open. The machine should have been taken out of operation until the interlock switch was fixed. Members should be reminded that it is the duty of the employer to ensure that all hazards are identified and managed to ensure the safety of staff. Businesses should have a hazard register and written safe operating procedures.

employment update

regulations & legislation in review One of the Restaurant Association’s aims is to ensure that our members are kept abreast of possible regulatory changes that may impact our businesses and so we’d like to let you know of some recent developments…

The Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Bill seeks to “Monday-ise” Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day if they fall on the weekend. Much like the current status of the Christmas and New Year public holidays when they fall on the weekend, this Bill, if passed, will mean that employees who normally work on the weekend day that they fall will still observe the public holiday on that day. But for everyone else the public holiday will be observed on the Monday. The Bill passed its first reading and is currently with Select Committee, which is due to report back to Parliament in January 2013. It is a Private Member's Bill and as such there is no certainty that it will become law.

Parental Leave In the news of late due to some rather contentious comments by BusinessNZ during the submission process is the Parental Leave and Employment Protection (six months’ paid leave) Amendment Bill. This is a Private Member’s Bill which proposes to extend paid parental leave from the current 14 weeks to 26 weeks, over a three-year period. The aim of the Bill is to support families and also create jobs across the economy as employers engage staff to replace those on paid parental leave. However, Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson says extending paid parental leave would cost the Government an extra $150 million a year. The Government has stated it will exercise its right to veto the Bill (should it progress any further) due to this financial impact. The Bill passed its first reading in July and is currently with Select Committee, which is due to report back to Parliament in January 2013.

Health and Safety An independent taskforce has been appointed to undertake the first wide-ranging strategic review of the workplace health and safety system in 20 years. It will review whether the overall workplace health and safety system – including legislation, regulation, incentives and enforcement – is working effectively to reduce workplace injury and death. The taskforce will also recommend a package of practical measures that could result in at least a 25 per cent reduction in the rate of workplace fatalities and serious injuries by 2020.

THE THYMES November 2012

NEW EMPLOYEE ...CHECK

If Only They Could Train Themselves...

When an employee begins work at a new business there are a myriad of documents, forms and procedures that need to be sighted, signed, completed and actioned. And if you’ve got a number of new staff all starting at the same time it’s easy to loose track of what you have done, and what it still waiting to be actioned.

These (allegedly true) short stories provide amusing examples of lateral thinking and initiative, and staff training (or lack of) at the workplace. It is better to train people properly rather than assume that new starters have the necessary initiative to work out for themselves what they should be doing...

To assist, the Restaurant Association has prepared the following checklist—a document that can be used as a helpful prompt to ensure that nothing is forgotten through this process. This template includes key requirements with regards to the initial employment process but can easily be added to as required.  tick as action completed

Date actioned:

DO YOU AS THE EMPLOYER HAVE THE FOLLOWING? Application Form Copy of employee’s CV Signed Letter of Offer Signed Employment Agreement Signed House Rules Separate signed Copy of the Computer and Internet Policy (if required) IR330 Tax Form Kiwi Saver Information (Opt In or Opt Out) Personnel Form Completed (Bank account details etc) Employee has read and signed the Health and Safety Manual Copy of Food Safety Certificate (Kitchen Staff) Copy of General Managers Certificate (Managers) Copy of Passport and Visa Details if required Training and Induction Checklist

HAS THE EMPLOYEE BEEN PROVIDED WITH THE FOLLOWING? Copy of the Employment Agreement if requested Copy of the Job Description Copy of the Menu and Beverage Lists as required Training Manual Uniform Contact details for the venue and management Car Parking Details Keys if required Computer Password and Email address if required

If you would like to receive a word document version of this checklist contact us on 0800 737 827 or email: info@restaurantnz.co.nz.

THE THYMES November 2012

the new bus driver story While transporting some unfortunate mental patients from one secure place to another, the newly appointed bus driver stopped at a roadside restaurant for a natural break. On his return to the bus, all twenty patients were gone. Being a resourceful fellow and fearing the consequences of his negligence, he drove to the next bus stop, where he claimed to be a replacement for the usual service. Allowing twenty people aboard, the driver made straight for his destination, where he warned staff at the gates that the 'patients' were deluded and extremely volatile. The angry 'patients' were duly removed, sedated and incarcerated, and remained in detention for three days, until staff were able to check the records and confirm their true identities. The actual patients were never found.

the new elevator cleaner story A new hotel employee was asked to clean the elevators and report back to the supervisor when the task was completed. When the employee failed to appear at the end of the day the supervisor assumed that like many others he had simply not liked the job and left. However, after four days the supervisor bumped into the new employee. He was cleaning in one of the elevators. "You surely haven't been cleaning these elevators for four days, have you?" asked the supervisor, accusingly. "Yes sir," said the employee, "This is a big job and I've not finished yet - do you realise there are over forty of them, two on each floor, and sometimes they are not even there..." employment update

YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE NOT THE ONLY RESPONSIBLE HOST Getting your staff match ready for the busy summer season should involve a refresh of your host responsibility policies.

need help? call us on 0800 737 827

efore we lead into the busiest time of the year for the industry over the next few months it is advisable that businesses take the time to review their Host Responsibility policies. The extra volume, and larger groups, of customers over this time of year warrants a refresher for all staff. Ensure that they are knowledgeable and well trained in their responsibilities in dealing with the responsible service of alcohol on your premises. It is likely you will also have a number of newcomers who have come on board for the season and these staff will require clear instructions on identifying and proactively dealing with potentially intoxicated persons. Some new staff will be unfamiliar with identifying the early signs of intoxication and will need guidance as to when intervention is required. During this busy time, you will be relying heavily on your staff to ensure that your premises are compliant and you need to ensure that no slip up in protocol occurs. . Your policy provides documentation of your premise’s commitment to host responsibile practices and should therefore be written specifically for your premises, in the format that best suits your business, and ideally with staff input. Remember that the policy should be clearly visible to customers and staff and should address some key points, including the following:

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Minors The premises should have clear and obvious notices displayed about the laws regarding serving to minors. Indicate the acceptable forms of identification.

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Staff should be instructed on how to identify and proactively deal with minors. Responsible service of alcohol Premises should have clear and obvious notices displayed about the laws regarding serving intoxicated persons. Indicate that staff are trained to recognise and understand intoxication and practical interventions. They are instructed not to continue serving alcohol to any customer who appears to be getting intoxicated, either directly or through friends. Food should be available at all times alcohol is being sold. (ensure menus are clearly visible in bar areas.) Various food promotions and specials could be available cheaply and quickly and make customers aware that there will be no promotions which encourage intoxication. Staff should actively encourage safe drinking and driving levels. The premises should have clear signage about the size of spirits served - doubles or singles. Non and low alcoholic beverage options Non and low-alcoholic drinks should be promoted and readily available (encourage a positive staff attitude towards these drinks) Tea, coffee and iced water are available at the bars. Transportation Make customers aware that the premises support a designated driver scheme. A telephone should be readily available so customers can call a taxi.

