Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Staff Recruitment & Management

Hospitality Student

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

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

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

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

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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QR Codes for Restaurant

How to Use QR Codes for Restaurant Marketing and Management – dozens of easy examples

Everyone understands QR codes, now that they’re used for COVID check-ins. Point your smartphone camera at a QR code, and a website or app will pop up. Use QR codes for restaurant marketing, menu sharing, recruitment and daily operations. In fact QR codes have been around for many years, and widely used in Asian countries – now that they’re understood here, you can start to leverage them for all areas of your business. How many

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Reduce Noise in a Restaurant

10 Ways to Reduce Noise in a Restaurant or Cafe – and Bring Customers Back!

Why don’t people come back, after they enjoyed your food and the service? It could be the noise – too loud to talk with friends and feel relaxed. Here’s a bunch of ideas for noise reduction, if you have to do it after your venue opens. The fact is, most architects and designers give little thought to effective noise reduction, creating hard-surface boxes with all 6 sides reflective so the noise bounces like bullets to

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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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How to Support Staff to Give Productive Feedback & Suggestions

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

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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How the H-Word Boosts Restaurant Sales and Cuts Costs

People expect a lot from us – fast, friendly, good value, available, and more. That’s why the H-Word can add power to your reputation, and even bring down costs with suppliers. Not magic, but it works – you do it, now all the staff need to get with the same program…hands180 The H-Word stands for Helpful, and it may sound a bit low-key. Like ‘nice’ and ‘tasty’ – not much power in it. But think

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