Restaurant Association newsletter THE Thymes (March 2015 )

MARCH | APRIL 2015

03 ceo’s update trial period pitfalls

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We have recently been assisting a number of members with personal grievances raised over ending employment under the terms of the trial period. We provide a reminder to other members about the potential pitfalls of the trial period.

PHOTOS: The River Kitchen, Hamilton

www.restaurantnz.co.nz

CONFIDENTIAL - MEMBERS ONLY

Let’s connect!

Social media has firmly cemented its position in modern society.

If you are already using social media within your business the Restaurant Association would love to connect with you.

Here at the Restaurant Association we are embracing this new platform as we understand the benefits that this can bring to the industry.

In your own business, sharing content with thousands of your customers and potential customers is just the tip of the iceberg of this exciting tool. You can learn about your customers and help target them more effectively by increasing your brand awareness with little or no budget. You can reap the reward of modern day marketing by embracing the use of the social media. These techniques can be used from your office or even your home giving you more time to spend in your business.

Social media is proving to be the most successful and cost effective marketing tools readily available to hospitality businesses. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to use social media effectively to increase your customer engagement and sales potential.

tips to ease financial year end stress

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The extra workload associated with preparing for the approaching end of financial year can send stress levels skyrocketing. To help reduce the stress we provide a few ‘end-of-year’ tips.

25 events

To connect with the Restaurant Association, like us on Facebook and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

FROM THE CEO’S DESK IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE WE ARE ALREADY AT THE END OF MARCH. THIS YEAR HAS FLOWN BY SO FAR...

BY MARISA BIDOIS

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ew Zealanders increased spending on debit and credit cards in February, led by gains in hospitality and apparel as low inflation makes households more relaxed about their consumption. Spending on hospitality climbed 2.8% to $601 million last month.

However, anecdotal reporting from members about trading over the summer has been a mix of ups and downs, with many members reporting to us that they have been quieter over the summer months then previous years. Those businesses have sited the nice weather as the cause for this. On the other hand, we have also received many positive reports from members as the weather has encouraged people to travel out of town, thus benefiting other businesses. All in all, it has been a very mixed bag of anecdotal reports from members.

With that said we are approaching the end of the financial year and it is a great time to take stock of your business and processes. We have a great article written by one of our staff members here at the Association, Stephanie Beasley, on how you can potentially save money on preparing your accounts for the end of year.

Be sure to add in a bit of extra money in the budget for professional development this year. We have a great line up this year and the April calendar is detailed in this issue – lots of great seminars and webinars coming to you. If you haven’t tried logging on to a webinar yet I highly recommend you give it a go. It’s very easy and straight forward and you are listening from the comfort of your own space. We also have a webinar library so if you missed a topic you can access this at any time.

Be sure to save the 13th and 14th of September in your diaries as we are finalising the line-up for the Restaurant Association Hospitality Summit and Feast this year. We will be releasing more information about these events shortly.

We are pleased to announce a brand new member benefit resulting from a partnership with EFTPOS New Zealand. We hope all of our members will be able to make the most of this new offer, saving you 25% off your eftpos terminal rental fees and as a special introductory offer your first three months will be free. We have been very impressed with the services offered by EFTPOS New Zealand and the work they are doing to make sure their terminals are practical for our industry. If you would like to know more about this special member offer please check out the details in this issue, give us a call or check out our website.

As we work on communicating with our members in different ways, we are encouraging you to connect with us on our social media platforms. We are on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn – more great ways to keep in touch and hear about all the great events and updates we have coming up this year.

Marisa Bidois marisa@restaurantnz.co.nz

proudly bought to you by Outdoor Concepts CEO’s update

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

03

TOO EARLY TO but you can PANIC ABOUT HAVE YOUR SAY

ABOUT THE HEALTH & SAFETY...yet FOOD ACT Members who are concerned that new Health and Safety reforms are about to come into force can set their minds at ease. The proposed legislation is currently still a Bill before Parliament and although it is expected to pass this year, it won’t be until later on...

Other legislation that is currently being consulted on are the proposed regulations for the Food Act. While the Food Act is now law and provides a legal framework, regulations allow for more detailed requirements to help set out how ‘things will work’ on a more practical level.

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any members are concerned that the changes to the health and safety legislation will be implemented on 1 April 2015. This was an old projected date for the release of the new legislation and has since been updated. However, the incorrect date is still floating around on various websites and publications.

The MBIE website, however, states the following, correct, information: The Health and Safety Reform Bill is currently before Parliament. The select committee considering the Bill is due to report back by 30 March 2015 and then the Bill will continue its progression through the parliamentary process. It is likely that the Bill will come into force in the second half of 2015. There will be adequate time between when the Bill is passed and when it comes into force to make sure duty holders are aware of their responsibilities under the new law.

You can find further information on the MBIE website (www.mbie.govt.nz - keyword ‘Health and Safety’).

We are concerned that some members are being approached by certain Health and Safety companies who are using scare-mongering tactics to try to get them to pay a lot of money for updated material and ongoing support. As the legislation is currently in Bill form there may still be changes to the draft legislation, so any material purchased now may need to be changed later on. Our advice is to hold fire and we will make sure members will have the resources needed to be compliant when we have all the facts. As the MBIE website has stated, there will be plenty of time for employers to understand their requirements under the new Act and we will certainly be providing you with all of the support you need.

he proposals cover a wide range of areas to bring this Act into operation, including requirements for registration and verification (auditing) of businesses, requirements to ensure food is safe and suitable, cost recovery, infringements, exemptions, and how existing businesses will make the transition from the Food Act 1981 to the Food Act 2014.

The regulations will come into effect by 1 March 2016 and it is important to note that any new businesses that begin operating on or after this date (in one year’s time)must meet the requirements of the Food Act. New businesses include changes of ownership. Existing businesses will have a defined period over which to transition after 1 March 2016, which for restaurant and cafe businesses will be March 2017.

Many businesses are currently operating voluntarily under a Food Safety Programme and as from March next year the Food Act 2014 will treat food safety programmes as food control plans until the end of the transition period for the sector in which the business operates.

In the meantime, the Restaurant Association is currently finalising a submission on the proposed regulations, which is due at the end of March. If you’d like to have your say, or would like a copy of the proposed regulations, let us know.

NEED HELP? Call us on 0800 737 827

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

04

PRESIDENT’S VIEWPOINT TIPS ON TIPPING...

THE TIPPING CULTURE IN NEW ZEALAND, WHILST BECOMING MORE COMMON, STILL HAS SOME ENTRENCHED OPPOSITION TO OVERCOME... ESPECIALLY WITH DOMESTIC GUESTS ....BY MIKE EGAN

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his is not helped by the changes in payment technology. The Tap and Go as well as the necessity to use a PIN to verify a credit card transaction often works against a last minute tip being added by the customer. It’s all too hard to add anything as a last second whim so the regular amount is all they pay.

However, there are a couple of ways to encourage a tip.

One way is by having the tip prompt enabled on your credit card machine.

In the past the tip prompt did seem to annoy some customers who did not like having the machine ask them this question. However, with the tip prompt becoming more common in restaurants customers seem to be much more used to it and will now often add a tip when prompted.

My advice is to get your EFTPOS machine provider to enable this on your terminal; it’s often able to be done over the phone.

One member restaurant now presses the “yes” to add tip question before passing over the hand set to the guest.

So the first thing the customer sees on the screen is “Tip amount” and they either enter a dollar amount or press the red button which then takes them straight to enter pin.

This member increased tips in 3 days from $150 to $750 !

customer to write a tip amount before the payment is finalised.

And a good technique is to present the bill to the customer in a bill fold with the pen laying on top of the cover. They then have to pick up the pen to open the bill fold to check the total. Ask them to sign the bottom of the bill or to fill in the dollar total. With a pen conveniently in their hand and a tip space available on the bill, the addition of a tip seems less of a hassle.

They then can hand you their card and you can proceed with swiping and entering the amount, hopefully with a gratuity, and then they of course still need to enter their PIN. Research has also shown that if the server who looked after the guests during their meal also handles the payment at the conclusion of their meal this increases the chance, or amount, of a tip. A hand written thank you on the guest check also helps.

Of course this is no guarantee to increasing the frequency of tips but it all helps!

Another way to increase tips is to take a till receipt out which has a pre programmed space which allows the

Mike Egan mike@monsoonpoon.co.nz

proudly bought to you by Starline president’s report

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

05

... don’t forget to support the businesses that support you & the Restaurant Association

FOR THE BEST RANGE OF

EFTPOS TERMINALS, SOFTWARE & SUPPORT

STRATEGIC PARTNERS...