NEED HELP? The Restaurant Association can assist with developing or refreshing your host responsibility policy and has a free guideline, along with sample policy, that is ready to be tailored to your needs. Order a copy of the guideline and policy by emailing info@restaurantnz.co.nz or phoning 0800 737 827. host responsibility

November 2011

TOP TIPS:

TRAINING NEW & YOUNG STAFF AROUND ALCOHOL Ensure your staff are informed about the legal implications of alcohol service – ie the fines involved for serving minors and intoxicated patrons. Make sure you support your young staff – back them up if they feel a customer has had too much to drink – don’t go “over their head” and continue service. Do regular role plays with “real life” examples that have happened in your establishment – discuss the best ways to deal with different situations. Make sure they know what support is available – who they can get assistance from if they are unsure about such things as whether a patron has had too much to drink. Give them clear guidelines of what to look for in intoxicated patrons – discuss and give examples of the four main indicators of intoxication: Speech, Coordination, Appearance, Behaviour. If they are uncomfortable about asking for ID from people who are their peers then let them know they can use the “big brother” line – “I’m sorry but my manager has told me I cannot serve you any alcohol unless you have the correct ID”. This removes them from being “the baddie”! Ensure consistency within the team – are they all following the same steps and correct procedures? Are these written down somewhere in clear and simple language in an area where all staff can read them? Train them in early intervention – easier to deal with problems sooner rather than later – teach them the steps to slow down service. Get staff to think about both their language (be non confrontational) and their body language (don’t be defensive) when dealing with intoxicated patrons. Make sure all of the team are aware about which staff members are underage – the same rules apply to them as to the public – ensure that no-one serves them alcohol. Discourage “after work” drinks with younger team members. employment matters THE THYMES August 2012

be e o t nt veryono a w youthan e got t f I “ ger ’ve than u o g y i b se, etter else” el be b one y ever

EFFECTIVE INCENTIVES Staff incentive programmes are a great way to praise a job well done and can generate some enthusiasm amongst the team – with the added opportunity of increasing sales and improving service. BY MARGARET MAIN, TURNING TABLES

international update

taff turnover in the hospitality industry is high and in these challenging economic times it is worthwhile thinking outside the square for ways to motivate and boost employee morale and thereby encourage your staff to stick around. Here are some suggestions for implementing an effective staff incentive programme...

When planning an incentive programme, keep these tips in mind: 

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What's your goal? It might be to make sure servers mention the new drink specials or to encourage them to raise their sales averages. How long can the staff's enthusiasm be maintained? Most consultants suggest 30 to 45 days tops for a single incentive programme. How can you make sure that everyone gets excited? The more prizes, the better. Make sure each server who improves gets rewarded for the effort. What are cheap but truly rewarding incentives? Get creative. Develop your own in-house rewards-no clean-up duties for one night, for example. Trade with neighboring businesses. And if you're not sure what will get your staff motivated, ask them.

FIRST STEP Focus first on teaching your staff how to sell:  How to read the customer  Conversation openers  Make sure they have plenty of product knowledge  Know how to ask the right questions of the customer  Getting the timing right – when to ask

SECOND STEP Be clear about what to want your sales incentive to accomplish. For instance the purpose might be to increase sales of one item, to increase total food and beverage sales or it might be to simply increase customer awareness of new items on the menu or get a better “spread” of items being sold.

THIRD STEP You have to engage the people who can impact sales. You need to know who the right people are, what motivates them and how do you make sure they know what the purpose of the programme is. Here are some suggestions for prizes: Gift vouchers – swop with other businesses; petrol vouchers; movie tickets – Gold Class could be a treat; spa treatments; gift cards; activities – eg bungy, sailing, kayaking, canyoning; professional house cleaning; car wash/valet; alcohol; iPods; wine trail; high tea; time off or early finishes (but they still get paid for full hours).

business initiatives

November 2011

Examples of incentives you could use:

Bingo card – 12 to 16 squares with a different item in each square – this encourages sales of a wide range of items. Employees may need to complete in a shift or if harder items over a week with a prize for each person who completes their card within the time frame.

’The Perfect Bill’ – what is your perfect bill – it could be breads, entrees, mains, side dish, a dessert to share and a bottle of wine? Whatever it is make sure your staff are aware of it and reward each person who achieves a perfect bill on a shift. This again encourages selling right through the process.

Raffle ticket – buy some books of raffle tickets and each time a staff member sells a particular item (may be the special or promotion item or something that is a challenge to move) they get a raffle ticket. At the end of a shift or a week you draw the raffle and the winner gets a prize. Obviously the more they have sold the better chance they have of winning.

Increase in Average Spend – could be based over a week or on the previous weeks takings and either based on individual staff or team effort. You may use their personal best and aim to increase it by 5 or 10%. A prize for the staff members that reach the target.

The Fishing Line – good for driving efficiency in the kitchen. Set a time limit for getting particular dishes out. Hang up a fishing line and attach monopoly money to the line. Each time they send the meals out later than the target one of the notes gets removed from the line. At the end of the shift whatever is left on the line they get to share out amongst themselves (or alternatively get that value in staff drinks).

Most improved – assessed by the manager. This could be based on sales, reduced breakages, reduced mistakes etc – can be used in both the kitchen and front of house.

Best team player – again judged by the management team and can you also get input from peers. Judged over a month, the prize could be a paid day off or no clean up duties for a week.

Staff Favourite – Nominate a product that is this week’s staff favourite. It could be a menu item but this also works really well with products on the back bar. Make sure everyone is familiar with the product and reward the person who sells the most. You could do this incentive in teams – ie pair up staff from kitchen and restaurant or bar and restaurant.

THE THYMES November 2012

HARNESSING THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH The restaurant and hospitality industry has always been reliant on word of mouth due to the largely intangible nature of the business, and because personal experience forms the basis of consumer assessment. Word of mouth is particularly important in building long-term relationships; loyal customers have a role as ad hoc marketers in conveying their personal experience to their networks. Customer satisfaction is therefore essential for positive message spread. BY JAN BIERMAN

ustomers compare their actual dining experience against their expectations. Industry research indicates the most significant aspect is quality of food, promptly followed by service, ambiance-atmosphere, and value for money. Word of mouth has always been important in marketing and is set to play an escalating role in decision-making for consumers. Family and friends have traditionally influenced dining decisions, but in the Web 2.0 environment choices and communication channels are exploding. Consumer empowerment is on the rise. So more than ever restaurants should not underestimate the power of a recommendation or bad review. Whilst much of word of mouth marketing still occurs offline, as social media becomes more pervasive its reach will impact on most businesses. Social media and discussions in the digital space are already driving a lot of offline conversations.

A mishandled complaint will travel a lot further, thus multiplying the potential damage to your reputation and ultimately your bottom-line. In spite of all the hype many of you will still think social media is only a fad, and it is good old-fashioned word of mouth that is driving customers and repeat customers. Others of you will claim that referrals by word of mouth reduces the need for a website. US research is indicating 89% of diners check out your menu online before they dine, so that in itself should be reason enough to ensure a consistent online presence. MYOB’s latest survey reports that only about half of the businesses in the hospitality sector have websites. The strategic message here is - if you do not define your own message in the digital space someone else will. In harnessing word of mouth, whether it is personal or digital, there are some key take-outs: 

The impact of social networking is already being felt by the restaurant sector via diner feedback on online forums and guides, and comments on personal social media pages. The old adage of a person with a complaint telling 8-10 people about their problem is now more virulent.

