Profitable Hospitality Podcast

Do you have good, up-to-date Job Descriptions for everyone working in your business? Sometimes they’re filed away where no-one can find them. Or describing business activities that are way out of date. A well-written Job Description can be a powerful guide and tool to help with recruitment, performance management, training and even termination.  In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Doug Kelsall, the Talent Division Manager of Benchmarque. He’s recently revised and updated the library of 24 Job Descriptions available for download at Profitable Hospitality, and we talked about what is included in well-written JDs for managers, line staff and trainees. We discussed essential duties and responsibilities, the importance of a purpose statement, accountability, knowledge, experience, qualifications and measuring performance.

Teamwork: everyone believes in it, and there are thousands of books written about it, but it’s more often talked about than actually achieved in most workplaces. On the sporting field the benefits are obvious, with different skills working together to chase a common goal… winning! In this podcast, Ken Burgin looks at all the elements that make for successful teamwork, including shared goals, good leadership, measuring results, solving problems, a combination of skills, and the value of coaching to improve performance. A strong and happy team creates a vibrant business with excellent service, a great product and a growing reputation. It won’t take long to improve your team’s performance and the profits will follow!

The world of speciality coffee is getting bigger all the time! It’s no longer just based in Australia and North America, but also growing strongly in the traditional coffee-drinking countries in Europe, and enjoying incredible growth in Asia. To maintain the high standards expected of specialty venues, good training is essential. In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with Ellie Hudson, the Director of Professional Development at the Specialty Coffee Association of America. We talked about practical skills, sensory awareness, global knowledge and the importance of business owners keeping up with modern coffee trends. We also discussed the variety of training methods – coaching, tasting, quizzes, videos, visits to roasters and using mobiles as a training delivery mechanism.

Do your staff have one eye on their mobile phone and one eye on their work? Social media is all around us, and digital distractions are plentiful. It’s easy for social media clumsiness to turn into a big issue if the wrong comments and photos are shared by staff. In many cases, they don’t realise that they’ve done the wrong thing – guidance is essential. A comprehensive and easily-explained Social Media Policy is a very important part of your staff management toolkit. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Richard Edwards of Whites Legal, a Melbourne firm specialising in hospitality businesses. He’s helped many owners and managers with employment issues, and has drafted the Social Media Policy that is available to download from the Profitable Hospitality website.

In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with restaurateur Brett Carboni of Tsunami Restaurant in Perth. We talked about growing his business from when it started in 1998, change and development through the GFC and economic changes, menu changes and building the function side of Tsunami. Plus the importance of constant marketing, how he uses social media and keeping his professional knowledge up-to-date. We also discussed the growth of his SuperSake importing business, and how he promotes sake sales through festivals, tastings, special dinners and public education. He even writes the SuperSake blog while doing his workout at the gym in the morning!

A comprehensive and easily-understood Staff Manual is an essential tool for modern restaurant and foodservice management. Especially as employees are usually the biggest concern (and cost) for most operators: recruitment, hiring, productivity, behaviour, guidance and occasionally, dismissal. Just relying on team spirit and people ‘doing the right thing’ is not enough – it’s important to be ready for every situation. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Richard Edwards of Whites Legal, a Melbourne firm specialising in hospitality businesses. He’s helped many owners and managers with employment issues, and has drafted the suite of Staff Management Policies that are available to download from the Profitable Hospitality website.

A good children’s menu is about more than just attracting families to eat with you. It can also be an important way to build your reputation, positioning you as a place that children enjoy and the food is healthy. You don’t just drop everything into the deep fryer. In this podcast Ken Burgin discusses the many angles to a successful children’s menu – the choice of food, the way it’s cooked and served, how staff look after children, pricing and discount options, and how to use a popular kid’s menu to spread good news and attract more customers. 

What have vegetables got to do with numbers and business? We’ll find out from Trudi Yip of the Numeric Eight bookkeeping and accounts management business, which she started in 2006.  She has more than 20 years experience running small businesses and comes from a family of entrepreneurs – in fact she first learned about business as a child by counting potatoes in the Sydney Markets before dawn. She’s brought her business experience and insights together in a new book called Counting Potatoes – Transform Your Creative Passion and cleverly connects potatoes, onions, pumpkins, ginger, garlic and even watermelons up to all the elements of business success. Intrigued by the sound of this? The interview is definitely worth listening to!