EFTPOS New Zealand has partnered with the Restaurant Association to bring you the best range of payments solutions for your business and are proud to provide an exclusive introductory offer to Restaurant Association members.

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orking with EFTPOS New Zealand has been a priority for some time and we can’t wait to provide members with access to the best terminals, software and support in the industry.

KEY PARTNERS...

As an exclusive introductory offer for Restaurant Association members, receive 25% off terminal rental and your first 3 months free.* This offer applies to the full range of Verifone terminals for both standalone and interfaced solutions.

EFTPOS New Zealand is the market leading payments solutions company.

Their solutions are designed to simplify payment – and they continuously strive to provide a service that is more convenient and more efficient for their customers. Their subscription based services include hardware, software, 24/7 support services and value-added services tailored to ensure their customers payments needs are exceeded.

FIND OUT MORE TODAY! If you want to talk further about an eftpos solution to suit your business needs, call 0800 EFTPOS and ask for the Restaurant Association introductory offer.

ASSOCIATE+ PARTNERS...

*Terms and conditions. 25% off terminal rental plus first 3 months free offer applies to new EFTPOS NZ customers only signing a 36 month contract prior to 31 June 2015.

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

06

EMPLOYMENT MATTERS We check out some of the latest employment news and updates...

TRIAL PERIOD PITFALLS We have recently been assisting a number of members with personal grievances raised over ending employment under the terms of the trial period. This prompts a reminder to other members about the potential pitfalls of the trial period.

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hen an employee is dismissed under a trial period, there is no fair process required and no justifiable substantive reasoning. Because the trial period legislation effectively removes some protections from an employee, the provisions need to be interpreted strictly. The threshold for a compliant trial period dismissal is set high.

If the trial period is rendered invalid for any reason, there is no protection for the employer and the result would be an unjustified dismissal with the maximum compensation payable. On average this can be three months wages and around $5,000 compensation for hurt and humiliation.

The ‘must have’s’ for an effective trial:

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The appropriate trial period clause must be in the employment agreement Trial periods do not apply to employees previously employed by the employer The employment agreement must be signed before the employee commences work Dismissal must be with notice

It is recommended that the employer provide the employee with the proposed employment agreement at the same time the offer of employment is made, this should be well in advance of the employment start date.

This extinguishes any claim that the employee was an employee “previously employed by the employer” (ie due to the definition of employee provided for in section 6 of the Employment Relations Act 2000 extending to “a person intending to work”.) Also, in doing so, the new employee has the opportunity to seek independent advice prior to signing the agreement and commencing work.

Employers are still required to act in good faith during a trial period. The good faith obligations require both employers and employees to be pro-active and constructive in all aspects of the employment relationship.

Both parties must not do anything to mislead or deceive the other.

Trial period dismissal To dismiss under a 90-day trial period employers: •

Technically do not have to follow any of the usual procedural fairness requirements, but we recommend following some procedure – ie inviting the employer via letter to a meeting.

The letter must outline the fact that the employer is considering terminating under the terms of the trial and must state that the employee can bring a support person or representative to the meeting.

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Need to say why they are terminating (carefully, so as not to open themselves up to a disadvantage or other grievance); and

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Must give notice of dismissal in accordance with the trial period provisions in the agreement.

Employers do not need to give a written reason for the dismissal but are required to give an explanation at the time notice of dismissal is given. It’s natural for people to seek to understand reasons for significant setback – the employee shouldn’t be deprived of the ability to learn from a failed trial period. Further, the reason for the dismissal shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, the employee should have been given some previous indication that things weren’t going well (informally).

As trial periods are proving to be much more complex than what Government intended, it’s important to seek advice before embarking on any trial period dismissal.

Please give us a call at the Association on 0800 737 827.

employment matters

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

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DO YOU EMPLOY VULNERABLE WORKERS? Under the Employment Relations Act certain employees, such as cleaners and food catering staff, are considered ‘vulnerable’. The law has just been amended in relation to vulnerable employees – will these changes affect you?

What is Part 6A ERA? Part 6A of the Employment Relations Act 2000 (Act) protects the employment conditions of specified categories of employees or ‘vulnerable employees’ when the business that they work for undergoes a restructure.

Specified categories principally include cleaning services, food catering services, caretaking services and laundry services.

“Food catering services” is not further defined in the Act. But we do have some guidance. The Employment Relations Authority has found that a barman/waiter employed at a motel was not engaged in providing food catering services. However, a manager involved in the organisation and delivery of food to aircraft for part of his working day (but not the actual preparation of food) was held by the Employment Court to be engaged in food catering services. Since then, the Employment Court has noted that it is important to consider the overall nature of the role, rather than dissecting each individual task.

Whether a role is included in the specified categories will be a matter of considering the facts on a case by case basis. Some situations will be obvious, such as a business that does nothing but catering or a cleaning business.

Other situations are far less clear such as a restaurant or café that does some catering.

A business undergoes a “restructure” when it is transferred, contracted or sold. In relation to vulnerable employees, this includes:

Currently, Part 6A provides that the specified categories of workers have the right to elect to transfer to the new employer of the business on the same terms, conditions and entitlements as their old employer, with service recognised as continuous.

The changes

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contracting out (A decides work done by A will be done by B);

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contracting in (A decides that work done by B will now be done by A);

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subsequent contracting (A decides that work done by B will now be done by C); and

A review of Part 6A found that there were operational issues around transferring vulnerable employees when a business underwent a restructure, which led to the amendment of Part 6A as part of the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2014. These changes are intended to provide more certainty and clarity for prospective employers while protecting key benefits for affected employees.

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sale of the business (A sells business to D).

The key changes to Part 6A are: CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE

employment matters

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

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FROM PREVIOUS PAGE, Do you employ vulnerable workers?

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Employers with 19 or fewer employees will be exempt from most of Part 6A’s requirements i.e. they will not be required to employ employees affected by the restructuring, or meet their entitlements.

However, an “employer” includes all “associated persons” (e.g. holding and subsidiary companies) so that larger companies cannot take advantage of the exemption by creating subsidiaries. The employer must also provide a warranty to all other employers affected by the restructuring that it (and its associated persons) employs 19 employees or fewer.

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Employers are allowed to negotiate the apportionment of liability for accrued service-related entitlements of the transferring employee, e.g. annual leave and sick leave. If the employers are unable to agree on the apportionment, then a default formula will apply: the former employer will pay for anything they would have had to pay out had the employee resigned (such as annual leave), and the new employer is responsible for costs incurred up to the restructure that would not be paid out, had the employee resigned (such as sick leave).

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‘Vulnerable’ employees are required to make their election to transfer, in writing, within five working days of the decision to transfer (or a longer time period if agreed between the former employer and the new employer).

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The former employer is to provide the new employer with detailed information on each employee that has elected to transfer, including employment agreements, PAYE records, time records, disciplinary issues, and leave records.

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The former employer is to provide the new employer with an implied warranty that it has not, without good reason, changed the work or employees’ terms and conditions in a way that would adversely affect the new employer.

These changes have been in force since 6 March 2015.

If you have any questions in relation to the changes to Part 6A, or any other changes under the Employment Relations Amendment Act 2014, call the Restaurant Association helpline, or the Hesketh Henry Employment Team are happy to assist.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR For more information contact Mary Battersby, Solicitor at Hesketh Henry on 09 375 7637 or email mary.battersby@heskethhenry. co.nz

NEW WAYS TO MANAGE BREAKS Along with amendments to the rules around employing vulnerable workers, the Employment Relations Amendment Act has also introduced changes to rest and meal break provisions - which is good news for employers.

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mployers are still required to provide employees with “reasonable opportunity” for “rest, refreshment and attention to personal matters”.

However, the law is no longer as prescriptive as it once was, offering more flexibility around when, and how, breaks are taken so you can work around the needs of your business.

This is particularly good news for hospitality businesses, which are dictated by busy service times during which it is usually inappropriate for workers to drop tools and take their breaks.

Employers should seek to negotiate with employees about appropriate times to take breaks. However, if agreement cannot be reached, the employer may give direction to the employee in this regard.

Employers should be aware that they will still be bound by the employment agreements previously signed by their existing employees, so in this way, the old law will still apply. However, employers can ask their staff to sign a simple amendment which incorporates the new law.

Employees can’t be forced to sign the amendment, so this is where it is important to negotiate with your employees to come to an arrangement that works for all.

