The past 24 hours on this blogsite has proven monumental with the general outpouring of feelings and opinion about the state of hospitality in Hobart today. I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for your comments - both the studied and intellectual comments, and the frivolous one-liners. These are obviously really important issues for many passionate people in Hobart.
Our original commenter, whose comment I highlighted this time yesterday morning, has added his summation which I am using as a post today. Thanks, G, for caring.
I am the writer of the first anon post, its great to see so much interest and feedback on this issue... obviously many of you share my views, its good to know i;m not alone on this one.
this is the second time i have written this post.. the first didn't for some reason actually come through, its probably shorter and more to the points. apologies.
Thought id clarify a few things that have been posted, some people seem to mis-understand the industry.
UNIONS:there is a hospitality union? no seriously there is union for us;
LHMU, i have been a member for years.. nothing comes of it, not for the Chef's anyway... there are more important things to do than tackle our issues...placed in the too hard basket we are.
A.W.A's are a joke, they work against us.. the Liberal government took what little rights we had away and made our unions useless.Maybe now they are gone things will change.Maybe we "the staff", "the chef's" need to act... strikes and the sort, would it achieve anything? or just lower our stature? many of us have families or debt's to sustain and cannot afford to go without pay.
PASSION:i bring back a question i asked at the end of my initial post:What happens when our passionate food and wine loving staff have had enough?When those that stick at it because they love it decide that a call center will bring in more money to cover living costs?We are all human here.
Passion, Love... these things drive our industry, the engine room of creations and the fuel for our staff to give an amazing experience across the board.I know of many upcoming and developed staff that have left the industry because living was to hard.
sure the call center my be boring, but it pays ALL the bills and can get you a ticket away from the mayhem. this is real, it does happen. upsetting at the least.
If we cannot achieve our dream we may as well move on, interstate, overseas.. or just give up and find another way to live.
WORK STANDARDS: All these things come back to the same point really, to improve one the others must improve.. but i think work standards are a major issue, in kitchens especially.
anon 7.26pm i applaud you if you do infact support your staff this much, a restaurant is like a small family and we need to love and care for each other, both materially and financially... a happy staff member will always do right by you.
Unfortunately this is not the truth for the greater part, most restaurateurs look at their staff as numbers, a salary, an hourly wage... a cost to them... we infact hold your business together, without us and our passion you are nothing.
I have had the opportunity to work for some amazing people and realise the difference it makes to be happy and feel happy at work in your environment, to grow together with idea's and passion and to feel like you are helping Hobart grow in to something more that it was. sadly i have worked for th other sort of owner also, the money hungry ones.
MARKETS:What is my market to aim at?
Upper Class; a minority in Hobart, but to large to overlook.. these people bring big dollars in to our restaurants, often with friends.
Middle Class; Hobart's majority, becoming less willing to part with a few extra dollars to experience that bit extra.... we make options on our menu for this class and hope they can keep us alive.
Lower Class; Unfortunately we don't see them often, even though some of our lower class citizens are great food lovers... they simply cannot afford to dine out.
Tourists; Seasonal and unreliable we cannot survive of tourists alone.
A new establishment must target 2 or more markets to survive... this makes things tricky.. a juggling act sometimes it is beautiful, sometimes less smooth.about 6/10 restaurants fail in the long run, is it them targeting the wrong markets or is it our markets being too indecisive?some of this is from the "good business" as i saw it called, basically copying another successful establishment and hoping to reap the benefits... these copycats generally fail in a year or two unless they find their feet and move in a direction of their own.
SATURATION:Is Hobart overpopulated with "higher" grade establishments?I would hate to think so.. off the top i my head i count 8 that may fit in that category, we have a population of approx. 200k... if we can't support what we have to which i may add is on the most part disappointing, how do we expect to move forward?
I think there is always room for a new establishment, providing its a fresh new idea, with staff to back it. competition drives us to achieve more... if there was only one restaurant in Hobart, toasted sandwiches would be fine!!! you would still hold the market.
DINING AND PRICING:The problem with no know cure, what will a customer pay?, how much do we have to charge to survive?As a chef i try to eat out as much as i can, every 1-2 weeks or whenever i can scrounge the cash i try something new.
i love food and wine and eating out, i work for it, i live for it... to me a fabulous dining experience is priceless and i will sacrifice what i can to get a chance at it. to me $100-120 a head is a reasonable amount to spend... its on par or just below the better Melbourne establishments and i know the work that goes in to the creation of a night.
Sadly the last time i had an amazing experience was over 3 years ago... and not even in Tasmania, i crave the chance to once again feel the anxiety of the next bite, will it be as immersing as the last... will my wine tickle my palate on the way down making me warm with satisfaction?
I have experienced amazing times in Hobart (Lickerish and Lebrina spring to mind)but most of our "higher grade" establishments have failed to excite me... something seems to be always amiss. The food divine, the service sloppy. Amazing knowledgeable service and unseasoned food. can we get it right?
i have an open opinion, and believe that even where i work now is failing to achieve the potential it has... frustrating really, but where else is there for me, that will satisfy my hunger across the board... i'm a chef, but i hate to see a messy unorganized front of house... simple mistakes demoralise me...
EDUCATION:Perhaps we need to educate our staff and customers from the beginning, the right way... what is the right way? to me the right way is through treating your staff properly, through pay and otherwise.
Through being prepared to pay to experience something amazing... to instill passion and love for our industry.i dislike our hospitality training options... we don't have much choice:
Drysdale, TAFE; an underfunded, establishment where half the "teachers" have no "current" hospitality experience or and resemblance of passion trying to educate our next generation.don;t get me wrong, some of Drysdales teachers are amazing, inspired individuals, but they are few and far between.
