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SAVAGE DRIVE-THROUGH SIGN REFLECTS COVIDWORLD FEELINGS
A sign displayed at a McDonald's drive-through in the United States apologising for delays has gone viral for its ‘savage’ explanation as to why the restaurant was short-staffed.
Footage shared to TikTok by someone ordering at an unidentified restaurant shows a bright yellow sign displayed above the ‘order here’ station. It reads: "We are short-staffed. Please be patient with the staff that did show up. No one wants to work anymore."
America's hospitality industry has been badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, some reports state that the U.S unemployment benefits are so good in the aftermath of the pandemic that "it pays to stay unemployed". Workers have also admitted feeling skittish about returning to work after mass lay-offs due to alarming virus numbers.
The video has been viewed over a million times and has received a huge reaction online with many empathising with the employees who had gone to work and found themselves in a sticky situation, while others praised the sign for being honest.
One woman commented. "Nobody wants to come to work atm, it's a problem every business has right now … that's what happens when everyone is still getting unemployment and refusing to work."
Some also praised the McDonald’s team for standing up for themselves. "This is every restaurant in America right now. Be kind and don't take it out on the staff," one reasoned. "People still refuse to wear a mask, no wonder no one wants to deal with them anymore," another agreed. Read more online.
After an 11-year hiatus Highball, New Zealand’s cocktail and spirits festival, in association with Federal Merchants & Co, is proud to announce the return of New Zealand Bartender of the Year.
This is the opportunity for cocktail creatives to test themselves against the top bartenders in the nation and have a shot at becoming New Zealand Bartender of the Year. Highball is New Zealand’s most exciting annual cocktail and spirits celebration. An immersive two-day celebration showcasing some of the best purveyors of cocktails and spirits New Zealand and the world has to offer.
For more information about the Bartender of the Year competition, visit www.highball.co.nz. Read more online.
QUEENSTOWN’S TOP DINING REVEALED
The finalists have been announced in the Queenstown Hospitality Awards and locals are being invited to vote for their favourite place to dine out.
The finalists represent the top-notch dining establishments in the city as voted by the hospitality industry.
“Queenstown is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to dining out, offering exceptional experiences in some of the world’s most stunning settings. It is a great opportunity to remind locals, domestic visitors and soon Australians of all the incredible options for dining they have to choose from,” commented Restaurant Association CEO, Marisa Bidois.
“We believe it’s important to shine a light on our industry and make sure we are recognised for the contribution we make to our community and economy. With all categories keenly contested, this year’s winners truly exemplify what it means to be at the top of their respective categories.”
Voting closes on Sunday, 25 April at 5.00pm and winners will then be announced at the awards evening on Monday, 3 May at the Skyline in Queenstown. Read more online.
STANDARD MONTHLY RENTAL PRICES: Small tank $195+GST Medium tank $225+GST Large tank $265+GST A $195+GST delivery and removal fee is added if tank is left for less than 4 months. Offer available while stock lasts. Out of Auckland customers are equipped to self service.
news A DOUBLE SHOT OF SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
SNAP UP GREEN BOUNTY
Award-winning liqueur and spiritmaker Koakoa is doubling down on its ground-breaking spirit crates system as it ramps up its commitment to be one of the most sustainable distilleries in New Zealand.
Their spirit crates system was initially launched in 2019 by Coowners Chris Barber and Bec Kay in response to the excessive amount of cardboard and glass being discarded in their sector after just one use.
The company has received a $5000 grant from its local Council, enabling them to purchase an additional 200 plastic crates, doubling the scheme.
After their gin, vodka and limoncello is delivered in the green plastic crates, their hospitality clients return used bottles (in the crates) to the factory. After being washed, sanitised, and refilled the bottles are returned to their clients. Each bottle is used up to seven times before ultimately heading for recycling.
“On average, our bottles cost about $1.90 each, and our labels cost $0.70 each. In just over a year, we have saved our customers more than $4,000 and cut the need for an additional 133 cardboard boxes. With the support of the new grant, we can now double the impact and the savings.
It will reduce our environmental footprint further and help our customers reduce theirs,” noted Chris Barber, Co-Owner of Koakoa, adding that their scheme has saved 1600 bottles, delivering more than just financial savings. Read more online.