The Restaurant Association are able to provide you with an amendment to your existing agreements which you can provide to employees. Simply contact the Restaurant Association Helpline on 0800 737 827 or email info@restaurantnz.co.nz for a copy and assistance.

employment matters

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

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NEW AGREEMENT OFFERS PROTECTIONS

WHEN AN EMPLOYEE LEAVES

As a result of the new employment law changes recently introduced, and in addition to recent rulings around the 90 day trial period legislation, the Restaurant Association has taken the opportunity to review our employment agreement templates which many members are using in their businesses. Two of the clauses which have had a revamp are regarding non-solicitation and conflicts of interest, potentially offering more protections for employers...

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non-solicitation clause attempts to prevent an employee leaving your employment and using the information and relationships they have developed in employment with you, for the benefit of another employer.

Employees are prevented, for a set period of time, from soliciting your other employees, suppliers, customers, etc, from leaving you and going to another business.

It is unlikely you can prevent your star barista from deciding to go to work elsewhere after two years working in your business, as that is unfortunately simply a consequence of our competitive labour market. However, the Restaurant Association has assisted in non-solicitation breaches where, for example, a senior staff member has set up business in close proximity to their ex-employer, taking some of the other employees with them and using a similar business model (and even some of the same menu). A non-solicitation clause certainly offers strong protections for these types of scenarios.

The clause requires you to nominate a period of time for which the non-solicitation period will operate. As we have already highlighted, the period must be reasonable in light of the proprietary information that the employee holds. For example, it may be reasonable for the Executive Chef’s non-solicitation period to be up to 6 months, but for a junior member of the wait staff, a reasonable period will be much less.

A Conflicts of Interest clause also requires employees to seek your consent before taking up other employment or conflicting activities or interests while they are working for you. The clause is drafted broadly to capture many different scenarios or situations but most commonly it will offer protection against an employee working for a competitor, whilst also in your employment.

It should be noted that in the hospitality industry, many workers are part-time and may have more than one job.

You should not unreasonably withhold your consent.

Potentially this may have benefits for you too, with the knowledge and skills your worker may be gaining at

the multiple workplaces they are employed at. The only real reason why an employee should be stopped from taking up outside employment would be where that other work is in direct competition with the employer, or where the requirements of the outside employment meant that they were unable to fulfill their obligations to you – for example, working night shift with one employer might mean that an employee was in no condition to work the breakfast shift for you.

If you think an employee has breached their nonsolicitation or conflicts of interest obligations, and you want to consider enforcing them, you should contact the Restaurant Association Helpline for advice (call us on 0800 737 827). Meanwhile...

NEW EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS NOW AVAILABLE!

We’ve updated our employment agreement templates, and introduced a new managers agreement, so if you would like your FREE copy please let us know (email info@restaurantnz. co.nz or phone 0800 737 827). We’ll send you the new permanent employment agreement, along with a comprehensive guideline. Rest assured, if you are using the existing agreement you can continue to do so, however we recommend introducing the new version as new employees come on board.

employment matters

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

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PRIVACY &

SOCIAL MEDIA The ground-breaking Human Rights Review Tribunal case which all began with a photo shared privately among friends and ended in a precedent-setting award for damages for a breach of privacy has hit the headlines recently. The Tribunal awarded over $168,000 dollars to Hawkes Bay finance worker, Karen Hammond, an amount which exceeds by a substantial amount the previous highest award of $40,000.

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mportantly this has set a new benchmark for compensating harm caused by a breach of the Privacy Act for unlawfully disclosing personal information. It is also of note that this was the first occasion on which the Tribunal was required to consider the operation of privacy in the context of social media.

Don’t view this case as simply the excessively vindictive actions of one rogue employer, as this decision has implications for all employers.

Where did it all go wrong...

Hammond had resigned from NZ Credit Union Baywide and was in the process of leaving her employment when she baked a cake for a colleague who, like her, believed she was constructively dismissed from the company. In the cake’s icing was written “NZCU f..k you” and other derogatory terms. She took a photo of it and put it on her Facebook page, ensuring it was only accessible to her Facebook friends.

However, NZCU Baywide management became aware of the photo and went out of their way to get a copy. The human resources manager at the company coerced a junior employee to access the photo through her Facebook account and then took a screenshot of the offending photo. The screenshot was then distributed to several employment agencies in the Hawke’s Bay area by email, and was accompanied by phone calls from NZCU Baywide warning against employing Ms Hammond.

At the same time an internal email was sent to all staff disclosing information about the circumstances in which Ms Hammond had resigned.

The campaign against Ms Hammond didn’t end there.

In what can be described as a gross overreaction, NZCU Baywide also contacted her new employer and encouraged him to seek advice about terminating her employment under the 90 day trial period. As her new employer also worked closely with NZCU Baywide, they effectively made her new position untenable, forcing her to resign, by threatening to boycott her new employer.

She was subsequently unemployed for 10 months and was not been able to find employment in her preferred field of finance. Her close relationships were severely affected and the stress caused significant harm to her and her family. The Tribunal noted that she and her partner had struggled financially and emotionally.

The Tribunal said the photo had become the basis for a “sustained campaign by the company to inflict as much harm and humiliation as possible by ensuring she (Ms Hammond) could not be employed in the Hawkes Bay area”. They found that NZCU Baywide was in breach of Principle 11 of the Privacy Act, which states an agency that holds personal information shall not disclose the information to a person or body or agency. NZCU conceded that by disclosing a screenshot of the cake that it had obtained from the private Facebook page, it had breached the Privacy Act but the crux of the case was whether Ms Hammond could establish actual or potential harm as a result of the disclosures.

CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE

employment matters

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

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FROM PREVIOUS PAGE, Privacy & social media

The Tribunal was satisfied in this regard.

The Tribunal awarded damages of $98,000 for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings. Further damages were awarded, including $38,350 for loss of income, $15,543 for legal expenses and $16,177 for the loss of a salary benefit Ms Hammond might have expected to obtain, but for the interference to her privacy.

What can employers learn from this decision?

The decision sets a new benchmark for compensating harm caused by a breach of the Privacy Act for unlawfully disclosing personal information and sends a strong signal that organisations need to take their privacy obligations seriously.

This case raises an important issue, namely whether social media posts should be deemed truly private. Facebook is usually considered to be a public forum and any communications made on Facebook are not protected. Although this case was determined by the Human Rights Review Tribunal, not under employment law, there have certainly been cases where Facebook evidence has been successfully used in formal employment disciplinary process.

In this case however, the Tribunal found it wasn’t the collection of the information itself that caused the harm, it was the disclosure of the information to other parties.

We recommend that employers have a social media policy in place in their businesses which clearly outlines the employers expectations with regards to your employees social media commentary.

The Restaurant Association has a template that is available free of charge to members.

FOOTNOTE: The Government has confirmed that it intends to reform New Zealand’s privacy law regime and it is expected that the 22 year old Privacy Act will be repealed and replaced. A Bill is currently being drafted and indications are that it is expected to be introduced into Parliament later this year. We will keep members posted once further developments occur.

EASTER

PAYMENTS &

TRADING HOURS Easter can get the better of many employers, as one of the more confusing public holiday periods. To alleviate any confusion, here’s our Easter 101 guide to your obligations over these upcoming public holidays.

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he public holidays over the Easter period this year are Good Friday (3rd April) and Easter Monday (6th April).

Easter Sunday is NOT a public holiday.

This means that those employees who normally work on Sunday are not entitled to a paid day off, or time and a half for the hours they work (unless this is provided for in their employment agreement). If staff usually work on a Friday or Monday and you require them to work, the usual time-and-a-half applies plus one day in lieu. If they don’t normally work on these days but you require them to, they get paid time-and-a-half of their usual hourly rate.

Looking ahead to later in April, we covered off the change to ANZAC Day this year in the last issue of The Thymes, however, in brief...

The Holidays (Full Recognition of Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day) Amendment Act 2013 now provides for Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day to be “Monday-ised” when they fall on a weekend (as ANZAC Day does this year, falling on Saturday 25th April). This Monday-isation means ANZAC Day will follow the same rules as Christmas/New Year public holidays that fall over the weekend.

ANZAC Day will be observed on Saturday, 25th April for employees that usually work on Saturday, and

employment matters

is treated as falling on Monday, 27th April for employees who do not usually work on Saturday.

