Hotelier AUSTRALIAN
AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL HOTEL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE
vol. 35 no. 8 - SEPTEMBER 2018
IN THIS ISSUE: PUB DINING | TEAM-BUILDING | AGE REVIEW
THE ONLY FILTER WE’RE A FAN OF
IS CHARCOAL. We’ll be the first to admit that charcoal doesn’t make for the most exciting picture. But the fact is, we can’t make Jack without it. You see, it’s only by filtering every drop through 10ft of charcoal that Jack Daniel’s can become a smooth sippin’ whiskey. So while there are plenty of filters out there, it’s the only one we can get behind.
W E ’ R E A L S O A FA N O F D R I N K I N G R E S P O N S I B LY. JACK DANIEL’S OLD NO.7 40% ABV (80 PROOF) AND JACK DANIEL’S & COLA 5% ABV (10 PROOF). JACK DANIEL’S AND OLD NO.7 BRAND ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. ©2018 JACK DANIEL’S. DISTILLED AND BOTTLED BY JACK DANIEL DISTILLERY, LYNCHBURG, TENNESSEE. JACKDANIELS.COM
CONTENTS | ED’S NOTE
30 Craig Hawtin-Butcher
Editor’s Note
A
s Australian Hotelier’s previous editor, Vanessa, heads off on maternity leave, I’m delighted to take the helm at this wonderful magazine. After 15 years covering F&B for the readers of Esquire, GQ, The Guardian and MSN, it’s great to now be working much more closely with the owners and operators delivering great experiences every day in venues across this great country. The industry isn’t without its challenges of course, but I’m delighted to be joining you all on this journey. This month we highight three key gaming stories from the AGE on page 10, reveal emerging spirits trends on page 12 and discover how smart operators are better incentivising their staff, on page 16. We also have our pub dining special, reflecting the crucial role that foodservice increasingly plays, with a dip into new Asian-influenced pub food on page 22 and a look at how compact menus can help your repeat business on page 26. Lastly, we’ve got an insider’s look at The Governor in Sydney as part of our spectacular design and build feature, on page 30. Get in touch if you have any comments about the magazine, we're listening. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this month’s issue as much as I have. Cheers,
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Craig Hawtin-Butcher, Editor E: chawtinbutcher@intermedia.com.au
NEXT MONTH
26
10
Contents | September Special Features
Regulars
10 AGE Review: Three trends from gaming’s biggest expo. 12 Spirits: Publicans reveal the key themes right now. 16 Incentives: How perks, not ED’S PICK money, are the key to retention. 21 Pub dining: Gweilo reinvents Asian-influenced pub food. 24 Foodservice: Mal Malinga lights up Suncorp Stadium. 26 Menus: How compact menus build repeat business.
7 News: The most relevant stories affecting your business. 30 Design and Build: Choose your own adventure at The Governor. 34 Sports Calendar: We bring you LIVE! September’s sporting highlights.
Summer Equipment • Wine • Coffee
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Craig Hawtin-Butcher chawtinbutcher@intermedia.com.au Jason Wild Tel: 02 8586 6213 • jwild@intermedia.com.au
Shane T. Williams
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6 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
WE ENCOURAGE RESPONSIBLE DRINKING Get the facts DrinkWise.org.au
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NEWS The ALIAs 2017
2018 ALIA ON-PREMISE FINALISTS REVEALED The countdown is on for the 2018 Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA), with the announcement of the finalists in the on-premise awards across 22 categories. ALIA is voted by the industry, for the industry and after the first round of voting, which is open to the industry as a whole, we have our on-premise finalists. These finalists will now go to ALIA’s extensive panel of judges from all sectors of Australia’s liquor industry. Winners will be revealed at this year’s awards, taking place at Randwick Racecourse on Wednesday, 31 October. A selection of categories are shown below but you can discover the full list of finalists online at theshout.com.au.
HOTEL OF THE YEAR Hotel Steyne, Manly, NSW Little Big House, South Brisbane, QLD Norfolk Hotel, Fremantle, WA Rose of Australia, Erskineville, NSW Royal Albert Hotel, Surry Hills, NSW Sandstone Point Hotel, Qld The Crafers Hotel, Adelaide Hills, SA The Lansdowne, Chippendale, NSW The Lincoln, Carlton, VIC The Newport, Newport, NSW The Osbourne, Fortitude Valley, QLD The Terminus, Pyrmont, NSW
HOTEL GROUP OF THE YEAR Bayfield Hotels Colemans Hospitality Group Colonial Leisure Group Comiskey Group Merivale Momento Hospitality RDJones Group Adelaide Redcape Hotel Group Sand Hill Road Solotel Sydney Collective Zagame’s
BEST FOOD MENU Crafers Hotel, Adelaide Hills, SA Dolphin Hotel, Surry Hills, NSW Duke of Clarence, Sydney, NSW Endeavour Tap Rooms, Sydney, NSW
Port Office Hotel, Brisbane, QLD Rose of Australia, Erskineville, NSW The Coop Bistro (Flying Cock Hotel), Fortitude Valley, QLD The Erko, Erskineville, NSW The Lincoln Hotel, Carlton, VIC Three Weeds, Rozelle, NSW
BEST BEER LIST Bitter Phew, Sydney NSW Carwyn Cellars, Thornbury, VIC Dutch Trading Co, Victoria Park, WA Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge, NSW Frankies, Sydney, NSW Helsby’s Alehouse (Pineapple Hotel), Brisbane, QLD Mr West, Footscray, WA Royal Albert Hotel, Surry Hills, NSW The Alehouse Project, Brunswick, VIC The Local Taphouse, St Kilda, VIC
NEW HOTEL BROKERAGE FIRM FROM JOLLIFFE AND DRAGICEVICH Andrew Jolliffe, formerly of Ray White Hotels; and Daniel Dragicevich, ex-CBRE Hotels; have partnered to start a new boutique hotel brokerage firm: Hotels, Tourism and Leisure Property (HTL Property). Ending months of speculation, the pair confirmed reports of their new business venture together. Jolliffe and Dragicevich are considered two of the most esteemed pub brokers in Australia. The pair had worked as the directors of the pub divisions of Ray White Hotels and CBRE Hotels for almost a decade each, before deciding to strike out on their own with HTL Property. Jolliffe believes the time is right within the market for an agile firm to consolidate top talent. “HTL Property is intent on operating a collection of very high achieving and deal-centric property negotiators in a marketplace which both seeks and rewards performance, not perception. “HTL Property’s firm objective is to be dynamic in respect of deal origination and closure, and in order to do this on behalf of our valued client base we hold the view that an unapologetic concentration of resources, focus and time is required to stay ahead of our existing and future market share competitors in the hotel transaction landscape.” Meanwhile the White family have confirmed to The Australian Financial Review that they will take a major stake in the new venture, HTL property. “The White family are partners in a variety of different business and have embraced this opportunity to continue working with Andrew Jolliffe,” Ray White group director Dan White told the paper. “HTL aligns with our family’s long-held belief in the capability of ambitious operators embracing leadership to develop their own market-leading businesses and their success is no surprise to us.” The confirmation of HTL Property’s establishment comes off the back of news that Jolliffe was named Ray White Group’s top fee writer globally for the third year in a row. “The Ray White Group remains Australasia’s largest and most successful real estate group in terms of scale and revenues, and the great satisfaction of enjoying top billing for the third year is only surpassed by the unqualified affection I hold for the familyowned company that has provided me with such a phenomenal launching pad,” said Jolliffe. To kick off HTL Property’s business dealings, the firm has already sold BAM’s Vauxhall Inn to Redcape for over $40 million and sold the Belrose Hotel back to Bayfield Hotels for around $20 million. It is currently engaged to sell the leasehold of the Clovelly Hotel for Solotel, as well as Waterfront Tavern in Shell Cove for Frasers Property.