New Zealand Hops’ Green Hops programme is a one-off opportunity every year when brewers can register for a quantity of fresh hops – up to a maximum of 100 kilograms per customer. The hops are harvested straight from the bine, with no drying – a fragile and time crucial process – and used in brew immediately, creating fresh hop beers that are marketed for just a few months each year.
For a week at the end of March, workers at Hinetai Hops, near Tapawera, were joined by New Zealand Hops staff to collect and prepare the first Green Hops batch for 2021 – consisting of the new player on the hop market, Nectaron.
For some brewers, it is first chance to see what the season of hops has in store, for others there is the opportunity of a one-shot chance of extracting the fresh hops full potential.
Time is of the essence, however, from 6am hops were harvested fresh and brought into the packhouse, wet and rich in resin, for processing. By about 9am the trucks rolled in to transport the cones to New Zealand Hops’ cool store in Appleby and by early afternoon hops were collected and couriered by chilled transport to distributors in Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington.
To preserve the green hop state for optimum aroma some brewers will drive from as far away as Queenstown to collect their hops in person or arrange a mercy flight to have their hops flown in to add to a brew already in progress that day.
A total of 22 brewers are involved this year, with Nectaron sent to 18 breweries and about 12 breweries set to receive Moutere hops next week from Motueka producer Mac Hops.
Read more online.
FOREST FREE-RANGE FARM OPENS
A leading forest free range farm has opened near Tokoroa in South Waikato, pioneering sustainable egg production in New Zealand.
The 139-hectare property is set to become New Zealand’s leading egg production site as it develops over the next five years to ultimately be the home of 320,000 laying hens free ranging in the forest’s 90,000 native and exotic trees with eight laying sheds. The site will produce eggs under the Heyden Farms Free Range brand for egg producer and supplier, Better Eggs Limited. Better Eggs Chief Executive Gareth van der Heyden said the forest free range farm is an agroforestry venture combining forestry and poultry enterprise. The pine, oak, poplar and eucalyptus trees planted on the property will be milled for timber or pulp when they mature. The growing trees will sequester carbon.
“Better Eggs is a New Zealand family-owned business with strong family values. These values are what have led us to innovate a whole new way of poultry farming in New Zealand that will enable the hens to live in a natural environment from which they originated, while producing eggs in a sustainable manner.
“They will be able to roam and scratch on the forest floor in the shade, shelter and safety provided by the trees and the laying sheds are specially designed to give the birds natural light and ample space to roam around in. We are providing the birds with the highest animal welfare and hen enrichment standards. We sought advice from Australia and Europe that enables us to exceed best practice in many facets.”
The farm is highly automated enabling staff on site to spend a greater portion of their time caring for the hens. Eggs are transported from the nesting boxes via conveyor belts to a robot that packs the eggs into trays and pallets which are then collected by trucks for delivery to the existing grading and distribution facility nearby in Lichfield. Read more online.
2021 NZ Artisan Awards Entries NOW OPEN!
The NZ Artisan Awards has given New Zealand food and beverage producers an opportunity to showcase product innovation. The 2020 New Zealand Artisan Awards saw a fierce competition with over 600 entries. It made a tough job for the judges which consisted of an expert panel of food writers, chefs, and packaging design professionals.
“For the 2021 competition we are looking for producers of premium quality products who are looking to break into foodservice or FMCG,” said head judge, Tania Walters.
For those who would like to be a winner in the 2021 New Zealand Artisan Awards will triumph over their competition with a product that is innovative, fit for purpose, has great visual appeal and taste, an excellent price point, and stand out packaging.
The team at Inspire+ New Zealand Artisan Awards are proud to once again in 2021 provide a platform for emerging and established businesses to bring their products to be recognised, grow their business in foodservice and retail.
Established by SupermarketNews magazine and Restaurant & Café magazine, the New Zealand Artisan Awards were set up to support artisan producers and showcase innovative products. The annual awards programme has a long history of success for participants who display exceptional creativity and potential.
