A Christmas message to those who are working over the festive season:
While most are winding down for the year and planning for a little R & R, the hospitality industry is gearing up to service those needs! Add this to the already high demand of a fiercely competitive sector, tight margins and increased compliance regulations, and we find ourselves approaching a season that has more significance than most for food/bev, tourism and accommodation businesses.
Here are a few tips and hints from our hospitality industry consultant to get you through:
Be prepared. Even if trade is looking a little slower than normal right now, each year people do end up coming out and spending money. Be the operator that is not only prepared for the upturn, but who can capitalise on it.
Be flexible. In this amazing place we call home, not everyone celebrates the same way. Figure out what works best for you, your offering, your staff and your guests then run with it. People usually respond to a genuine and sincere offering, especially at this time of the year. And if possible, make group bookings easy for not only the guest but the venue too.
Improve. Busy doesn’t always mean profitable, as we all know too well. Remember to encourage up-selling and perhaps squeeze in an extra sitting/service if viable. Use your data to make informed decisions based on past holiday periods or talk to the businesses around you if this is your first trading summer.
Care. Not just about your business health, but about your staff too. It can be a difficult time for some, especially when working long/hard hours while friends and family are celebrating. Respect your team’s feelings and support them with a positive work culture. This loops back to the idea of being prepared. If you have adequate staffing levels with solid on-boarding and training procedures, no one should be getting burnt out – and you will be helping more people earn a few more dollars around what can be a stressful time of year for the un (or under) employed.
For information or assistance in areas such as data analysis, on-boarding, training and compliance, please contact Heather for a chat today on 02 4969 4699.
