How to build a happy hospitality team

Happy customers start with happy start who are united by shared values and purpose.

So how do you built a team of committed, motivated and succesful people?

Fact: it does include paying more money….

1. Creating a positive culture or community
   A culture where people are brought together by shared values and a common purpose, creates buy-in and provides a focus. It inspires people to go above and beyond to offer the best customer experience.

2. Be an emotionally intelligent manager
   People rarely quit a bad job, they quit a bad manager. Be a leader who is available, encouraging, empathetic, consistent, reliable calm, open-minded and self-aware and you will build a team that performs better and has higher job-satisfaction.

3. Give people a voice and scope for meaningful work
   Invovle people in decision-making and change, listen to their opinions, , value their experience, check-in with them and show your appreciation regularly to build mutual trust and autonomy.

4. Give them the opportunity to grow
   Most people say they would stay in a job longer if they had the opportunity to learn and grow. Support people in their personal development, let them take risks, give foward-looking feedback [feed-forward] and consider informal mentoring, not just formal training.

5. Remember the whole person
   Create a supportive environment that respects people's home lives and encourages a healthy balance . Be flexible where possible, be aware of part-time workers other responsibilities (student's exams for example), Encourage people to set boundaries around breaks or routines to switch off at the end of a shift.

Ask yourself:

• How committed are your team?

• How strong is your culture or community?

• How could develop more shared values & purpose?

• Do you know when to lead and when to manage?

• Do you listen to individual’s views? Do you ask for them?

• Do you value their experience? Do you tell them?

• Do you look after the whole person?

• Do you set healthy boundaries to enable breaks during the day or so they can switch off when they go home?

• How do you support their growth & development?

To explore more ideas about how to build a happy, motivated team who will stick by you when business is thriving and when times are challenging. . .

Join my free online workshop

Stay & Thrive: Build a Strong Happy Team

January 16th, 10 - 11.30am

Sign up here and you’ll receive a link to zoom nearer the time.

10 Marketing Tips for reopening hospitality in 2021

After months of closure restaurants, pubs, cafés and hotels now have a roadmap for reopening in spring 2021.

With hospitality managers and operators under huge pressure to get everything right for reopening, it’s all too easy to put marketing down as an unnecessary time and cost, but the restaurants, pubs and other hospitality businesses that will get back on their feet fastest will be the ones who communicate regularly with their customers.

With constant changes to the rules and regulations and understandable nervousness on the part of some consumers about being in busy public places again, it’s vital that hospitality businesses communicate regularly with customers to show you are ready to welcome people back, have thought about their safety and that they can come out and enjoy themselves.

Here are my Top 10 marketing tips for reopening:

1. Create an emotionally rich and engaging relationship

   
   One thing that the last year of lockdowns has taught us is to be grateful for things we have always taken for granted - not least being able to pop out to meet friends at the pub or enjoy someone else’s cooking at a restaurant. People have started to appreciate the emotional connection they have with their local pub or neighbourhood restaurant or with somewhere they hold fond memories of or dream of visiting.
   Understand that emotional connection with your customers (past, current and future) and use it to bond with them. Marketing communications should be honest, empathetic, generous and authentic. Develop the personality and story of your brand and share your experiences of the last year and your hopes for the future in a way that makes your audience want to be part of your story and support your future.
   
   

2. Review your target audience

   
   Has your audience changed over the last 12 months due to travel restrictions:
   - can you gain new customers who are staying in the UK for their holidays. How do you reach with them?
   - can you connect with more local customers who are staying closer to home and now recognise what they have on their doorstep?
   - have customer expectations changed? If you traditionally have an older audience they may need more reassurance about how you will keep them safe. A younger audience may be more concerned about things they are now restricted from doing.
   - do review your offer, your menu and your price points and make sure they are right for your current audience.
   
   

3. Sell the dream through good photos and videos

   
   What we all need right now is to get out of the house, see friends and family and have someone else do the cooking and washing up! Use photos and video to appeal to this emotion and show people that they can go out and relax - photos speak a 1000 words.
   Update images or create a short video of your outside space if you have it or of your ‘social distanced’ indoor dining area. Film a virtual tour - on your phone is fine.
   It goes without saying that photographs of dishes and ingredients whet the appetite of hungry diners - but think beyond the obvious and give a sneak peek behind-the-scenes.
   
