Profitable Hospitality Podcast

Social media and online activity are essential parts of your marketing mix, but don’t overlook the many ‘old fashioned’ ways to attract and delight customers. These tried and tested methods attract interest, build loyalty and keep people coming back... and telling their friends. In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks about how to use business cards, decoration and ‘quality signals’, your front window, internal pictures, illuminated signs, and the 5 key drivers for restaurant word-of-mouth. Also discussed were the value of direction signs, regular events, support for community groups, list building and excellent customer service. You can start many of these activities this week!

Chances are you’ve stayed with the popular accommodation service AirBnB, either locally or overseas. It’s popularity is growing, and unlike hotels, the hosts generally don’t offer meals and try to keep their guests eating in-house. So that means a lot of them need to eat locally - and there may be hundreds of AirBnB properties in your area! In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with long-time AirBnB host Paul Hart. He has an AirBnB property in Melbourne’s popular St Kilda area, and has used AirBnB widely overseas. He also takes part in the huge AirBnB Open conference held in the US each year - an enthusiast! We talked about the best ways for cafe and restaurant owners to reach out to local AirBnB operators, how and what they are recommending to their guests now, and Paul’s excellent new service RoamLocal, that gives local businesses an easy way to connect with AirBnB guests.

It’s more than just smiles and optimism. A positive mindset enables you to handle the ups and downs of the hospitality industry with more confidence and certainty, and with less strain. Problems aren’t so overwhelming, and a clear path for business growth becomes more apparent. You’ll be less focused on what your competitors are doing, and focus on the improvements that can be made at your own cafe or restaurant. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with restaurant business coach Donald Burns. He works with a wide range of restaurant owners, showing them how to tackle business challenges, quieten the ‘inner critic’, improve employee culture and of course, boost the bottom line. Many people are attracted to hospitality for the lifestyle and profits – a positive mindset gives you the power and focus to achieve that.

In this podcast we’re not talking about new furniture or equipment, but a management makeover that addresses profit levels, customer satisfaction, employee performance and growth. Many businesses limp along until they are either sold or close. The smarter ones call in the experts to help fix the problems. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with turnaround expert Jim Affeldt from Haley Kammerer. They’re the restaurant consulting arm of the Sodel Concepts group in Delaware (with more than 10 restaurants and foodservice operations). We discussed the primary importance of getting the business culture right, points of service, menu analysis, cash flow, inventory, marketing and systems – it’s a real A to Z of what’s needed for restaurant success.

Let’s face it: most hospitality people are not big on numbers. They prefer to make the drinks, welcome guests, sell events or cook great food – doing and communicating, not counting and analysing. But without a close eye on the figures, profits can melt away in this highly competitive industry... To prepare for the new year, Ken Burgin interviews accountant Chris Wheatley of Scope Accounting. We talked about many ways you can make business more profitable, and your life more enjoyable, by taking control of the numbers. We discussed record keeping, cloud-based bookkeeping systems, staff and food costs and all the ways to integrate control into a ‘dashboard’. The old demarcations between bookkeeper, accountant and business owner are disappearing fast – this podcast has information you can take to the bank!

Rose Johnstone, editor of Time Out Melbourne, is in a unique position to see how savvy hospitality operators are using social media. She’s also actively using the major channels to promote Time Out stories and events – they are busy people! Ken Burgin talked with Rose about how smart operators are using Instagram and Snapchat, and the continuing value of Facebook. We discussed what content is best for each channel, the type of images that get the best response, the value of video and what makes a good ‘story’ on the new Story features. And of course how to turn cool social media content into real sales. You can follow Time Out on Instagram and Facebook – they do a great job!

There’s no shortage of opinions on what makes a successful cafe. Looking at businesses that succeed (or not), it’s obvious that marketing and management are the major drivers, and within those two headings we can identify location and size, design and layout, the employee team, good service, menu and products, equipment, financial management and of course marketing in all its variations. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Andrew and Claire Bowen, authors of The Daily Grind - How to Open and Run a Coffee Shop That Makes Money. Having created three  thriving cafes, they’re in a unique position to talk about success, and what new operators need to consider. We also discussed how existing business owners can improve and grow - it was a very productive conversation. You can find Andrew & Claire's book here and also check their excellent website.

