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Catering Equipment Selection Process.Posted by: Neil Willis To select the correct equipment you will need to know the following: 1. Which cuisine? Italian? Chinese? Thai? Bistro style? Getting the Best Design for your New Kitchen Fitout The best designs still incorporate Food Flow as the primary design element. This means your kitchen should be designed to handle the events that occur as part of food preparation in sequential order. It sounds simple, but you would be surprised to learn how many foodservice facilities are designed without keeping this key principle in mind. So, let's look at how this concept is applied to the design of a kitchen. 1. Delivery of Raw Products – the first thing that occurs in the preparation of food is the delivery and acceptance of the raw food products. 2. Storing of Raw Product – Once the product is accepted, it will have to be stored either in the cooler or freezer, or in the dry storage area. So, already we have established that the receiving and storage areas have a critical relationship and should be located adjacent to one another. In a typical design, it would be counter productive to locate the receiving and storage areas on opposite sides of the facility. 3. Preparation – Next, the food will require preparation work. The preparation area should be adjacent to the refrigerated and frozen storage areas. Once this work is completed, the food can go in one of two directions: back to refrigerated storage for later use or to the production area for cooking. 4. Cooking – once the food is cooked, plated and garnished it is now ready to be served to your customer by the waiting staff. 5. Serving – the design of the pick-up area is critical. The waiting staff should be able to get in and out of the kitchen without disrupting the cooking staff - a separation should exist by design so that the waiting staff and cooks do not hinder one another's efforts. 6. Clearing – once the food has been enjoyed by the customer the table is cleared and all dirty plates etc. are dropped off in the wash-up area. The washing area, a key component of any kitchen operation, must be strategically located. With both the service staff and the kitchen staff requiring access, there are several critical relationships to consider. TIP: Ideally, the flow patterns of the waiting staff and kitchen staff should meet at the food pick-up and soiled drop-off areas, but should never cross. Tweet Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink Webcot now selling Luralite & Halo Insect TrapsPosted by: Neil Willis Luralite Glue Board Insect Traps and Halo Glue Board Insect Traps are now available through Sydney Commercial Kitchens. Decorative and effective these insect traps are competitively priced. Luralite Insect Traps are ideal for front of house operations and the Halo Insect Traps can be used in the kitchen areas. These insect traps are imported by one of our equipment suppliers, Webcot. Luralite Insect Traps Halo Insect Traps Tweet Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink Staying Profitable in Tough TimesPosted by: Neil Willis by Restaurant Consultant and successful Restaurateur Ken Burgin www.profitablehospitality.com/ Now is the time to show people what your business is really like... Recent events have left most of us feeling concerned, uncertain and possibly even anxious about the future of our businesses. Managing a club, hotel or restaurant in troubled times is more challenging than usual - and it's always important to keep making a profit! Regular patrons are fundamental to the success of any business. Delighted patrons return more often and also bring their friends. Loyalty can be built in many ways, especially if your attention is focussed on what's important for both your staff and customers. Focussing on Patrons: 1. Offer great value. A recession and economic down-turn means patrons will be more value conscious than ever - but they still want the opportunity to enjoy a meal, a drink with friends or enjoyable entertainment! They will be seeking good value - whether it be simple fare or fine dining. You may need to check your pricing or be more creative in offering value-added menu or entertainment deals. Do not introduce 'desperation discounts', focus instead on value for money. 'Comfort food' and familiar favourites are always a good choice in times of stress. 2. Treat your customers. Small indulgences become very important when there is less money going around - for example weekends away replace longer holidays and accessories replace major clothes shopping. In your food operation you may want to think about some special low cost treats - warm chocolate brownies, caramel fudge treats… whatever. Let's live a little! This could be a great time to rev up your dessert list, usually an under-utilised source of high profit. Also an opportune time to offer 'free' bonuses – sweet treats, sample tastings, or something on the table when people sit down. Even the small touch of a glass of water on arrival is appreciated - now is a good time to start offering it! 3. Train your staff to sell. Suggest menu alternatives to complement a patron's selection. Customers like to be guided with recommendations and suggestions to assist them make their decision. Even if they don't order the most expensive dish on the menu, they may like to order a drink, a starter, a side salad to share or a dessert with coffee. Good bar snacks are also easy add-on sales. 