   

4. Communicate a clear and consistent policy

   
   While nobody really wants to read all the rules and restrictions any more than you want to enforce them, do make sure you have published your policies on your website and link back to them from elsewhere. There are so many ongoing changes that people do need to be reminded what the general rules are as well as anything unique to your venue and it can avoid awkward and embarrassing moments when guests arrive.
   Communicate with customers about any new safety precautions you’re taking and the government rules and regulations you need to follow (mandatory reservations, gathering information for contact tracing, etc.) Remember to review your cancellation policy too.
   
   

5. Keep your audience updated everywhere you can

   
   During the next few months your competitors will be vying for your customers’ attention, so make sure you are front of mind and that they can find out what they need to know about you wherever they connect with you. Make time to update your website with your plans for reopening including your new opening hours, menus and anything else that’s new (garden bar, gazebo, marquee?). It’s quick and easy to post on social media, but also make time to refresh your Tripadvisor, Facebook and Instagram bios and any listing sites you appear on.
   
   

6. Review your Google Business Page

   
   Make sure you’re set up on Google My Business. It’s free, easy to use, and allows you to manage your online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. It is often the first place people find your information when searching specifically for your business or just searching your town or location for somewhere to visit. Add fresh images, and make sure your introduction is up to date and relevant.
   
   

7. Get the best out of social media

   
   Social media is perhaps the easiest and most effective way to keep your audience up to date and engaged as it’s easy to post regular updates. On Instagram use stories or reels to tell the story of reopening your venue and give your audience an insight into everything that is going on behind the scenes. This will create a sense of anticipation but can also be a relaxed way to convey the measures you are taking to make people safe. If you dare go there, TikTok is starting to play a part in developing brand stories and audience engagement. Here are some ideas try:
   - Create recipe videos
   - Take followers on a virtual tour
   - Create a “behind-the-scenes” video of the kitchen staff preparing meals
   - Interview employees and share their experiences
   - Hold a live stream Q&A session with followers
   
   

8. Create long-form evergreen content

   Create long-form evergreen content for your website whether that’s telling your story on an ‘About us’ page or creating a news section or blog. This is content that isn’t time-sensitive and includes keywords that you want to be known for that will drive traffic to your site. Begin by drawing up a list of three to five keywords you want to improve your rankings for – terms that people may search for and that are relevant to your business.
   Blogs can help your website appear authoritative. You can write content that answers common questions, helps customers understand something, or solves problems (like things to do on a rainy day in your location or introducing them to your team or favourite food & drink producers.
   
   

9. Don’t forget email marketing

   Email marketing is a really useful tool for driving customer loyalty and engagement as well as keeping people updated. If you capture customers email addresses on booking (online or in person) invite then them to sign up to receive email news from you. You can also ask people to sign up via your website. Use an email marketing service like Mailchimp which will help you comply with GDPR data regulations and enable you to create a professional looking template.
   -  Don’t make emails ‘salesy’ or pushy – share other news about what’s going on in your area or things you’ve been doing, reading or listening to.
   - That said don’t be afraid to include a clear call to action to book.
   - Link your email newsletter content to your website and blog, including short excerpts in the newsletter with links to read more on your website, this encourages people to engage more with your brand.
   - Send to many, write to one – approach every email as though it’s personal.
   - Be consistent in email frequency and make sure you keep topics varied and interesting.
   - Save time and effort by planning a couple of months topics in advance. 
   
   

10. Encourage reviews

    Reviews on platforms such as Facebook, Google My Business and TripAdvisor are powerful ways to build your reputation. Your business is more likely to show up in Google’s local pack if it has reviews that mention keywords you’re trying to rank for and the town/area where you are based. I often speak to businesses who understand that these reviews count but don’t know how to generate them, one way to do this is to include a call to action on your website, you can download a Google Review widget from your google. Another way ask people in a fun way on your menus or other signage. See our blog on managing your online reputation>

2021 UK Restaurant Trends and Predictions

How the world has changed in a year! When I look back at my restaurant and hospitality predictions for 2020 they seem to come from another world where we took for granted being able to pop to the pub or meet friends for dinner. As a society, we have come to recognise that restaurants, pubs and hotels help to fulfil the basic human need to connect with others and to shape social relationships.

Boom or Bust for restaurants in 2021?

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that it’s impossible to predict the future, so the idea of making any predictions or looking at hospitality trends for 2021 seems like a foolish exercise. There are those who predict a boom in the hospitality sector in the second half of 2021. Jay Rayner wrote in The Observer in early January: “There will be a desire to spend, which has to be good both for the economy in general and hospitality in particular.”. In July and August after the first lockdown, people flocked back to support hospitality businesses, albeit gradually at first and encouraged by the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. As soon as it’s permitted and safe to do so, we can expect to see a pent up demand to eat out, meet friends for a drink and enjoy the warmth of hospitality again.