WHEN CAN YOU OPEN? Easter Sunday (3rd April) is not classed as a public holiday although it is a restricted trading day for some businesses (along with ANZAC Day). Under the Shop Trading Hours Repeal Act 1990, there are 3 1⁄2 days when some businesses have trading restrictions. These are Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday; and Anzac Day, until 1.00 pm.

However, in general, foodservice businesses can trade as usual as the Act specifies that takeaways, bars, restaurants and cafes can trade when “you only sell food that is already cooked or prepared, and is ready to be eaten”.

With regards to the sale and supply of alcohol, there are some restrictions preventing bars and pubs to sell or supply alcohol on Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

This restriction also applies until 1pm on ANZAC Day. However, for restaurants and cafes with liquor licences your regular trading should be unaffected. So long as your customers are “on your premises for the purposes of dining” you are free to provide them with a drink to accompany their meal.

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MINIMUM WAGE GOES UP The minimum wage will go up 50c to $14.75 an hour on 1 April, which will mean an adjustment for some businesses to junior employees’ hourly rates.

The Starting-Out and training minimum wages will also increase from $11 an hour to $11.80 an hour, which is 80 per cent of the adult minimum wage.

Meanwhile, campaigners for a “living wage” say it now costs $19.25 an hour for a mother, father and two children to “live with dignity” in New Zealand. The new rate has risen 2.5 per cent from last year’s hourly rate of $18.80.

And as a reminder that hospitality businesses are challenging businesses to run all over the world, in the United States, Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law also goes into effect on 1 April. As that date approaches, it has been reported that a number of high profile restaurants across the city are making the financial decision to close shop.

In Seattle (much like in New Zealand), the average restaurant’s labour costs are around 36 percent, with a common budget breakdown as follows: 36 percent of funds are devoted to labour, 30 percent to food costs and 30 percent go to everything else (all other operational costs). The remaining 4 percent has been the profit margin, and as a result, in a $700,000 restaurant, the average restaurateur in Seattle has been making $28,000 a year.

With the minimum wage spike the labour cost in quick service restaurants would rise to 42 percent and in full service restaurants to 47 percent.

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hat’s where the Restaurant Association can assist you.

Tony Adcock has owned and managed hospitality businesses for 40 years and is currently working with us to provide mentoring and business guidance for Restaurant Association members.

AVAILABLE TO HELP WITH EVERYTHING BUSINESS! •

Food Costing

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Business Start up

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Lease Agreements

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General Hospitality business advice

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Business Check-up – Tony talks you through his check list, to ensure that your business is running effectively and efficiently

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Selling your business

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Sales and Marketing

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Budgeting advice

employment matters

Offering expert advice and guidance is one of the many ways the Restaurant Association supports our members.

If you haven’t used the Helpline (0800 737 827) before please feel free to call up for a business checkup to make sure you are on track and haven’t missed any valuable updates for your business.

THE THYMES MARCH 2015

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TIME FOR...

For many businesses the financial end of year is upon us.

While this can be a busy and potentially stressful time of year, it is also a good time to reassess your business and make some changes to set yourself on the right path for the next financial year. In this section we identify five different areas of your business - finance, technology, customer service, business structure and that all important work / life balance.

Rather than initialising a complete overhaul of your business these articles offer practical tips on achieving some new goals.

TIPS TO EASE YEAR END

FINANCIAL STRESS

With the day to day pressures that already come with running your own business, the extra workload associated with preparing for the approaching end of financial year can send stress levels skyrocketing. To help reduce the stress and have you marching straight to your accountant with your head held high, here are a few ‘end-of-year’ tips.

BY STEPHANIE BEASLEY, RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTANT

1

GET ORGANISED

If you’ve been casual with your record keeping throughout the year, take the time to put them all in the same format and the same system. Sort them, group them!

Make a checklist of documents that you’ll need to provide a copy of to your accountant and tick them off as you do them. For example: • March bank statements, • GST returns, • PAYE returns, • loan documents, • lease documents…

Of course the best advice is to stay on top of your record keeping throughout the year, so this could be one of your “new financial year resolutions”. This will make the job more manageable come year end, but also allows you a better opportunity to stay on top of your financial position and help your accountant to help you resolve problems as soon as they happen… rather than leaving them until the end of the financial year.

2

GET RECONCILED

In practice, you should be tackling your bank reconciliation on a daily basis, but we know that’s aspirational for most small business owners. Having all bank accounts reconciled up to the 31st March 2015 (which is just around the corner) is going to make accounts preparation much easier for you and your accountant. Get reconciling!

3

PLAN YOUR STOCKTAKE

Your inventory/stock needs to be counted and valued

as accounting standards don’t allow you to provide for a general amount.

Arrange a time to do the stocktake when the business is not open as this will result in a more accurate result.

Interruptions can result in stock being counted twice or not at all. A good tip is to train some of your team members to count and record the stock on a regular basis. This will speed up the process and give them an interest and understanding of the importance of stock management.

List your stock lines in logical groups linked to how you run the business and in a language that everyone in the business will understand. Then list the stock lines within these groups in alphabetical order. For example in a restaurant you might have: dry goods, chilled goods, frozen goods, beverages, packaging and so on. Where you have stock management print off a report and tick off the items, identifying any variances for investigation.

The stock take will help give an accurate picture of your profitability, so it is a good idea to do on a regular basis (not just at end of year). It also highlights variances and may identify issues with stock management, or theft.

So do it right!

4

ASSESS YOUR BUSINESS

Take mental stock, have there been any changes in your business that you should update your accountant? For example downsizing, expansion, additional employees?

This will help your accountant assess any present or future tax planning.

Tidy these things up and then take time to set goals for the new financial year. It might be a good idea to set a time with your accountant to plan for the next financial year. They will be able to give you specific advice for your situation and help with advice for setting up good systems and processes year round. And don’t forget, making it easier for your accountant could mean lower fees for you.

NEED HELP? Call us on 0800 737 827

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ACHIEVE YOUR IDEAL WORK-LIFE BALANCE You stay late at the business, take your laptop to bed, and check your mobile constantly.

You struggle to juggle the sometimes competing requirements of your business, staff and family. Your “to do” list grows by the hour. Does this sound like your typical week?

I

f you answered yes, your work-life balance is seriously out of whack. And you’re not alone – the OECD’s latest Better Life Index shows that New Zealand is well below the average in overall work-life balance. In fact, we come in at a lowly 24th out of the 34 member nations. We have less leisure time and work far longer hours than those in many other parts of the world.

Prioritise

Here, the directors of two Kiwi companies share their hard won wisdom on how to achieve a better work-life balance.

Sofia Ambler and her husband John bought helicopter company Heletranz 2 years ago. Here are Sofia’s suggestions:

Lindsay Breen, Managing Director, Breen Construction Lindsay Breen runs Breen Construction, a South Island building company founded by his grandfather 75 years ago. He oversees more than 100 FTE employees. His advice:

Consider your personal needs as well as the demands of your business

It’s taken me a long time to figure out what works for me and for the company. Now, weekends are family time, with lots of kids’ sports and outdoor activities. I grew up around this company, so I’m always thinking about what’s best for Breen, and I can do that even when I’m playing cricket or watching my wife barrel racing at rodeos.

Enjoy your work

You don’t have to love it every day, because that’s not realistic, but you should want to be there almost every day. What we do is a serious business, but we also make sure to have some fun.

Employ the right people

Then allow them to do a good job. I work 45-50 hours a week, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but with the right people in the company it’s enough.

Develop a good company culture

Part of the commitment we make as a company is being a great place to work. A genuine balance between work and family is really important for every member of staff.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff” isn’t true. The small things definitely count, but don’t let them take up too much of your time and distract you from seeing the big picture.

Sofia Ambler, Director, Heletranz

Delegate

I used to be in fund management in Hong Kong; when you’re running your own business it takes a while to understand that you can delegate, and focus your own efforts where they add the most value.

Embrace a flexible schedule

I work around 50 hours a week, including evenings and weekends, and I need to be contactable by phone 24/7.

The flip side of this is that I can tailor my day to spend time with the kids and help out at school. We always eat dinner together as a family.

Work more efficiently

I sometimes work from home, because I’ve found that the lack of office distractions keeps me 100% focused on the tasks I need to achieve for the day.

Build a network of reliable suppliers

The ones who know your business and how you operate create a true partnership where you can both succeed.

With suppliers you can trust, there’s that much less for you to worry about.

