Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Environmental Action

Restaurant Sustainability

Restaurant Sustainability is About Success, Not Just Recycling.

June 8, 2022 No Comments

Sustainability is about survival and prosperity – can we put that upfront? Now more than ever, with soaring supply prices, staff shortages and crazy weather, sustainability makes sense across all business areas – it’s much more than recycled packaging and local vegetables. So let’s look at how it can make your business stronger. I rethought my approach when I hosted a panel on the topic at the National Restaurant Conference in Melbourne. Melissa Goffin from

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Reducing Food Waste

Podcast 18: Reducing Food Waste – New Strategies and Solutions

June 6, 2022 No Comments

Dianne McGrath has been doing some remarkable work on sustainability in the hospitality industry. While everyone believes in reducing food waste and improved sustainability, she has done detailed research on how the problem shows up in restaurants and foodservice, and how to make practical improvements. Ken Burgin interviewed Dianne to find out what he’s learned from her research, and how that can be used by operators and the wider food production industry – the production

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Restaurant Marketing Calendar

Restaurant Marketing Calendar – Social & Environmental Issues

May 9, 2021 No Comments

There are special days and months all through the year, to celebrate and commemorate important themes and social issues – a great way to add depth and variety to your cafe or restaurant marketing calendar. There may be ways to include them in the calendar of events at your cafe or restaurant, on social media or just as a reminder to staff. Customers respond very positively to your support for social and environmental issues. Check

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5 Ways to Drive Word of Mouth Marketing for a Cafe or Restaurant

June 15, 2020 No Comments

Many people assume ‘word of mouth’ works automatically, and it’s always positive. As if people will say the nicest things without you making any effort. Sorry, that’s not going to  happen! And word of mouth can also be negative – ‘OMG did you hear that place got a food poisoning fine, and they’ve been underpaying their chefs!’. However there are ways to guarantee that people have a lot to talk about, and you rise above

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Show the Sparkling Cleanliness of Your Business to Reassure Anxious Customers

March 1, 2020 No Comments

News about the spread of Coronavirus is not good, and people are starting to panic – we need to stand as islands of calm and true hospitality, while taking important precautions. It’s also time to take urgent management action to protect your profitability. You can stand out from the crowd by being spotlessly CLEAN and HYGIENIC. Here are some quick ways to make this obvious to customers. There also need to be special precautions with

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Preparing your Cafe and Restaurant for the 2020 Recession

February 29, 2020 No Comments

The last time we had an impact like this in Australia was back in 2001, after the 9/11 attacks in New York. Then there was the Global Financial Crisis in 2007 – 2009, which affected Australia to some extent, but a rapid economic response by the government stopped it from having the effect here that it had elsewhere. I wrote a fairly lengthy article back in 2001, with advice on how to manage the effects

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How to ask your Member of Parliament for financial help or to change a policy…

January 7, 2020 No Comments

Tourism and hospitality are reeling from fires, drought and the COVID-19 crisis – the effects on small business are catastrophic. That means a lot less employment, no-one investing in new equipment, and a lot less money in the economy. A recession is already here. It’s time for much more government financial support for small business operators in Australia – on the scale of what was done after the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) in 2007-9. Through

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Be careful with fundraising – protect your reputation…

January 6, 2020 No Comments

The bushfire catastrophe in Australia has gripped the nation, and the world! It’s truly horrifying with the loss of life, buildings, businesses, forests and native animals. It’s natural that there’s an outpouring of generosity and fundraising – many cafes are raising money by collecting tips, donating money from every drink sold or even a day of profits. And… where there is money in large quantities, there are risks. Transparency and squeaky-clean care are essential when

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Restaurants & Cafes with B Corp Accreditation

October 10, 2017 No Comments

The B Corp movement says that business impacts and serves more than just shareholders – it also has a responsibility to the community and to the planet. B Corps meet high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability. They ‘aspire to use the power of markets to solve social and environmental problems’. In the latest podcast interview, Ken Burgin talks with business advisor Tim O’Brien of Hatched.io about the value of

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Sustainable Restaurant

How to Promote your Cafe or Restaurant as Environmentally Sustainable

September 25, 2017 No Comments

It’s surprising how many cafes and restaurants follow sustainable practices with the food and packaging materials they use, cleaning products, energy sourcing, plus waste disposal and recycling. What we’re often not good at is sharing the good news, especially as environmentally friendly and sustainable business is a constant theme in traditional and social media, plus school education. Consumers are very interested in what makes you an eco-friendly coffee shop or restaurant, as are corporate and

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