Yet, starting the new year in another full lockdown with expectations that it will last until spring, the hospitality industry faces enormous challenges in 2021 and is at risk of losing almost 50% of normal revenue streams and seeing huge numbers of redundancies. The British Beer and Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping and UKHospitality have published findings that suggest:

• 72% of members expected to operate at a loss and to be unable to survive because of the collapse in trade.

• Seven out of 10 UK pubs and restaurants fear they will become financially unviable and forced to close in 2021 as a result of damaging Covid-19 restrictions

• By February 2021 there would be 750,000 fewer jobs in the sector compared with earlier this year.

The Future Shock report, from CGA and UKHospitality, outlines the difficult year for the pub, bar and restaurant sector and sets out the challenges and opportunities facing the industry into 2021 indicates:

• A £53.3bn year-on-year drop in sales between the start of April and the end of September.

• Falling consumer confidence, with 78% of British adults concerned about the long-term financial implications of the pandemic.

• 21% of consumers said they would eat and drink out less frequently than before

• Hesitant business confidence, with 27% of leaders of multi-site groups predicting they will be unviable by mid-2021 with current levels of support.

• insight from recent research commissioned by Marcus Wareing found that 34% of consumers expected to spend less when they returned to restaurants.

2021 will be about settling into a new rhythm and catering to diners in new and innovative way. Here are some of our predictions for the UK restaurant trade in 2021. Several of the predictions for last year seem even more relevant today than they did 12 months ago.

1. Home delivery and finish-at-home meals become the norm.

2020: We predicted that restaurants and pubs should do more to tap into the trend for home delivery with the potential to reach new audiences and increase turnover at quieter times. We wrote: “There’s particular scope for more sophisticated options from high-end restaurants. Yet operators will face a challenge to adapt to this fundamentally altered business model.
“

Lockdowns forcing the closure of hospitality since March have forced hospitality businesses to switch their business model overnight to offer take-home meals in order to keep some of their staff employed and their businesses afloat. New businesses have sprung up, such as Restaurant Kits, to facilitate this trend without the high costs of delivery platforms like Deliveroo and Uber Eats.

2021: We expect to see more businesses find new revenue streams through diversification into take-home meals, cook at home kits and restaurant branded products on the shelves. With no end in sight to restrictions, taking the restaurant experience home or giving yourself a night off cooking, has never seemed more important. While there seemed to be some saturation in demand for home delivery/restaurant kits during autumn, we can expect to see growing demand in 2021 and the launch new platforms and technologies that make it easier for restaurants to improve systems for ordering and management.

2. The Rise of Ghost Kitchens

Until this year ghost kitchens where food is prepared and distributed, but no customers are served were perceived as a niche phenomenon in our cities. In 2021 they will become part of the next normal. While high rents in city centres are unsustainable more hospitality businesses and chefs will move away from the high street towards more affordable ghost kitchens. The beauty of a ghost kitchen is that it allows your operation to run leaner and meaner than ever before.

Before the pandemic, revenue for online food delivery in Europe was experiencing double-digit growth and was expected to exceed £19bn by 2023. In the UK, Foodstars, Jacuna Kitchens and Deliveroo are just a few of the third-party delivery platforms to have entered the game. Yet virtual kitchens are not just for the big operators, with kitchens offering hired spaces they can be a great stepping stone for new businesses in a similar way to businesses which tested a concept through a street-food offering, people will start a virtual kitchen first and then open a bricks-and-mortar site when the hospitality sector can open up again.

2. Provenance, Sustainability and tackling food waste

2020: We predicted an increased awareness in reducing the use of single-use plastics and reducing food waste and encouraged operators to demonstrate the steps they were taking to make improvements. The reality has been that we’ve gone several steps backwards and seen wide-spread use of disposable cups and packaging with take-away drinks and meals. The constant stop-starting of operations as lockdowns and closures have been imposed at short notice has seen an increase in food waste.

2021: With Brexit complete and increased customs tariffs the price of imported ingredients will increase and the importance of sourcing locally will become all the more critical. We should expect to see more British grown produce on our plates. Hospitality businesses will have to rapidly adapt their supply chains, their workforce and shift their long term planning. How they will do this is still uncertain, but many businesses will have to become more reliant on local communities and markets.

3. Eating for Immunity

2020: We suggested that consumers were likely to seek healthy options on weekdays and treat themselves at the weekend and that operators should offer healthy options as well as occasional treats.