BEST WINE LIST Creek and Cella, Leichhardt, NSW Hubert, Sydney, NSW Stanton & Co, Rosebery, NSW The Botanist, Kirribilli, NSW The Butler, Potts Point, NSW The Crafers Hotel, Adelaide Hills, SA The Dolphin Hotel, Surry Hills, NSW The Gresham, Brisbane, QLD Tiny’s, Perth, WA Victory Hotel, Sellicks Hill, SA
Dan Dragicevich and Andrew Jolliffe start new hotel brokerage firm HTL Property
AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER SEPTEMBER 2018 | 7
NEWS
Rachael Ciesiolka of Rachael’s Seafood Shack Meadowbrook Hotel, Logan
QUEENSLAND’S MEADOWBROOK HOTEL SOLD One of south east Queensland’s most notable pubs, the Meadowbrook Hotel in Logan, owned by Pelathon Management Group, has been sold to Gallagher Hotels for $6 million. Gallagher Hotels already owns several assets across NSW including PJ Gallagher’s Irish Pubs and Mr G’s, but the Meadowbrook Hotel is its first foray into Queensland. Located on a 5,934sqm site on the corner of Loganlea Road and Logandowns Drive, the venue’s income is generated variously from bars, an alfresco dining restaurant, accommodation, 40 gaming machines and a drive-through bottle shop. CBRE Hotels Director Paul Fraser, who handled the sale for Pelathon Management Group said: “Meadowbrook Hotel is situated in a renowned high gaming corridor between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It is prominently located in Meadowbrook’s commercial centre, with trade underpinned by infrastructure such as Logan Hospital, the Logan campus for Griffith University, Meadowbrook Plaza and a new Woolworths anchored shopping centre. This played a significant part in the high level of interest we received on this asset.” “This is a prime example of a high-profile Sydney publican looking at opportunities north of the border, where capitalisation rates are substantially softer than their counterparts in NSW,” Mr Fraser added.
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CALL FOR MANDATORY LABELLING FOR SEAFOOD There are calls for seafood labelling laws already in place in Northern Territory foodservice to be extended nationwide. While national labelling in retail already exists, only the Northern Territory has made this information mandatory in foodservice such as pubs and hotels. “When you buy fresh fish anywhere around Australia, by law, it has to be labelled with its country of origin,” Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) CEO Jane Lovell said. “But, unless you’re in the NT, when you go out to dine there is no obligation to label where the seafood you are about to eat comes from.” “We want the rest of the country to follow suit,” Lovell told Australian Hotelier. “Having Country of Origin Labelling in the retail sector provides consumers with clear information on where their food comes from and allows them to make informed purchasing decisions.” Not only that, the SIA argues, but there’s a clear appetite for consumers for this information. “We know Australians want to buy Australian produce and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics ‘Food demand in Australia’ report released (in August 2018) highlights just that,” says Lovell. Meanwhile Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud said: “Aussies are supporting our farmers and choosing to buy Australian produce. This report shows consumers’ want clear food labelling and to be informed, and food producers should be listening to that message. The Coalition Government’s Country of Origin Labelling will go a long way to helping inform consumers.” Next to freshness, country of origin is the second most influential factor for a consumer choosing which seafood they buy, according to SIA. “More than 86,000 consumers have signed petitions asking for mandatory CoOL for seafood sold in the foodservice industry and two Senate inquiries have called for it,” says Lovell. “The country of origin of the seafood being served in every foodservice outlet in Australia is already known, so CoOL would not be hard or time-consuming to implement.” “What SIA would like to see is Australian seafood identified on menus, simple as that.” SIA suggested low-cost options could simply include updating menus during scheduled reprints or updates. Owner and chef of Saffron restaurant in Parap, NT, Selvam Kandasamy said: “Restaurants are reprinting their menus all the time. They are adding if things are gluten free, dairy free or vegetarian, so why can’t they include where the seafood is from?” Former MasterChef star and seafood restaurant owner Rachael “Queen of Seafood” Ciesiolka said the mandatory labelling laws in the NT contributed to her restaurant’s success. “I understand that some people could see origin labelling as another thing they have to do, but it really gives you a great way to promote your business.” “SIA welcomes the opportunity to work with the foodservice industry to implement CoOL, there are practical low-cost options out there to make this happen” says Lovell.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
AGE REVIEW
The AGE received 10,000 visitors in 2018
AS THE AUSTRALASIAN GAMING EXPO WRAPS IN SYDNEY FOR ANOTHER YEAR, WE SHARE THE HIGHLIGHTS AND OBSERVABLE TRENDS LIKELY TO MOST IMPACT YOUR BUSINESS.
