Kitchen Sync Talk Show

Show Notes

Help overturn the 'nuts decision' to abolish the Food Tech A-level.

• Brits spend approximately one-quarter of their annual income on dining out, according to a survey by OpenTable.

• Meanwhile the Bangladesh Caterers Association are getting hot under the collar at the lack of 'skilled chefs'. From outside the EU, most likely.

• Emma Eversham & Liam Garrahan writing for Big Hospitality ask "How we can solve the chef shortage (and what the industry’s doing already)". Some great suggestions and points of view here.

• Is it time to ditch the tip? asks Harden's in this blog post that highlights the difference between attitudes to tipping in Europe and across the pond in the ol' U.S. of A.

• I'd say Las Iguanas were wishing they had as this story broke last week in The Guardian: Restaurants’ tipping policy ‘forces waiters to pay to work’

• The Caterer magazine offers Seven ways to run an 'ethical' tronc for businesses who do want to do the right thing.

• New research in America suggests that living near a Starbucks can actually increase your home value. So much for the property market frothing over. Ahem.

Food Teachers are campaigning to save the Food Technology A-Level.

Please read this very compelling Open Letter to the DfE by Food Tech teacher Rachel Richards and support their campaign on Twitter @FoodTCentre and use the hashtag #savefoodtechAlevel.

Here you'll find the consultation paper (Food tech on page 17)  - respond before 24 September 2015.

Management Tip

• As senior vice president of Apple's retail arm Angela Ahrendts is under a lot of pressure to hire for mission-critical roles in her team. In this LinkedIn article, she shares her approach to a typical job interview, in which she tries to judge the candidate’s personality in four key areas.

Get in touch: 

• Let me know by email if you have any events or latest news worth sharing.

• Why not have your say on the topics discussed with a comment below.

Is FutureChef the future proofing we need for our chef shortage?

Show Notes

• The industry will need to recruit 11,000 additional chefs by 2022 according to People 1st as they embark on a survey that seeks "to formulate a breakdown, by skillset, of chefs working in the hospitality industry and where they are typically found." (Australia apparently, right?)

• Looks like restaurateurs in Oz are struggling with those astronomical wage bills in this Bloomberg political piece entitled "$19-an-Hour Waiters Are One of the Hurdles to Growth in Australia" Double time on Sundays are the norm it seems.

• Some initiatives to get young schoolchildren interested in professional cooking are worth shouting about. Like this FutureChef Teacher's Twilight event held at Hotel Football, Old Trafford for example. Why not get involved in FutureChef?

• The tips scandal continues to snowball as Cotê gets embroiled in a PR disaster with claims they (allegedly) keep ALL the service charge - including cash - to top up wages in an exposé by Simon Neville for the Evening Standard. That comms team better order in some pizzas and settle in for the long haul.

• Spot the committee-written statements defending the indefensible with this rather helpful listicle by The Guardian on how much of your tip goes to staff.

• Neil Gerrard (@neil_g) in The Caterer reveals a shocking story of landlord lunacy in Criterion administrator lifts lid on rent troubles. And by lunacy, I mean unadulterated greed.

• Win tickets for an exclusive private screening of SPECTRE courtesy of COREcruitment. Can't recommend these guys enough - some seriously good roles on their books so give them a call.

• Hospitality and Catering News have just a handful of places left on their popular social media training course. Details here: Social Media Training – High Demand Confirms Research Findings

Is this the absolute ultimate #dreamjob for a real #foodie @TimothyOulton we think so :) http://t.co/Ept7sYz0yZ pic.twitter.com/ia6lSKyOQ4

Management Tip

• This fantastic guest article in The Caterer magazine by Philip Cripps, MD of Thameside International, deserves to be Management Tip of the week: How to... manage challenging employees.

(ANOTHER great reason why I subscribe to The Caterer magazine every week. Don't you?)

Get in touch: 

• Let me know by email if you have any events or latest news worth sharing.