2021: Immunity will be the new buzzword for 2021. The pandemic has caused us all to think more about how a good diet can improve our health and immunity. While heavily emphasing the nutritional value of dishes on your menu

4. Contactless technology everywhere

2020: Our 2020 predictions for the importance of technology have been critical this year to reduce contact and enable online orders. We predicted that consumers would more regularly use apps and mobile technology: “Technology will transform the way consumers order food and drink and to change how we book too. It’s clear that personal devices will play a critical role in the restaurant experience, from QR-code enabled menus, to mobile order-ahead options, minimizing contact is important to consumers and has effectively gone from short-term fix, to key priority.”

2021: There has been significant investment in developing new and improved technology to help hospitality operators improve safety for staff and customers and we will continue to see new apps and technology rolled out in 2021. Even operators who have previously been reluctant to adopt systems such as QR codes, remote ordering and contactless payment will be forced to implement these new technologies due to customer expectations. The aim is to make the entire process contactless, so consumers can feel safer and enjoy a convenient, hassle-free experience.

5. Keep engaging with your customers

With prolonged closures and constant changes to rules and restrictions, hospitality operators have been forced to communicate regularly with customers whether through social media, email newsletters or PR. If the experience you offer your customers is one that makes them feel looked after and treated when they visit your pub, restaurant or hotel, it follows that you need to continue to do this even while you are closed.

While the pressure facing operators for both time and budget means it’s all to easy to put marketing down as an unnecessary time and cost, it’s vital that you continue to communicate with your customers (current and future) and maintain an emotionally rich and engaging relationship with your followers.

The most successful hospitality businesses that will emerge from the train wreck of 2020, will be those who understand the emotional connection and use it to bond with their customers. Marketing at its best should be honest, empathic, generous and authentic. It combines brand building with narrative to develop your business into a character with its own personality – one that customers want to see progress and support through the challenges that 2021 holds, and whose story they want to be a part of.

6. Family-friendly dining

2020: We suggested that restaurants and pubs should review their family-friendly dining options, while not necessarily offering children’s menus, but making the experience as welcoming as possible to parents and children. With restrictions on meeting and dining with people from outside your household, restaurants became dependent on bookings from single households and bookings from families have become all the more important.

2021: While it seems unlikely that we’ll be able to dine out with friends and colleagues in the first half of 2021, restaurants and pubs must develop ways to appeal to families and give people a strong incentive to dine out, when permitted, to celebrate family occasions or just for a break from routine.

7. Eat and drink local

City centre footfall is at an all-time low, even during periods when restrictions have eased, office workers based at home and no international tourists, town and city centre venues have taken the biggest hit during the pandemic, while restaurants and pubs in residential areas and the countryside have been supported by customers staying local. While footfall may increase in our cities in the second half of 2021, consumers will remain inclined to stay local and support businesses on their doorsteps.

This is a real opportunity for community-based businesses, which are often independent operators. To survive operators must may more attention than ever to their local audience and not rely on attracting customers even from the other side of the city. With many vacant spaces and potentially lower rents, as landlords look to fill their properties again, this also creates new opportunities for brave start-up businesses, chefs going it alone for the first time and entrepreneurs who’ve been held back before by the high costs of starting a bricks and mortar business.

8. The return of warm hospitality

Even when open, the need for strict hygiene measures, social distancing, and rules on household mixing, have put hospitality operators under huge stress and required them to prioritise policing the rules over offering warm hospitality and personal connections. The requirement to wear face masks and, in some cases, the introduction of contactless ordering and payment has taken away so much of what customers love about going out to eat and drink and the reason why people love working in the industry. In the short periods, restaurants and pubs were open in 2020 we all had experiences of overly officious and understandably stressed staff, being a bit abrupt and sometimes plain rude.

Yet we all crave the warmth of human contact, a bit of friendly banter at the bar or with the waiter, or some nosey people-watching of the next table. Restaurant and pub operators who can find ways to inject the usual warmth and conviviality into dining out will be the first to bounce back. It will be vital to give staff the training to manage any rules or expectations with grace and charm and to look for those extra touches which make the customer feel welcome and valued.

Hopes & Fears for Hospitality in 2021

At this time of year, I usually publish my restaurant industry trends and predictions for the year ahead, but if there’s one thing that this year has taught us, it’s that it’s impossible to predict the future, or even the next month.

So, here are a few thoughts about hopes and fears for the restaurant and pub trade in 2021 from my clients and colleagues in hospitality.