T
he AGE closed for another year after a soldout floor at the harbourside International Convention Centre in Sydney. The threeday event hosted not just the core gaming technologies, products and services, but many other aspects of pub operations. Three key themes we witnessed and most relevant to hoteliers were: global advances in technology, the suggestion the pubs property market may have peaked and the rise of scenting and coffee service. The expo hosted over 10,000 attendees, with just shy of 3,000 attending on day one, including the 77 regulators set to have a crucial impact on the industry in both Australia and New Zealand. Many of them heard Gaming Technologies Association CEO Ross Ferrar’s opening speech. Key to his comments was a report compiled by the Centre For International Economics showing an $8.32bn contribution to the national economy in value added by gaming. The report, Gaming Machine Industry in Australia, was conducted in the 2016-17 fiscal year.
ADVANCING TECHNOLOGIES Meanwhile Justin Baird, Managing Director of R&D, Technology & Innovation at Accenture highlighted the vast leaps in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies globally. Baird pointed to the driverless cars already a reality on some of Sydney’s roads as trials continue until October this year, the imminent launch of e-wallets such as Ora-Saifu, cryto-currencies such as Bitcoin and new ‘spread-ledger’ security afforded by blockchain technology, citing Commonwealth Bank’s tie-up with the World Bank to launch the world’s first bond backed by blockchain.
10 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
Ross Ferrar, Gaming Technologies Australia CEO Baird also noted the impact of e-gaming and VR-gaming encouraging customers to spend more while separately highlighting that 47% of jobs are at risk of being automated. The impact of these new technologies will be felt across security systems, customer retention programmes, gaming technologies and payment transactions as well as customers’ increased understanding of these advances. On the floor, Cognitec showcased facial-recognition techonology. The company’s FaceVACS-VideoScan highlights security issues or self-identified problem gamblers and VIPs, using built-in face-detection and tracking technology.
AGE REVIEW PROPERTY VALUATIONS Scott Robertson, of Robertson & Robertson, speaking at the Pubs and Hotels Summit seminar, spoke of his belief that, in relation to hotel property valuations: “Generally speaking, we’re at the top of the market.” Citing Sydney’s lock-out laws and industry trends as key pressures, Robertson added: “We’re at a real generational crossroads. The younger generation don’t have the work ethic to do that job [running hotels].” Robertson spoke of the opportunities that still exist for “last man standing” properties in many regional towns, with lots of pubs and clubs closing around them. Robertson highlighted that in terms of gaming technology, after four years, revenue starts to drop off, while property valuations for those without pokies came down to “95% about the figures.”
SCENTING SUCCESS; COFFEE HITS Looking to inject a caffeine hit into more hotel properties were a number of suppliers, including Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), Nespresso, Global Beverage Solutions and Hennessy Coffee. All are looking for deeper ties with the on-premise sector through smaller-footprint equipment, whitelabelled beans and a story hoteliers can take to customers. Scenting success, brands including Sensaroma Atmospheric, Scent Australia, Scent Central and Premium Scenting are laying claim to the growing sector of scent marketing, using aroma to create deep affiliation with customers. Next year’s AGE dates are now confirmed as 13–15 August 2019.
Floor space sold out in 2018
SPIRITS
The Flour Factory, Perth The Tilbury Hotel, Sydney
The Wickham, Brisbane The Glenmore Hotel, Sydney
Ginger beer is in vogue
12 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
SPIRITS
Flavour of the month
The Wickham, Brisbane
AS CONSUMERS BECOME MORE DISCERNING WHEN IT COMES TO DRINK ORDERS, PUBS ACROSS THE COUNTRY SHARE THE TRENDS THEY ARE NOTICING FROM THEIR BACK BARS RIGHT NOW.
NEW MIXERS FOR DARK SPIRITS While cola is still the number one mixer for dark spirits, Brown-Forman brand ambassador Adam Smith has seen a rise in popularity of other mixer combinations. “Consumers are watching what their drink is mixed with. Cola is still the preferred mixer of choice for many in the dark spirit category. However, premium soft drinks are on the rise, with soda, tonic and ginger beer continuing to increase in the mainstream space. “Consumers are also exploring different flavour combinations, for example, Jack Daniel’s and ginger beer has seen a recent increase in popularity.”
A NEED FOR NEGRONIS While the Espresso Martini and the Aperol Spritz seem irreplaceable on any decent cocktail list, the resurgence of the Negroni has been noted at The Tilbury Hotel in Sydney’s east. “The Negroni has made a nice little comeback in the last year or so, with more people experimenting with different recipes, although most people can’t go past the classic,” observes Nick Weber, operations manager. The Tilbury Hotel serves an All Australian
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Negroni, using Four Pillars gin, Regal Rogue vermouth, Adelaide Hills Distillery Italian Bitter Orange, orange peel and lemon myrtle.
ALL IN FOR GIN Gin has had probably the biggest revival within spirits in the last five years – so much so that it is the main focus of the drinks offering at The Flour Factory in Perth. Venue manager Alex Richter sees no slow-down in the clear spirit’s popularity, as consumers are now looking to try boutique versions with unique botanicals – a trend that the venue is capitalising on. “There has been a massive resurgence in the love of gin, fuelled by the great quality gins coming from around the country, which are even making massive waves on an international scale. People are much more aware of what they are drinking, and the bartenders are expected to be more knowledgeable than ever, which is fantastic as it is growing and developing the industry as a whole.” A popular activation at The Flour Factory’s bar is the Gin Wheel – where curious patrons ordering a gin and tonic simple serve can spin a wheel to see which of 24 quality gins will be used to create their drink.
For high-turnover venues, cocktails on tap have become an offering that really works in saving time behind the bar – as Adam Gainsford, general manager of The Glenmore in Sydney can attest to. “We currently have a great espresso martini on tap which works well with our rooftop’s high turnover environment. It allows us to continue to provide consistent quality product, without slowing service down. We also have a second tap that we rotate seasonally – it always goes well as the staff love to push their own creations. “Every high turnover venue should have one, but it shouldn’t dominate the bar, just complement it.”
