Profitable Hospitality Podcast

Many chefs and foodservice owners like the thought of selling online – no more customer or staff hassles, and a steady stream of income. But it takes more than just a good idea – production, hygiene standards, delivery and constant promotion have to be organised. You also need to stand out from a wide range of other packaged food, so the chef’s personality and presence can be an important part of the marketing. JackieM of JackieM Truly Malaysian now sells food online, through markets and special events – she happily said goodbye to restaurant life. She’s built up a strong personal brand and an efficient distribution system that’s going from strength to strength. Her website is backed up by great use of social media – twitter, instagram and regular Google+ Hangouts where she demonstrates Malaysian cooking, food and flavour. It’s a great story that many chefs and restaurateurs can learn from.

Everyone wants their business to show up at the top of page 1 of a Google search – some do and a lot don’t. No-one knows the exact formula Google uses to work out the position, but there are a lot of steps you can take to improve your ranking. If you serve steak or pizza, where are you on the Google search if you do a search for those words, combined with your location? You also need to show up prominently if the seach is done on a mobile phone, and that requires some different tactics.  In this interview, technology and web expert Scott Thomas of AboutTheInn.com shares his insights and experience from working with a wide range of local hospitality businesses. In preparing for the interview, we both searched for businesses that had claimed their Google+ Local listing – it was a shock to have so much difficulty finding any! We discussed one good example, Le Kiosk Restaurant in Sydney, Australia, and let’s hope a lot more businesses take advantage of this service after listening to the interview. Make sure to u

It’s great to see a new business open with style and confidence, then build a strong local following. TopHat Coffee at Sydney’s beachside suburb of Clovelly is one of those cafes, and it was great to interview Angus Nichol, one of the partners, on how the concept was developed and is now being run. We discussed location and site selection, the challenge of renovating an old shop, choosing equipment and creating an attractive concept. We also covered administration and bookkeeping, sales and cost percentages, marketing, menus and plans for expansion. Make sure to check the TopHat website www.tophatcoffee.com.au, follow them on Facebook www.facebook.com/TopHatCoffee and if you’re in the area… call in!

I love talking to restaurant owners about how they’ve built a business from a small start to a large, efficient and popular operation. Misty Young, the Restaurant Lady is a great example of how this has happened – she and her family now have four Squeeze In restaurants in Nevada and plans for more. To ensure the businesses grow and prosper, she has developed ‘5 Irrefutable Laws of Restaurant Success’, focused on Leadership, Operations, Financials, Product & Service and finally Marketing. In this interview Misty explains what’s involved with each of these Laws, and the STAR context they’re built on: Strategy, Tactics, Accountability and Results. This is solid gold information you can ‘take to the bank’ – listen to it all and take notes! You can find Misty at MistyYoung.com and buy her terrific book ‘From Rags to Restaurants’ on Amazon http://amzn.to/1fQuzTF 

Our industry revolves around late nights, long hours and plenty of liquor, so it's no wonder we have some staff with drug and alcohol problems. We actively promote wine, beer and spirits, subject to strict rules on preventing intoxication. But handling the alcohol and drug-taking problems of our own people can be a big challenge for managers – and unavoidable if Workplace Health & Safety obligations are taken seriously. In most cases, you can’t just say ‘goodbye’! Professional help is needed, and an understanding of the range of problems from alcohol and marijuana through to prescription drugs, amphetamines, cocaine and heroin. You mightn’t like it, but ignorance won’t help your business when this is part of the landscape for most of your young staff. In this podcast interview, I’m talking with Colleen Morris, a very experienced Drug & Alcohol Counseller with her own practice at Watersedge Counselling http://watersedgecounselling.com  There’s a lot to learn from the wisdom she shares, and it’s also wo

It was great to interview Jason Jelicich again, one of the driving forces behind international bar management company Barmetrix. Jason has been developing the skills of managers (and more than a few owners) for more than fifteen years. In that time he has watched expectations of managers grow, epecially expectations about their ability to manage staff and a growing range of compliance issues.  In this interview we discussed how to choose people with management potential, the importance of financial and negotiation skills, and developing accountability. Other topics included how to teach people problem solving, delegation, maintaining control and the ability to ‘coach and counsel’ when individual staff have problems.  You can contact Jason through www.Barmetrix.com