Piers Baker, The Sun Inn, Dedham and Church Street Tavern, Colchester:

“I believe 2021 is a major opportunity for a reset of our industry so that the dire straits we found ourselves in March won’t be repeated. What needs addressing? The beer tie, upward only rents, better landlord/tenant relationships, business rates, VAT and insurance. Every hospitality business knows it, the government must (more reason for a Minster of Hospitality). Sustainability, health and a better understanding of the importance of food in our diets for our ability to combat disease. This must start in schools but our industry can play a massive role in this. From employment, partnerships with education, understanding and sourcing of food.

Mid-March, our financial year ending June 2020 was on track to be our best to date. Lockdown meant it ended up being our worst. But the way our customers have reacted since July has given me great hope for 2021 once restrictions are lifted for good. I have taken greater steps to be financially leaner, using technology to make us more efficient, paying suppliers earlier, creating a financial backstop. There is still 3-4 months of hardship and unknowns ahead. Beyond the annoyance and frustration of the government, I do feel hopeful, we will survive and thrive.”

WIlliam Griffiths, The Angel Hotel, Abergavenny and The Walnut Tree Inn:

“We weren't surprised to learn of a new lockdown being imposed in Wales, having seen the cases continue to rise over the past few weeks, despite the additional hospitality restrictions which have been in place. It would be useful to have more clear communication on how long this is expected to last, as the current review every three weeks, means we will have to second guess decisions again, in order to try and give customers and suppliers notice for either reopening, or further cancellations. We already know it's not feasible for us to operate under the alert level three restrictions, therefore, realistically don't expect to be able to reopen now until the Spring.”

Peter Lloyd, Sticky Mango, London:

“It’s difficult to have a balanced point of view when you're trying to save your business. It goes without question that we have to put the safety of our staff, guests and public first, but there needs to be a more targeted approach to how we contain the virus. The reality is we are being denied the right to protect our businesses and livelihoods and not being supported enough by the government. The new grant scheme just doesn’t do enough to cover the fixed costs of rent, utilities, pension and NI contributions let alone the costs and wastage of having to reopen, close down, reopen and close down again. There is no doubt this is a tragic time for all involved but if we don’t get more support we just won’t be here when the dust has settled and the economy needs us all to perform to bounce back. With differed VAT bills due, bounce back loans to repay and forecasted business it’s really not looking good for 2021.”

Brendan Padfield, The Unruly Pig, Suffolk:

“Just as we thought the UK may be turning a corner, I am nervous as to what setback may be caused by the advent of a mutant strain of COVID-19. The hospitality industry is on its knees. If we are going to be able to sustainably support two million-plus jobs as the third largest sector employer, continued government support via a rates holiday and a 5% VAT rate is critical.

COVID-19 has brought out the very best and the very worst in people. My fear for 2021 is that some of the discourteous, selfish and abusive behaviour towards some members of my team and others in hospitality has now become ingrained in society. My hope is that the acts of kindness, loyalty, support and encouragement shown by the majority of customers will continue in abundance. My belief and firm conviction is that it will.“

As the vaccine means that by the summer, things should be getting back to something more normal, I hope that eventually, we will get back to what we love doing - delivering lovely food, great service and making our customers smile. That is why we do what we do because there is simply nothing better in life than the buzz of a busy restaurant s full of happy customers. But will summer 2021 see a downturn in comparative trade as all the benefits of ‘Staycation 2020’ evaporate with larger numbers of customers than normal choosing to holiday abroad?”

How to write a press release

If you have exciting news to share about your business, it can be easy to share it with people face-to-face, but translating that energy and confidence in a written press release can be harder. Here are my tips for writing a press release that will make your story stand out:

1. Keep it simple, refreshing and to the point. If your story’s worth telling, you should be able to summarise it in one sentence.

2. Don’t go over the top - no boasting - it’s not just a case of bigging up what you do. Stick to the facts and don’t exaggerate. If the story is newsworthy you won’t need to exaggerate.

3. Avoid hyperbole and cliché - words like ‘passion’ and ‘award-winning’ are overused and are an immediate turn off to journalists and readers. Write as you would naturally talk to someone using your own voice.

4. Equally there's no need to adopt a bland impersonal tone in your press release give it a bit of your own personality.

5. Make it relevant - I recommend creating a few different versions with different angles for your local media, for trade/business press and for national consumer mags and newspapers.

6. Keep it short and sweet. You don’t need to put all the detail in a press release. One page is plenty perhaps with a few notes or details on a second page. Leave your reader wanting more!

7. Do steer clear of puns or wordplay - this will mean nothing to busy journalists, scrolling through their inbox.

8. Don’t bury your ‘top line’ Most journalists don’t have time to open all the press releases they receive – never mind read them all the way through. So don’t make the mistake of burying the most interesting part – commonly known as the top line – at the bottom of your press release. Get it in the very first line.