Retailers, chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice providers are always looking for local suppliers who are providing inspiration and food solutions and never more so than in a COVID-19 world. The Inspire+ New Zealand Artisan Awards provides suppliers with the opportunity to be recognised, to grow their business and get in front of both the retail and foodservice markets. The Awards celebrate the best that New Zealand’s artisan producers have to offer.
This year, entrants will have the opportunity to put their product(s) forward for PITCHme Food & Beverage. PITCHme is an exciting initiative from Review Publishing that opens lines of communication between small, large, and artisanal producers and respective buying groups.
A Dragon's Den-style opportunity you don't want to miss out on. Simply indicate your interest in your Artisan Entry Form and you'll be sent a PITCHme entry pack to complete.
All finalists and category winners will be able to display the 2021 Inspire+ New Zealand Artisan Awards logo on their products, which provides recognition of product excellence for both consumers, retailers and restaurateurs.
These are badges of excellence, a testament to the hard work and high quality the judges have seen and recognition of quality, innovation, consumer appeal, and taste. Read more online.
SAVE TIME, SAVE MONEY, GAIN THE POWER!
For the last nine years, PowerTank NZ Ltd, a New Zealand owned and operated company, whose main objective is to remain at the cutting edge of kitchen cleaning technology, has been growing with the PowerTank System being used around the country by fine dining celebrity chef’s such as Sid Sahrawat and Simon Gault, to quick service restaurants like Domino’s Pizza through to suburban cafe´s.
Anyone in the hospitality or foodservice industry understands what a time-consuming chore deep cleaning kitchen items can be, but it is a chore that is unavoidable. Today, customers are more aware than ever when it comes to health and hygiene, and with kitchens becoming more open-plan, allowing customers an inside look, it’s important that every piece of equipment looks as new as possible.
PowerTank is the answer, saving you time, money, and energy use.
The PowerTank System has evolved after years of research and development and consultation with cfood industry clients. It has become the market leader for the safe and most advanced methods of removing baked on carbon from commercial kitchen equipment.
Save time with PowerTank’s choice of two different proprietary detergents that have been designed to reduce soak times with much better cleaning results. These detergents are manufactured in New Zealand satisfying all New Zealand compliant regulations and ensuring that supply is never an issue. The organic salt detergents are ecofriendly, non-caustic, biodegradable alkaline powder, making the kitchen a much safer, cleaner, and more hygienic working environment.
Save money by not having to pay a staff member to manually scrub kitchen utensils and equipment, PowerTank will reduce labour costs, save dollars on chemicals and replacement parts, as well as having major water saving benefits. You can even save money cleaning your own range hood/ extraction filters with the PowerTank System, cutting out another business expense and reducing the risk of fire by removing hardened grease.
The PowerTank System is simple to use, the tanks are manufactured to the highest quality standards, with safety being paramount in the design. PowerTank utilises a lid safety locking mechanism which prevents injuries as well as a user-friendly load basket designed to make the process of removing heavy equipment (grills/filters etc.) an easy one. Simply immerse the items, leave from half an hour, to overnight, and everything comes out looking nearly new.
These are the best designed tanks on the market, allowing for temperature adjustments, eliminating the need for scrubbing without causing damage to parent materials. Different size tanks and baskets mean that there is a PowerTank System to suit your requirements and PowerTank’s pricing structure makes the soak tank affordable for all sized outlets, whether you’re a little, local café or a large chain restaurant.
“We find having a PowerTank in our restaurants a great time and money saver for our busy kitchens. It increases our efficiency whilst getting far cleaner results than we used to get by hand cleaning. The other big factor in choosing the PowerTank system is the safety factor for our staff,” expressed Victor Milne, Development Manager, Nando’s NZ.
What a boost in morale having a sparkling, clean kitchen can give your staff and what confidence it gives your customers. If you want a quality cleaning system that eats carbon for breakfast, get in touch with PowerTank today.
Contact sales@powertank.co.nz, phone 0800 82 65 62, or visit www.powertank.co.nz
Gilmours has been operating for almost 100 years, so we truly understand the Foodservice sector and look for ways to share our expertise with our members.
www.gilmours.co.nz 0800 270 414
INTERNATIONAL WINE
COMPETITION
We have awarded the best International Wines available locally, to round out your wine menu. See the next issue for our Top 20 winning wines.