Joe Dunbar is the ‘Food Cost Wizard’, and it’s my pleasure to interview him for this podcast. Accurate data and ‘the numbers’ are essential to know what’s really happening with restaurant and bar sales, production costs and the strengths and weaknesses of a menu. Modern Point of Sale systems have massive amounts of the data and intelligence available for this analysis, but it’s often misunderstood or ignored. Joe explains the POS reports he finds most useful when consulting with clients, and the numbers that should be watched closely by chefs and managers on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. We also discussed integration of the POS with bookkeeping systems, inventory control and recipe management - expect a very high ROI (return on investment) from this 45 minute interview! You can also find Joe’s contact details and very informative blog at Food Cost Wiz – it’s well worth reading.

Music can create powerful emotions and loyalty, especially with guests who have come to hear a musician, a band or entertainer at your venue. But there’s much more to it than just turning on the mike and lowering the lights – a whole world of smart management and marketing that needs to be applied to finding, booking and promoting these events. Pubs, clubs and venues that do it well can be sure of a passionate and profitable following. In this podcast, I’m talking about the music business with Joshua Liston of DIY Music Movement. Josh is not only an experienced musician, but has also been an entertainment manager for a number of successful hotels and venues - there's not much he hasn't seen or organised! As well as his website www.diymusicmovement.com, you can also find him on Twitter @joshdiymusic and on iTunes with the DIY Music Movement podcast. I got a lot out of  talking with Josh, and I hope you enjoy the conversation too!

In today’s interview, I’m talking with Jennifer Anderson from IAmWaitress.com. Jennifer has a wide range of front-of-house experience developed from working in some great restaurants in Colorado and Kansas, and has developed a passion for team service and training. She says when she started in restaurants ‘I didn’t know if Cabernet was a grape or a region. So, I studied and became a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. I became the fine dining trainer. I became a kick ass server. I learned how to organize my thoughts. I learned about food, wine and drink.’  You’ll enjoy this conversation, and learn about all the ways she is creating ‘an insurance policy against ever looking or feeling stupid in front of a customer. The best policy against that is knowledge.’ You can find her website at IamWaitress.com and connect with her on Facebook.

Turning social media activity into sales is different to direct selling over the phone or at the table. First you need to Connect with people (Facebook fans, email addresses, Twitter followers, LinkedIn connections), then Engage them with interesting and useful content, then Convert them into customers who visit or buy from you online. In this podcast Ken Burgin outlines dozens of social media tactics you can use to turn online social activity into sales – they’re taken from the detailed Christmas Social Media Marketing Plan on www.ProfitableHospitality.com. Like all good plans, you need clear goals and an overall strategy to create measurable results.

For a long time I’ve been fascinated by ‘personalities’. What makes people do what they do – at work, when relaxed or under stress. As a restaurateur I had to tune into what different types of customers liked (or don't like), and all the different personalities that were working together in the front and back-of-house. In hospitality, we often ‘just do it’, getting by with the people we have and pushing through. But what if we could plan for good teamwork? What if we could identify the strengths we need for high-performance, and have tools to choose the right people, so the team has all the talent it needs to do a great job? Carmel Murphy is an expert in this area, and not only has long experience in hospitality, but also wide-ranging experience with personality profiling and career coaching. In this podcast interview, Carmel explains the DISC personality profile system she uses and how it can be so useful for managers and staff to understand themselves, and work with other people more effectively. You can co

In this Podcast, Ken Burgin interviews Somer Sivrioglu, the owner of Efendy Restaurant in Sydney. Efendy is one of the leading Turkish restaurants in Australia, and Somer explains how he has built the business using his experience in corporate hospitality, and uses a wide range of marketing tools to connect with new and existing customers. Efendy frequently wins restaurant and business awards, and has a strong presence on social media. Somer also explains muslim food traditions and highlights the business opportunities available for restaurants and caterers who take the time to understand and offer ‘halal’ food.

