Ken Burgin

Restaurant Productivity

Training

Kitchen Front of House

Reducing Tension Between Kitchen & Front of House

May 17, 2022 No Comments

Friction between floor staff and kitchen is wasteful and unnecessary, but it won’t go away by itself. It usually needs intervention by senior management to bring all parties to their senses – here are the key issues that need to be understood and resolved: Make sure everyone understands the word ‘teamwork’. Think in sporting terms – a successful team has agreed rules, a variety of skills, they chase a good score, they have good leaders,

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chef training

Podcast 13: Teaching Chefs About Kitchen Management and Menu Design

March 28, 2022 No Comments

We expect a lot from chefs – not only to manage production and service, but keep to a budget, organise a team of people and handle safety issues, changing food trends, menu design & engineering, plus social media and a bit of marketing. It’s a big ask, especially when they may not have had training beyond hands-on experience with another chef. In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with Liz Perkins, a chef, former hospitality business

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Disney & Hospitality

Podcast 11: What Can Disney Teach Us About Hospitality Systems & Service?

February 27, 2022 No Comments

If you haven’t experienced a Disney theme park or travel adventure, you have heard about the amazing service and carefully designed experiences they produce. How can hospitality operators of any size learn from the Disney approach to customer service, and create some of that magic in their own venue? In this podcast, I’m talking with Michelle Pascoe, a Customer & Team Retention Specialist in the hospitality industry. Her dynamic business covers areas from leadership &

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Developing Young Leaders

Podcast 10: Developing Leadership Skills in Young Hospitality Staff

February 14, 2022 No Comments

More young people are being given management responsibilities early in their career, and running a hospitality business is becoming more complex. This can mean added stress and errors, and much more to learn about. Training and development for new leaders can be done through professional courses, and many times it’s through guidance on the job. How can business owners and senior managers make this process more effective and efficient? In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks

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Recruit the Best Staff

How Large Restaurants, Hotels and Clubs Can Recruit the Best Staff

November 9, 2021 No Comments

Large hospitality groups have big advantages when it comes to purchasing food and beverages. They also have extra strength in negotiation with service suppliers and landlords. So why do so many of these operators ‘think small’ when it comes to recruitment, pay and conditions? It just doesn’t work in the race for talent… It’s time to flex your advantages when it comes to recruitment and retention – you can offer ‘the best job in town’

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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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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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How Hospitality & Restaurant Trainers can Work Remotely: a Survival Guide…

March 15, 2020 No Comments

Hospitality training has usually been done in person – we hospo people like to ‘stand up and do it’. With the restrictions and closing of many restaurants and cafes, there’s an urgent need to present training in new ways. We need very different tools and completely new methods – traditional workbooks with pen & paper don’t translate very well. Here’s a bunch of tools, resources and ideas to use and experiment with… Understand the world

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Sharing ideas about how to make Webinars more interesting

March 2, 2020 No Comments

It was great to share my thoughts with the Facilitation Queen Leanne Hughes, about how to make webinars more engaging and interesting. With looming restrictions on live gatherings, they have to be in the toolkit of every trainer and meeting facilitator. The SilverChef webinars I’ve started have had a great response, and this method of teaching and learning is becoming much more familiar and popular. Here’s Leanne sharing her experience, and drawing on the ideas

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Understanding the Science of Timing – When to Take Action [Short Video]

April 8, 2018 No Comments

Social psychologist Dan Pink has released a fascinating new book called When – the Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. I love the way he does a massive amount of research, then presents his conclusions in an appealing way that can assist us all to be more effective. Here’s a short interview with Dan Pink about his research, and how to work out when is the optimal time to do our best work. Short videos like

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