A STIFF DRINK While lower-alcohol drinks like the spritz have been welcomed by pub patrons over the last two years, at The Wickham in Brisbane, patrons are returning to stronger drinks as well. “The spritz seems to not be as popular as it has been during the cooler months. We’ve seen drinks that are a little stronger, like Long Island Iced Tea, replace them in popularity,” states operations manager Cory Franklin. Classics including Southsides and Margaritas are also very popular at the venue.
AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER SEPTEMBER 2018 | 13
HUM SPECIAL PROMOTION
GAME CHANGER HUM CONNECTS PUBS AND CLUBS WITH AUSTRALIA’S BEST SUPPLIERS. GET AMAZING DEALS ON FOOD, BEVERAGE, EQUIPMENT AND EVEN FINANCE, DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.
O
ver two years in the making, Hum is taking the hospitality scene by storm. The community-focused technology works to connect pubs and hotels with leading, quality suppliers that are handpicked from across Australia. Hum offers a number of benefits, including access to deals of the day that are sent directly to your inbox. But Hum’s Greg Walsom points out that Hum is more than just a price-led platform. “We’re about helping out independent venues and bringing them together with great suppliers who are the absolute best in each category at a price that benefits everyone,” he says. “We’re not about a race to the bottom.” The platform also acts as an aggregation service, where pubs can bring their existing suppliers into the platform. Suppliers do not need to be registered with the service for venues to order from them. There’s no need to juggle multiple ordering platforms from multiple suppliers. “We’re revolutionising ordering, promotions and communication between selected suppliers and venues. Giving venues up to 10 hours per week back each and every week. It’s what venues have been dreaming of, and who doesn’t want extra hours back so they can focus on their customers?” With a host of new features in the pipeline, new and interesting suppliers joining all the time, and bringing their unique stories to life, there’s so much to be gained from joining Hum. Oh, and it’s free. Register now at yourhum.com/join
14 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
HR & MANAGEMENT
INCENTIVISING STAFF
RETENTION AND MOTIVATION ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN AND ONLY PARTLY SOLVABLE BY SALARY. WE REVEAL THE CULTURES AND STEPS SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES ARE TAKING TO BUILD – AND KEEP – TEAMS.
A
mong a wider-ranging number of concerns hoteliers regularly cite about their businesses, close to the top of the list is always staff retention. It’s part and parcel of the hospitality industry, where margins are tight and staff costs need close control. While it’s possible to slow the revolving door through improved wage packets alone, most in the industry – and outside of it – argue that only through a combination of staff training, flexible working, cultural practices and the right benefits packages can the revolving door be halted and managed. This is particularly true of the millennial generation, those under 35, who recent studies have repeatedly shown prioritise differently to previous generations, and who make up the vast proportion of hotel staff. Given these individuals increasingly value experiences over possessions, authenticity over deception, and crave a good work-life balance, it’s not surprising that motivating them through money alone is unlikely to yield the best results.
“YOU CAN GIVE THEM ALL AN EXTRA $5 PER HOUR BUT I DON’T BELIEVE THAT TRUE ENTHUSIASM WILL RESULT, IT COMES FROM ELSEWHERE,” SAYS AARON LEE, EXECUTIVE MANAGER – MARKETING AT INTRUST SUPER. Of course, if salary and training aren’t sufficient, what other drivers are at work? “Overwhelmingly we have found the key motivations for our staff across departments, age brackets, experience and full-time or part-time positions is feeling a sense of being involved in something larger than their role itself,” says Andy Mullins, director at hotel group Sand Hill Road. “So we spend a lot of time within the company, explaining to both small groups and large groups, exactly where we’re going, our road map for getting there and the role that they can play in holding the compass or doing the driving,” says Mullins. For many staff, visibility of career progression is absolutely crucial. “The most important thing is demonstrating career advancement opportunities,” says Aaron Lee, Executive Manager – Marketing at Intrust Super, echoing the approach taken at Sand Hill Road. “People will drive to achieve something if they can see the possibility
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HR & MANAGEMENT is there. If they don’t see opportunities or the pathway, you can be as generous financially or in rostering, it doesn’t matter what you throw at them, they’re not going to be influenced by it.” While workplace culture, a team ethos and visible career progression unify a number of demographics, a number of distinctions also exist between demographics and locations. “It differs from establishment to establishment, individual to individual,” says Lee. “Each one has different motivations that drive them to turn up and to do a good job every day. But when you run a business you need to have a programme you can roll out to all your staff. For instance, in heavy tourism areas like the Gold Coast, you get a lot of travellers working there. They will be incentivised by something different to the type of people who would work in a pub in the outer suburbs of Brisbane where you might get someone a little older, more stable.” These differences in life stages and need should be adequately reflected in the incentives programme and working environment.
RESEARCH IDENTIFIES THREE KEY STAFF DEMOGRAPHICS “Among the younger, traveller crowd, they tend to be more incentivised by working in a venue that has that social aspect about it, that enables them to get to know their colleagues, develop a social life with their colleagues… That type of incentivisation doesn’t necessarily cost that much, it comes down to a hiring policy and generally encouraging people to be social with each other,” says Lee. “We found that of the 18-24 year old demographic, over 50 per cent of hospitality staff are studying, and of those, 80 per cent are studying something they plan to use outside of their current industry. When you think about what sort of incentives to give those people, it’s less about career advancement and more about ensuring their work can fit around their study rosters and again their social life. It’s efficient for those people to have a social life with those they work with and to have staff drinks after work if their venue can offer that.” “We have found that up to one-third of the over-25s who are studying, they’re studying hospitality,” says Lee. “That’s a fairly high percentage. Their needs are similar to the younger demographic, with the difference that they’re into career advancement.” Mullins’ own career progression entirely reflects these evolving needs of his own staff. “Of course, there are other more practical motivations for each staff member as well, and these will all differ based on their experience, employment status and age. For me, tending bars in my early 20s was only motivated by need for money… to spend in other bars! Now, with three children, my motivations of course are very different,” says Mullins.