9. Put the story in the body of an email - don’t rely on people to open attachments. Remember that journalists are often on the move, so they may be reading your release on their mobile.

10. Quotes bring the story alive. They should add insight and opinion - appeal to the senses with colour and flavour. Don’t use quotes to state or repeat facts. And make sure they sound like you as if you were talking to someone in person.

2020 UK Restaurant Trends and Predictions

Read the 2021 UK Restaurant Trends & Predictions >

Is 2020 set to be a more stable year for restaurants and hospitality? After a highly unpredictable 2019 with low consumer confidence and the economy narrowly avoiding recession, is the industry feeling confident about what the year ahead holds?

As widely predicted the rising costs, strong competition and weakening consumer demand have seen the extensive decline of the UK restaurant market during 2019 and it seems likely that there will be no quick fixes in 2020.

According to MCA UK Restaurant Report 2019, the UK restaurant market is set to contract by 3.1% in 2019 - the biggest decline in 7 years. More than 1,400 UK restaurants collapsed in 12 months to June 2019 and the number of restaurant insolvencies was up 25%. Customers have turned their backs on chains like Byron, Strada and Jamie Oliver’s restaurant empire.

But it’s not just the chains that have taken a hit, independents make up the majority of the UK restaurant market with 64% of the value and 84% outlets (MCA) and have taken their share of closures and insolvencies. Visit frequency to independent restaurants per month has fallen -8.3% in the last year.

Pubs and fast food outlets continue to outperform restaurants as they are well-positioned to satisfy the demand for lower-cost convenience.

Millennials (under 35s) make-up almost a quarter of the UK population (source: Statista) and spend a whopping 13% of their income in restaurants and bars (source: Foodspark) so cracking this market is key to restaurant and pub operators’ success in 2020. Yet Millennial consumers are increasingly difficult to attract and have different expectations and habits to their parents so restaurants need to adapt in 2020 to drive footfall and sales from this key market.

Here are some of our predictions for the UK restaurant trade in 2020.

1. Keeping Millennial Diners Happy

Millennial diners value individuality, uniqueness and adventure. They are less loyal and more likely to follow the crowd to the latest opening for the real life and social media kudos.

For this generation dining out is an experience to share with friends and meet new people. They choose restaurants for the atmosphere - they enjoy communal tables and open kitchens that let them engage with the creativity and character of your kitchen team.

It’s no coincidence that the popularity of street food coincided with the rise of millennial diners as it fulfils their desire to experiment and explore different styles of food and new cuisines. Each month the average millennial eats at a restaurant four times but has street food, orders delivery and has food to go 11 times. Food trucks offer unique foods in a fun and often social setting.

Convenience and affordability are also key to this generation - it’s not just about fast food but also efficient service. They like to use technology from booking platforms and self-ordering and payment apps that offer them control and convenience. 


2. Pop Up to Permanent

Millennial diners’ interest in trying the unique and new is also driving a trend towards pop-up restaurants.

For chefs and restaurant operators launching a pop-up site is an opportunity to test a new concept, gain a following, fine-tune details and secure investment before making a long term commitment. These take two forms: ticket-only events or short-term residencies and medium-term site take-overs.



The pop-up concept is also attractive to landlords and property companies who are increasingly nervous about signing long leases following numerous high profile restaurant closures. The bad PR and inconvenience that goes with a failed leaseholder can have a negative impact on property value so they will be incentivising take-overs and rotating pop-ups.

Examples include the former Magpie site at 10 Heddon Street, where eponymous hand-made pasta concept ran for three month - their website now says ‘Details of relocation to follow. Watch this space.” Meanwhile at the same site, Australian chef Shaun Presland has brought his take on Japanese cuisine, Pacific, to London with a strong hint that a permanent site will follow.



Spanish small-plates restaurant, Pilgrim, began its journey as a six-month residency in Hackney before they sent off an application to BBC Two’s “My Million Pound Menu”. The three founders gained the backing of Graffiti Spirits Group with an invitation to open their first permanent site at the group’s Duke Street Market which was then under redevelopment in Liverpool. Following the show, they tested the concept further with pop-ups in London and Liverpool allowing them to refine their menus and build an audience.




3. Do you deliver?

The insatiable appetite for food delivery services shows no signs of waning in 2020 driven by the quest for convenience and affordability, especially from the Millennial generation. The food delivery market is expected to grow in value by 17% over the next two years, indicating it could be worth close to 5 billion by 2020 according to market analyst NPD.