4. The Great Escape. Customers like to retreat, or have an 'escape' from the dramas of daily life and TV images. When your business makes itself part of the 'neighbourhood,' it plays a vital role in community life. Maybe you need to increase the entertainment factor a little to help your customers escape their agitation and concerns for a while. Think of how you can make your offering more enticing - a 'home-away-from-home'. After all there are many great reasons why people don't need to leave the house - meals delivered, lots of cable TV choices, unsafe streets etc. 5. A Fresh Approach. Make some fresh changes to show everyone you are feeling positive even if they are not. Now would be a great time to re-arrange the pictures or repaint a wall in an uplifting colour. Anything to break a mood down-swing. How bright, clean and attractive is your entrance? A warm friendly greeting for your customers will long be remembered. It is true. You only have one chance to make a first impression - and first impressions do count! 6. Incentives. Provide some new incentives for community groups to support your business. Full of pro-active people and movers and shakers who like to generate activity! Give them something to talk about. Prizes for fund-raising events or raffles cost you little, are always appreciated and make a big impact. This is how to generate real word-of-mouth, and your generosity will come back many times. You can also make your function rooms available in quiet times (for free) for community meetings. 7. Lastly, check your attitude It is surprising how the results you create will reflect your expectations! Many businesses flourish in tough times - why not your club? When your finger is on the pulse of your patrons, your staff and the local community, you will do what is required and your club will grow. And remember, it's always a good time to have fun!. Subscribe to and read more great articles by Ken Burgin at http://www.profitablehospitality.com Tweet Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink How to make sure your restaurant is full every night...Posted by: Neil Willis Its easy, but not simple! Don't ever lose a customer! Do whatever it takes to never lose a customer if they are expecting 90% give them 120%! I know you think I'm joking here, but what if? What if every one of your customers was absolutely delighted with your food, your staff & your restaurant every single time they came... if you never gave them a reason to leave... then every customer would become a regular & you'd be packed to the rafters every night. Sounds impossible doesnt it? But imagine for a moment what that would look like. Picture how you would feel walking through the doors each day knowing that you don't have to worry about how many empty tables there are. How much better would life be? What about for everyone else around you? So why is this such an impossible dream? Why do we all assume it can't be done? Better yet, why do so many restaurateurs believe that attracting new customers is the Holy Grail the key to improving sales, increasing profits and generally making life less stressful? In truth, it is the people that have already found you & that have already dined with you that you and your staff need to focus time and effort on. If you wow the customers you already have, if they can't wait to come back, if they totally enjoy the experience of your restaurant then they will come back again and again. With the word-of-mouth that generates, you will never have to worry about getting new customers. That will take care of themselves. Great! I hear you say... But how do I do that when my staff are late, or quit as soon as their trained, or the ordering system breaks down again!?!? Two things: What is in it for them? Have incentives to reward staff for a job well done. Have big incentives for a job very well done! If you only notice (and tell them) about what they do badly, they won't be around too long. A system. A consistent, visible system to determine who receives those awards and prizes is key to get your staffs buy in. Favouritism won't wash, but a little bit of competition will work wonders. Put these things in place and your staff will love serving with a smile and your customers will love you... and keep coming back for more. The above article was supplied courtesy of Restaurant Marketing. Restaurant Marketing helps restaurant owners get new customers, delight their existing customers and increase the profits from each one. "We don't care much for pretty, funny advertising we care about results... so much so that we unconditionally guarantee the work we do for you." Restaurant Marketing 65 Hume Street, Crows Nest, NSW 2065, Australia Ph: 612-8437 3560 Fax: 612-8437 3561 Grant Lewers mob: 61 404 883 757 Tweet Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink Hospitality Trade ShowsPosted by: Neil Willis
Tweet Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink ROBAND Hot Water UrnPosted by: Neil Willis NEW and IMPROVED Hot Water Urns by ROBAND See the full range of these new hot water urns at Roband UDS Hot Water Urns
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