Staff socialising in your venue is a good sign
Perkbox is innovating how benefits deploy to staff
“ACROSS THE MANY HUNDREDS OF TEAM MEMBERS WE HAVE, WE ARE VERY CAREFUL TO PROVIDE BESPOKE INCENTIVES AND WORKPLACE CONDITIONS THAT THEY CAN EACH PICK AND CHOOSE TO VALUE.” – ANDY MULLINS, SAND HILL ROAD OUTSOURCING BENEFITS PROGRAMMES To help business owners such as Andy provide those incentives, increasingly there are new companies disrupting traditional benefits programmes, and they’re providing their services to small and medium sized enterprises. In the same way Uber harnessed technology to connect drivers with passengers, companies such as Perkbox are linking hospitality staff with benefits providers, innovating through platforms to make it more cost-effective. The UK-based platform, which counts Nando’s, OpenTable and Deliveroo among its clients, is currently amid an extensive international expansion.
Sand Hill Road staff Photo credit: Simon Shiff
AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER SEPTEMBER 2018 | 17
HR & MANAGEMENT
Rostering around study-time is helpful to relevant staff
Chieu Cao, Perkbox co-founder “Perkbox is an HR technology platform focused on employee engagement,” says Chieu Cao, their co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer. “Our aim is to help businesses improve the relationship between management and staff through effective solutions such as a reward and recognition tool and a perks and benefits platform. We’re also in the process of launching a series of other exciting products such as ‘Insights’ which makes gathering and acting on regular employee feedback easier and faster. We cater for the full spectrum of employee wellbeing – financial, physical and emotional. We help employees feel rewarded, motivated and lead a healthy and productive lifestyle.” The reason for all this effort to motivate and incentivise staff isn’t simply to retain staff, though it’s a key driver. “The most important thing about incentivising staff is customer service. Obviously there’s retention as well, but it’s all about customer service,” says Lee. “You can train someone to do their job very well, to smile at certain times, or to collect glasses. But what you can’t train is enthusiasm. The difference between a very good venue and an exceptional venue is that
the staff have a true, honest and authentic enthusiasm, motivation and drive to exceed expectations. I don’t believe in an exceptional venue that that experience is created by training alone.” Mullins is equally effusive about the importance of well-incentivised staff: “We are a fast growing, dynamic, ambitious bunch of people. Our plans to continue that growth however are entirely underpinned by the core function that our group lives to pride – great food and drink service. So if we don’t find ways to incentivise our people, we can probably only ever accept their tacit but not passionate commitment to what we’re all about.”
THE SANDYS AWARDS PROGRAM At Sand Hill Road that program is manifested in ‘The Sandys’, a rolling internal rewards approach where the awards winners are peernominated. “These awards are our way of recognising and celebrating legends who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated our values,” says Jaclyn Barnes, Group Marketing Manager at Sand Hill Road. “Anyone can be nominated from any venue, any team, at any time, for living any value. Each nominee receives a virtual high-five by way of a Sandy card and every second month at our end of month meeting, four stand-out legends are awarded prizes of their choice. Some examples thus far are spa packages, sky diving, dinner vouchers, brew kits, horse riding, tattoos, flights, shark diving, tickets to concerts and sporting events… the options are endless. I actually won the award for the Live
18 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
value at our recent end of month meeting. I can say from personal experience that it’s truly amazing and rewarding to receive recognition from your peers.”
AVOIDING COMMON MISTAKES Critical to success is identifying the motivations of your staff, adapting to their needs and building that team culture. The good news? It needn’t cost your business much. It’s also critical to avoid some of the more common mistakes businesses make. “We’re not really about suggesting how other operators manage their businesses,” says Mullins. “[But] for these programs to be effective, they have to be real. And to be real, they have to reflect the values of the people who make up those businesses. What we’d certainly say is, have a crack at doing something different. It’s only by trial and error that we landed on The Sandys.” Lee argues that one of the biggest shortcomings of some enterprise programs is starting by looking in the wrong place. “A lot of organisations start by questioning how they can manage staff retention,” he says. “Our research suggests that turnover is a little more than 50 per cent. But when you see it as transactional and start throwing money at the problem, rather than seeing it as part of customer service by the whole team, and asking yourself how to deliver the best experience, that’s when you’re more likely to throw more money at it. You need to understand your own staff and what drives them. If you fail to build a family out of your team, then any incentives programme is going to fail.”
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PUB DINING AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
Foodservice Inspiration For Your Pub
BRIEF BUT BANGIN’
WHY COMPACT MENUS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK
NEW-WAVE FUSION FOOD
GWEILO BRINGS A SPIN ON ASIAN STREET FARE AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER SEPTEMBER 2018 | 21
ASIAN MENUS
Gweilo dining area at Evening Star Hotel
NEW-WAVE FUSION FOOD Head Chef, Seb Gee
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HEAD CHEF SEB GEE IS BETTING BIG ON ASIAN PUB FOOD AT GWEILO, WITHIN SYDNEY'S REINVENTED EVENING STAR HOTEL. Drunken pork belly, chilli caramel, apple and mint
ASIAN MENUS
F
our days into service we catch up with head chef Seb Gee, formerly of Merivale’s Est, as well as Asian kitchens including Kid Kyoto, China Diner, China Lane and Sailors Thai. The menu is inspired by Hong Kong street food and focuses on traditional Chinese cuisine with a western twist. “There are a number of Hong Kong restaurants with chefs exposed to western ingredients. The food there is healthier, uses herbs and less oil,” says Gee, after a trip to South East Asia recently opened his eyes to how Asian food is evolving in its home markets. “We’re using western ingredients but trying to balance it,” he says. “One dish we’re using is halloumi with a Cantonese-inspired sauce of chillies and garlic classically served on steamed fish. It works perfectly.” Gee has clearly surprised himself with some of the menu’s star dishes. “I’m a 130kg white guy with curly hair, I love my meat, and importantly I love my seafood, I always have. But the vegetarian food I’m really quite proud of.” These dishes include an eggplant in Szechuan sauce with labneh. “I’m presenting it the way we would in a Moroccan restaurant, flat on a plate. Everyone who’s tried it has been blown away by it.”
