Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Productivity & Cost Control

Kitchen Recruitment

Podcast 9: Take a Fresh Look at Finding and Keeping Kitchen Staff

February 7, 2022 No Comments

Foodservice operators need to be more creative and flexible in their search for staff, and more thoughtful about how they look after those they have. It’s more than just offering higher pay – that might be part of the equation, but there are many other factors involved. In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with Paul Rifkin. a chef consultant who works with a wide variety of clubs, pubs and foodservice operators. He’s a practical optimist,

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foodservice outsourcing

Podcast 8: Outsourcing and Labour Saving in Modern Foodservice

January 31, 2022 No Comments

Shortages of skilled staff are nothing new in hospitality, but Covid lockdowns and job losses have only made the situation worse. It’s time to stop waiting for things to improve, and take a fresh, hard look at your menu and how many people you need in the kitchen. Customers still want quality and service at an affordable price, but how else can this be provided? In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with Graeme McCormack from

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Wine List Profits

How to Increase Wine List Profits and Popularity

November 16, 2021 No Comments

The wine list is an essential part of your restaurant or hotel beverage service, so let’s apply intelligent design and business thinking to increase profits and ensure it appeals to the greatest number of people. Covid has given us time to rethink menus, and customers have come back with less money in their pockets. The popular Aussie BYO is now available in fewer restaurants, and there needs to be a rethink about the wine range

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Kitchen Management

Successful Kitchen Management for Non-Chefs and Restaurant Owners

November 15, 2021 No Comments

If you depend on the profits of a food operation, you need to understand kitchen management, and how to move in that space with confidence. Here’s a quick guide to how a non-chef can become much more skilled in managing ‘secret kitchen business’ – it can be satisfying and very profitable to understand the workings of production, staffing and cost control. Create Effective and Easy-to-Use Kitchen Management Systems Introduce a Digital Ordering System. No more

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Online Events for Restaurants

The Future of Restaurants & Cafes after the Pandemic – Podcast Interview

October 20, 2021 No Comments

It was great to talk with hospitality industry expert Michelle Pascoe on The Michelle Pascoe Hospitality Podcast, about what I see as the future of restaurants, cafes and foodservice after the pandemic storms settle. I’ve already shared some of my thoughts on how we should expect a tough and demanding summer and the importance of having a Plan B for the next Covid Lockdown. But people still want to eat out, share time with friends

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Rise Menu Prices

How to Raise Restaurant Menu Prices without Negative Pushback

October 19, 2021 No Comments

Inflation is back, following dramatic rises in energy costs, wages and all the food & beverage supplies we purchase. Operators still holding the price of meals to what they were 12 months ago are bearing the brunt of massive increases in the cost of ingredients. And profitability is suffering. Setting prices is approached with fear and anxiety by many restaurant and cafe operators, but it’s a unique opportunity to use your marketing and financial skills

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Hospitality Events Calendar

Calendar of Hospitality Industry Events and Promotions

October 12, 2021 No Comments

Keep up to date with cafe, restaurant and foodservice trade fairs, webinars, industry conferences and events in Australia 2022 – 2024. Plus important dates for customer promotions – think outside the square! More events are also available on the Restaurant Marketing Calendar for Social & Environmental Issues if you want to celebrate and commemorate important social themes. 🤚 Check the weekly discoveries on Hospo Reset – information & inspiration for restaurant, cafe & foodservice operators.

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Pandemic recovery plan

Expect a Tough, Demanding Summer for Restaurants and Cafes

October 5, 2021 No Comments

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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Customer Experience for Restaurants

What’s the Net Easy Score (NES) for your Restaurant or Cafe?

August 4, 2021 No Comments

You’re probably heard of NPS or Net Promoter Score, a simple measurement of how likely people are to do business with you again. Another way to measure your business is with the Net Easy Score or NES. Based on work by Sue Barrett, it looks at the restaurant customer experience – all the ways your business is easy, or difficult, to deal with. Here are ten ways NES could measure this in restaurants, cafes and

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Covid Lockdown for Restaurants

Plan B for a Covid Lockdown for Restaurants or Cafes

May 9, 2021 No Comments

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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