Understand that people will talk about you (or not talk about you) because of how their experience with you has made them feel. People exposed to an emotional event feel urgency to affiliate; also called the “social sharing of emotion”. This phenomenon occurs when individuals communicate frankly with others about their feelings in circumstances that they perceive to be an emotion-eliciting event. Generating positive word of mouth requires a unique selling point. People always remember something different, and if they enjoy it they will spread the message. Excellence will go so far, so help people remember you as a place that has something special, like a specific dish that you feature, introducing a surprise such as giving customers something free (unexpected for most customers), or creating an atmosphere that stimulates the senses. 

CONT INUED ON F OLLOWING PAGE

business initiatives

F ROM PREVIOUS PAGE, Harn e ssin g industry sales T he Powe r Of Word report Of Mou th

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Listen, respond and engage with your customers. If you ask for feedback accept the comments with good grace and use it to improve. Acknowledge complaints – always thank people for being a customer and for sharing their thoughts (even if you don't agree with them). If you're going to build a business around word of mouth it is better not to have these things working against you. It is all about attitude, customer relationships and the dialogue you want to have with your consumers.

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Trust lies at the core of every strong personal relationship – the same goes for relationships stakeholders have with brands. You consistently need to deliver on your brand promise. The driving force behind consumers’ desire to share positive stories about you is the trust they have in the quality of your product and service.

Trust is not built overnight; it must be nurtured over time.  The ability for stories to scale

beyond traditional channels to become viral is a challenge. You need to understand the growing role of technology and its ability to aggregate, amplify and distribute individual voices. As quickly as positive stories get exposed, negative word of mouth travels even faster in the social media space. Sometimes word of mouth just doesn’t happen. You are doing everything right, but it's not remarkable, at least not in the sense of being worth making a remark about. It is better to be talked about, than not talked about, but it is how you leverage that fine line to ensure a positive message. Word of mouth is free marketing and the most effective advertising you can have. Its power is in drawing attention and getting your customers to tell your story forward. So make every relationship and experience memorable and give your customers a reason to talk about you with gusto!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jan Bierman is a director of branding agency Rare HQ Ltd – rarehq.com. Rare HQ can help you develop your word of mouth strategy to improve your brand’s performance. Contact: jan@rarehq.com

SERVICE NOT SELLING One of the ways I have found best to encourage staff to ‘SELL’ more is to tell them to stop thinking of selling and think about SERVICE. BY JOE DEEGAN

s a young waiter on cruise ships I was serving a table of 12. The ship had just stopped in Alaska and we had a special of Sockeye salmon on the menu. I recommended the fish as the best option on the menu that night and when I took the order the first 11 guests all ordered salmon. The last gentleman also decided to have the salmon although he seemed hesitant. As he handed me the menu he said ”Well done Joe, you are a good salesman…” My reply was possibly a little too cheeky but I informed the guest that I did not consider myself a salesman as “I will still be here at the end of your meal as well”, suggesting that a salesman would have made the sale and that would be the end of the relationship. Increasing revenue must be something that your staff see as their job. Not a favour or something else that needs to be added on. Get staff to think what they would order if dining in your restaurant. They will always struggle to sell something they would not enjoy themselves. I am happy to visit the premises of any Taranaki branch member to speak to staff on this subject. Contact joed@pihms.ac.nz / 021758915. ADVERTISEMENT

business initiatives

THE THYMES September 2012

international update

F E A T UR E D PR OD U CT . . .

November 2011

DELEGATION MISTAKES Holiday

AND HOW TO FIX THEM Delegation or the lack of it can make or break any business. I work with both large and small companies in a very wide range of industries around the world and I constantly hear that many owners and managers struggle with delegation. BY ROBYN PEARCE I’ve noticed two major mistakes made by many well-intentioned folk:

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They’re available too much of the time to their staff. When passing a task over, they give lots of unnecessary detail to competent staff.

Being available for staff isn’t necessarily always an issue in hospitality businesses, but let’s discuss it. Do you have a lot of interruptions? Do you find that staff with queries, phone calls, drop-in visitors and emails regularly break your focus? If you’ve said ‘yes’ to staff interruptions, consider this. We’ve come out of the dark ages where bosses communicated as little as possible to their underlings. People were expected to take instructions and just get on with the job. Over the last few decades there has been a change in management styles. We’re now encouraged to communicate openly with our staff, to ‘empower’ them. However, there’s a downside. Many business owners feel they have to constantly ‘be there’ for their people.

& Leave Record Pads Under the Holidays Act 2003 there is a requirement to maintain a holiday and leave record containing very specific information about each employees employment, including:

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So where does delegation fit in here? Being ‘there for your staff’ 100% of the time is not good management. In fact, it causes bottlenecks, frustration and low morale, and blocks your staff from learning and developing their own skills.

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If competent people keep interrupting you with questions they should be able to handle, ask them to come with two solutions every time they come with a question. Pretty soon you’ll reduce the questions. If they’ve had to work out the answers before they come, they’ll soon realise they don’t need to interrupt you for what amounts to a ‘rubber-stamp job’. If you’re too quick to supply the answer you encourage laziness and dependency. Beware of good old human nature – the tendency to take the easy road. For many people, if they can get someone else to do their thinking, why wouldn’t they ask!

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And a solution for Point 2? If a staff member is competent, don’t force your details on them. Instead, give them the big picture of what you want to achieve and see what they come up with. Of course you’re willing to guide, coach and review, but beware of unnecessary detail. Often a good staff member will have a better way. Robyn Pearce CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is the Time Queen. She mastered her own time challenges and now helps people around the world overcome theirs. She can show you how to transform your time challenges into high productivity and the life balance you desire.

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the name of the employee and the date employment commenced the days on which an employee works, if the information is relevant to entitlement or payment under the Holidays Act the date the employee last became entitled to annual holidays the employee's current entitlement to sick leave and annual holidays the dates any annual holiday, sick or bereavement leave was taken the amount of payment for any annual holidays, sick leave and bereavement leave taken the dates of and payment for any public holiday worked the number of hours worked on any public holiday the date on which the employee became entitled to any alternative holiday the dates and payment of any public holiday or alternative holiday on which the employee did not work, but for which the employee had an entitlement to payment the cash value of board and lodgings provided the cash value of any alternative holidays that the employee has surrendered for payment the date of termination and the amount of pay for holidays on termination

ORDER NOW… The Restaurant Association’s Holiday & Leave Record and Time / Wages record pads satisfy all these requirements & are available for just $12.00 (incl of GST and P&P) - order online through www.restaurantnz.co.nz. business initiatives

THE THYMES September 2012

managing your business

November 2011

shareholders’ agreements

GETTING IT RIGHT FROM THE GET GO When starting up any business, it is important to consider how the relationships between the various parties involved will be governed going forward. This is particularly relevant in the restaurant industry, where there are often a number of financial contributors assisting in starting up a restaurant, and the on-going relationships between the various parties may not be fully contemplated at the outset. BY SARAH GIBBS & LYDIA WALLIS, Solicitors, Hesketh Henry Commercial Team.

n New Zealand, by far the most common structure for the operation of a business is a company. In the restaurant industry, often there are a small number of shareholders, who generally also work closely with the business. If a dispute arises between these shareholders, this can have wide-reaching negative effects on the business and can result in costly, time-consuming litigation that can undermine the value of the investment. In particular, if the company is owned equally by two shareholders, no major decisions can be made without unanimous approval. If two shareholders disagree, a deadlock situation can occur, which can turn nasty. This is where a shareholders agreement can help.

