Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Kitchen Management

Hospitality Student

How to become ‘Employer of Choice’ for local Hospitality Teachers (and help solve your staff shortage)

April 6, 2021 No Comments

Short of young staff? Hospitality is a very popular subject in secondary schools, and there are many students looking for opportunities. Here’s how to make the right connections: Get to know the careers counsellor and the hospitality teachers. the counsellor works with every school student on their career and training plans and is keen to meet local business operators who have genuine opportunities. Once they know you are honest and fair, they can often give

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C.R.C. – 3 Words to Get Much Better Results

March 22, 2021 No Comments

If your staff management, menu updates, and marketing is inconsistent, these 3 words will get you back on track. They create much-needed discipline in an industry that’s often ‘hit and miss’, and they also show staff and public that your business is professional and reliable. Calendar + Reminders = Consistency. And consistency is what makes the difference between smart ideas, and the implementation of them that creates results. Consistency is what your competitors rarely achieve

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9 Ways Staff Will Take You For Granted – if you let them

March 16, 2021 No Comments

You’re a good manager – fair, not too emotional and you care about the staff. But over time they’ve taken more and more for granted – feeling entitled to extra favours, and assuming you make so much money it doesn’t matter. Why did this happen, and how can you make a change? For most people (like your staff), if you don’t give them rules and reasons why things have to be done a certain way,

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Watch Out for These Problems with ‘Perfect’ Staff

February 15, 2021 No Comments

Do you have a dream employee? They smile a lot, cover extra shifts, keep the bar clean, and know how to fix the fryer and the coffee grinder. They can cheer up cranky guests and sell them all dessert… and they know how the boss likes her coffee. And because everything is going so well, it’s easy to leave them alone while you concentrate on fighting fires. But putting time into managing these people can

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Recruiting Chefs

How to Have More Success Recruiting Chefs in Rural Areas

December 8, 2020 No Comments

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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How to Support Staff to Give Productive Feedback & Suggestions

November 16, 2020 No Comments

Your staff have plenty of bright ideas, but do they know the best way to present them? If you want your staff to keep taking a positive interest in your business, you may need to teach them about ‘managing upwards’. Sometimes known as ‘managing the boss’, and it’s a lot more than knowing how she likes her coffee or what beer he drinks. Many staff have bright ideas for new menus, equipment, service and efficiencies.

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Restaurant Job Advertisement

How to Write Restaurant Job Advertisements That Get Great Results

October 19, 2020 No Comments

It’s not hard to write a good advertisement – most are so poorly written yours will stand out with just a little care! Demand for staff is increasing with the end of Covid lockdowns, There is a lot of pent-up demand, and the same tired old advertisements that don’t get the phone ringing! Here’s how to beat the completion… What makes an advertisement for your Cafe or Restaurant Job really stand out? The secret is

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Using Toyota’s 8 Waste Control Methods in Your Restaurant or Cafe

October 13, 2020 No Comments

Toyota built its world-class success by watching and controlling every step of the manufacturing process, especially waste. It’s very useful to apply the discipline of manufacturing to hospitality – we make things too! Use Toyota’s classification of 8 different types of waste, and discover new ways to cut costs and improve your bottom line. Over-Production: creating more of a product than is needed. The enthusiastic bar staff over-prepare fruit garnishes for the evening. Salad trays

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Online Events for Restaurants

Talking Food Costs & Restaurant Management – Podcast Interview

September 10, 2020 No Comments

I’m getting fairly excited by what some see as a fairly dry topic – but not for me! Great to share ideas and information about food costs, inventory, ordering, kitchen technology, kitchen teams and staff management with Venessa Barnes and Adam Moore, two chefs who really know what the industry is about. 🎙 See more podcast interviews here on the Ken Burgin website. 🤚 Check the weekly discoveries on Hospo Reset – information & inspiration

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The Fraud Triangle: Could it Hit Your Cafe or Restaurant?

June 28, 2020 No Comments

Ever had a trusted employee rip you off? When I spoke with a bar owner recently, she was still in shock after uncovering a six-figure fraud carried out by a ‘trusted’ manager over more than 4 years. I hope that doesn’t sound familiar. Most people who commit fraud against their employer are not career criminals. The vast majority are trusted staff who have no criminal history and don’t even consider themselves lawbreakers. Donald Cressey, a

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