Garry du Monde commented today:
"I'm a little disturbed by the way this has turned. I jumped on board because I am passionate about young people making the right career choices for both their future, and for an increasingly competitive labour market.My understanding is that people who are highly successful in hospitality are masters of subtle communication but we're not seeing a great deal of it in parts of this thread.Chefs are in charge of their kitchen and ultimately responsible for what goes on the table and I know there's a lot being bandied about regarding Gen-Y but the serious warning is that if you don't learn how to communicate with this age group, you will not only lose fresh staff through attrition, you will be hard pressed to find them to replace them and bring fresh ideas through. Of equal concern to everyone should be that this will also translate to loss of customers. Young people want to be in a young-consumer-oriented environment, surrounded by like people and being treated to experiences and sensations that push their buttons.How are you going to provide this if you adopt a "bah humbug" attitude?Do I prefer going to a place which suits my attitude toward life and decor? Do I like being served by a friendly emo chick (or guy) with several colours in their hair who sits at the table while they take my order? Would I like it if said waiter sat down and joined me for a cigarette (providing the conversation with my dining partners wasn't serious)? Yes, yes and yes but only if there was strong attention to detail, a few little extras you wouldn't normally expect, the behaviour was appropriate for the space and the food was exciting enough.Ok so that's not appropriate for fine dining and I am not suggesting that young people should be the only ones who are catered for, but that's where a restaurant needs to build a culture and employ people and strategies based around that culture.Too many places I've experienced here try to capture as many demographics as possible and end up being little more than average.Kaos (and Soak), Gilt, Sugo are fine examples of cafes who understand their markets, pitch appropriate coffee, food and prices, and wrap it up in perfect ambiance and staff attitude. And they work very well. The Bay Leaf Bistro in Sandy Bay is another fine example of an establishment that knows it client base extremely well and pitches to it.
Garry, a Gen-Y with an attention span."
What do you think about Garry's point of view?
Monday, 8 October 2007
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9 comments:
This also may be of interest to your readers Rita. It is an excerpt from Hugh Mackay's snapshot on the way we've changed in Australia.
More tribal'
When The Mackay Report was first published 30 years ago, almost 90 per cent of Australians were married by 30.
That figure is now less than 50 per cent, and the divorce rate is 40 to 45 per cent.
Professor Mackay says that has made young Australian adults more connected and more tribal.
"They are using each other as a precious resource for coping with life in an unpredictable world," he said.
"But it's also, as a generation, caused them to adopt the ethos of 'keep your options open', hang loose, wait and see, don't rush into marriage, don't rush into parenthood, don't rush into a religious commitment or a political commitment, don't rush into a mortgage, don't rush into a career."
He also says the birthrate is also producing some unexpected effects.
"We're talking always about becoming an ageing population - we're finally going to have to face what that means," he said.
"It's going to mean in 30-odd years time, a quarter of Australians will be over 65. That's a very different society and there's all sorts of implications of that.
"But the other implication is ... we're producing, relative to total population, the smallest generation of children Australia has ever produced.
"Tough to be a member of that generation. They are going to be over-parented, they're going to be over-protected, cosseted, indulged.
"The 'little emperor syndrome' we saw in China is happening right here."
This is all too hard Garry.
Don't burden yourself with it, mate. You seem to be pointing out that the trendies all like to gather at the new ``in'' place.
That's always happened. Beatniks, hippies, socialites are are birds of a feather.
But is you aim squarely for one niche you could be caught high and dry when the crowd moves on to the next ``new in place.''
What's an emo chick? Did you mean emu chick?
I'm a sloppy typerist too.
Sir Grumpy
Interesting article in the merc today on the problems of finding decent staff. Essentially what you guys have all highlighted.
Sir G. Emo is a term short for Emotional usually somebody who shuns society and has a prediliction for self harm. Usually sighted in the Hobart mall and looking rather meloncholy.
Sir G - Emo is the new goth.
Crikey, are these emo chicks real or just an exaggeration?
It's hard to keep up (in fact it's impossible).
Thanks zelda and HRV.
We used to just call them nutters.
Actually, nutters was good. It covered any zany, weird or anti-social person.
It seemed a softer use back then.
Sir Grumpy
Welcome to the Brave new world, Sir Grumpy! I've outlined a few sub species of Emo to help you negotiate-
Emu-chicks- stand out with their long necks
Elmo-chicks-are different beacause of their bright colours & shrill voices & are most at home during Sesame St
Omo-chicks are gleamingly white, freshly laundered & sparkly clean
Hemo-chicks are gender challenged
Bemo-chicks will only ride in Bavarian motor cars
Chemo-chicks, do you really think I am THAT callous?
Femo-chicks, the true female emo
& finally
Wemo- A group of Emo huddling, razors poised!
Thanks Gobbler,
does that make emu chic a bird with a designer robe?
I knew of someone who was using something called emu oil to rub into her arthritic bits, mainly knees and shoulder/neck.
Trouble is, she's now got a metre-long neck and her legs only bend forward.
Sir Grumpy bird brain
Gobbler! That is evilly good.
While emo is a distinct sub culture I dont get em! (or maybe I'm getting grumpy in my old age!)
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