Dining in the New Year – what to expect

Passion creates great business at 3Weeds

The Welcome Hotel has  been associated with serving up the best pub fare for some time. In the recently released Sydney Morning Herald Good Pub Food Guide it was only one of two hotels to receive the coveted three schooners. BISTRO interviews head chef Simon Mackay to find out what it takes to bring fine dining to a pub in Rozelle.

Sizzling seafood

And much more…

Our other interview this issue is with Steven Krasicki, Head Chef  of Altitude, Shangri-La Hotel. Steven was awarded Chef of the Year at the 2010 Australian Hotels Association Awards for Excellence. There are unique challenges that face a large five star hotel and getting the balance right where the international guest and a local regular both feel comfortable is a challenge in itself.

Recruiting floor staff  for your restaurant is probably the most important role of a manager. Tony Eldred explains how the right team is a balance of several personality types that in combination give your restaurant a higher yield with a great service atmosphere. A team packed with extroverts is not the answer – I think you will find this article very helpful next time you need to hire.

BISTRO also explains why creating a kid friendly venue is great for business and why a good  champagne selection  on the wine list is always a winner. We hope you enjoy the December issue of BISTRO.

Three chefs and a butcher talk meat. In our feature story ‘ which cuts are cutting it? ’ We find out what type of cuts are the preferred choice in some of the country’s top restaurants. Daren O’Rourke from Victor Churchill’s rounds out the discussion with a butcher’s perspective.

Beer or wine? Have you considered matching food with beer? Kirrily Waldhorn, aka the Beer Diva recently put them to the test with industry experts and the results will surprise.

We have the lowdown on Japanese knives, results of the AHA Awards for Excellence, a look at the advantages of using frozen veggies and more in this month’s issue of BISTRO

The  knifeless kitchen is not a new concept but an increase in food costs along with rising staff costs have put the subject front and centre once again.

Keeping good staff has always been a challenge and in our article – ‘Turn over a new leaf’ we look at the real costs associated with staff turnover.

Our cover story is an interview with Dennis Leslie, Executive Chef of the Adelaide Hilton Hotel. Dennis explains how he got hooked on cooking and what inspires him to reach new heights.

Growing your own herbs has many advantages – not only in producing the ultimate in consistency and fresh  but can also be a positive distraction away from the kitchen. With advise from experts we give you some great tips to growing your own !

The Cellars, the Stella’s & the Seller’s explains the benefits of imported wines on your menu. With contributions from some of the industry’s preeminent experts on imported wine we uncork the secrets of a great and profitable wine list.

Covering local and overseas dining trends, news, new gadgets and a peek at the restaurant that  toppled elBulli as the number one place getter in the Worlds Best 50 Restaurants we think we have got it all pretty well covered in this issue of BISTRO.

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In Chef’s Life we interview Daniel Fountain,  Executive Chef for the J&J O’Brien hotel group and the 2009  AHA  National Chef of the Year. Charged with the responsibility of  seven hotels Daniel  shares his thoughts on how to look after a diverse group of venues .

Social Media or specifically Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are fast becoming marketing and communication standards. If you want to compete in the new world you need to get your head around all aspects of social media – our feature article explains how it all works and how your venue can benefit.

Living in a rural community without daily access to capital city markets is an obvious disadvantage for any restaurant. The only way to  provide consistently  high quality produce was to grow it themselves. Kitchen gardens  with free range chickens, fruit orchids and a greenhouse for herb production provide Dan the means to put his considerable talents to best effect.

Chocolate desserts – based on low cost ingredients such as sugar, flour, butter and eggs are a win-win solution for any restaurant or bistro. We interview three award winning chefs and find out why chocolate is a dessert that is sweet in more ways than one!

The small plate feature leads to an interesting question – are you better off buying finger foods or making them yourself? Andrew Briese has developed a software program that will analyse all the factors involved – food costs, wastage, labour and yields. We put a pie to the test and the results may surprise!

On a totally different tangent we interview two successful butlers. With a formal grounding as a chef, butlering is a great career move for those of you who are people–orientated. An amazing opportunity to travel the world, mingle with the super successful awaits and Aussie trained butlers are currently in great demand. We interview two butlers who wouldn’t swap jobs with anyone.

So you have snared the elusive but profitable new age diner who appreciates value more than he  or she did  before the GFC but how do you keep them coming back? Tony Eldred’s article ‘Don’t let them go without saying a word…’ is  essential reading. New customers are not free – one way or the other you spent money getting them there. Whether it was marketing dollars or the new menu that caught their attention, the fact is if they never come back you are out of pocket. We give you tips that can help your venue get a return visit.

We also cover traditional and popular menu bases in chicken and pizza.  I think you will find both stories offer a new perspective on old favourites. Pizza and chicken are still profit kings but you need to serve up these staples in more creative ways in this new competitive world.

‘Big events – big opportunities’ says it all. This cover story looks at, among other things, cocktail menus and finger food. Rapidly growing in popularity, cocktail party functions offer clients the opportunity to host a more social event and take the stress out of place settings. Finger food is being remade with innovative presentations and lively flavours.

Have you thought about curries on your menu? Besides creating a point of difference in your market place, curries are the ideal way to use cheaper cuts and improve profitability. Three hotel chefs show us how these dishes can  really help bolster business.

Do you view coffee as just the drink offered after mains? Marketing your venue as a serious coffee destination can really reap rewards. Investing in barista training, menu strategy, and other marketing tips can help you compete for the local coffee dollar – we cover the issues that can  bring your venue up to the coffee grade.

This issue and the next few ( not too many we all hope!) will focus on stories that can help you keep good dining traffic and run a profitable eating business.

Pasta aplenty looks at how pasta can work wonders for your bistro – it should satisfy the BIG THREE – cheap fast and versatile.  We interview a few chefs who have made a name for themselves in the pasta world to get there tips on the pasta caper.

In these times more restaurants and bistros are moving towards set menus, particularly for lunch time trade. We look at why set menus can be appealing to your customers and how they can improve profitability in your business.

And meet Sargent Morgan Ross, a chef in the Australian Army Catering Corps. Catering for a battalion of soldiers has similar challenges to what most chefs face – just on a bigger scale. Finding fresh produce, being creative and working to a budget – sound familiar?

Food Service Rewards is a new rewards points redemption program designed exclusively for the foodservice sector. We explain the advantages of participating.