Take time out

I go to the beach in any weather – for me, nothing is as relaxing. I keep my trainers in the car, because even a brisk walk provides an effective mental break. When you’re running a company, you need to recharge and reinvigorate yourself regularly.

business insights

SOURCE: www.westpac.co.nz/rednews

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THE MERIT OF SPECIALISATION

Specialising applies to all industries, particularly when competition is fierce. Whether you are a food business owner, manufacturer, retailer or even a company such as ours - selling businesses - it is ideal that your customers know what you are good at.

BY GLORIANNE CAMPBELL, CLYTH MACLEOD LTD

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pecialising helps you achieve recognition. Are you a ‘quickservice counter food daytime café’ and then at night trying to be a ‘licensed restaurant’? Is this working for you? If you are a ‘fast food takeaways’ what are you selling? What are you renowned for making and selling that is a cut above the rest?

As a company selling businesses for over 50 years we have always remained firmly committed to specialisation in what we do - we stick to our knitting. We are a company that only sells businesses. We don’t mix it up and further we have a team that drills down even deeper and they specialise by way of business, type and in some instances also by geographical location. Food and beverage businesses are an area of major specialisation for our company and we are renowned for our expertise within this sector.

In their book they give the Top 10 reasons why you should buy a restaurant and these Top 10 reasons are also the Top 10 reasons why you should not buy a restaurant.

The purpose being for the ‘would be restaurant buyer’ to investigate oneself and see if you are suited to the restaurant industry – to make sure your reasons for owning a restaurant are right.

This interesting book also discusses typical margins that apply in the industry and also examines where value sits for the business. It all makes for very interesting reading.

I believe you should aim to be a specialist in what you do. You don’t have to be the BIGGEST but aim to be the BEST at what you do. Have a clear vision of what your customers want and how to deliver this. Don’t try to be all things to everyone!

So with this awareness it was with great pleasure that I recently learnt of a husband and wife team operating their business brokerage company in Atlanta USA. Robin and Eric Gagnon are passionately committed to selling hospitality businesses. Their company is “We Sell Restaurants“ (www.wesellrestaurants.com). That’s all they do. They are the experts, they are specialists.

Having recently read the award winning book they published, “Appetite for Acquisition”, I fully endorse and recommend this book to you. It is aimed at a target audience of ‘would be buyers’ of restaurants but it is equally beneficial to current business owners and also to other people such as our company involved in the selling of these businesses—just anyone really with an interest in our exciting industry.

It’s full of useful information and whilst it is from an American perspective there is equally much that we can relate to here in New Zealand.

America, they say, has a $555 billion dollar hospitality industry (2009 estimate) and there are nearly one million locations, or 1 restaurant for every 320 Americans. They also say that 20% of the nearly one million restaurants and nightclubs are on the market at any given time. I am sure that that is one statistic that will be similar in New Zealand.

NEED HELP? Call us on 0800 737 827

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DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED TO MAKE SOME NEW PURCHASES? Westpac has a special offer for Restaurant Association members planning on making business purchases. Perhaps your plan for the new financial year includes some purchases of new equipment, or even a new vehicle.

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etting your business up and running, or re-investing in equipment can be costly. The good news is, with Westpac’s equipment finance you can apply for finance for up to 100% of the GST exclusive price of the new asset. This means you don’t have to tie up working capital, which helps you purchase the things you need right away.

What’s more, in most cases you can use the asset as security on the loan, meaning you don’t have to have to be a Westpac customer or hold a home loan with Westpac to take advantage of this opportunity.

As a Restaurant Association member, Westpac has a special equipment finance rate of 8.95%* and up to 60 month terms for you, and what’s more they’ll even waive the establishment fee saving you $400. This offer is valid until the 31st March 2015.

For more details and information contact the Restaurant Association on 0800 737 827.

We’ll Be Booking 1,000,000 Diners Into New Zealand Restaurants In 2015

HOW TO HARNESS THE MARKETING

POWER OF LINKEDIN Whereas other social media platforms have gained more notoriety as marketing tools for business, LinkedIn is another great tool for positively promoting your business. You just need to know how to leverage it’s potential.

L

inkedIn is best known as a professional network where individuals can connect with others. It’s format is much like Facebook, but here the focus is on professional skills.

LinkedIn is great for people who are looking for jobs, as the profile page is essentially an online CV, and can work equally well for businesses who are going through the recruitment process. However, LinkedIn is much more than a job seekers paradise. It also has the potential to promote your brand and help you to gain custom.

STEP ONE...

The first step to using LinkedIn for business is to set up a company page. This is the area where you will show the world who you are and what you do. The company page consists of three areas: an Overview, Careers and Analytics.

The overview enables you to add information about your business, highlighting what you do (best) and what makes your business unique. The description needs to be short and punchy for maximum effect.

STEP TWO...

Once your company page is set up your next goal is to get followers. Those that follow your page will be able to see who else is connected to the business, who you’ve employed and most importantly they’ll also get status updates from you in their feeds which they will be able to comment on and share with others. To gain followers you can invite others to connect with you, however it is recommended that you do this to individuals you genuinely have a connection with (ie you know them), or have something to offer that person.

Once you’ve got them, you need to keep them hooked, informed and entertained with regular, relevant status updates. You can mix this up - include information about something your business has done, or awards you may have won, but also comment on hot topics that may generate some discussion.

Your goal here is to get your followers engaged. If your content is good, your followers will want to share your updates, thus spreading the word to people in their networks and increasing your marketing reach on LinkedIn.

HOW OFTEN? Like most social media platforms, you need to be committed to regular updates and posts. Consider making at least one post per day. As the key is engagement, encourage your followers to comment or share the posts. Ask a question from time to time - this is a great catalyst for conversation and for getting feedback.

While LinkedIn has the reputation of being a bit of a staid cousin to Facebook, you can still breathe some life into your posts - if you are a young, funky, forward-thinking business, then match that tone with your updates. This is vital if you are using LinkedIn as a way of building recognition of your brand. Although you will require a different style to your LinkedIn updates from your Facebook posts, what you do on LinkedIn still needs to be consistent to your brand.

And don’t forget you can share too. In addition to your own posts, it’s a good idea to keep a regular eye on what other people are saying and engage with them. Share posts that you like, or that are beneficial to your business.

Joining a group will also help to extend the reach of your brand further. This is where people go to discuss matters on a certain topic, much like a chat room. As a member you can help and offer advice to other group members, helping to spread the word about your business.

Like many social networking tools, one of the most important things to note is: Don’t Do Nothing. There is no point in setting up a presence for your company on LinkedIn if you do nothing, or very little, to leverage it’s marketing potential. So before you make the commitment to set up a company page on LinkedIn, make sure that you will be able to commit to the time it will take to make regular posts so that you can engage your followers and highlight to them what makes your business so great!

business insights

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IDENTIFYING YOUR RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

In this increasingly competitive hospitality market it is more important than ever to focus on creating a successful “sales focus” within your front of house team in order to ensure that we are both creating a positive customer experience as well as driving revenue through our business. As we enter the new financial year, set yourself a goal to increase your sales focus and reap the rewards for your business. BY MARGARET MAIN, TURNING TABLES

R

So how do you set your team up for success??

Certainly whenever I am training front of house staff I always like to remind them that the sales component of their role is the “fun stuff”. Who after all really wants to come to work just to take orders and do some cleaning!

A lot of staff who are new to hospitality lack the confidence to approach a table and suggest a sale as they don’t want to appear “pushy” and are often worried about not knowing the answer to a customer’s question.

So what are some ways to remove these two fears and therefore create the ideal “sales and service environment.

ecruiting new staff is the ideal time to plant the seed regarding the sales process in your business. How many advertisements do you see from businesses that are looking for new front of house staff that fail to mention that sales will be part of the role? It is no wonder then that the staff might end up being rather surprised when told to “get out there and sell” when they did not actually know that was part of their job.

As a starting point to developing a sales focused team it is also good to remind the team that we are very lucky in hospitality – after all just by coming in the door our customers have told us they are looking to spend money.

So by making this an interesting and easy experience for them, then our customers are going to both enjoy themselves and spend a bit on this visit and of course are also more likely to return and potentially spread the word to others.

I don’t believe anyone ever leaves a hospitality business when they have had the experience of being looked after by informed and enthusiastic front of house staff and says “my goodness, our waiter made us have that second glass of wine/ more premium whiskey etc”!

However, on the flip side of that, how many of us have left a restaurant, café or bar and been disappointed that the staff never offered us the chance to try another wine, have a second cup of coffee or peruse the dessert menu!

