Letters
Pub-chain dinosaurs could face extinction
The pub-and-bar industry today has become dominated by large corporations buying up every high-street property, expanding their vast portfolios and, in some areas, monopolising the industry.
Just take a walk to your nearest high street and the evidence is there - Yates's, JD Wetherspoon, Hogshead, TGI Friday's, etc, all owned by a handful of companies intent on branding every corner into a cash cow.
These giants have decided that they know what's best for us, and have spent millions on research to prove it. They want us to have the same food, listen to the same music, and stare at the same decor whether in London or Leeds.
It all sounds great, but do we want to see the same pubs and bars wherever we go? Maybe it's just me, but shouldn't the cloning of brands be left to McDonald's and Burger King? When I go out I want to go somewhere with personality, where the venue has been brought to life from an individual dream! That's where the passion and creativity is, and that's what makes it worth being a part of this industry.
The giants - or should I say dinosaurs? - continue to drive up high-street property prices and make it harder for people with ambition and passion but not the absurd capital required.
But today's customers are trendier and less conservative than in the past. They want individuality, they want choice, and slowly but surely they will revolt. So take heed, my Jurassic friends, adapt or face inevitable extinction.
RICARDO LEAL, former owner of nightclubs in Canada, by e-mail.
Training at every level is vital part of business
I really enjoyed the feature "Faces for the future" (Caterer, 22 August, page 24) on Sodexo's new training programme.
Training the workforce of the future at every level is something very close to our hearts at Mayday. Training is a vital part of our business, and is the key to reducing staffing shortages. We see it as our role to encourage people with potential and the right approach to come into the hospitality industry.
As Forbes Mutch pointed out in his Opinion (Caterer, 29 August, page 11) it is our job to give them the skills and support they need to make a success of their careers.
As I sit here, I can hear people coming out of a course in our training room below. This new training area is the third that Mayday has installed in its offices. Glyn Drew, our training manager, uses these rooms to train anyone in our temporary workforce who would like to add value to their skills.
I am heartened by the work of Sodexho and others which are looking to the future.
I look forward to reading the rest of the articles in this series.
David Goldfarb, Director, Mayday Group, London W1.
Never forget who pays the wages
I sympathise with Michael Gottlieb's Viewpoint on how companies respond to potential clients (Caterer, 15 August, page 15) but the solution lies in his own hands - do business with smaller companies.
"Small is beautiful" applies in business as in so many other things. No matter how well a large company is run, there is no substitute for the commitment and personal attention which the small business can provide.
Automatic switchboards and staff without authority who are poorly trained are the hallmarks of a company which is big enough to believe that its time is more important and precious than its customers' time.
Like Michael Gottlieb, we have been in business for 25 years and we succeed because real people with real authority answer the phones and they all know that the customer pays their wages.
DAVID SMITH, Managing Director, Direct Tableware, Royston, Hertfordshire.
In brief
Cork taint by any other name… I don't want to sound like an appalling pedant, but the correct name for cork taint is 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, not "2,4,5 trichloranisole" as reported in "The turn of the screwcap" (Caterer, 29 August, page 42). The numbers represent the positions where chlorine atoms bind on to the hexagonal benzene ring that forms the basic structure of TCA.
Unfortunately screwcaps, huge advance that they are on corks, may not be the answer. In a recent study, tasters reported sulphur taint in screwcap bottles as well as, bizarrely, cork taint. The reason? It seems if you look for cork taint, some people will always find it. You just can't win.
JOE FATTORINI, Glasgow.
‘Praise for Inland revenue' shock It's not often that I cheer the Inland Revenue, but if it is prosecuting crooked chefs who demand or accept suppliers' bribes (Caterer, 29 August, page 4) then they get my vote. Many years ago I presented solid evidence to a local hotelier concerning his "backhander" chef, but thanks to a total lack of backbone he elected not to act.
It's all too easy to blame the suppliers, and it's all too easy to accept it as "one of the perks of the job". The simple fact is, it is stealing (albeit in reverse) and should be treated as such. Let's stamp it out and relieve the pressure on the Inland Revenue.
JOHN JENKINSON, Evesham hotel, Evesham, Worcestershire.