Restaurants and pubs can do more to tap into this trend with the potential to reach new audiences and increase turnover at quieter times. There’s particular scope for more sophisticated options from high-end restaurants.

However, commissions payable to these platforms are typically in the range of 20% to 25% of the total order value and with the loss of drink sales associated with delivered food, restaurant operators will face a challenge to adapt to this fundamentally altered business model.


4. Family-friendly dining

By 2020 over 5.5 million millennials in the UK will be parents and by 2025 they will make up 83% of all parents. Restaurants, pubs and cafés that may have turned their noses up at family groups must welcome them.

This is a generation which has grown up eating out more often than their parents and will take their children out with them and will expect more than a traditional nostalgic children’s menu of fish fingers & chips or sausages & mash.

WholeFoods US has predicted the shake-up of the kids’ menu as one of the top ten food trends for 2020. Parents are introducing children to more adventurous foods and putting health and nutrition higher up their priorities and will demand more child sized portions from the main menu as well as organic produce, wholegrain bread or pasta and more fresh vegetables than you see on usual kids’ menus.

5. Provenance, sustainability and tackling food waste

Consumers are increasingly making more thoughtful choices about what they eat. There’s a collective consciousness that by choosing carefully sourced sustainable options we can make a difference to climate change. 73% of Millennials will pay more for sustainable produce compared to 63% of the general global population and they want to buy into a whole sustainable lifestyle rather than token gestures.

Regenerative Agriculture is a term you should expect to hear more in 2020 - the idea that farmers and food producers must improve growing and grazing practices to improve soil health, increase biodiversity and sequester carbon.

For restaurants, this means sourcing organic or low-input produce, sustainable fish, seafood and meat.

The rise in flexitarianism means not only offering vegan and vegetarian options but also finding ways to reduce meat on the menus. Sustainable Restaurant Association Award winner, The Wheatsheaf in Chilton Foliat has cut meat by a third by taking roasts of the menu and substituting mushrooms for a third of the meat in its burgers aiming to continue to satisfy carnivorous customers.

Fruit and vegetable retailer and wholesaler Turnips Borough which supplies some of London’s top restaurants reports that chefs are demanding produce with a clear provenance or geographic designation from small producers. They believe this is a result of a growing awareness that sustainable farming practices and better soil produce the best tasting ingredients.

Awareness about reducing food waste and single-use plastic will grow further in 2020. Consumers will expect restaurant operators to demonstrate the steps they are taking to improve and show that tackling food waste doesn’t have to be an afterthought. This trend is spearheaded by a series of new restaurant launches putting tackling food waste at the forefront of their brand: including Doug McMaster’s reopening of Silo in London; and Adam Handling’s new ‘sustainable causal’ restaurant, Ugly Butterfly, which opens in Chelsea in December serving dishes made from waste predominantly sourced from his nearby fine-dining restaurant at the Belmond Cadogan Hotel.

6. Healthy Pleasures

8 out of 10 millennials say it’s important to eat healthily and indulge occasionally and people of all ages are looking to mix and match balancing health with the occasional indulgence. Consumers are more likely to seek healthy options on weekdays and at lunchtime and treat themselves at the weekend.

Millennials always have their eyes on the latest health trends. Operators must offer healthy options and whether that’s alternative milk and dairy, gluten-free or vegan options. Other trends that will continue to grow in 2020 included fermented products for their gut-health benefits, ancient and heritage grains including spelt, emmer and naked oats from producers like Hodmedod; as well as alternative gluten-free flour from peas and quinoa.

Younger diners also like the opportunity to personalise their menus making choices that are more or less healthy by picking their own pizza toppings, salad dressing, or burgers with or without a bun.

7. Would you like wine with that?

An extension of the health trend is that numerous reports suggest that younger people are drinking less than their parents. 25% of young people class themselves as non-drinkers (BMC Public Health) and 65% of alcohol consumers aged 25 to 34 “are trying or have tried to cut back on their alcohol intake”.

Dry months Dry January and Sober October are increasingly popular across all age groups and are key periods for operators to offer exciting alternatives and an opportunity to retain some of the margins. Yet restaurants and pubs must offer grown-up, sophisticated alcohol-free options must be available all year round.

There’s an increasing choice no-alcohol spirit alternatives spearheaded by Seedlip who launched Aecorn Aperitifs in 2019. These brands are driving innovation in no-alcohol cocktails or mocktails. Low/No Alcohol beer is seen as more socially acceptable than it was and many more premium brands are entering the market and Michelin starred restaurants including Clove Club and the Standard Hotel have added no-alcohol wines to their lists.

