Profitable Hospitality Podcast

Vision, Mission, Values, Culture, Empowerment and Engagement... So many big words used so carelessly by people who think repeating them will magically improve productivity, reduce staff turnover and boost profits. It takes much more than fancy signs on the wall to do that! In this week’s interview, Ken Burgin talks with Kevin Dwyer of Change Factory. He’s worked for many years with companies large and small that want to make real improvements in their workplace culture and management effectiveness. That’s why he gets impatient with people using these terms without genuine commitment. He gives us real, understandable definitions that everyone can grasp, and we also discuss the important issue of having the company’s vision match with the personal vision and ambitions of the staff. You’ll enjoy this interview and have lots to think about for your own business, no matter what the size or style.  

Staff shortages, costs and challenges are often on the mind of hospitality people, and they love to complain. So it was great to talk with a business operator who employs more than 100 people and finds his employees a source of strength and opportunity, rather than a drama. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Miccal Cummins, director of award-winning catering group Gastronomy. They’ve established a great reputation in Sydney for corporate catering, creative events, venue management and the quality of their food. They’ve also developed a ‘second line’ called Packed Lunch, for online ordering of food for conferences and meetings. We discussed the growth of the business, management of recruitment and induction, the type of staff they look for and how they maintain a strong, positive culture. This was an interview that left me inspired and positive about the future of the industry!  

A new website or an upgrade? It always feels like hard work and uncertainty when restaurants, bars and clubs decide to make a change. There are so many things to consider: all the technical details (usually confusing and unknown), briefing a designer, the budget, design and branding, plus adding new features like social media integration, photo galleries, a booking service, email subscription and a ‘shop’. In this interview Ken Burgin talks to Ben Jones of Growth Studios, an experienced web designer with a background in graphic design, direct marketing and web design – it’s a strong combination. As well as the topics above, we discussed choosing the right platform (is Wordpress the right one?), what restaurants and bars usually have on their ‘shopping list’, how to add e-commerce facilities, the importance of making the site Google-friendly, and keeping the project on track. If you’ve got plans for a new website or an upgrade, this podcast contains important information!  

In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Grahame Murray of the Organic Market & Cafe - they've been open for 26 years! It’s in the beautiful hills above Adelaide, Australia. The business has expanded and modernised in that time, taking over more space and adding an online shop. They’re also using modern technology to manage staff, bookkeeping and even tablet ordering for ‘queue-busting’ when it's busy – another way to keep customers happy and willing to spend. We also discussed design and retail display, menu development, working with local fruit and vegetable suppliers and how much true organic produce can be included on an affordable menu. Plus building a stable team of staff and the value of an active presence on social media – make sure to check them on Instagram and Facebook.  

It’s January 2015, and while you've still got the 'new year feeling', it's time to check on a few business and personal issues that might be holding back you and the team. Buckle up and let's give our attention to people, money, tech and equipment. Build up the things that work and reduce those that hold you back. The appearance of the business and how well it responds to customers. Let’s look at your website from all angles, your local profile, and how much feedback staff are receiving on their good and not-so-good performance. And a quick check on your own efficiency and business skills for the demanding, competitive year ahead. You'll find lots of resources and how-to articles to help at Profitable Hospitality.

Here’s my annual list – about half are new this year, and the rest are well-tested and help make my business efficient, responsive and available wherever I am. I have chosen tools that will also be useful in your cafe, restaurant, hotel, club or bar – whatever size of operation you have. Let me know in the comments which services and apps you use, or if you have another favourite we should know about. Apps and online services mentioned: * ToDoIst – to-do list that syncs across devices* Teamwork and Trello – project management* Evernote – note-taking, web bookmarks and documents – syncs across devices* NutshellMail – daily notification of social media mentions* Dropbox and Google Drive – store documents in the cloud and access anywhere* Jotform and Wufoo – create forms online, to use with customers and staff* Jing – take screenshots and screen-recordings to share explanations* Hootsuite – post to Twitter, Linkedin and Google+, plus advanced scheduling* Canva – become your own designer with this online service

It’s a constant frustration for restaurant and bar operators – plenty of people looking for work, but most who apply don’t have the skills, attitude or knowledge that’s needed. Customers are sick of it too – slow service, staff who don’t notice and a shortage of smiles. But there are good people looking for service positions. If the recruitment you’re doing now is not working, it’s time to take a fresh look at your advertising and selection process. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Roger Simpson, an experienced retail trainer and consultant who works with businesses to increase service levels and grow sales. He’s worked in all sectors of hospitality, and one of his famous (and ongoing) clients is Beechworth Bakery, a business that’s transformed an entire rural town and the face of modern bakeries in Australia. We discussed how to identify staff with potential, developing an ideal ‘person description’ for the staff you want, and his 6 Essential Steps for Recruiting the Right People. It’s a great intervi