‘Pho-ball’ beef dumpling, hoisin and ‘pho flavours’
CHANGES AHEAD FOR PUB TRADE Part of the reason he and the Marvan Hotels team have taken a punt on an Asian menu are the changes Gee believes are currently taking place in domestic Australian kitchens. “More people are cooking Asian food at home. And doing something different with Asian food is starting to happen now. You’re seeing more pubs featuring spring rolls, bao and dumplings.” The second trend we’re seeing emerge is the casualisation of the dining experience, which is only going to benefit pubs that get the balance right. “The biggest thing for me was not to treat it like a restaurant with waiters wearing bow-ties or whatnot. It’s a more casual environment.” He’s speaking from personal experience, while reflecting the new economic realities and the modern preference for more informal dining. “When I go out I love to sit down, be relaxed and feel like I’m at home almost. At the same time, you can get restaurant-quality food on the plate without paying such high prices.” But after 14 years in the restaurant trade and stepping foot into a pub kitchen for the first time, he’s both learning and trying to teach. “I’d love to bring a bit more of the restaurant experience to a pub environment. More table service happening, and we’re building that. But we don’t want to cut off that bar trade, people having a drink with their mates after work having a nibble or two.” “My biggest thing [approaching this pub] was to read the environment and crowd. Luckily I live around the corner so I looked around the neighbourhood. You can walk 50 metres in any direction and get classic Chinese or Thai food. I wanted to do something different with east meets west, step out of the norm. People can come here and get a same, same but different experience. Now it’s about reading that market and getting them to try it. There might be some hits and misses, but it’s always important to get that feedback from customers as much as I can.”
“We’re seeing smaller venues trying to pick up their game, with chefs who know how to utilise these cheaper cuts and give customers more bang for their buck. And who doesn’t want a cheaper meal?” ‘KFC’ bao, konbu fried chicken, bulldog sauce, pickled cucumber
AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER SEPTEMBER 2018 | 23
PRODUCTS
Meating the market
I
n late 2017, Mal Meninga launched his own brand of beef and sauce products for independent grocery – Big Mal’s First Grade. Selling strongly throughout New South Wales, ACT and Queensland, Big Mal’s beef burgers, sausages and ‘Mini Mal’s’ sliders are made from premium Australian grass-fed beef sourced from some of the country’s bestknown suppliers. At the 2018 Pub Leaders Summit, Big Mal’s was announced to the foodservice industry with an inspirational address at the annual Sydney event. Shortly thereafter, a select group of pubs, cafes and food trucks began serving the Big Mal’s First Grade barbecue beef burger. With a heavy presence in the Queensland market, it didn’t take long to earn the attention of Suncorp Stadium, who wanted a premium beef offering for the stadium member lounges and Gourmet Grills throughout the venue. “Footy fans love Mal. He has contributed so much to the game and the country on the field, on the sidelines, fronting charities, as well as behind the scenes. He always shows up. We wanted to take a look at the product out of curiosity for what Mal was up to and found that it was a fantastic bite,” states Simon Camp, venue catering manager for O’Brien Group at Suncorp Stadium. “Our internal team and our customers love the burger, but they are also priced right for a food
service venue – we couldn’t use it otherwise.” Co-founder Steve Lewis comments: “Within 20 meters of every sideline in Australia is a sausage sizzle. Mal loves his barbecue and the challenges of the food industry have had a connection to the sizzle his entire life. As a youngster, a player, a professional player, coach and father, Mal knows how important these events are for the teams as both fundraisers and as a place for the families to gather and connect. “He talks regularly about his three ‘Fs’ – family, footy and food. This is why we started Big Mal’s First Grade. A food service range was a part of our brand strategy from day one as a way for Mal to connect with the junior teams and community fundraisers. We are very proud to be a part of these events with Mal and our partners.” Summer 2018-19 will be an exciting season for the brand with the announcement of Big Mal’s First Grade range of rubs using a variety of Australia’s indigenous ingredients as well as a range of meat pies ready to eat out of the deli and bakery pie warmers, both of which are available as food service products. “The great Australian barbecue is such a big part of our game and our lives. I grew up with it so going into foodservice packaging as a way to not only sell to the hospitality trade but also as a way to sell to teams and school for fundraisers was a no-brainer,” remarks Meninga.
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Mal Meninga with Big Mal’s products
Big Mal’s co-founders Steve Lewis (left) and Mal Meninga at Suncorp Stadium
Mal Meninga with Big Mal’s products “We have had a great reception at Suncorp Stadium for Big Mal products, and it is great to get out and meet fans, talking footy over a barbecue sizzle. We are very excited about our new products for 2019 – it’s going to be a great summer!”
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MENU STRATEGY
BRIEF BUT BANGIN’ WHILE MANY PUBS TRY TO APPEAL TO A WIDE VARIETY OF PATRONS WITH HEFTY MENUS, SOME PUBS ARE REVERTING TO COMPACT MENUS, VANESSA CAVASINNI REPORTS.
The Coop in Fortitude Valley offers a chicken-led menu The menu focuses on buttermilk fried chicken pieces
A
t The Flying Cock in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, most of the late-night action happens upstairs on the pub’s first floor, with the ground floor dedicated to the venue’s more relaxed bistro offering. In mid-2017, the bistro was overhauled – both through menu and branding – as The Coop. As part of the overhaul, The Coop’s menu got rid of the standard steak and salad pub fare, and created a more compact menu that focused on speciality fried chicken, other chicken dishes, and the appropriate sides. Adam Hunter of The Coop Bistro and Flying Cock, said the drastic change was in response to quality F&B operators surrounding the venue, and the need to specialise its offering. “We went in with the mantra that we wanted to be known as ‘Brisbane’s Finest Chicken Pub’. We identified that there had been a real shift in the casual dining space over the past two years with a lot of operators shifting towards a concise offering and building a strong identity around what they were doing well.” The menu focuses on buttermilk fried chicken pieces, wings in 500g or one kilo servings, burgers and sides such as corn, fries and onion rings. It also features a classic chicken parmigiana and schnitzel. One of the contributing factors for the move to a more concise menu was the kitchen size and layout. “The design of the building means our main kitchen is both small and open – visible to patrons from the bar. At its busiest, we’d never have any more than four chefs on at any one time, and operate with two fryers, a large oven, grill cooktop and several prep stations,” explains Hunter. A second prep kitchen is located directly below the main kitchen, primarily used for prep throughout the week, for tasks such as making all of The Coop’s sauces in-house and prepping large amounts of slaw. A dumbwaiter moves stock and produce between the two levels to boost the efficiency of the two kitchens.