There’s no avoiding social media, especially for restaurant, cafe and hotel marketing. And there’s much more to a digital marketing strategy than just ‘getting one of the young staff to handle it’. Hospitality managers, owners and leaders need to take social media seriously and develop comfort, skills and fluency for this modern digital world. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with leadership coach Des Walsh about how leaders can build confidence to guide social media strategy and interact online with colleagues and customers. We also talked about which social media channels are the most appropriate and effective for hospitality marketing, and building your own reputation. Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter or Instagram – you don’t have to use them all, but you can’t hide in the shadows and pretend this doesn’t apply to you!

Long hours, heat and stress – that’s the working life of many chefs and kitchen staff. And even though they’re surrounded by good food, many chefs rely on coffee, snacks and sugary drinks to get through the day. Another reason why hospitality finds it hard to keep good people! In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Pip Seldon of The Healthy Tradie Project. She usually works with trades men and women in the construction industry, helping them to improve their job performance, mental clarity, diet, mood and energy levels. Here we talk about the cooking trade, and how her 6 essentials apply for a better work and personal life: exercise, mindset, nutrition, play, sunshine and sleep. You will enjoy her practical approach to improving work, whether you’re a chef or a manager who needs to improve productivity in the kitchen.

Have you noticed how some bars and restaurants are constantly in the news, or a chef is being quoted and making a name for herself? Chances are a public relations person is helping to get their story into the media, and keep them top of mind with the public. PR people aren’t magicians, but their years of experience and contacts can be great way to cut through and have your message noticed. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with publicist and communications expert Prue Gillespie. She has worked with restaurants, bars, events and foodservice entrepreneurs over quite a few years, promoting their products, helping them build personal profiles and even putting out a few ‘fires’ when things don’t go to plan. A professional publicist can be a great asset for any size of business, and Prue gives us great insights into how to leverage public relations and become much more recognised.

It was great to catch up with Court Desautels, Group Leader & COO of Canada’s Neighbourhood Restaurant Group in Guelph, Ontario. The group has been on the expansion trail for some years, and recently embraced the process of B-Corp certification. We’ve talked about B-Corp before in the interview with Silver Chef founder Allan English (podcast 203). Court and I discussed how their two Borealis Grille restaurants, Woolwich Arrow Pub and Miijidaa Cafe have built on existing commitments to local produce and sustainability, and taken on the additional B-Corp challenges of improved employee conditions, customer and community support, accountability and transparency. It’s an inspiring story and the net results have been double digit sales growth and reduced costs – items on every business owner’s wish list!

It’s great to revisit previous podcast guests and find out how their business has grown and prospered. There are usually plenty of lessons along the way, about managing money and costs, managing people, sales and marketing, plus time management. I first interviewed Gus McAllister of The Tippler & Co Bar & Eatery two and half years ago, and how things have changed! In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Gus about how he has built a strong local network of business customers and residents, effective use of his time and money for marketing, menu development and staff control. We also discussed how he has built a strong function & events side of his business and made everything more systematised.

How things have changed – instead of being a fringe request that’s ignored by most restaurants, vegan and vegetarian food is now a popular choice. A recent survey in Australia found 1 in 9 people (11.2%) said they are ‘vegetarian or almost vegetarian’. That’s a lot of customers looking for menu options beyond a salad or pasta with tomato! To help us understand how chefs and restaurants can cater for this growing demand, Ken Burgin talked with chef and cafe owner Paul Smith of Green Zebra in rural NSW. He’s now a vegan, and tries to create vegetarian food that meat eaters will love! It has to be more imaginative than yet another serve of pumpkin risotto or vegetarian lasagne. We discussed the challenges of creating healthy food with flavour, presenting food on a plate so it’s not always ‘meat in the centre’, and all the angles to modern menu design. Paul is a thoughtful and creative chef – I know you will enjoy this interview. You can also find him on Twitter and his new website PlantYourMenu.com