What is a shareholders’ agreement? A shareholders’ agreement is a written contract between shareholders, regulating the operation of the company in which they have invested. The agreement sets out the ground rules for how the business will operate and what rights and obligations the shareholders will have towards each other. The shareholders’ agreement can also be useful in dealing with major change events, such as the introduction of new investors, the exit or death of a shareholder or the sale of all or a substantial part of the company’s assets. A shareholders’ agreement can be entered into at any time, however the shareholders will benefit most from the agreement if it is entered into at the beginning of a business relationship. A shareholders’ agreement is not a constitution. If a company chooses to adopt a constitution, this document must be filed with the Companies Office, and is therefore a matter of public record. The benefit of a shareholders’ agreement is that it is a private document that governs the operation of the company internally. Companies often choose to have a constitution and a shareholders’ agreement, and the documents may cross reference each other. business initiatives

What matters are addressed in a shareholders’ agreement?  Appointment of directors: Under the Companies Act 1993 (“Act”), directors can be appointed with the approval of the majority of shareholders. To protect a minority shareholder’s interests, provision in the shareholders’ agreement can be made for a minority shareholder to be entitled to appoint a director. Such a provision would also be recommended where the company has a 50/50 share split, as neither shareholder holds the majority required to appoint a director under the Act.  Pre-emptive rights: If a shareholders’ agreement includes pre-emptive rights, a shareholder wanting to exit the company must first offer their shares at fair value to the remaining shareholders. A mechanism for calculating fair value should be provided for. If the remaining shareholders choose not to purchase the shares, the exiting shareholder can offer the shares to a third party. It should be a condition of any transfer of shares to a third party that the new shareholder signs up to the shareholders’ agreement.  Drag and tag provisions: Tag along rights enable a minority shareholder to force an exiting majority shareholder to secure the same “exit deal” for the minority shareholder. Drag along rights allow a majority shareholder selling its shares to require a minority shareholder to also sell its shares to the purchaser, if the purchaser wishes to purchase 100% of the shares in the company.  Dispute resolution: In order to save on lengthy delays and extensive legal fees, it is recommended that a dispute resolution provision sets out the procedure for resolving disputes between shareholders. The provision should set out clear time frames by which parties must act, in order for the process to be completed quickly and effectively.  Non-competition provisions: These provisions prevent an exiting shareholder from being involved in a competing business in a particular geographical region for a prescribed period of time after selling shares in the company. This clause would no doubt be highly relevant in the competitive restaurant market.

Shareholders’ agreements should be drafted with the individual business in mind, and should be established with a view to increasing the efficiency and consistency of the operation of the company. If you have any questions relating to shareholders’ agreements, or would like any other corporate or commercial advice, please contact Sarah Gibbs (sarah.gibbs@heskethhenry.co.nz) or Lydia Wallis (lydia.wallis@heskethhenry.co.nz) from Hesketh Henry’s Corporate and Commercial team or call 09 375 8700 to discuss how we may assist you and your business. legal viewpoint

member benefits ...don’t forget to support the people who support your Restaurant Association

MEMBERINITIATIVES

key partners...

BANKING SERVICES TAILORED JUST FOR YOU... Although many members currently enjoy the preferential credit card processing rates available through Westpac. However, we’d like to remind you that Westpac's range of personal and business banking benefits for members means you could save on almost every aspect of your personal banking needs. Other member benefits you can access include:  everyday business banking discounts (including free cash handling, and discounts associate+ partners...

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on cheque clearance and electronic transactional fees) a BusinessPlus Gold MasterCard with hotpoints® rewards membership included discounted Equipment Finance for purchasing assets like vehicles or equipment savings on personal or home loans and the best interest rates a free business risk consultation and discounted business risk insurances

INTERESTED? For more information call the Westpac association member helpline on 0800 177 677 or email member.info@westpac.co.nz

THE THYMES November 2012

member benefits

managing your business

November 2011

WHAT DIFFERENCE CAN A LOYALTY CLUB MAKE? THE NUMBERS... Here’s the proof ~ Waz from AmiGo’s Mexican Bar and Grill in Wanaka gives us a glimpse into business outcomes by sharing some real numbers from his EFTPlus driven ‘Guestlist’ loyalty club. BY TJ WASHINGTON, EFTPLUS

hose who have been fortunate enough to visit AmiGos know what a special place it is. From offering Bhut Jolokia chilli dishes (400x hotter than Tabasco) for chilli fans with ironclad constitutions, to banoffi pie for those with a more delicate palette, AmiGos has built up such a following that they’re moving from their current 40 seat restaurant to a custom built 120 seat venue.

Better measures are to look at whether customer behaviour changes after joining the loyalty club and whether more is spent overall. For this reason ask the following questions:  Do loyalty club members spend more after they join?  Do they visit more often after they join? This is what it looks like for Amigos: GROUP

Clearly they’re doing many things right so it is natural to ask if they need a loyalty system at all? However, according to Waz it is an important part of Amigos success: “AmiGos has been operating a guest loyalty program for 4 years, using direct mail, email, Facebook & Twitter and our own website. While the benefits to the business grew with the membership size, so did the administration time required to keep the list up to date. Using our POS 'loyalty' module helped keep track of members details and spend, but proved very limited in the way value was added to the guests. 'Points' are boring, and we've found they become less attractive over time... then along came EFTPlus... Now we offer rewards for any number of criteria; on joining, on visiting a certain number of times, amount spent, birthdays, anniversaries... the choice is limitless, and the system literally takes care of itself. Zero maintenance on our part after (maybe) an hour of setup. We wouldn't be without this system. AmiGos is about to take on a 120 seat venue, having well and truly outgrown the current 40 seats, and EFTPlus have played a large part in our continuing success in a small town with a lot of big players!”

To find out exactly how valuable we asked Waz to share some real figures. At first glance measuring the effectiveness of a loyalty club would seem relatively easy. Do loyalty club members spend more than non-members? But when you think about it for a moment you realise that this is probably the wrong question to ask. The people who join your loyalty club are more likely to be regular customers anyway. This means they’re more likely to spend more over time so the answer to the question is probably “Yes”, whether you have a club in place or not. Comparing average transaction size between members and non-members can also be of limited value. If your members are coming back because they have a reward to use, which provides a discount or free product, their transaction amount is naturally a bit lower. member initiatives

Average spend (per visit) Average visits (per month) Value per month (av spend X av visits)

Members before join $17.28 0.29 $5.01

Members after join $56.08 0.61 $34.21

So the answer to these two questions is yes. We cannot say for sure how much the loyalty club itself is responsible for these figures. However, we can say is that we see similar statistics across most EFTPlus loyalty clubs. Which means, at the increased value after they join, it doesn’t take many active members to return the cost of having a loyalty club. And every member above that represents increased revenue. On these figures adding 100 members should add at least $2000 per month in revenue, taking into account the cost of the service and providing rewards. For Waz there are other benefits too: “There's the ability to segment our database in any way we want; by gender, age bracket, best customers, customers we've not seen in a while, or any combination of criteria, eg females 18 - 30 who are in our top 50 best guests! We can then email or txt special offers to that group straight from a smartphone, anywhere... it really is that good! Our guests love the EFTPlus system, joining is as easy as sending a short txt, the ability to link a payment card to their membership makes it very easy to collect the rewards, and the rewards themselves are presented in a voucher system that can be displayed from a phone or printed as a voucher to bring in. The online validator means a 5 second bit of data entry while settling the bill, and bingo, reward accepted and crossed off the list of outstanding vouchers.”