Instilling confidence, knowledge, pride, ownership and passion within your team is a great start. I am always fond of the statement – “Knowledge gives Confidence, Confidence gives Cool” and I think this is a great place to start when training your team.

Knowledge training should be ongoing – tastings, testing, menu and beverage glossaries, supplier trainings, brand stories, pre-shift briefings, visits to other businesses as well as being a guest in their own establishment are all ways to increase knowledge.

CONTINUED ON FOLLOWING PAGE

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE, Identifying your recipe for sales success

There should be a focus on all staff learning something new about the products they sell every day – this helps to retain their interest as well as providing the customer with an enhanced hospitality experience.

We should ensure our staff are supported in the sales process – we need to have the resources available to make it easy – for instance wine and food matching options on menus, exciting and appropriate point of sale, enough equipment (think enough glassware!), easy ways to take payments, enough staff on the roster, inventive incentives, well designed service areas and systems and procedures to help them understand the sales process.

It is also important to understand the different types of sales – this is where we often refer to “upselling or cross selling”.

Are you wanting your team to focus on the “upsell” which tends to mean bigger or better – eg I have ordered a glass of Pinot Gris but you encourage me to try one that is better quality or perhaps share a bottle with a friend as opposed to a glass. Or are you more interested in the cross sell or add on when I am encouraged to purchase something extra – eg “would you like a side salad with your meal”, “we have a great selection of dessert wines that would be a lovely treat with your dessert”.

So in summary, encouraging your team to see themselves as more than order takers is not only of benefit to the business in helping to increase revenue, but it also adds an exciting dimension to our front of house teams in their roles (which can in turn increase staff retention). And, probably of most importance, it enhances our customers hospitality experience.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO FIND OUT MORE? On Tuesday 14 April Margaret will be presenting a professional development workshop at the Restaurant Association’s taste venue (45 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland) based around developing a Sales focus within your team.

BOOK NOW - email info@restaurantnz. co.nz or phone 0800 737 827.

NEED HELP? Call us on 0800 737 827

EVENTS

PROGRAMME

WHAT’S ON

march~may

events ~ international and national

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ESSENTIAL INSIGHTS

PACKAGED FOR HOSPITALITY Marking it’s welcome return to the hospitality calendar in September this year is the 2015 Restaurant Association Hospitality Summit, supported by principal sponsor American Express and associate sponsors EFTPOS New Zealand, Crombie Lockwood & OneMusic...

S

mart hospitality operators know that there is always a need to push the boundaries and build knowledge in order to innovate and generate better business decisions.

There is no sitting on your laurels in hospitality, as it is fast paced and ever changing.

This year’s Restaurant Association Hospitality Summit will be focused on providing key insights on the industry, packaged in quick-fire sessions aimed to give practical tools that you can take away and use in your businesses.

Along with international key note speakers, presentations will include more of the panel discussions which were so popular with attendees last year. The panel format allows attendees to engage with the presenters and make business connections with other like-minded individuals.

Joining the Summit this year is international guest speaker, Larry Nadeau, the renowned Maitre D’ from The French Laundry.

He provides seamless communication between the kitchen and dining room. He has accumulated more than 25 years of experience in restaurant service and has become a mentor to much of The French Laundry staff. In 2013, Larry lectured on the role of the Maitre D’ to peers and students at the CIA in Hyde Park on Thomas Keller Day, and he has consulted with other restaurants in the Bay Area on standards of service and table setting.

Larry’s session at the Restaurant Association Hospitality Summit will be held on Sunday 13th September and will include some insights on the growing trend towards casual dining, adapting to new trends, staff hiring and training and accountability.

Feast will also be held on Sunday 13 September, as one of the key events of the Hospitality Summit this year.

For nearly 20 years, Larry has been creating a welcoming atmosphere and ensuring a memorable dining experience for all guests as Maitre D’ of The French Laundry.

Larry joined The French Laundry shortly after it opened in 1994, and because he has been with the restaurant almost from the start, his understanding of Thomas Keller’s cuisine and his vision for service are impeccable. Whether it’s in where guests are seated, how they are introduced to their server, or the fact that Larry remembers their preferences, his attention to detail exceeds each guests’ expectation.

In 2004, he was part of Per Se’s Opening Team, whereby he oversaw the hiring and training of the service staff for Chef Keller’s fine dining restaurant in New York City. The dining room at The French Laundry is a testament to Larry’s innate ability to assess, hire, and train a dedicated team.

Feast is a lavish dinner featuring the signature styles of four ‘famous chefs’. It is a glamourous evening of entertainment, awards and excellent food and wine at which we recognise the latest inductee into the Hall of Fame and celebrate the 2015 Good Neighbour Award.

RESERVE THE DATES...

The second Restaurant Association Hospitality Summit, sponsored by American Express and OneMusic, will be held on 13 & 14 September, featuring international and local presenters.

Feast will be held on 13 September at the Auckland Museum.

For more information go to www.restaurantnz.co.nz.

NEED HELP? Call us on 0800 737 827

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WE NEED YOU! It is an exciting time for professional development and training at the Restaurant Association as we plan to grow and expand our offering to support our members, our community and the hospitality industry. With a fresh approach and new dynamic offerings in the pipeline, we need your valuable input.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT APRIL 2015

BOOK NOW! email info@restaurantnz.co.nz or call 0800 737 827

W

e want you to tell us what you are facing out there on the frontline and how we can help you by providing relevant training that meets your business needs.

Your input and recommendations will help us to help you!

How can you help?

Tell us what you would like to be included in our professional development calendars.

Just like you, others in the industry may be facing the same challenges and spending valuable time trying to resolve issues that we can help with.

To discuss your professional development needs, or suggest course content, please contact Professional Development Manger Ian McLaughlan: Email : ian@restaurantnz.co.nz Phone: (09) 632 1404

training & professional development

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AUCKLAND BRANCH PRESIDENT: Krishna Botica

UPCOMING EVENT Auckland ‘MEET ME’, 20TH APRIL @ Clevedon Oysters

BAY OF PLENTY BRANCH PRESIDENT: Andrew Targett

ROTORUA BRANCH PRESIDENT: Sharon Wallace

HAWKES BAY BRANCH

UPCOMING EVENT Rotorua Hospitality Awards 21ST JUNE

PRESIDENT: Sean Burns

TARANAKI BRANCH PRESIDENT: Barbara Olsen-Henderson

MANAWATU BRANCH PRESIDENT: Sean Kereama

REGIONAL UPDATES NELSON BRANCH PRESIDENT: Harry Morris

UPCOMING EVENT Nelson Hospitality Golf Day APRIL

WELLINGTON BRANCH NATIONAL PRESIDENT: Mike Egan NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT: Steve Logan

CANTERBURY BRANCH PRESIDENT: Sam Crofskey

DUNEDIN BRANCH PRESIDENT: Olive Tabor VICE-PRESIDENT: Helen Wright

SOUTHERN LAKES BRANCH PRESIDENT: Grant Hattaway VICE-PRESIDENT: Cam Mitchell

WELCOME

new members

We would like to welcome the following new members of the restaurant association who have recently joined us. congratulations...

You have joined the only organisation that exclusively assists you to safeguard the viability of your café, restaurant, or hospitality business. We will help guide you through the regulatory minefield that exists in today’s business environment. You have joined 1800 of New Zealand’s most dynamic and profitable hospitality businesses.