• Why not have your say on the topics discussed with a comment below.

Show Notes

Daniel Clifford of Midsummer House laments the shortage of chefs.

• Skills shortage: The headline says Number of job applications fall as hospitality vacancies rise in Big Hospitality, but I haven't seen the actual report by CV Library as yet.

• Daniel Clifford at Midsummer House shares his own struggles to get decent chefs. Looks like a major problem for all the top guys... could it be that elusive work-life balance is creating the shortfall?

• The BHA, in its response according to Boutique Hotelier said "...in just two years, over 2,500 businesses have helped to change the lives of over 43,000 young people by creating new career opportunities..." What does that actually mean? Someone...? Anyone....?

• Chef Hermes doesn't mince words on the issue with an acerbic editorial that singles out the BHA in particular..."Finally, I come to an organisation which is more concerned with appearances than actual results. The BHA is so far out of touch with grass roots workers it beggars belief. They champion a pointless cause like ‘Cut Tourism VAT‘ and their ‘Big Hospitality Conversation‘, because their main aim is to create jobs, yet they don’t realise we can’t fill the vacancies we currently have." Ouch.

• Here's that original story in Restaurant Magazine: Why more chefs are heading for the pub. Someone should ask Gordon Ramsay and Jean Christophe Novelli how that strategy worked out a few years ago.

• Hospitality and Catering News reported on UK nightclubs closing at ‘alarming rate’. "Figures show that in 2005 there were 3,144 clubs. That went down to 1,733 this year." Most high street pubs have become quasi-nightclubs now anyway, haven't they?

• My parents saw the writing on the wall for nightclubs and sold theirs back in 2004. The 'Bedfordshire on Sunday' ran a pictorial entitled Tom and Mary Kilroy raffle off Bedford Irish Club memories as they get ready for a big Irish Club Reunion on September 26th. Most likely, there'll be scenes.

Get in touch: 

• Let me know by email if you have any events or latest news worth sharing.

• Why not have your say on the topics discussed with a comment below.

Notting Gill Chippy pops up at Kensington Place - only for August!

Show Notes

• Casual Dining chains top customer satisfaction poll: "independent restaurants have seen a 1.4bn fall in visitors since 2009, chains have gained 900m visits." That's a frightening statistic for indies.

• *On the other hand*... demonstrations are planned for outside Pizza Express. Here's a list of restaurants that charge their staff for administering tips paid by card. That's a great opportunity for indies.

• Reported in Brand Republic this week: Living wage could leave retailers' profits 'vulnerable' and result in fewer staff. Hmmm..

• *On the other hand* - those potential employees could go work for Aldi who are planning to roll out 130 new stores and create 8000 new jobs. 

• Starbucks Profit Jumps 22% for the quarter ending June 28th. Those margins are just off the charts thanks to a savvy use of new technologies.

• Meanwhile it's back-to-basics for McDonald's as they trial table service as part of a major overhaul. 

• Oxford Brookes University alumnus @JackCohn is bringing a Fish and Chip pop-up called Notting Gill Chippy to Kensington Place (or 'Plaice' perhaps?). Opening only for August, this does look fun.

• If you like food, you'll love these: Photos of Various Food Dishes Flying Through the Air. And check out Piotr Gregorczyk's full portfolio. AMAZEBALLS.

Food Teachers are campaigning to save the Food Technology A-Level. This looks like another half-cocked decision that should be reconsidered. You can support their campaign on Twitter @FoodTCentre and use the hashtag #savefoodtechAlevel.

You can read the consultation paper here (Food tech on page 17) & respond before 24 September 2015.

Get in touch: 

• Let me know by email if you have any events or latest news worth sharing.

• Why not have your say on the topics discussed with a comment below.

Show Notes

Chef Daniel Doherty set for OnBlackheath (©DavidCotsworth)

• 12th & 13th September: OnBlackheath returns for its second year and promises a celebration of music, food and arts, alongside a vast array of entertainment and activities for families. The Chef's club line-up looks good.