So the next time you’re in Wanaka drop by AmiGo’s, enjoy the dining, join the guest list and don’t say we didn’t warn you about the Bhut Jolokia. Want to know more about the loyalty program implemented by Amigo’s? Contact Eftplus: 0800 338 758

THE THYMES November 2012

managing your business

November 2011

INSURANCE FOR MEMBERS WHAT IS GOING ON? Insurance in NZ is more costly following the earthquakes and it doesn’t matter where you are situated because the whole country is now seen as riskier by insurers and global reinsurers. And it’s not just earthquakes; think tornados, floods, snowstorms, landslips... BY CROMBIE LOCKWOOD

If you are a customer of ours already, we have your insurance well placed at the moment. Your premium will be higher, terms will change, but you have cover. If you are not a customer of ours, you still can be and receive the service and support we’re renowned for. We will review your insurance and either, place it with the insurer for Restaurant Association, place it elsewhere or keep it with your current insurer – whichever is the best arrangement for you and your business.

nsurers are dependent on offshore reinsurance (the insurance for the insurer). Before the earthquakes, Global Reinsurers paid less attention to the NZ market and so the cost of reinsurance was cheaper. Following the quakes their focus is clearer. For the first time they’ve realised how risky we are and as a result their reinsurance prices have increased over 400%. One well-known local insurer’s reinsurance costs have increased from $38m to $250m – and that is not including their EQ claim costs.



All insurers want their portfolio of business to be as attractive as possible for a reinsurer so they can keep those costs down. To achieve that they’re looking closely at the business they write and reviewing everything. So look out for higher natural disaster (ND) premiums, higher ND deductibles and expect more questions from insurers to assist them to understand exactly what your risk is.

Earthquake Prone buildings The other emerging issue for older buildings and some not so old, is that they are deemed to be “earthquake prone”. Buildings will be classified ‘earthquake prone’ under the Building Act 2004 if it would:  fail in a moderate earthquake, which, broadly speaking, means a building that would not meet 33% of the current building code requirements if the building was re-built today; and  be likely to collapse in a moderate earthquake causing injury or death to people in or around the building or damage to other property.

Older Buildings By definition older buildings (pre-1940) were built before modern EQ standards were established. Now those buildings are ‘unattractive’ risks for reinsurers and therefore also for insurers. The result is inevitable – much higher premiums; insistence of EQ code compliance and in most cases, insurers simply will not take on any more older buildings for natural disaster cover. Wellington and Christchurch Insurers have limited capacity in these high risk areas. Natural Disaster reinsurance for these regions is so costly that smaller insurers have decided not to trade in these markets. Larger insurers support their customers by staying in these markets and absorbing the extra costs involved but they have little capacity to take in new customers. Again the result is inevitable and these areas become closed or captive markets. The Solution The good news is that we can still get cover for Natural Disasters (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, etc) for older buildings and businesses inside them and for any business or building in Wellington and Christchurch. But building owners and businesses will pay more premium than they ever have before. Because it is so hard to place this business in the NZ market, here’s what to do if you own or tenant an older building or own/tenant a building in Wellington or Christchurch:

THE THYMES November 2012



Each Council identifies these buildings differently – some are proactively advising owners, others haven’t quite got there yet. Councils must adopt a policy detailing how they will exercise their powers and responsibilities under the Act. These policies may address local circumstances, eg the level of seismic activity in their region and local building types. Each policy will set out the level to which strengthening work must be undertaken and the timeframe for that work, which generally depends on the level of risk, the building's use and no. of people using it. From an insurance point of view, if you own or are tenanting an EQ prone building, your insurance cover is likely to become restricted. You may only be covered for the depreciated value of your assets, as opposed to the replacement value. Your sums insured may reduce, particularly your business interruption sum. You will need to tell us if you are in an EQ prone building. You can find this out by talking to your Landlord or local Council. To be sure of where you stand call your nearest Crombie Lockwood office - visit www.crombielockwood.co.nz for contact details from Invercargill to Kaitaia or email askme@crombielockwood.co.nz. member initiatives

new members

November 2011

WELCOMENEW 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 1600 of New Zealand’s most dynamic and profitable hospitality businesses.

Banana Leaf Limited, Porirua

Roland & Lucienne Enterprises, Taupo

Burger Fuel – Pukekohe, Auckland

Pan de Muerto, Wellington

Burger Fuel – Silverdale, Auckland

Pita Pit Burnham, Christchurch

Cafe 547, Hamilton East

Ponsonby Central, Auckland

Cafe Concepts, Auckland

Roselands Restaurant, Waitomo caves

Cafe Tarawera, Napier

Thai Classic Restaurant & Bar, Auckland

Charlotte Steakhouse and Grill, Wellington

The Coffee Club Westfield Riccarton, Christchurch

Church Hill Restaurant & Oyster Bar, Stewart Island

The Fridge Café, Auckland

Cock & Bull – Botany, Auckland

The Gables Restaurant, Russell

Cock & Bull – Ellerslie, Auckland

The Nose, Cromwell

Cock & Bull - Hamilton

Toru, Auckland

Cock & Bull – Lynfield, Auckland

Wang Thong Thai Fusion, Auckland

Cock & Bull – Newmarket, Auckland

Wholly Bagels & Pizza Cuba, Wellington

Columbus Coffee, Ashburton

Wholly Bagels & Pizza Hutt - Lower Hutt

Daddy O's, Wellington Europac Restaurant, Wanaka Fresco Foods Ltd, Auckland Habitual Fix Albany, 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 goods and services)

Hansan Vietnamese Restaurant, Auckland Kassaba, New Plymouth Kwang Chow Restaurant, Mt Maunganui

Cottonsoft Limited, Auckland www.cottonsoft.co.nz

REGIONAL UPDATES

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… ROTORUA & WAIKATO

September 2011

kia ora from

rotorua

ia ora from Rotorua.

Firstly I would like to thank those of our members who nominated me back in as Branch President and also John Knight as Vice President at our recent Branch AGM held at Triple one Five. Mericia Waqanimaravu has offered to stay on as Branch Secretary and will be sharing that role with Leandra Bowen (Gilmour’s). Labour Weekend was bursting at the seams and most businesses did very well. On the Saturday evening of Labour Weekend we had a mini reunion on my husband Rogers’s side and dined at my first ever training Hotel (THC) now the Holiday Inn. The food was great and it was also fantastic to see three of my students working there. The customer service was good. The weather turned ugly on Sunday but improved on Monday when my current students and I worked at the New Zealand Maori Rugby League Tournament. That was certainly ‘full on’. There are some exciting developments with Eat Streat (Lake end Tutanekai Street) where a lot of our local members have their businesses.