Customer service – it’s so important, and can be so variable. Chances are it’s what people talk about more than your great food and beverages, especially if things don’t go right. Consistency is key, so visitors know what to expect and managers know that when they’re not around, service will be delivered to the correct standard.   In this podcast Ken Burgin interviews Justin McGurgan of training and consulting firm Zealifi. We talked about how customer expectations have changed, and the role management must play in creating a strong service culture. We also discussed the effectiveness of monthly training, the role of supervisors, and how to measure success. Here’s a man who is passionate about customer service, and who gets great results from his enthusiastic training programs.

Many of the people who listen to this podcast aren’t chefs, but many of you do have responsibility for kitchen results. It’s the heart of the house, and the product of all that ice, fire, food, hard work and creativity can either attract and delight, or sometimes leave customers unimpressed. If you own or manage a business where food is served, you must have an understanding of how the kitchen works. In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks from his own experience as owner of a busy cafe and restaurant, and from what he’s observed working with chefs and restaurant operators as a consultant and through Profitable Hospitality. In recent years, good technology has given chefs more control, and managers much more access to costing, ordering, workflow, sales and customer responses. Good communication is always essential, and that too benefits from modern channels to keep everyone ‘on the same page’. Good teamwork is when everyone feels they have the control they need…

No one likes to pay taxes, and sometimes the hospitality industry plays a bit fast and loose with the way they avoid them. In fact there are many ways to minimise your taxes legally, without resorting to semi-legal avoidance tactics. Make as much money as you can, then get a good accountant working on all the ways to keep most of that money in your hands. You’ll sleep better and the bank will be impressed. In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with Chris Wheatley from Scope Accounting about his top 10 ways to maximise tax savings. We talked ‘big picture’ first, about understanding the tax options within your business structure, and then focused on wage and superannuation payments, claiming for equipment purchases, maximising stocktake deductions and getting the most from vehicle expenses. Plus a lot more suggestions along the way – credit card payments, home office costs, home internet and even sunscreen!

Success stories are always favourites with podcast listeners, and this one is terrific. I’m talking with Samantha Bottegal of the PekoPeko Cafe group in Western Australia. She and her partner have grown their business from one to three cafes since they started in 2003, and they’ve made sure that growth has also meant having a better life style. We talked about Samantha’s early experience with food in Japan, the enthusiasm for Japanese food in Australia, challenges in her first business and developing systems to manage sales, recruitment, communication and financial management. We also discussed the value of expert consulting advice, and how loyal staff will step up to manage a business for you - even when you take a holiday in the busiest month of the year!

It's usually easier to give praise, and we often avoid the more difficult moments when negative feedback needs to be given to an employee who’s a bit slow, making mistakes or not following guidelines. It could be a frontline worker, someone in the kitchen or a manager. Roger Simpson of The Retail Solution has some excellent tactics to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of feedback - the negative, the positive and for improvement. We talked about when to have the conversations, how they should be structured, words to use and avoid, the importance of listening and when to follow up. Roger has trained staff and managers on this topic, from some of the leading foodservice operators in Australia - he knows what works and shares it with you now. Definitely an interview to pass on to supervisors and your management team.

We like the idea of online training, but it’s easy to think it’s just for big restaurant groups with lots of resources. In fact there’s a lot that an independent restaurant or cafe can do to get much of their training online. The benefits are considerable – better consistency, training sessions that can be run at any time, and access to material that can be sourced from industry as well as what you create. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks again with restaurant trainer John Isbell. It’s a follow-up to Podcast 225 on How to Create an Effective & Affordable Training Program. We discussed the areas that best lend themselves for online training, the ‘baby steps’ you can take to get an online program started, integrating online sessions with face-to-face training, and ways that staff can help create content. We also talked about ready-to-use training systems, using YouTube videos, the staff who may not be so quick to adapt, and measuring ROI. I hope you’ll get lots of inspiration from this interview – I know

