Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Covid-19 and Recession

Dani Valent Podcast

Dani Valent on Food Media and Positive Change for Hospitality

Dani Valent describes herself as a food journalist, podcaster, writer, eater, traveller and cook – and it’s all done with enthusiasm and a passion for sharing. I will also add that she’s a great humanitarian and advocate for restaurant workers, asylum seekers and refugees – the people who give vital support to our industry, but are often overlooked and struggle to have a good life. Find more about her work and links to her podcast

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Pandemic recovery plan

Expect a Tough, Demanding Summer for Restaurants and Cafes

The Covid delta variant is widespread, limiting activity and creating fear of new variations. People are nervous, which always limits spending. There’s very little of the ‘see you on the other side’ mentality that was a saving feature of 2020. What are the challenges that business operators will need to navigate in the next six months? Vaccine resisters are a tiny minority, but noisy – and if you expect young staff to handle them at

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Covid Lockdown for Restaurants

Plan B for a Covid Lockdown for Restaurants or Cafes

As COVID controls and vaccination helps businesses return to more normal operations, government policy in Australia and New Zealand now seems to be using selective lock-downs to control spot fires and coronavirus outbreaks. Planning is essential for when there’s another Covid Lockdown for Restaurants or Cafes. Your Lockdown Plan B needs to cover three critical areas, so you can move within hours to protect your business, and alert customers, staff and suppliers. First, diversify your

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Recruiting Chefs

How to Have More Success Recruiting Chefs in Rural Areas

Your country cafe or restaurant offers good conditions, proper pay, decent hours, a friendly boss and a modern kitchen. So why can’t you find good staff? It’s time for a shift in how you promote the opportunities – the talent is out there, so let’s update the recruitment methods. Promote the benefits of your area. Check the local tourist authority and council websites – they know how to talk up the town. Country rents and

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restaurant podcast

I love this business interview with Nick Kokonas of Alinea and Tock

Make time to listen to one of the best restaurant business podcasts I’ve heard to in a long time: Patrick O’Shaughnessy interviews Nick Kokonas, founder of 3 great Chicago restaurants Alinea, Next, and The Aviary. He’s also co-founder and CEO of Tock, an innovative restaurant booking system. Alinea broke the mould with the way they pre-sold bookings to avoid no-shows and cancellations, and introduced variable pricing (just like planes and hotels). Kokonas then developed the

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Quick Fixes to Guarantee a Happy Experience for Customers

Anxious customers keep their wallets closed. The world is feeling less safe and much less friendly – we can do a lot to overcome those feelings and turn stress into business. There are many ways to ‘build in the welcome’ so it doesn’t depend on having a professional greeter. Genuinely happy staff: Negative Nick or Sour Sarah can cause lots of damage if left unchecked – are they the reason Happy Harry left after a

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Online Events for Restaurants

My Podcast interview with James Henderson of Hospopreneurs

It was great to have a solid podcast conversation with James Henderson, looking at COVID challenges and how the restaurant and cafe industry is adapting… 🎙 See more podcast interviews here on the Ken Burgin website. 🤚 Check the weekly discoveries on Hospo Reset – information & inspiration for restaurant, cafe & foodservice operators.

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Planning for the Worst: If You Decide to Close your Cafe or Restaurant

As the COVID crisis drags on, there are many operators who are contemplating closing up shop and walking away. Before it was hard work and OK profits, not it’s still hard work and no profit for the forseeable future. The best way to get out is to sell your business, and a good broker will help you to do that quickly. But what if that’s not possible? Here are some resources that could be useful…

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How to Share (and Receive) More Love in your Cafe or Restaurant

Customers want fresh, not stale; inspiration, not gloom.. One way to do this is to think about all the things that we love, our staff love and our customers love! We all need to find more ways to keep a smile on our faces and share our love of food, customers and business success. It’s easy to share stories, photos and events – post them on Facebook, on a corner of the menu or add

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Real not Fake: How to Build a Positive Reputation for Yourself and your Restaurant

Customer BS radar is on high alert – they’re swamped with hype, and can learn a lot about your business before they even visit. Have you googled your name and business lately? Make those buzz-words ‘transparency’ and ‘integrity’ your marketing advantage – share real, honest information about the management team, staff and daily activities. Consumers find ‘behind the scenes’ of hospitality endlessly fascinating, so give them facts to feast on. Keep the Menu Honest: is

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