Ending the employment of a staff member is never easy, especially if they’ve worked at the business for a while and formed relationships with other staff. Many managers find it hard to give ‘bad news’, even when they recognise that the person is not capable of doing the work required. The law varies in different countries, but there are over-riding principles of fairness and ‘due process’ that need to be followed in almost all jurisdictions. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Dru Gillan, a lawyer specialising in employment law. We discussed the principle reasons for dismissal: poor performance, misconduct, dangerous behaviour, refusing to follow instructions and retrenchment. We also discussed how to hold a proper performance interview and whether ‘3 warnings’ are always necessary. If an employee comes back with a claim of ‘unfair dismissal’, when are they justified? As always, good Job Descriptions and proper Work Contracts make the whole process much fairer and straightforward. Find Dru Gillan at Serv

Every restaurant manager, owner and chef worth their salt makes sure to watch and visit the latest hot places and clever competitors. Many of your customers got there first – they’re after newer and better – the pressure is unrelenting!  In this podcast, Ken Burgin looks at how you can take an organised and strategic approach to learning from competitors. The focus of your observation will be on three main areas: the visitor experience, productivity, and sales & marketing. It’s much more than just looking around and snapping photos. Consider the staff, the furnishings, how the atmosphere is created and how management orchestrates the experience. Is the place productive, and how can you work out their running costs? You’ll also be looking at the menu, the marketing and social media activity – that’s where you see customer reactions.  Make sure to check the Sales & Marketing Dept and the Online Marketing Dept at Profitable Hospitality – lots there to help you be more competitive!  

Work can be a bit rough in some restaurants and bars – high pressure, long hours, impatient managers, heat, late nights and alcohol. No wonder staff sometimes say and do things that they shouldn’t – insults, sex talk, swearing, pushing and yelling. For a long time the attitude was that you put up with it or got out. But modern workplaces  now have a much greater focus on safety and management’s ‘duty of care’ – protecting staff is not optional. And employees are much more aware of their rights and legal protection.  In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with HR expert Natasha Hawker of Employee Matters. We discussed definitions of sexual harassment and bullying, plus the idea of ‘Duty of Care’ and how it applies to managers and supervisors. Also covered were grievance procedures, investigation methods, and the responsibility of staff who witness harassment or bullying – there’s a lot to consider. Also make sure to check the Staff Management Dept and Downloads at Profitable Hospitality.  

If you're watching staff productivity, menu performance or changing customer tastes, the results usually show up in the sales figures. But what should you check first? Most POS systems offer hundreds of report options, but a few key numbers will give you the most important information.  In this podcast, Ken Burgin goes through 10 important restaurant KPI’s that will show you the success of your sales effort, and help to uncover where improvements can be made. It could be in food, dessert or beverage sales, number of items per customer, menu design or the selling skills and productivity of employees. You’ll find lots more information on sales improvement at Sales & Marketing and the Menu Marketing departments of Profitable Hospitality.  

Entrepreneurs are inventors, and they’re also risk-takers – ready to go out on a limb with a money-making idea. They’re opportunistic, they like the idea of ‘extreme sport’, focus on the positive side, know how to find followers, and keep an eye firmly on the financial success of a project. Our industry thrives on entrepreneurs who are constantly designing, testing and occasionally failing with new bars, restaurants and cafes – it’s exciting to find a ‘new place’ that ticks all the boxes! In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Harry Hawk, a New York-based marketer and hospitality operator who tells us how he set up a highly-popular beach bar – hiring and training staff, dealing with massive crowds, handling government regulations and keeping customers happy so they stick around, spend up and tell their friends. Plus PR,  issues with neighbours, fast food, power supply and even the toilets. You can find Harry on Linkedin.  

It’s a common request – how can we train new staff in the fastest, most efficient and cost-effective way? Or work with current staff who are not getting the sales results you want, they’ve stopped smiling, are often late, and aren’t supporting the team. We also need supervisors and store managers who can take the lead and deliver this coaching whenever it’s needed. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Roger Simpson, an experienced retail trainer and consultant who works with businesses to increase service levels and grow sales. He’s worked in all sectors of hospitality, and one of his famous (and ongoing) clients is Beechworth Bakery, a business that’s transformed an entire rural town and the face of modern bakeries in Australia. We discussed his 4 step system for turning leaders into coaches, and his 5 key steps for success with staff – it’s a great discussion. You can find Roger at TheRetailSolution and I recommend you download his excellent free e-book.  