It’s easy for menus to become more and more elaborate, as everyone adds their ideas and favourites. Before you know it, prep and service times are longer, and labour and food costs rise. This can be a problem for individual restaurants, and a major issue for franchise operators. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with chef Richard Robinson of Food Associates in Sydney. He works on the development of recipes and menus for foodservice businesses of all types – maximising flavour, simplifying production, reducing labour costs and ensuring that the recipes contribute to the business concept. We talked about how he analyses a recipe, what items can be outsourced, and skilling up your workforce so they all work quickly and efficiently. We also discussed supply chain issues, flavour shortcuts and making sure special diets are handled in the easiest way possible. This is an interview to share with everyone in the kitchen!

Can you afford regular staff training? John Isbell, our guest in this podcast says you can’t afford not to train, especially as competition increases from new concepts and venues. Our customers also have increased expectations and product knowledge, so every business needs to be optimised for peak performance. John is an experienced restaurant trainer, working with independent operators, restaurant groups and franchises to help them get the best from back of house, front of house and management staff. We talked about the quick wins a trainer can get with a new program, and the priorities for kitchen, service and leadership teams. John also had some great suggestions on how to involve staff in helping to create training content, and putting your activities into a calendar that will continue to benefit the business month after month. Lots of inspiration in this episode! Contact John Isbell through Linkedin or Twitter…

Gradually restaurants and foodservice operators are becoming aware of the scale of worldwide Chinese tourism - more than 100 million people from China went overseas in 2016, and the number is growing steadily. That means lots of opportunities, especially if you tune into the particular needs and desires of this market. To help us understand tourists from China, and the food culture there, Ken Burgin talked with Glen Hingley from Destination Taiwan. Glen is originally from hotel sales and management in Australia, and has lived in mainland China and Taiwan for almost 20 years. He’s watched the growth and change of Chinese restaurants and food culture, and is an excellent guide to a world that is still a mystery for many westerners. We talked about how Chinese people prefer to eat at a restaurant, red wine, flavours, comfort food, and how to make your guests feel welcome.

It’s been said that managers look after things, and leaders look after people. A manager handles the roster, security, service quality and logistics. Leaders handle the more challenging tasks of motivation, team building, discipline and all the personalities in restaurant life - customers and staff. Some managers are good leaders, and others not so much. It’s a tough call for a young manager in their early twenties to handle the human side of the job - every business has a big range of ages, personalities, skills, language abilities and experience. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with restaurant coach and consultant Donald Burns about how young staff can build their skills and experience to become good leaders. When they can handle the ‘people side’ of hospitality with confidence - conflict management, interviewing, coaching and teamwork, a whole new world of careers open up. We need more real leaders in the front and back of house! Connect with Donald Burns on his website and RestaurantCoachUniversity.

Some of the most popular Profitable Hospitality podcasts are interviews with successful cafe and restaurant owners. Entrepreneurs who are tuned into customer desires, ready to take risks, keep a sharp eye on costs and have a knack for marketing and staff management. One of these smart operators is George Dannaoui, partner-owner of the Moody Chef cafes in Sydney. George has been in hospitality for 13 years and shares his insights about business development, menu design, cost control, marketing, landlords, leases and finance. George will also be the special guest of Profitable Hospitality and Silver Chef at a full-day workshop in Sydney on 18 March. This is a unique event held at one of his cafes, exploring what makes his businesses work and how you can have similar success. More information and bookings here - don't miss this! 

The P word - Planning. Everyone thinks it’s a good idea, but who has the time, and isn’t it all a bit complicated? Think of a plan as a bit like a map - a guide for how to get from where you are now to where you want to be. That next place might have more sales, lower food costs, better customer feedback and the ability to attract better staff. All of these are ‘big issues’, and will need work - writing them down is an essential first step. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with management consultant Cindy Tonkin. We discussed the major parts of any planning process, setting priorities, how many things can be handled at once, and getting your team involved. We also discussed calendars, to-do lists and project management systems - it was a great discussion, and considering it’s a serious topic, we also had a few laughs along the way! You can find Cindy at ConsultantsConsultant - check her books, articles and newsletter.