Ken Burgin talks with Brooks Briz, an entrepreneur and restaurant General Manager based in Charlotte, North Carolina. We discussed a wide range of systems and techniques he’s used for creating a team of staff with a strong commitment to sales and bottom line results.  There’s an old saying that ‘sales solves everything’ and it still applies – if you’re worried about costs, would the problem be solved by improving sales? Not just more people through the door, but every visitor spending a little more and coming back more often. In most restaurants and bars, that improvement will come from the personal interaction customers have with the person who serves them. Let’s find out how Brooks achieves such great results. You can find Brooks at www.BrooksBriz.com and see his videos on YouTube.

In this podcast, Ken Burgin interviews Jonn Close, principal consultant at CETN - business consultants and brokers based in Sydney. Their services includes Feasibility Studies, Business & Operational Reviews, Formulation of Tender Documents, and the Evaluation of Tender Submissions. That makes Jonn well placed to help you check the numbers, be sure that you’ve found a real opportunity, and prepare a tender document that will beat the competition.

The wedding business is intensely competitive, with a host of services chasing the budget of the bride and groom. Perhaps their largest expense will be the reception (even if the dress is more important!). In this podcast we talk with JF (Jean-François) Célèrier of Nathania Springs Receptions in Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges. The information he shares will be of value for wedding venues, restaurant, hotels and clubs. The Nathania Springs website is one of the best in the business, and their Facebook Page is a great testimonial for the many delighted clients they’ve had – including more than 10,000 photos! JF walks us through the success factors for their online presence, and how this integrates with their sales process – this is a podcast not to be missed! 

Word-of-mouth has always been important for building a business and a following. But before online technology and social media, it occurred on a more intimate, face-to-face level - talking to neighbours or people at work, on the phone or in social situations. If you had a great experience at a restaurant or bar, it’s human nature to want to talk about it with others… and that business will benefit.  Now social media platforms have given word-of-mouth marketing a scale and reach it’s never had before. But you still need to know what’s most likely to generate word-of-mouth enthusiasm, why some people respond more than others, and the best channels to promote it with. Then you can actively generate the positive WOM that every business operator wants. In this podcast interview, Ken Burgin is talking with James Burgin of the BrandWithin marketing group.

Meet Steve Jeffares, one of the founding partners of Australia's best craft beer venues: The Local Taphouse in Melbourne and The Local in Sydney. Their success has come from focusing closely on the elements that make a business successful - high-quality beer and food, a great atmosphere, building a tribe of loyal customers, and a strong commitment to educating people about their product. Plus closely watching the figures and finances. Before the main interview, you'll hear this week's two-minute Tech Tip, about an excellent way to reduce the flood of paper on your desk and in the filing cabinet.

Let's make our work life and computers faster, easier and more effective - digital tools are meant to be the servant, not the master!  In this recording, Ken Burgin combines 10 of the best Tech Tips from recent podcasts into a quick tour of some great online services and software, designed to help you work smarter, not harder.  The links below are where you will find the tools and services mentioned in the podcast. Evernote for keeping track of websites & documents Lastpass - for storing and sharing passwords Dropbox - for storing and sharing documents TeamworkPM - for managing projects Eventbrite - to manage bookings and event payments Payal for Business - the easy way to take payments YouSendit (now called Hightail) - send documents too big to email Cyberbullying Policies - template for your workplace policy TextExpander and TypeIt4Me (Mac) or Texter and Breevy for PC.

Stress and anxiety have a massive negative impact on many workplaces, despite our increasing prosperity.  In this podcast interview, Ken Burgin talks with Jason Jelicich, a business speaker and coach with long-time hospitality experience. They discuss how managers, owners and staff can reduce their mental clutter and become more peaceful, 'present'…and effective. As Jason says, 'when we are present, those around us are influenced and they are attracted by our positive state'. We are also more productive and less fearful. 

With special guest Clinton Power, a relationship counsellor and therapist. In this podcast discussion, we talk about typical conflict situations in restaurants, hotels and bars - why they happen, and how they can be handled more effectively.   In many workplaces, there's an urgent need for managers to have 'courageous conversations' with staff in conflict. Without action, it won't take long before good staff leave and productivity falls.