“There is a growing expectation that businesses are responsible for the material as well as the moral development of their employees. There is a growing expectation in society that business will play a larger role.” These are the words of Mike Connell, the head of People & Culture at Silver Chef and my guest in this week’s podcast. Silver Chef (of which Profitable Hospitality is now a part) is a public company, very different in scale to the cafes, restaurants and foodservice operators that they finance. But there are many things they are doing that are directly applicable to businesses of any size, to act as a ‘force for good’ in the world, and to attract and engage the best employees around. Let’s not be afraid to use the words ‘morality’, ‘values’ and ‘workplace culture’ – you will enjoy Mike’s very practical approach to putting these concepts into action.

In restaurants and bars, we don’t have a great track record for successful relationships and happy families. Long hours, lots of stress and working when others relax - it can be exciting, and a recipe for instability. The idea of ‘work-life balance’ seems to have bypassed this industry! In this interview Ken Burgin talks with therapist and counsellor Colleen Morris about how we can reduce the pressure and increase happiness in our very consuming jobs. We talked about how to recognise the signs that a relationship is under stress, the different ways men and women communicate, and how to be more aware of a partner’s needs. We also discussed how to help friends having partner problems, and helping young staff to be more successful in their personal lives. This was a very satisfying interview, and one I hope you will share with your team. You can find Colleen at Watersedge Counselling, and on Twitter.

Traditional wine training with serious faces and tasting notes doesn’t quite cut it in 2016 – employees don’t find it inspiring, and customers want better information and enthusiastic recommendations. There’s a lot you can do to make your wine training faster, brighter and more effective – it all leads through to better sales. In this interview Ken Burgin talks to Kyle Thacker of online wine directory Uncorkd – we each had plenty of ideas on how to add energy and variety to wine training, whether it’s quick tastes or a detailed comparison. From sensory sessions to online videos, quizzes, winery visits and staff choosing ‘wine of the month’ – use this podcast to revitalise your training and boost sales.

Successful bars have a good team of employees – it’s fair to say you can’t have one without the other. In this second of two interviews, Ken Burgin talks with Ben McBeath, managing director of Sydney bars The Arthouse Hotel and the Treehouse. We discussed all the elements that go together to make a productive and high-performing workforce, how they handle recruitment and induction, promoting managers from within the ranks and what makes ‘bar people’ different. We also talked about incentives and bonuses, and how to improve workplace culture and diversity. Hear's your opportunity to listen to one of the leaders in the industry!

B-Corps are companies that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability, and aspire to use the power of markets to solve social and environmental problems. They come in all sizes – from small cafes, to large coffee roasters and food manufacturers. Here’s a list of some of the B-Corps in the hospitality sector. Collectively, B Corps lead a growing global movement of people using business as a force for good. Through the power of their collective voice, one day all companies will compete to be best for the worldTM, and society will enjoy a more shared and durable prosperity for all. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Allan English, the founder of hospitality finance company Silver Chef. He has been a passionate supporter of the B-Corp movement for a number of years, and Silver Chef was certified in 2015. It’s having a profound and positive effect through all areas of the business. B-Corp certification is a process that your busi

Everyone believes in waste reduction – it’s been drummed into us since childhood. And commercial foodservice has extra challenges with large quantities, food safety issues and customers who don’t eat everything on their plate. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Dianne McGrath of Watch My Waste, a large-scale survey of foodservice operators and and consumers. The research is still underway, and already she’s found surprising information about the percentage of food purchases that end up in the garbage, why that happens, and how unaware most operators are of the scale of the problem. The consumer survey information is also interesting – preferences about portion sizes, left-overs and what’s served on a plate. Lots of great money-saving information in this very informative interview and on Dianne’s website.

There are many moving parts involved in a successful bar – the beverage list, stock management, service systems, financial management, staff and marketing. In this first of two interviews, Ken Burgin talks with Ben McBeath, managing director of Sydney bars The Arthouse Hotel and The Treehouse. Ben shared lots of great insights about the range of services they offer, the need for very regular upgrade of interiors, tracking numbers, managing competition, efficient service and effective marketing.