The design that has been chosen for the development includes an opaque roof, retractable awnings and underground heating that features underground geothermal-heated pads which could be heated to up to 30C to keep diners warm. Individual retractable awnings would cover the dining areas. This should be completed by next summer. It was great to have Lynley Martin and Gemma Wild (Skyline Rotorua) dine at Waiariki’s restaurant last Friday. Skyline is one of the big employers of our students. Thanks also to Bruce (GM at Skyline Rotoura) for supporting our top Diploma in Hospitality student (Kristal Heta) Year 2 this year. She certainly has deserved it. I have to share a little story about my grandchildren, Noah 8 and Saraya 7. One afternoon we were in the lounge and both of them came down with pen and paper, a tea towel folded over one arm, ready to take orders. The menu was ham sandwiches with, or without, crusts (options). They took the orders and I could hear them in the kitchen asking each other what we would like to drink. I heard “poppy will have ginger beer”, “mummy/aunty will have a diet coke”, and “nana will probably have a wine”. Out of the mouths of babes I say. Naku noa na Sharon Wallace Rotorua Branch President Waiariki Institute of Technology e: Sharon.Wallace@waiariki.ac.nz m: (027) 233 4146

regional round up

what’s on

waikato

he last half of the year seems to have flown by at alarming pace and for many the lead up to Christmas is now in full swing. The vibe out there seems more positive than the past few years so here’s hoping for a cracker Christmas for everyone. Congratulations to Matt Maclean and his team at Palate for taking out honours in the 2012 Cuisine Restaurant Awards, walking away with the title of ‘Best Regional Restaurant’. Congratulations also to the team at Pumice for making the finals of the Awards for Excellence and local Café ‘Mavis and Co’ who were announced runners up in the 2012 NZ Best Café Awards’-Café Magazine. They are about to open a new venture ‘Clarence-Wine & Tapas by Mavis’at their Grey Street site. Watch this space. Another local—Victoria Street Bistro were voted ‘People’s Choice Finalist’ in the 2012 Monteiths Wild Food Challenge and travelled to Auckland to compete in the final cook-off for the second year in a row. October has seen the opening of Hamilton’s first boutique brewery- ‘Good GeorgeBrewery and Dining Hall’in Frankton and while it is a first for the region it is certainly not the first foray into hospo for its founder Jason Macklow and the prolific Phoenix Group. All in all the region has had a busy and successful 2012 and here’s hoping for a great couple of months to finish off the year for all. Have a safe and happy holidays, Hayley Scott President Waikato Branch Zinc Cafe e: Hayley@zinccafe.co.nz

THE THYMES September 2012

p: 029 226 2375

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… MANAWATU & WELLINGTON

regional updates

from the capital:

manawatu hings have been trucking along in the Manawatu area lately.

On Sunday 4 November the Manawatu Hospitality awards were held. The venue was the Regent Theatre again and our association was proud to sponsor the restaurant of the year again. The finalists were Aberdeen on Broadway, Bellas Café, Rendezvous Restaurant and Bar, Bethanys Restaurant and Café and Neros Café and Bar. All fitting finalists and again showing our region has very high standards of restaurants. We have had a few changes with a new member opening an excellent new café on state Highway 1, 2km south of Sanson, where the historic Maze / Woodlands Lodge was prior to being gutted by fire about 3 years ago. Alan Parker and Frances have done a great job of producing the Woolshed Cafe, purpose built on this site in a woolshed format, and is fast establishing itself as an excellent venue with a great menu and great staff. The Fork and Spoon café has recently opened in Marton in the historic Granery site. The Manawatu Golf Club has been rebranded from the original Sandtrap café to the Hokowhitu Café, and a new on-licence allows non club members to enjoy the excellent facilities.

November 2011

THE THYMES November 2012

Hester Guy Catering is rumoured to be taking over the café, restaurant and functions centre at the Palmerston North RSA, which will add value to a very good facility. Joes Garage has opened in Princes St, where till recently a short lived Thai restaurant was located, and the fit out is excellent and we wish them well. George St however, has certainly cemented its spot in town as our “Restaurant Row” with Tomato at one end and Cafe Cuba at the other, with a string of quality outlets in between. When you look at the collection of awards received by this street’s occupants, it has to be a NZ record. Mother Goose in Bulls has been successful for Tracy in engaging a chef into our excellent apprenticeship scheme. Interestingly, I found at a Sunday market, a copy of Bob Sells autobiography ($1). Bob was one of the original presidents of our Association, and it’s a great read about our industry, especially in Auckland in the 60s and 70s. If anyone wants to borrow mine I am happy to share it. Lindsay McKinney Manawatu/ Wanganui Branch

from the capital:

hot plate coming through Rumours, happenings and events The former Pan de Meurte Mexican restaurant which was located in the Sandwiches music venue is now a restaurant called Pickle. A new 200 seat dumpling restaurant is to open on Tennyson St. Big Bad Wolf, a new charcuterie café has opened on Wakefield St Jeff Kennedy, the former owner of Caffe L’affare, is to open a new café and coffee roasting venue in Jesse St called Acme. Port Café, located on the waterfront in the Herd St Apartment building has closed. The hospitality company that operates 3 bars in Featherston St is opening a new bar on the corner of Cuba St and Vivian St. Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School has opened as well as the relocated Weltec cooking school, located in the same complex. WOW (World of Wearable Arts) provided a fantastic lift for the hospitality sector with over 45, 000 attending the 2 week event. Many visitors came from out of town and filled the regions hotels and motels as well as eating and shopping whilst here. Kind regards Mike Egan, Wellington Branch President & Restaurant Association National President e: monsoonpoon@actrix.co.nz m: 021 966 667 regional round up

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… POVERTY BAY

September 2011

update on

poverty bay

he last few weeks of activity here on the coast always signal the beginning of our silly season. The heat from the sun starts intensifying and those lucky enough to get outside regularly begin their tanning process. We start with our annual Agricultural and Pastoral show (11th to the 13th of October this year) where a lot of our industry related suppliers and chefs participate. There is always a keen interest in the Beef and Lamb New Zealand sites which include judging and competitions across the board—from breeding and rearing the livestock to how they finally taste on the plate. Attending numbers were slightly down on last year but as it co-incided with the school holidays this time around it was still a positive turnout from the organisers behalf. And fortunately for my own involvement this year the food I had to taste and judge was the best I have tested in four years! After some of the celebrity male farmers efforts last year (tongue in cheek) that I had the displeasure of putting in my mouth I was very grateful for the plates provided by a fully female panel of contestants this year. Over the Labour weekend we had the re-branded festival “Feast” which used to be called The Gisborne Wine and Food Festival. Entertainment from kiwi bands Dragon and Hello Sailor and more drew a crowd of around 3500. Numbers were also down for this event compared to last year but it was hailed as a success from all who participated as vendor numbers were considerably lower also.