• Hospitality and Catering News kindly invited me to their recent #HandCSocial round table discussion. A lively bunch and a good debate.

• Another @MarkKleinmanSky exclusive: Food Group Brakes Cooks Up £2.5bn Float Plan. Is this another business trying to become "too big to fail"?

• Greggs has reported a strong first half of results. Chief Exec Roger Whiteside outlines why.

• Some top chefs make their food predictions for 2015. Only four months left, so yeah.

• Tim Martin DIDN'T complain about taxes or wage increases this week. So have a look at his expenses instead.

• Shakfuyu in Old Compton Street. A pop-up we're also glad is hanging around for a bit.

• Management Tip: Sharing calendars with your team - Guide to setting up Microsoft Outlook.com here, Microsoft Exchange here or here. Savvy Gmail users follow these instructions, and Apple aficionados can follow these 5 steps. Share permissions to edit and encourage collaboration.

Food Teachers are campaigning to save the Food Technology A-Level. Another half-cocked decision that should be re-considered. You can support their campaign on Twitter @FoodTCentre and use the hashtag #savefoodtechAlevel.

You can read the consultation paper here (Food tech on page 17) & respond before 24 September 2015.

Oh, and this is the consequence when a generation of schoolchildren are starved of any cooking skills in class (pun intended):

You know there's a nationwide shortage of chefs when the Waterside Inn has to advertise vacancies: https://t.co/vSl1Hndqh2

If you're not familiar with The Waterside Inn, just check out this video of a dish being dressed on at the pass. There's more of a rounded profile of this seminal restaurant on YouTube here.

Get in touch: 

• Let me know by email if you have any events or latest news worth sharing.

• Why not have your say on the topics discussed with a comment below.

Show Notes:

Breaking Bad inspires new pop up.

• Hospitality and Caterer News reports on Luxury Water Menu launching at The Merchant, Belfast

• Here's that original tweet that highlighted the water menu story to me. (NSFW / Explicit language)

• Lauren Davidson's piece in the Independent about Brits spending £76m a day on going out for breakfast. That's a crazy statistic.

• Non - alcoholic drinks for grown-ups. Finally. (Actually it is a great piece by @FelicitySpector)

• Bloomberg's Richard Vines reports on a new East London pop-up based on the hit tv series Breaking Bad. "Yeah Mr. White. Yeah science!"

• Guardian Masterclass on 16Aug15: 'How to start a supperclub, home restaurant or pop-up'.

• Students at the Edge Hotel school will get a unique training experience in Afternoon Tea at The Ritz, Browns Hotel and The Dorchester. Fantastic initiative - book now.

• Living wage rebuttal: Frankie & Benny's boss said he was “quite furious” about the reaction from some businesses over a rise in the minimum wage. This debate is not going away.

• The perfect email autoreply for when you go on vacation.

• More on that GROW model of coaching as per Wikipedia. Surprisingly effective.

Get in touch: 

• Let me know by email if you have any events or latest news worth sharing.

• Why not have your say on the topics discussed with a comment below.

Show notes:

Links

• 'Sale of Côte Restaurants confirmed' - article by Hannah Thompson in The Caterer

• An Instagram of the soft shell crab at Bone Daddies here and a review in Time Out here.

• Buongiorno Deli in Oxford. What other diners are saying here and my Instagram of the antipasti here.

• Horizons Eating out report in The Caterer: Eating out and consumer spending declines, says survey

• Sat Bains and his long weekends: read the full story in Big Hospitality here.

• Foodservice Cateys - full list of finalists in the Caterer here

• Catch up with Hayden Groves and his epic bike ride on his blog. Donate here and now.

• Check out food photos from Holroyd Howe on Twitter here. Not bad for school dinners!

• Take a look at Tim Sturk and his passion for coffee in this nice little video here. (I wrote the brief for it!)