It’s easy to put all your energy into Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as the main social media channels for restaurant, hotel and bar marketing. They’re hugely popular, and the advertising options can be effective. But ‘there’s a serious side to business’ where you can make professional connections and turn them into customers and networking opportunities – that's best done with Linkedin. In this podcast, Ken Burgin shows hospitality business owners and managers how to use Linkedin to enhance their own professional reputation, and reach out to others through its unique networking system. The sales opportunities can be particularly useful, and are rarely used in our industry (but heavily used in the corporate world). Find local professionals you’d like to do business with, connect, make friends and hopefully do business. It needs a ‘slow and steady’ approach, and there’s lots of upside. I hope you will also connect with me on Linkedin – just seach for Ken Burgin in Sydney.  

Friction and arguments between restaurant floor staff and the kitchen - it's boring, unproductive and costly. It’s usually a result of poor communication and unrealistic expectations, plus senior management who aren’t taking leadership on the issue.  In this podcast, Ken Burgin of Profitable Hospitality goes through more than a dozen ways you can improve communication and reduce tension between FOH and BOH – clearer goals, a better understanding of teamwork, more productive meetings and an improved flow of information. Plus fixing the system breakdowns (and sometimes equipment breakdowns) that cause unnecessary hardship when the pressure is on. Don’t give up on this issue – when tension flares, it leads to increased costs, loss of sales and high staff turnover  

Does the use of social media lead to more sales? What’s the ROI for the time and money you put into Facebook, Twitter, YouTube videos and other social media channels? Yes, these questions are still being asked, although at least people are now  more focused on the best channels to use and what type of content creates the behaviour you want. In this interview Ken Burgin talks to Sean Callanan, the founder and CEO of SportsGeek, a sports digital marketing agency. He’s an avid sports fan, and his business focuses on connecting sporting teams, players, fans and sponsors using modern technology and social media. In sport the talk is about members, fans, game attendance, loyalty, scores and results. Compare this with restaurants, bars and clubs where we discuss customers, visitor numbers, weekly sales and per-head spend. Both industries should be watching and measuring what fans like (and don’t like), what excites them and what lights up social media. Hospitality has a lot to learn from the world of sport! You can

Most staff are happy with things just the way they are: they’ve built their life around the roster, the work rhythm, the other employees and what makes the boss happy (or not). When you want to make changes there is sure to be some resistance, but if costs are rising, there’s not much choice. In this podcast, Ken Burgin covers a wide range of staff management changes – from recruitment to rostering, training, accountability and teamwork. Plus bonuses, pay rates and even social media policies. Regular, steady change will keep you ahead of the competition and positioned as the best place to work. Don’t forget to also check the Staff Management Dept at Profitable Hospitality, and the huge number of downloads – all available 24/7.  

Centennial Park is very different to a restaurant or bar, but their ability to find stories in the daily events, landscape, visitors and staff are an impressive model for anyone who is wondering about ‘what do I write about’ on a blog. It’s not a small space, with more than 20 million visitors per year and a space that covers 220 hectares (approx 550 acres).  Their blog is always interesting, and it’s backed up with great use of social media to reach different audiences. In this interview Ken Burgin talks with Craig Easdon, Manager of Marketing & Communications at Centennial Parklands – he’s a fund of information about content creation for the blog, the publishing calendar, social media management and creating popular web content that appeals to visitors, world-wide web browsers and the media. Full and happy disclosure – I live 100 m. from the park and walk around and through it most days of the year!

Supplier prices keep rising, and traditional cost-cutting methods don't always work – you can’t just reduce the portion size, or use cheaper product. Menu price increases are another option, but that’s not always possible - you’ve got competitors and customer reactions to keep in mind. In this podcast, Ken Burgin looks at some of the ‘quick fixes’ you can do to control the cost of vegetables, dry goods, meat, seafood and dairy products. Reduce the cost percentage, and increase the gross profit margin – there are many things you can do that will together make a substantial impact. Don’t forget  that good recipe software has to be part of the mix – we recommend the Profitable Recipe Manager and the Profitable Kitchen Manager Set.  

Many managers and chefs think they deserve more money, and most of the people who make salary decisions are struggling to keep down wage costs. So how do you have a productive discussion? There are many ways to request a salary review, in a way that can be a ‘win-win’ for both parties.  In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Sabiha Vorajee, an HR specialist who’s worked with a wide range of companies in the area of reward and remuneration. Through her company High Value Woman, she specialises in coaching women how to negotiate higher salaries – to gain the confidence and skills to ask for what they deserve. Here she shares tips for women and men, plus suggestions for senior management on how to handle salary requests. If you don’t keep salaries comparable to the market, you will soon be losing staff. Pay and benefits is a topic that makes everyone ‘lean forward’ – I’m sure you will find this interview very interesting!