26 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
Fried chicken burger with pickled pawpaw, iceberg lettuce, cheese and nori mayonnaise
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MENU STRATEGY COMING BACK FOR MORE With such a concise menu, was there ever a worry that after the novelty of the menu wore off, that repeat business would dry up? “Never. We always felt confident that if our menu was concise, strong and at a competitive price point, then we’d be able to focus on building repeat customers and this has shown itself to be self-evident. “The benefit of having a smaller menu is that it takes a lot of the decision-making stress out of the ordering process.” Quality is the essential factor to repeat business of a pub with a concise venue. The Coop’s fried chicken is immensely popular, whether being sold in a ‘Big Box’ offering with chips and sides, or as a burger. Hunter puts this down to the quality ingredients, preparation and points of difference in the offering. “In terms of flavour, our fried chicken tastes different to your classic American fried chicken because of the focus on boneless pieces – tenders, breasts, karaage – and the tapioca flour we use as part of the process. The fact that our chicken is also gluten free has been well received by customers with gluten intolerance.” Daily deals also keep patrons coming back for more. The Coop offers 2-4-1 Parmys on Wednesdays, $3 tacos on Thursdays – which they sell upwards of 500 per week – and a $10 burger-and-fries special on Fridays. Recently a Saturday special of ‘all-you-can-eat’ nuggets, fries and slaw for $20 was introduced, which brought in a wave of new business outside of the venue’s core demographic – including families. Initially, moving away from pub staples such as steak was a risky thing to do, but one that has paid off for The Coop. “We realised that we needed to let go of the steak, which is hard to do when you’re pushing yourself as a pub. But the fact of the matter is that it didn’t sell, and in the climate of our current dining scene, we’re just not a destination venue for steak. It was better for us to accept that fact, move forward and shift towards making everything else at The Coop as strong as it could be.” The decision has worked in the pub’s favour, with The Coop now seen as a great local dining option, as well as a destination venue for any lover of fried chicken. The Coop, and Flying Cock in general, has benefitted from a concise and specialised menu. “There’s nothing worse than poring over an overly-long menu that does everything for the sake of doing everything, and spending an unnecessary amount of time deciding on what you want to eat. When you try to please everyone, you appeal to no-one.”
Japanese-style karaage
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Fried chicken BLAT taco
Chargrilled corn with parmesan and miso mayonnaise
“WE ALWAYS FELT CONFIDENT THAT IF OUR MENU WAS CONCISE, STRONG AND AT A COMPETITIVE PRICE POINT, THEN WE’D BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON BUILDING REPEAT CUSTOMERS, AND THIS HAS SHOWN ITSELF TO BE SELF-EVIDENT.”
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DESIGN AND BUILD
Artwork at the rooftop bar of The Governor, North Ryde
The Governor's rooftop bar
Photo credit: Kai Leishman
CHOOSE YOUR OWN
Adventure
W
ith a focus on north-west Sydney, the directors of Momento Hospitality have been keeping an eye on Macquarie Park for quite a while – a decade in fact. The suburb has grown exponentially in the last 15 years, home to one of the most significant corporate business parks in the country – housing some of Australia’s biggest businesses – as well as a major shopping centre, university and attached hospital. The area is now also starting to see an influx of residents on its periphery. All of these groups combined have made it an attractive area for the pub group, and in early 2017, it finally found the right location for the suburb’s first pub offering. “We like the area and we think it has good demographics similar to what we’ve done before with Bella Vista Hotel. So we looked there for quite a while and then we found a site which
was an old office block, and it worked out perfectly,” explains CEO Marcello Colosimo.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK Due to the variety of amenities within the area, there are plenty of different demographics to cater to – and very few F&B offerings available to the local population. “It’s a pretty large, pretty substantial business park, with a lot of residents moving into the area. You’ve got the university there, you’ve got the hospital there. There’s a lot of development, so there’s quite a bit of activity and different markets. From our point of view, we like the fact that there was a more mature crowd as well that was probably under-represented by food and beverage,” states Colosimo. To create a single venue that would appeal to so many different people – from corporate workers, to university students and staff, to
30 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
MOMENTO HOSPITALITY HAS BROUGHT A WORLD-CLASS DRINKING AND DINING VENUE TO ONE OF SYDNEY’S FASTEST GROWING AREAS, AS VANESSA CAVASINNI REPORTS.
construction teams and families – Momento Hospitality engaged Archebiosis Architects to help create a pub that would have broad appeal without being generic. In order to create such a venue, director Edith Clark and her team began some pretty thorough research that would capture the local market. With no similar F&B offerings in the area, the fundamental part of the brief was to ensure that The Governor would be a venue that locals would treat as a must-visit. “We had to make it a destination that people would come to, as there aren’t many venues in the area and residents aren’t used to looking locally to go out for a pub meal or a drink after work – they tend to hop on the train and leave. So we had to make sure it was attractive enough to make them stay,” states Clark. The first thing the Archebiosis Architects team did was look into the future development
DESIGN AND BUILD
The ground floor bistro area of the area. The master plans for the suburb were sought from Ryde Council to see what the area would look like long term. In many ways it was similar to North Sydney’s corporate atmosphere, with the addition of a residential component. The team was then able to analyse offerings in North Sydney to see what attracted the locals there.
