Letters
Gambling will be big business - bet on it
The report on the Catering Forum (Caterer, 20 June, page 24) was interesting but missed one important debate - on the UK gambling market, which is about to expand and become a lot more competitive as a result of Government recommendations.
The interest abroad in UK sports is phenomenal, and UK bookmakers have expertise in creating markets and taking large bets.
Technology is advancing at such a rapid rate that, with the proposed relaxation of gaming laws, in a few years, betting terminals will be sited all over the globe in cafés and restaurants, with online connections to the UK because of the favourable tax treatment on betting transactions.
Sports bars will continue to grow on the back of televised sport, and betting on sporting outcomes will become more popular as people wager to take an interest in a match or game on teams with which they have no natural affinity.
All of this gives UK bookmakers a unique advantage in bringing the global market back to the UK via the Internet and telebetting.
I also believe that gambling tourism in London will become more popular, and many of London's finest hotels will find a place for a casino. Some may be reticent, but failure to follow suit will inevitably mean that they will lose market share.
A top-flight casino in a five-star hotel can increase occupancy rates by as much as 50% in the summer months.
These are certainly exciting times for the development of gambling in the UK.
WARWICK BARTLETT, Partner, Global Betting & Gaming Consultants, West Bromwich, West Midlands.
Treat waiting staff as the professionals they are
As restaurant consultants, we have become concerned that consumers (and in many respects, employers) regard front-line service providers with what can only be described as contempt.
Waiting and bar staff alike are treated as second-class citizens. Consumers choose to deal with waiting staff as if they are unskilled, unintelligent and untrained, while employers continue to use any and all means necessary to abuse, and in many cases ignore, protective legislation such as the EU Working Time Directive.
How often are service professionals asked: "When are you going to get a proper job?" or: "What are you studying at college?"
The industry needs top-drawer staff in order to move forward, and surely the time must come when society realises this and begins to treat hospitality staff with the respect they deserve.
This letter should not be construed as a call to arms. Rather, it should be taken as a plea for respect from all quarters - look after front-line service staff, for they are the lifeblood of the industry.
As the old adage goes, you should not bite the hand that feeds you (both literally and metaphorically, in this case).
BEN NATRINS and NIC WATTERS, Restaurant Solutions, by e-mail.
In brief
No grumbles for CCE members I was interested to read the article "Conference grumblers bully hotels into giving discounts" (Caterer, 20 June, page 9).
It made me wonder which venues constituted the 150 in the poll, for it is clear that none could have been any of the specialist, dedicated conference and management training centres available across the country, including those in the membership of Conference Centres of Excellence (CCE).
Members of CCE provide dedicated meeting facilities for conference or meeting planners without the distractions often found in hotels offering a conference service.
The service is personal and flexible, and highly skilled staff are trained to listen to the clients' requirements and act accordingly. As the manager of one such centre, I would be horrified to hear that any of our clients exhibited "meetings rage".
Our aim, as with other centres within the consortium, is to develop strong and lasting relationships with our clients, so that they return again and again.
Perhaps the Institute of Customer Service should rerun the survey, this time including dedicated conference centres.
STEWART ELSMORE, Director of Residential Services, Cranfield Management Development Centre, and Chairman, Conference Centres of Excellence.
CSR is good for you I entirely agree with Sarah Anderson (Caterer, 20 June, page 16) regarding the place of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in small organisations.
CSR comes in many guises, some of which Ms Anderson refers to. As the industry charity, we have a number of single-unit operators which, with their staff, get involved in raising money for us. To my mind, it is no coincidence that, if you talk to them about staff shortage or retention, they will say: "Not a problem."
There is a link between involving your staff in CSR-based activities and keeping them motivated and interested. Young people, in particular, want more from a job than just what is in their job description.
Sadly, too many employers either don't realise this or are not prepared to make the effort.
CSR does make a difference, whether you employ 10 staff or 10,000. You are helping yourselves as well as your worthy cause.
TONY ALLEN, Chief Executive, Hospitality Action, London WC1.