THE THYMES November 2012

It has been a pretty lack-lustre off season for most of hospitality, continuing with the trend world-wide of financial slowdown. Our tourism industry is more than likely going to continue with this decline over summer as flight numbers to our region have been cut recently and the costs have increased (due to higher airport charges). Our connecting roads through the gorge have also got a bad reputation after this year’s washouts, our local council have doubled the price of parking in the city and Kiwi rail have mothballed our pretty much unused railway line. Thank goodness for the fantastic sunshine that has started early for us here. It always chases away any blues and the town springs into action in preparation for Christmas and Rhythm and Vines which is thankfully bucking the trend and aiming for 35,000 tickets this year. The only changes I’m aware of amongst the local operators is that we are expecting a new café to open in time for summer (just across the road from our police station on the main street) and a new Turkish restaurant is nearing completion to provide upmarket food of that genre. Yum! I’m looking forward to a new place to dine! Best of luck for the summer everyone, Grant Bailey Poverty Bay Branch President The Fettuccine Brothers 2007 e: rapovertybay@gmail.com m: (021) 0546 691

canterbury viewpoint

I am thankful that the Restaurant Association is working to retain the café & restaurant manager roles on the Immediate Skill Shortage List as I am discovering right now how essential it is for it to remain there. Some 18 months after the earthquake which destroyed our business, we are close to reopening. Prior to the earthquake we had 32 staff, within 2 weeks of the quake all but 5 had left the city. None have returned. We have been advertising for staff for the past 6 weeks and to put it mildly it is almost impossible to find almost any staff with any experience at all. It was the case, prior to the earthquake, that a staff member with less experience could be taken on and ‘nursed’ by surrounding them with experienced staff. That can no longer happen as there are no experienced staff available. Restaurant manager is one such position. They certainly have a key position and act as the conduit between ownership and staff. They are responsible for such things as rosters, ordering, dealing with bookings, complaints, kitchen/front of house issues, staff issues intoxicated patrons, the list is endless. They must be confident and mature of nature, understanding patient and business like. Christchurch has lost a generation of hospitality workers. They are not going to be easy to replace and the effects are wide ranging. In my business it means that we have a shortage of staff trainers, we have a shortage of duty managers and that has meant a reduction in our opening hours. Our case is not isolated however. It is a hospitality spring in Christchurch at the moment, with a number of operations due to reopen and many operators are expressing the same sentiments. This is a serious issue and a solution must be found. Michael Turner, Café Valentino regional

round up

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… TARANAKI

September 2011

tales from

taranaki

hat perfect weather Taranaki has been having. And just for once it’s timely as we’ve just had the Powerco Garden Spectacular, a garden and art festival that goes on for 10 days. Sunny weather was just what the gardeners and festival-goers were hoping for. We welcomed all the new clientele that this festival generates, and it was lovely being fully booked in the evenings at this time of year. This year the visitors seemed to be combining dining and looking, even during the day, so for us there was a nice increase in turnover. The Halamoana Awards have been and gone ~ check out the results right. It was a colourful and enjoyable event giving our local hospo operators a chance to let their hair down together. We’ve had a few comings and goings of late. Okurukuru Restaurant has been closed for a while and has a new leasee, Sohnke Danger (affectionately known as Danger). Danger has moved from being head chef at the Garlic Press restaurant and the new venture is called ‘Danger at Okurukuru’. He’ll be aiming for the family market with a more relaxed feel. The Montrose Winebar has closed down and the building housing it has been purchased by Mark Louis and a business partner. They plan to reopen half of the building as another cocktail bar and will focus on supplying craft beer, fine wine and a good, classic cocktail list. Mark also co-owns Club 55 and Our Place, and was previously co-owner of The Powder Room, a cocktail bar that has also been regional round up

closed for a while now. When a door shuts, there’s always someone ready and waiting to have a go at opening it back up.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2012 WINNERS: Outstanding Hospitality Achievement Doc Van Praagh (KDJ)

Someone called Jeremy is involved with opening an eatery called Federation Café & Deli. How do I know this you may ask? Well a would-be chef applied for a position I was recently offering and instead of writing a new letter of application to me he used a copy of the one he had previously written to the Federation Café.

Outstanding Owner Operator Kerry Vosseler (Chaos)

Here at Bach on Breakwater, I have just started a new head chef for my evening dining and what a relief! My last new one lasted just 2 weeks before walking out mid shift without saying a word! He wasn’t coping very well, and must have suddenly realised it. I had to hurriedly put my apron on, sharpen my knife and start doing the job, which was a bit of a shock to the system as I’m not a chef. However ‘girls can do anything’ and I’ve had some very full weeks over the past month. Quite frankly I’m a bit tired! My previous evening chef, after leaving us a few weeks ago, has come back and applied for a day chef job that’s about to be vacated, so at least I’m keeping the skills in the family so to speak. And while I don’t enjoy all this chopping and changing, after doing the night chef job for a month, at least I won’t be so nervous if the space is suddenly vacated in the future; although hopefully that will never happen again.

Outstanding Chef Lukasz Zielinski (Frederic's)

So now it’s time to gear up for Christmas and the summer!

Outstanding Ethnic India Today

Barbara Olsen-Henderson Bach on Breakwater e: barbara_olsen@xtra.co.nz

Outstanding Barista Louis Aiello (Joe's Garage) Outstanding Host/Hostess Rachel Deegan (Frederic's) Outstanding Bartender Layne Rapira (The Mayfair) (also Excellence Award Winner) Tom Carroll (Rosie O'Grady's Irish Pub)

Trainee Chef Dylan Wilson (Okurukuru) Outstanding Supplier Bidvest Outstanding Sales Representative Mike Schofield (Bidvest) (also Excellence Award Winner) Outstanding Bar Our Place Outstanding Cafe Chaos (also Excellence Award Winner) Outstanding Restaurant Table @ Nice Hotel Outstanding Take-Out Establishment Burger Fuel Outstanding Caterer Delistar Outstanding Waiter/Waitress Anne-Laure Bernollin (André's L'Escargot Restaurant)

Outstanding South Taranaki Personality Linda Morrison (Tairoa Lodge) Outstanding South Taranaki Establishment Marracbo Cafe

taranaki halamoana awards 28 october, matinee, new plymouth

REGIONAL ROUNDUP… SOUTHERN LAKES

F E A T UR E D PR OD U CT . . .

November 2011 24 Model Job

regional updates

Descriptions

Handbook greetings from

the south

t's been an interesting winter season down here – early snow, then very little snowfall during the peak months, the warmest August on record, then big snow dumps in spring. In fact there’s a fresh blanket of snow on the mountains as I write this and a chill in the air that suggests spring is still a bit reluctant to show up. Queenstown is renowned as a world-class winter destination and the proof was certainly in the pudding this year with many businesses reporting a bumper winter. Visitor numbers for our peak months of July and August were great and while the mild winter affected our ski conditions to a degree, it actually gave visitors the opportunity to spend more time enjoying our plethora of off-mountain activities. However, warmer temperatures in September shortened our winter season somewhat and we experienced a sharp unwelcome dip. As Queenstown grows, so too does its restaurant offerings – Josh Emett and Fleur Caulton's Rata Dining opened in May to much acclaim; Gasoline Alley was replaced by Ivy and Lola's Kitchen at Steamer Wharf and has been very well received; and a funky ‘50s style diner Cranky Franky's has replaced Rees St Deli. In the coming months Kiwi Masterchef Simon Gault will launch a steakhouse and oyster bar and the iconic Dux de Lux will be transformed into an upmarket Italian restaurant. One key issue currently facing our local operators is a substantial increase in the rental charged by the council on outdoor regional round up

tables and chairs. Many operators believe it is unfair given that the increase is much higher than other major centres especially because outdoor seating can only be utilised for about six months of the year. The Restaurant Association has assisted local operators with this issue by engaging professional services to present an independent valuation of these rentals, but at this stage the report has been rejected by council so the dispute goes on. Over-supply of liquor licenses is also a hot topic at the moment and it’s my understanding that it’s an issue affecting other regions as well. Many operators here believe we should aim for ‘quality not quantity' and that the current situation in Queenstown has led to cost cutting and drink specials which could potentially cheapen the town’s image and slice the pie smaller for businesses. A committee of operators is lobbying council to act on this but so far there’s no progress to report. The good news is summer is just around the corner which is when Queenstown really turns on her charms. Let's hope the Aussies keep filling the planes headed this way and The Hobbit release re-ignites America's interest in visiting New Zealand.