There are a couple of other small training organisations for kitchen staff surfacing, but from what i hear they are underdeveloped and not giving what we need.
Look at the mainland, multiple schools with many options... workplacement overseas? SURE. maybe we need to implement a boarding system...
Owners / Restaurateur's show them the right way, not the cheap way.
SUMMARY:I have looked at moving interstate or overseas to refuel my passion and work in a functional environment.. something Hobart cannot seem to offer, i know many that have gone and will never return.. but something lingers in my conscience.
If all the passionate staff and restaurateurs leave how will this problem ever turn around, i love Hobart and i love Tasmania, but we need to find a way to educate our customers and our upcoming staff...
I am still waiting on our holy grail, someone with a solid plan to turn things around. as Rita said: how many people actually read these blogs?... we can talk and express our feelings, but without action we will go nowhere.once again, my concentration is gone... i have so much to write but typing this from my head twice has taken its toll for tonight.
G
February 20, 2008 2:14 AM
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
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4 comments:
Well said "G" - you have company.
Education is the answer to some of the ills but an owner attitude change is required as well.
Good operators need to train good staff or the industry is dumbed down.
Customers will always be the final judge - but they need to understand that owners need a return on investment else they too will head to the call centre.
With choice comes the dilution of the market - market forces will determine which establishment survives. Sometimes the good die young - Lickerish. Market forces increase rents and business owners end up working for the property owners - Watch salamanca and to a lesser extent North Hobart it is unlikely new places will open up unless they seat near 100 (unless they are a fast food chain).
I prefer to look at the argument about price of food slightly differently.
How much we charge = cost of production and service delivery + return on investment + incentive to produce. If your on a winner and it shows in the till your inspired to continue to create.
If we wanted to just make money we would have opened a top notched fish and chipper - life would be easier but not nearly as fun.
When the going gets tough in our business we increase the portion size and maintain the quality - we refuse to join the race to the bottom, we will survive - (I hope)
And yes we look after our staff well - yes we do mop the Cool Room floor & cook & serve & washup alongside our staff.
For those interested the best way to see what the customer dislikes - is to scrape / wash the plates.
You see what dishes work and what don't. We have saved a small fortune by reducing bread portions based on the amount of waste we scraped into the bin.
"G" you are not alone.
Back to the pool ... er Back cool room.
Cool room, thats pretty well put. Observation is important, its part of the learning curve.
I am an owner operator, also still the gut who bellys up to the stove. Now I'm not going to start the rant of the 84 hour week, or the staff have it easier than me routine, I would like to say that we have nurtured the teamwork approach, thats not to say that they still don't see me as the enemy from time to time. But when your in charge that goes with the turf.
I chose my profession it did not choose me, I take responsibility for my choices and continued lifestyle, if it was about money, then male prostitute or dentist etc would have been my choice. The truth is I in a macarbre way enjoy the long hours and the work. If this industry is not for you, move on, its a simple choice. Relationships involve love, but they break down all the time.
I have a family now and that too adds pressure.
I do not believe in targeting a specific market. I believe that markets are created as is demand for your product and service. If you stick to what you are consistently good at and the people respond, then that is your market. One of the problems in this industry is vanity, or art for arts sake.
Look if people in your area want pie and chips, then sell them pie and chips. But in honesty, be the best pie maker in the pond, why not? whatever style you choose be good at it, but don't let personal vanity cloud your judgement.
You know on my own menu, there are things that make me shrug my shoulders, but they are popular, and they are well recieved, so why take them off?
Finally, I have worked for some totally money orientated bastards in the past. Their operations were shit, and the one thing they craved eluded them.
Conversely I have worked with some of the most passionate and gifted people out there and loved every minute, oddly the praise and cash just rolled in - funny that..
Perhaps we should just apply a Darwinean model to Hobart eateries.
Survival of the fittest.
Ah the worlds of restaurants, chefs and waiters. Having waited tables for all of my working life, I have seen the inside of some pretty interesting establishments- the way their stff are treated, paid and the food that goes out the doors to customers. I guess like many industries, no one knows what it is like until they have been there. I have given up trying to explian why I have to work Christmas, Easter, NY, all weekends etc and have to put up with customers complianing about the price, the service and how lucky they are to be with their families at Christmas and major family celebrations taking part in your restaurant, while your family celebrates a birthday/engagement/ mothers day/fathers day with out you again. I think that a lot of people would be horrified if they actually knew what happened behind those restaurant doors.
Quality chefs and waiting staff are so hard to find. A majority of waiters are only doing this job on the way to something better. But if you ask me, I have found the something better, and that is working horrible hours, getting paid crappy money, missing out on important occassions, all in the name of an industry that I Love and has treated me well- even if the customers don't.
Ah the worlds of restaurants, chefs and waiters. Having waited tables for all of my working life, I have seen the inside of some pretty interesting establishments- the way their stff are treated, paid and the food that goes out the doors to customers. I guess like many industries, no one knows what it is like until they have been there. I have given up trying to explian why I have to work Christmas, Easter, NY, all weekends etc and have to put up with customers complianing about the price, the service and how lucky they are to be with their families at Christmas and major family celebrations taking part in your restaurant, while your family celebrates a birthday/engagement/ mothers day/fathers day with out you again. I think that a lot of people would be horrified if they actually knew what happened behind those restaurant doors.
Quality chefs and waiting staff are so hard to find. A majority of waiters are only doing this job on the way to something better. But if you ask me, I have found the something better, and that is working horrible hours, getting paid crappy money, missing out on important occassions, all in the name of an industry that I Love and has treated me well- even if the customers don't.
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