Benedicts, Lower Hutt

Pilkingtons, Auckland

Biskit Café, Auckland

Pita Pit Bay Fair, Mt Maunganui

Blue Rock, Auckland

Plum Café, Wellington

Bosco Café, Te Kuiti

Portofino, Wellington

Cafe 10/4, Gisborne

Pronto, Tauranga

Cafe Massimo Albany, Auckland

Pukenui Bar, Pukenui

Club Sparty, Auckland

Quince Café, Sandspit

Crab Farm Winery, Napier

Raviz Indian Cuisine, Ellerslie, Auckland

Crave Restaurant and Café, Auckland

Regatta, Auckland

Cuckoo Cocktail Emporium, Wellington

Seaside Grill, Orewa

Deco Eatery, Auckland

Silverstream Retreat, Lower Hutt

Doolan Brothers, Hamilton

Spagalimis Kaiapoi, Christchurch

Formaggios, Christchurch

Swagat Indian Cuisine, Auckland

Friend of The Farmer, Auckland

The Apartment Bar, Wellington

Huhu Café, Waitomo

The Better Bar Company, nationwide

Jano Modern Bistro, Wellington

The Coffee Club Aotea, Porirua

Kai Waka, Motueka

The Coffee Club Browns Bay, Auckland

Karaka Country Supermarket, Auckland

The Coffee Club CBR, Lunn Ave, Auckland

La Vie En Rose, Auckland

The Coffee Club Hagley Park, Christchurch

Little and Local, Snells Beach

The Coffee Club Orewa

Malones Bar and Restaurant, Waiheke Island

The Cove, Taupo

Mediterranean Food Wharehouse, Paraparaumu

The Pourhouse, Hahei

Melba 151 Espresso Bar, Auckland

The Spire, Queenstown

Mercer Street Coffee Shop, Mercer

The Thirsty Weta, Otorohanga

Monkey Spices, Christchurch

The Wharf, Auckland

Ormlie 1899, Napier

Urban Café, Auckland

Osteria Da Gino, Mt Maunganui

Valentines Victoria Street, Hamilton

Pakuranga Country Club, Auckland

Valley Dvine Restaurant, Napier

PaperMoon Mairangi Bay, Auckland

Waipapakauri Hotel, Waipapakauri

Paradise Restaurant, Auckland

Wild Ginger, Queenstown

Pho Heaven, Auckland

Wolfstrike Distributors, Auckland

TALES FROM

taranaki

A

s usual I’m writing this at the 11th hour, the hour I get most things done! I don’t know where the other hours go or what I do in them, but this time at least I have a little more news to write seeing as I have left it so late.

Hot off the press of course is the closure of Mexico restaurant, less than a year after opening. According to the paper, they put their failure down to the fact that their colourful, loud vibe and shared plates style wasn’t a good fit for the locals.

With no fanfare at all, The Contented Pig also closed a little while back, and another little local place looks likely to close in a few weeks.

A new place Bare Thrills opened very recently, selling fresh salads and juices, with lots of raw stuff, and catering for everyone from Paleo to Vegan and all ports between.

No carbs as far as I can tell, so you have to go round to Petite Paris and buy your half baguette and sneak it back in your pocket to eat with your chicken salad – or so I’m told by a credible man -who-can’t-do-withoutcarbs customer. Reports so far are positive, as they usually are for new places.

Laurent Manderson has just re-opened his Café Lahar in Okato, in newly built premises, with a rustic/ vintage vibe.

Okato just celebrated it’s 150th year jubilee this weekend, so he opened right in time to capture that trade. As he said, he didn’t plan it that way, but his liquor licence came through that day so what better night to open? Perfect timing.

He will once again be a very welcome addition to the community social life.

He plans to be open 5 days and 3 nights (Fri, Sat, Sun nights). I’m looking forward to catching up with him again.

The word around the town is that eating businesses in the CBD and some outlying areas are struggling. But the tried and true hospo personalities are holding their own. As one owner said, when I made the comment that a new place that we were discussing, may not last long, “yes but they take the cream off”. Another suitably agricultural term in this land of milk and honey, and just another fact of life in our industry I think.

While our summer started late in Taranaki, we’ve had it brilliantly dry and warm for several months, and this has served us well down here at the beach.

Plenty of happy customers and visitors, and good trade has lingered on well past the end of the school holidays - which is a pleasant surprise. We’ve added a few man-hours onto our day front of house roster to cope with the continued trade, so staff are pretty happy too. Everybody wants work.

And good luck to everybody else in this fabulous hospitality industry. Despite the ups and downs I love it!

Warm regards to everyone, Barbara Olsen-Henderson Taranaki Branch President Bach on Breakwater barbara_olsen@xtra.co.nz

regional update

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THE GALLERY

FROM THE CAPITAL

hot plate coming through Not such a good month for hospitality in Wellington with a number of high profile closings.

The Craft Bar, also on Courtenay Place, has also closed down.

Big Bad Wolf, the craft meats restaurant on Wakefield Street, has also closed.

However, a new pub concept has opened in the Port Nicholson Yacht club on Oriental Bay called Coenes Provisions.

Hideaway Bar on Plimmer Steps is a new addition to the CBD.

musings

The Festival of Cultures— world food, craft and music fair was held on 21 March with guest chefs Nici Wickes and Ray McVinnie. This event is one of Manawatu’s longest standing community events and is held in the Square.

Changes

Molly Malone’s, the Irish Bar on Courtenay Place, has closed.

However, with plenty of interest in the site something new is sure to open sooner rather than later.

manawatu

NEW MEMBERS THE HIDEAWAY BAR

Bethel Woods is a new pub on the Terrace where the old Wine Loft used to be.

Arbitrageur Wine Restaurant has morphed into a Vietnamese French restaurant called Anaam.

Welcome to our newest local members: O The Gallery O Bethany’s Restaurant O Amayjen (Fielding)

NEW RESTAURANTS

Kind regards Mike Egan, Restaurant Association National President monsoonpoon@actrix.co.nz

There have been a few new openings of late including two Vietnamese restaurants, Sai Gon Restaurant and Café and Saigon Corner.

Portofino Restaurant has also opened.

COENES PROVISIONS

Kind regards Sean Kereama, Manawatu Branch President Wharerata Function Centre

regional update

s.kereama@massey.ac.nz

LABOUR ISSUE SOLUTION SOUGHT Associate Tourism Minister Paula Bennett and Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse yesterday announced an extension of temporary changes made to immigration rules, but said wider work to address the issues long-term was under way.

NEWS FROM THE

deep south Greetings.

On the local front, I had a very good meeting with Ministers Michael Woodhouse (Immigration), Paula Bennett (Associate Tourism), and local MP Todd Barclay recently discussing local immigration issues with special emphasis on our region’s immigration exemption, and ways of addressing the staff shortage issues in the resort.

Effectively they agreed to an extension of the temporary immigration rules until June, which means that employers in the Queenstown region do not have prove they have attempted to recruit locally first.

An industry meeting was also held with tourism related businesses, with an open forum and questions from members face to face with the ministers. With generally positive results.

There was a bit of media coverage in the Otago Daily Times about it (see the column to right of the page).

Trade has been exceptionally busy this summer, especially during Chinese New Year when it was virtually impossible to get a bed in the district.

March was also good for business as we enjoyed the BMW NZ Golf Open at the Hills in the past few weeks.

This was followed by a 2000 strong Harley Davidson worldwide convention in town, in the build up to Easter.

The only exception was for roles Work and Income had identified it may be able to fill. The initial exemption, announced in December, related to the ‘’labour market check’’ process, which made it easier to hire working holidaymakers for short-term roles where no New Zealand candidates were available.

In the Queenstown Lakes region, international visitor spending had increased by 36% in the 12 months to December, compared to the previous 12 months.

Watertight Group have just opened two new ventures in Searle Lane; Habana, a Rum Bar in the old Powder Room site and Gypsy Kitchen, a small pop up initially trading 3 days a week but progressing to 7 days by Winter, selling street food like hawker rolls.

Citizen Café has closed after only a couple of months trading in Beach Street, and has gone into voluntary liquidation.

Grant Hattaway Southern Lakes Branch President Pier 19 & Blue Kanu info@pier19.co.nz

THE GYPSY KITCHEN

Effective immediately, employers in the district will not have to apply the ‘’labour market test’’ process, which determines whether suitably qualified New Zealand workers are available, or can be easily trained, to do the work, making employers exempt from providing evidence of an attempt to recruit within New Zealand first.

OTAGO DAILY TIMES 20TH FEBRUARY, 2015...

regional update

‘’While this is great news for the industry, it has created some unique challenges for operators struggling to recruit enough staff with the right skills to help with the increased demand,’’ Mrs Bennett said. ‘’This has been compounded by Queenstown’s tight labour market and a relatively high cost of living.’’

Mrs Bennett said the changes, effective until June, would also shorten the time it took to process temporary work visas and relieve ‘’immediate pressures’’ in the district.

While Restaurant Association of New Zealand Queenstown president Grant Hattaway said the exemption to date had worked well, and he welcomed yesterday’s announcement, the problem was not going to go away. ‘’It’s all positive - as long as everyone plays with a straight bat I think it will be fine [but] they’re putting this in short term. If they just take it away, it will be the same situation as it was before. ‘’It [the issue] is not going to change; I don’t think we’re going to have a plethora of Kiwis racing to the resort to work. We are an island, to a degree, and we do need help.’’

mainly of interest to

WOODPECKER HILL

auckland members It has felt like a long time coming, however Mark Wallbank and team (MooChowChow, The Blue Breeze Inn and Chop Chop Noodle House) have finally opened their latest venture, Woodpecker Hill, on Parnell’s main strip.

