letters
sell to your restaurant customers
RICHARD and Peter Harden's letter in response to my Viewpoint ("Training is the only weapon in the sales war", Caterer, 9 July, page 24), makes some good points but I wouldn't like them to obscure my main thrust. Perhaps the words "key weapon" in place of "only weapon" would have better described my thoughts.
Had I the space in my Viewpoint allotment I would have liked to point out that there are many factors that contribute to a restaurant's survival in an increasingly competitive world besides just an ability to sell to your customers. For instance, it is axiomatic that the concept has to be a good one or no amount of selling techniques are going to ensure a restaurant's long-term survival. Nor is an attitude, so often seen these days, that "there are plenty more customers where those came from" going to win a restaurant loyal friends.
Nevertheless, selling to your existing customers in the correct manner is a vitally important part of the jigsaw puzzle that helps a good restaurant to remain competitive. But selling to restaurant customers is an art that must be done in a way that is perceived by them to be providing enhanced service that increases their satisfaction. Not selling to your customers at all does them a grave disservice, and selling to them inexpertly results in their dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction.
MICHAEL GOTTLIEB
Proprietor,
Smollensky's,
London WC2.
thank-you notes to help job seekers
I TOOK a few months off after 30 years in the catering industry working in all departments and finishing as head waiter. I have now started looking for a job again, but nobody wants me. For the record, I have sent my curriculum vitae in application for 165 jobs up until Monday 20 July and have received only seven replies. I am on Job Seeker's Allowance and need some evidence for my adviser that I am searching for work. Could the law be amended to empower advertisers to reply with a thank-you note? That's all I ask.
KEVIN McFADDEN
Newtown,
Lifford,
County Donegal.
staff rewards tie in with profits
WHILE I agree with the sentiments of Lawrence Brewer's letter (Caterer, 23 July, page 22), in his eighth paragraph he writes, "but some companies care more about profits". Surely, if the rewards - both financial and other - were more beneficial to staff who were committed to the catering industry, turnover of staff who cared would be reduced and this would be beneficial to profits - a point indirectly argued in the article by Roger Wilsher entitled "Share the spoils and hold on to your employees" (Caterer, 23 July, page 24)?
IAN DREWETT
Rugby,
Warwickshire.
industry's status is testament to tutty
THE news item announcing Roy Tutty's impending arrival at Arcadian International Hotels (Caterer, 23 July, page 9) was a little light on the vacancy he is leaving at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Without diminishing Roy's new challenge, the stage he is leaving must not be deserted. How often in the past has the cry gone out, "Why doesn't the Government take the hospitality industry seriously?". I think the greatest testimony to Roy's relentless and effective work as the industry's adviser to Government has been that successive governments have taken the industry very seriously in the past three years.
Look at the money provided by the Government through the successful Sector Challenge bids now being managed through Springboard UK, the British Hospitality Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping. Two years ago, when Chris Sheppardson and I set up Let's Make it First Choice, we targeted 100 schools across the UK to make presentations to, promoting the hospitality industry as a worthy career choice. This year 500 schools are being visited through Springboard's success in attracting Government money.
I do not set out to list all the events, trade shows and keynote speeches that Roy has impacted at, let alone all the behind-the-scenes lobbying, but to assert that the work must go on. Culture Secretary Chris Smith has said the same. The advantage must not be lost.
DAVID COUBROUGH
Chief Executive,
Prime People,
London EC4.
Kitchen dictators can't take the heat
I READ with interest Paul Papanicolaou's views about the dictatorial attitudes of head chefs (Caterer, 4 June, page 25). I have worked in a few kitchens myself, and agree that this attitude is off-putting.
It not only creates a breakdown in communication but is also demotivating. Perhaps chefs display this attitude due to their inability to cope with pressure?
Top management must address this issue and find a solution, otherwise our industry will continue suffering from high levels of staff turnover.
JOSEPHINE NABUKEERA
Edgware,
Middlesex.
outsourcing F&B is here to stay
I REFER to Melvyn Greene's article on the perils of contracting out (Caterer, 11 June, page 28). I agree contracted-out restaurants should be designed as separate areas, even separate buildings, in new hotels.
In our experience, any tension is normally worked out at the time of signing the franchise agreement - as are any central kitchen scenarios or security, standards and complaint issues - otherwise the partnership would obviously flounder.
Restaurants do not work within the centre of hotel buildings and without a separate identity. People do not eat in hotel dining rooms, let alone unbranded food areas. The market has become sophisticated, and hotels would be stupid to cut themselves off from the passing, footfall market.
I disagree strongly that the current trend to outsource will be reversed. The majority of hotel restaurants will be run by someone other than the hotelier in 10 years' time. Southern Sun Hotels in South Africa has 75% outsourced food and beverage, like in the USA, and this is now happening in London.
We have a number of enquiries of this nature already signed or in stages of development and will be building a strong brand that, we believe, works especially well within a client hotel's environment.
We will shortly be offering this product nationwide to allow hoteliers to concentrate on being hoteliers and let restaurateurs tap into the great many underutilised sites the length and breath of the UK and Ireland.
BRIAN CRAWLEY
Franchise Development Director,
La Bonne Auberge,
Glasgow.
Assistant manager is hard to find
FOR eight months we have advertised for an assistant manager to help our small team of seven staff.
The response to costly local and national advertising has been hopeless, and two appointments proved totally unsuitable.
We have not been looking for high qualifications, merely intelligence, enthusiasm, willingness to learn and accept responsibility, and a pleasant personality. However, our present young manager is overworked and we are still looking. We rather hoped we could find an undergraduate willing to do eight weeks during the summer. Surely there must be some young person with get-up-and-go wanting to gain first-hand experience in the trade?
RN ADDISON
Chippenham,
Wiltshire.
A forest of leisure opportunities
FURTHER to Caterer's 23 July issue devoting at least five whole pages to tourism, and Michael Hirst's letter in the 16 July issue, I would like readers to be aware of the growth of green community tourism in the south-west Hertfordshire/north-east London area: Watling Chase Community Forest - the home of the UK film industry.
Hertsmore, the progressive, Labour-controlled borough that lies with the forest, is about to put its new local plan "on deposit". About four years ago it sold its housing stock to two professionally managed housing associations, realising £55m. It purchased Elstree Film Studios (Borehamwood) and a golf club. The remaining funds are being put back into developing communities by way of improving and building new leisure facilities - sports, arts and community centres as well as parks that will be accessible for all. Museums in Potters Bar and Bushey are being improved and a new museum of the history of film-making in Borehamwood is planned.
I believe that Hertsmore will be working in partnership with the tourism industry, providing information centres, signage, good public transport and all other necessary aspects of infrastructure, to reach its full potential by spring 2000.
Watling Chase Community Forest - the World of Culture, Media and Sport - so great they named an entire Government department after us!
PAM GHELANI
Bushey,
Hertfordshire.