INTIMATE BUT SOCIAL With the two main spaces of The Governor being the ground floor offering and the rooftop bar, Momento’s initial brief was a basic one. “It was twofold. The rooftop bar was to be an area that people felt that they didn’t have to go into the city to find – so it’s an option that satisfies the needs of the locals. The ground floor was all about intimate areas while also creating atmosphere. The idea of those spaces is to create a certain ambience when it’s combined with the lighting and the decor. And then the actual layout, or flow of the premises creates quite a comfortable feeling,” suggests Colosimo. With so many different markets to target, it was important that there was a variety of different spaces and offerings within the venue. The absolutely critical component of the design was to be able to infuse the venue with as much intimacy as possible. “There’s a lot of different areas – areas where two people can go and feel comfortable, or 100 people can go and feel comfortable. So it’s really
broken up into small parts,” explains Colosimo. “Aesthetically, intimacy is really where I think it comes through – with the idea of having your own private areas but still being social.” To create an atmosphere of private, friendly spaces, everyone involved in the project took trips to the city that does those kinds of spaces best. “We did some trips to Melbourne to do some research into how to successfully create various atmospheres within pubs, as they do that quite well down in Melbourne – better than we do it in Sydney. Then we applied those principles to what Sydneysiders might like,” states Clark. Clark has nothing but praise for Momento Hospitality’s directors, stating that they were bold in their decision-making for The Governor. “I love the fact that these guys weren’t afraid of small spaces, because lots of publicans shy away from them as they’re not as easy from an operational point of view.”
The ground floor locals bar area
LIGHTING IS KEY
A CUSTOMISED EXPERIENCE With so many different offerings, The Governor is like a dozen venues in one, where you can have a different experience every time you visit. On the ground floor, you first walk into a lobby space more reminiscent of an accommodation hotel than a local pub. From this entry point, you can veer off to the right into the ‘Locals Bar’, the more masculinelooking public bar. The design of the space creates a slightly darker, more moody
On the ground floor, where texture makes the space so vibrant, Clark says lighting was crucial in ensuring that the variety of textures were highlighted, and in creating the mood of intimacy. “The lighting helps with that a lot. The lighting was significant in terms of the investment in it and the amount of effort that went into it.”
AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER SEPTEMBER 2018 | 31
DESIGN AND BUILD
“I love the fact that these guys weren’t afraid of small spaces, because lots of publicans shy away from them as they’re not as easy from an operational point of view.” Edith Clark, Archebiosis Architects ambience, with a timber-cladded bar front stained black and a marble bar top, black and white mosaic tiling, dark walls and plenty of dark steel joinery to create private areas within the public bar. There is also fixed furniture and high-tables with leather-upholstered seating to reinforce the masculine look. To the left of the foyer is the light and breezy bistro dining area. This area interplays feminine and masculine components to create a relaxed space for all. The space is all about a variety of textures. Blond timber cladding is used on the walls and on the bar front, in different patterns, while light tiles are used on the floor and columns of the space. Other walls make a feature out of exposed brick. Furniture is a mixture of blond timber tables and chairs, and upholstered booths in pastels. Out the back is a courtyard for those who prefer some sunshine. Between the two spaces is what is known colloquially as the ‘intimate bar’: a more elegant space with train carriage booths that essentially create private dining areas for groups. There is also a fireplace and piano area, to cap off the more refined cocktail experience. In all of the ground floor spaces, greenery is present to create an oasis from the corporate environment of the suburb. “There’s elements of greenery in most of the spaces, because the suburb lacks it so much. We really wanted people to step into the space and forget that they are in Macquarie Park,” states Clark. There are two floors above the ground floor that are currently unused, but a stairwell gives direct access to the rooftop above. Melbourne graffiti artists 90 Degrees were commissioned to cover the stairwell in graffiti pieces that give it a laneway vibe, but uses imagery connected to the history of the area. On the rooftop – named Ess – the vibe is much more relaxed and casual than downstairs. With views of the surrounding area, a Japanese-focused menu, 40 beer taps and a cracking cocktail menu, Ess is the spot for an afternoon or night out, without having to venture into the city or further afield. The décor is a mixture of being hip and relaxed. The highlight of the space is the oval bar located in the centre of an impressive steel framed, Asian-inspired structure with exposed beams and suspended lighting. It also has some of the homely feel of the downstairs courtyard, with timber and exposed brickwork finishes, garden walls and retractable awnings. Having been open only a month, Colosimo is overjoyed with the way locals have taken ownership of The Governor and Ess, with feedback being exceedingly positive. “Everyone is loving it. They’ve been watching it for a long time and now they don’t have to travel, so they can fulfil their needs without having to go into the city or into other areas.” The consensus is that it’s about time this world-class business park had a food and beverage option of the same quality.
32 | SEPTEMBER 2018 AUSTRALIAN HOTELIER
Greenery features throughout
The courtyard area
Gweilo. Dystopia becomes utopian. Gweilo at the Evening Star has been transformed by Paul Kelly Design into a vision for the future.
CALENDAR
SPORTS FIXTURES CHECK OUT THESE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER – THEY’RE SURE TO BRING IN A CROWD TO YOUR VENUE.
LEAGUE
UNION
Over 80,000 fans will pack out ANZ Stadium in Sydney for the 2018 NRL Telstra Premiership Grand Final as the season reaches its crescendo. Expect fireworks on the pitch and in the sky, along with the inaugural NRL Holden Women’s Grand Final.
The Qantas Wallabies will hope to put their demons behind them as the 2018 Mitsubishi Estate Rugby Championship continues.
When: Sunday 30 September, 7:20pm. Channels: 9 and 9Now.
When: v South Africa: Saturday 8 September, 8pm. v Argentina: Saturday 15 September, 8pm. v South Africa: Sunday 30 September, 1:05am. Channel: Fox Sports 3.
AFL
UFC
The MCG will be stuffed to the rafters for the Toyota AFL Premiership Grand Final. Extended coverage on Fox Footy includes the Toyota AFL Parade, the 2018 Longest Kick, the breakfast and the pre- and postmatch shows. When: Saturday 29 September, 2:30pm. Channels: 7 and Fox Footy.
Live from Sao Paolo, Brazil, light heavyweights Glover Teixeira and Jimi Manuwa headline the card, in what is a must-win for both. There’s also women’s bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira battling former Invicta FC champ Tonya Evinger. When: Sunday 23 September, 12pm. Channel: Fox Sports 4.
NEXT MONTH The long wait is over for your customers’ dose of American sports. The action kicks off Stateside in October with the season starts of the NHL and NBA, while MLB heralds in the World Series. All perfectly timed to pull in your daytime crowds. When: NHL from 4 October, NBA from 17 October and MLB World Series from 23 October. Channels: ESPN and ESPN 2. *All times are AEST
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