The Restaurant Association have developed a Model Job Descriptions handbook for members. This provides a valuable resource for creating position descriptions to help businesses hire the most qualified applicants for their operation. The Handbook includes Job Descriptions for 24 positions. Job descriptions are intended to help an employer determine whether a person is qualified to perform a job. This handbook provides generic position descriptions, which can be customised to reflect the specific tasks and responsibilities of the employees in an operation. 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

Kind regards Cam Mitchell, Southern Lakes Branch President The Bunker

and outside these hours on 027-559 7777.

e: cam_bunker@yahoo.co.nz m: 021 441 205

The service is for members with urgent employment problems.

regional round up THE THYMES November 2012

November 2011

mainly of interest to

auckland members... news.

upcoming auckland events.

Waiheke Island's hottest new opening is the stylish Oyster Inn (www.theoysterinn.co.nz), which offers restaurant dining, bar, private room and even three luxury boutique hotel rooms (where you’ll get complimentary Havaianas in their trademark yellow & white).

2012

November

The restaurant is headed by Cristian Hossack (formerly head chef at London's Providores), where they will aim to serve honest, simple dishes made with the very best local produce. The raw bar is stocked with the island's Te Matuku oysters (as well as others from the region). Barworks are all set to open The Postman’s Leg, on the site of the old Glenfield Tavern, which has undergone a massive transformation (you’d hope so!). The venue consists of a large open bar area, indoor & outdoor function areas and one of the largest, sunniest garden bars Auckland has ever seen—and of course a huge carpark.

The beautiful French café has also had some changes with the development of the courtyard into a flourishing edible garden and the launch of a new dining space, The French Kitchen. This will be the ultimate chefs table - private dining with an open kitchen, where chef / owner Simon Wright can cook for an intimate number of guests.

White’s & Co., a soft-serve yoghurt store in a league of its own, has opened down at Britomart. The brainchild of good friends Angus Allan (co-founder of The Collective) and Kirk Saunders, White’s & Co. is dedicated to delivering the very best in quality using all-natural yoghurt. They also have some kitted -out wheels which can take them to various locations / festivals over the summer.

THE THYMES November2012

Winner of NZ Café of the Year announced

Restaurant Association Front of House induction workshop, taste, 45 Normanby Road, Mt Eden. www.restaurantnz.co.nz

15-18

Taste of Auckland, Victoria Park www.tasteofauckland.co.nz

Restaurant Association webinar, Employment Law FAQ’s, presented by Hesketh Henry lawyers RSVP to jo@tastenz.co.nz

Farmers Santa Parade

December

Also just opened further North is JAC’s Trading Co (www.jacstrading.co.nz) in The Plaza on the Whangaparoa Peninsula. JAC stands for Jellicoe and Cradock, which are apparently the two channels of water between the Whangaparaoa peninsula and Little Barrier Island, and Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands, don’t you know.

We hear that the Birdcage will soon reopen, with a restaurant/gastro bar headed by Frith Griggs, former restaurant manager at Parnell institution, Iguacu.

Restaurant Association Christmas Visiting Hour, taste, 45 Normanby Road. Mt Eden

Coca Cola Christmas in the Park, Auckland Domain

Christmas Day

Boxing Day

31-5Jan ASB Classic, womens tennis tournament, ASB Tennis Arena

2013 JAC’s Trading Co

January 1

New Years Day

Day after New Years Day

7-12

Heineken Open, mens tennis tournament, ASB Tennis Arena

Auckland Seafood Festival, Wynyard Quarter www.seafoodfestival.co.nz

Auckland Anniversary Day (public holiday) auckland members

Canterbury Anniversary Day

Toast Maritnborough (www.toastmaritnborough.co.nz)

Air New Zealand Wine Awards announced (www.airnzwineawards.com)

End of the whitebait season, but cherries and raspberries will soon be in!

R E S T A U R A N T A S S O C I A T I O N OF N E W Z E A L A N D

WWW.RESTAURANTNZ.CO.NZ

3 An egg contains every vitamin except Vitamin C.

(surely not!)

Poultry Garlic

Spicy Citrus & Vinaigrette

Serving and Cellaring 1-5+ YRS

NZ Riesling ranges from bone dry & steely to luscious & sweet. Most lean towards an off-dry style with artfully balanced zesty citrus & lime. Young wines often show the fragrant aromas of apple, citrus, lemon & tropical fruit. With age, toasted honey & sometimes kerosene characters can develop. The cooler South Island produces the majority of our Riesling.

Think spice, flowers, minerals, limes & peaches.

Pasta Sweet

Food Matching ~ New Zealand Riesling’s combination of fruit intensity, citrus notes and refreshing acidity complement the subtle flavours of Japanese tempura.

Racy, aromatic, diverse. Naturally vibrant with a zesty acidity. The wine for Asian cuisine.

Wine Facts...Riesling

0800 737 827

1 Honey is the only natural food which never goes off. 2 An apple is more effective at waking you up in the morning than coffee

Trying to get Christmas shopping done early cuts down on the pressure.

Make sure you eat properly. Take some fruit to work with you for a nice healthy snack.

Try not to drink too many energy drinks or coffees, you will only end up feeling worse, or not being able to sleep when you get home.

Another split shift tip, bring a fresh pair of socks to work to put on before you start the dinner shift. Your feet will thank you for it!

If you are doing a split shift, make sure you have at least 10 minutes away from the workplace. If you can give yourself a quick change of scenery before the next shift it can often help refresh you.

Tips for surviving the Christmas rush

The Summer of Riesling is a celebration of Riesling by some of New Zealand’s finest riesling producing wineries, restaurants and retailers. Part of a worldwide movement that encourages the consumption, discussion and enjoyment of Riesling, over summer there will be a number of events - winemaker dinners, tastings and wine lists celebrating all things Riesling. Find out if your establishment is involved and for more information go to www.summerofriesling.co.nz

Check Out…

4 5 Did You Know?

Taste of Auckland, Victoria Park, Auckland (www.tasteofauckland.co.nz)

15-18

Westland Anniversary Day

Restaurant Association Front of House Induction workshop, at taste, 45 Normanby Road, Mt Eden. Auckland (to book email jo@tastenz.co.nz

December

Winner of NZ Café of the Year announced (www.nzcafeoftheyear.co.nz)

November

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) Michael Turner Sean Burns (Milk and Honey, Napier) Marcel Rood (Raupo Cafe, Blenheim) Howard Morris (Harry’s Bay, 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)