The new restaurant will again have Che Barrington in charge, with a menu continuing the East-meets-West fusion of their other establishments. This time however a smoker and barbeque techniques feature strongly. Does this arrival herald a new renaissance for Parnell?

Le Chef is a new French eatery on Victoria Street West in the building that also houses The Empire and French bakery Le Rendez-Vous. Owner / Chef, Edouard Legoff says Le Chef has a simple ethos, to make brilliant French food that is fresh, delicious and classic. The space is clean and bright with an open kitchen to highlight the chefs at work. The menu at Le Chef is an ever evolving one, taking advantage of fresh produce as it’s in season. On their menu you’ll find the likes of pork filet mignon with honey mustard a l’ancienne and salmon blanquette in a creamy sauce with carrots and spring onions. Along with this there is also a selection of filled baguettes, pastries and tartines for brunch and lunch.

Pilkingtons has opened on Shortland Street in the space that housed for a short time pop-up eatery, The Hamptons. The more permanent structure is now home to a high end restaurant which will be open from breakfast until late, serving the needs of the inner city apartment dwellers and workers. The interior is stunning, with a botanical theme designed by Cheshire architects. Meanwhile, heading the kitchen is Alex Stobach (ex O’Connell Street Bistro).

Following the success of original Crab Shack in Wellington, the Nourish Group have recently opened the second Shack in Auckland. The Crab Shack Auckland is situated on Princes Wharf, overlooking the ferry terminal, offering a ‘coastal/Cape Cod themed casual dining and drinking experience’. The casual seafood eatery has a heavy emphasis on New Zealand ingredients and flavours.

Another operation which has just opened in Auckland, but originates in Wellington, is Matterhorn. The Wellington original is an institution which opened more than 50 years ago and is known as a great meeting place for eating, drinking and music. It has only been a matter of weeks since Matterhorn Auckland owners, Mark Keddell and Sean Marshall, opened The White Rabbit in the historic building which was originally The Crown. The restaurant and bar takes over the space we’ve recently known as Libertine, which the pair took on as part of their recent split from The Pack Group. Sean also headed Matterhorn Wellington for five years until 2011.

Lucky Buddha has opened on Fort Street, offering a mix of Philippine, Malaysian and East Asian fare.

THE CRAB SHACK

We understand that Tamaki Drive restaurant, Hammerheads Restaurant, is for sale. This is a landmark building with sensational views which we’ve known as Hammerheads for more than 20 years. We are sure interested parties will need to be encouraged to act quickly before this iconic restaurant and building is snapped up. auckland members

MATTERHORN

mainly of interest to

NEW OUTDOOR DINING RULES

Hansik is a new Korean bar and restaurant located on Drake Street. Part of the Victoria Park Market redevelopment, the space most recently housed restaurant Atico Cocina.

Auckland Council has recently introduced a new bylaw to manage commercial operations in public places and it includes outdoor dining at restaurants, bars and cafes.

auckland members

Not to be outdone by all of the recent openings around Takapuna, North Shore suburb Birkenhead has a notable new offering in Swedish café, Fika With Me. Fika means a break for coffee, or a coffee itself.

The Trading and Events in Public Places Bylaw is designed to ensure that outdoor dining, mobile shops, markets, filming and events all contribute to the vibrancy of Auckland in a positive way.

HANSIK

Waterfront Auckland are developing a ‘laneways’ experience for the Wynyard Quarter area as the development of the area continues. Work is currently being done to design the laneways and the exterior of the buildings that connect them. They are working through the types of spaces (retail and hospitality in particular) that are needed and how many are required to meet a population of around 20,000 workers, 3,000 residents and around one million visitors annually by 2030.

The bylaw introduces consistent rules about outdoor dining region-wide. An important aspect of the bylaw - which the Council sought public feedback on - is that when using shared outdoor spaces pedestrian access is clear for people of all abilities or with prams, and there is clear access for emergency services.

FIKA WITH ME

ARTISTS IMPRESSION OF WYNYARD LANEWAYS

KEY DATES 01 APRIL Online nominations open

28 APRIL Event tickets on sale

Online nominations close 26 APRIL

31 MAY Finalist voting closes

Finalist voting opens 12 MAY

Event of the Year!

The Lewisham Awards 07 JUNE

Under the new bylaw, all businesses trading in public places must hold a licence to operate. This is new to some areas such as Rodney and Franklin which hadn’t previously needed approval from council. The licence allows exclusive use of certain public places such as outdoor dining on the street frontage of a café or a mobile vendor on a road. The licence also includes a rental fee depending on public space used by a business. The fees, which have been open for public feedback, will be confirmed in June.

The new bylaw will come into effect 1 July 2015.

For more information on the Trading & Events in Public Places Bylaw or how to apply for an outdoor dining licence, you can go to aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

mainly of interest to

auckland members

THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION GOLF DAY WAS SUPPORTED BY

“Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad...” A.A. Milne

A

nother successful Auckland Branch Golf Day was held at Muriwai this year, with a record 43 teams registered and all holes sponsored, thanks to our wonderful event sponsors.

Congratulations to all our business card prize winners and particularly our golf game prize winners who were:

the ultimate win (best NET score after handicap adjustment)

1

Zealfresh

Best GROSS score (before handicap adjustment)

1 2

Sorrento in the Park Wildfire

other prizes went to...

(Hole 3) Closest to the Pin (2nd prize) - Mark Andrews (Nova Energy)

(Hole 3) Closest to the Pin (2nd prize) - Craig Luxton (Zealfresh)

(Hole 9) Longest Drive - Craig Newbrook (Urbano Bistro)

(Hole 14) Red Bull Final 5 - Wildfire

Don’t Give Up Your Day Job - Fine Food NZ

Best Net Score - Eveve

Best Dressed Team - Sorrento in the Park

Restaurant Association Best Team Photo - The Crab Shack / Nourish

Group

Best Dressed Sponsor Hole - Goodman Fielder

Watch this space!

Mark next year’s event in your calendars - TUESDAY 23 FEBRUARY. If you would like to register your interest early please contact Jacqueline: jacqueline@restaurantnz.co.nz. auckland members

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

BARKERS | DMK | HALLERTAU | CAFFE L’AFFARE | RED BULL | NEW ZEALAND NATURAL | UNILEVER | THE PASTRYHOUSE | THE THYMES MARCH 2015

38

auckland branch annual golf day @ muriwai golf course 17th february, 2015

The Restaurant Association was formed in 1975 with the aim of serving and representing owners and manger of foodservice operations. It represents 1,750 members throughout New Zealand who employ 13,000 full and part-time employees. This is an industry that has an annual turnover of almost $8 billion, that employs over 100,000 workers, that is each week visited by more than a million hospitality customers. This makes it a cornerstone of New Zealand’s economy.

STARLINE... for whatever you’re washing

CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Marisa Bidois NATIONAL PRESIDENT: Mike Egan (Monsoon Poon, Auckland & Wellington; Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington) VICE PRESIDENTS: Bart Littlejohn (Sails Restaurant, Auckland) Steve Logan (Logan Brown, Wellington) BRANCH PRESIDENTS: Auckland: Krishna Botica (Café Hanoi, XuXu, Auckland) Bay of Plenty: Andrew Targett (Elizabeth Café & Larder, Tauranga) Canterbury: Sam Crofskey (C1Espresso, Christchurch) Dunedin: Olive Tabor (Nova, Dunedin) Hawkes Bay: Sean Burns (Milk and Honey, Napier) Manawatu/Wanganui: Sean Kereama (Wharerata Function Centre, Palmerston North) Marlborough: Marcel Rood Nelson: Howard Morris (Harry’s Bar, Nelson) Rotorua: Sharon Wallace (Waiariki Institute of Technology, Rotorua) Southern Lakes: Grant Hattaway (Pier 19; Captains Table Restaurant, Blue Kanu, Queenstown) Taranaki: Barbara Olsen-Henderson (Bach on Breakwater, New Plymouth) Waikato: Adrian Hodgson (The District, Hamilton) Wellington: Michael Egan (Monsoon Poon, Auckland and Wellington; Boulcott St Bistro, Osteria Del Toro, Wellington) RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND KEY OBJECTIVES

1 2 3 4

Protect, promote and advance the interests and rights of its members

Promote industry quality, reputation and excellence

Provide relevant value added services to members

As an organisation achieve best practice stewardship within the business Association sector

info@washtech.co.nz 0800 STARLINE www.starline.co.nz