It's two for all, and all for one
It is often said that the UK hospitality industry (for that's what we like to call the general combination of hotels, restaurants and food service) is diverse and fragmented. It employs more than two million people in more than 100,000 companies, many of which are independent. There are also about 200 trade associations representing their interests. That's fragmentation, all right.
The good thing about this is that it makes the industry charming, idiosyncratic and full of entrepreneurs who have room to prosper. It also means, however, that it is a disparate and uncohesive industry which, at times, pulls in several different directions at once.
Furthermore, while fragmentation allows independent operators to succeed, it also allows them to hide among the masses and, when a call for united action is made, there is a tendency to say: "I'm too busy, someone else can do it". The result is that, at a call to arms, only a handful of the big players will be galvanised into action, leaving that mosaic of smaller operators with the excuse to do nothing.
Well, two events are planned for later in the year which will provide an opportunity for the whole industry - not just the big players - to present a united front.
The first is Hospitality Action's "Cuppa for a Kid" campaign, which is at the centre of the charity's proposed Millennium Appeal with the NSPCC in September. The second is Springboard UK's October "Careers Festival", which draws together the leisure, travel, tourism and hospitality industries in a drive to attract new recruits (Caterer, 18 May, page 7).
The problems these campaigns hope to tackle affect, potentially, every operator in the business.
Hospitality Action is the industry's only national charity. It aims to help those workers and their families who have fallen on hard times. Funds are essential for its work and the Cuppa for a Kid campaign will urge customers to pay a premium price for drinks to raise proceeds that will be split with the NSPCC.
By linking with the famous children's charity, Hospitality Action hopes not only to gain a higher profile, but to establish itself as a charity of national importance.
Springboard UK works tirelessly to encourage interest among youngsters thinking of joining hospitality. It has a demanding agenda and much of the work involves breaking down old perceptions about the industry to convince teachers and parents that a career in catering offers genuine opportunities.
While apparently part of the aforementioned fragmentation, the two organisations and their separate campaigns in the autumn are intrinsically linked. If new recruits are to be drawn into hospitality to ease the crippling skills shortage, the message that the industry cares about its employees and their families has to be recognised.
Both campaigns need your support to be successful.
If there's any lingering doubt about the need for united action, just remember what Benjamin Franklin said at the signing of the American Declaration of Independence: "We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." So start planning your contributions now. Thanks.
Forbes Mutch
Editor
Caterer & Hotelkeeper
