Duncan

Contributed by Gary Clarke, Food & Beverage Director The Hermitage Hotel, Aoraki Mt Cook. Ever asked yourself do your employees love their jobs, your company, and your leaders? Organizational Health is not touchy feely; it’s far more significant and essential than mere culture. In business, it’s the plate on which the meat and potatoes of any …

Having just returned from an overseas trip, both a highlight and lowlight was the availability of cuisine for those who prefer a plant-based diet. Perhaps most surprisingly, was a very upmarket venue, who we told in advance, that was least prepared. My wife was celebrating a delayed 50th Birthday (thanks COVID) on a luxurious small …

The ubiquitous ice cube, glorified at best, misunderstood and misused at worst. This simple item can have the most profound effect on a drink, both alcoholic and non, for the consumer and your bottom line! Ice-Lightenment: My first true Ice epiphany came in the mid 90’s when working in Japan at the Four Season Chinsan-So …

Understanding the WHY of Franchising from both the Franchisor and Franchisee perspective is critical for the success of both parties. The more aligned, the more successful the relationship will be which means greater financial success for both parties. WHY Become a Franchisor You believe your concept can be successful in other locations/markets You want to …

I have recently read an article referencing the impact of Air B&B on the Hotel sector and how this concept has changed many travelers perspective of a traditional hotel stay. Most obviously Air B&B has opened up the ability in many instances to have more space and often cooking (or simple food preparation) opportunities. While …

When you get into a Franchise you may think the world is at your feet with the Franchisor’s experience, leverage and even name. But what happens when you don’t consider the locals? Consider an Italian chain that came to Asia from Europe. One signature item was a Penne Arrabiata. In Asia, chili is eaten for …

For those stalwarts of the hospitality industry we likely remember “Menu Engineering” as something introduced to us while completing our studies, and we seldom ever revisited the topic again. If that’s you, then read on! if not, read on anyway as you might get a few gems of information that help you in your journey …

When prepping for this topic I thought I had better do some more detailed research as although I believed that the words Host and Hospitality were linked its not something I had ever verified. So a quick search in the online etymology dictionary revealed the following…… host (n) “A person who receives guests” host (v) …

No doubt you’ve heard of the 80/20 principle. In fact, we probably first heard about it in school all those years ago, and forgot about it like most things from that time! It’s time to take a look again, refresh our memories and see how this theory impacts our industry and how we can use …