Real Kombucha, launched in 2017, is now stocked on 60 Michelin-starred restaurants and is also served as an aperitif at l’Enclume. While sommeliers at restaurants such as La Gavroche, Clove Club, and Restaurant Nathan Outlaw are creating their own no-alcohol ferments from loose leave teas.

8. Up your Tech Game

We know millennials love convenience so it’s no surprise that many of them turn to technology to improve their dining out experience. 77% of millennials say restaurant technology improves their dining experience.

This generation is tech-savvy and will use apps and mobile technology to research where to eat out, to book, to check wait times, to pay and to share reviews. The prevalence of smartphones has put consumers in control; while portable EPOS systems help businesses run more efficiently.

We’re seeing an increase in technology for branded apps helping restaurant operators to improve loyalty and drive repeat business as well as build efficiencies in ordering and inventory management, and staff scheduling and payroll.

Voice-activated technology will transform the way consumers order food and drink and is expected to change how we book too. Restaurant booking platform, Qundoo believe that 50% of all searches will be voice searches in 2020 while ResDiary now offers bookings through a Facebook chatbot.

Social media has changed the way millennials choose restaurants, bars and cafés and booking through social is expected to grow to. 18-35-year-olds spend five days a year browsing food images on Instagram, and 30% would avoid a restaurant if their Instagram presence was weak.

So restaurant operators must make sure that they are easy to find online and on social media with up-to-date menus and strong images, and adapt the latest technologies to drive online booking.

12 Tips for Restaurant PR

12 Tips for Restaurant PR

You and your team are slogging away serving fabulous food and creating memorable dining experiences - your customers love what you do but you’d like more people to know about it.

You are only new once

Maybe you’ve tried contacting the media to get coverage and inviting journalists and influencers to visit but struggling to get heard above all the competition. Journalists always seem to ask “is it new?” and reading restaurant reviews in the national papers or features in magazines it can seem like all the coverage is about the new places. It can feel frustrating once you’re more than a year old. But there are other ways you can engage with the media.

So how can you use PR to secure media coverage for your restaurant, pub or café in the local media, in national magazines and newspapers or through influencers and bloggers?

1. Be Newsworthy

One of the primary mistakes businesses make when writing press releases or reaching out to the media is not to find an angle or a hook for your story. Imagine you’ve only got a few seconds to capture someone’s attention - that famous elevator pitch. It also helps to imagine you are writing a story that could be featured in print. Ask yourself what would make it interesting to you as a reader. If you’re launching a new business that’s great - tell us what’s unique about what you do, what are your credentials, and where did the team come from. If you’re not a new restaurant have you got any significant anniversaries to celebrate, have you invested in refurbishments, hired a new chef, launched a new menu or planned any special events?

2. Tell your story

Journalists are inundated with press releases and invitations you want them to read to the end of your email or press release. Tell your story as if you’re telling it to a friend. Here are some top tips:

• Give it context - set the place, time, setting and any relevant context.

• Keep it factual.

• Use active verbs.

• Use a quote or testimonial from one or two people in the business to inject some personality but focus on the emotions - how do you feel about it? Leave the facts for the main text.

• Create some tension - don’t be afraid to reveal the challenges and how you’ve overcome them.

3. Don’t go over the top

Remember PR is not advertising, it’s not just a case of bigging up what you do. Stick to the facts and don’t exaggerate. Avoid hyperbole and cliché - words like ‘passion’ and ‘award-winning’ are overused and are an immediate turn off to readers. Write as you would naturally talk to someone using your own voice. There's no need to adopt a bland impersonal tone in your press release give it a bit of your own personality.

Keep it short and sweet. You don’t need to put all the detail in a press release. One page is plenty perhaps with a few notes or details on a second page. Leave your reader wanting more!

4. Be consistent

Every little detail of how you present yourself before people visit your restaurant counts just as much as what happens when they walk through the door. So take a step back from the detail and try and look at how you present yourself online as if you’d never seen it before. The first thing a journalist might do when they hear about you is to look at your website or your social media presence, so make sure it’s projecting the image you want to convey and is consistent across the board. For example, make sure your social media profiles and handles say the same thing and that the details and photos on your website are up to date.

5. Every picture tells a story

Good photography is a necessary investment. Access to good high-resolution images can make or break whether an editor decides to publish an article. So do have a portfolio of good images of your venue and of the food and portraits of the chef and key people in the team?

Good food photography is a skill and it is worth getting in a professional rather than making-do with images you’ve taken on your phone. If you can’t afford a professional perhaps you’ve got a friend or customer who is an amateur photographer and will bring in a proper camera in return for lunch.

We recommend creating a “Media Pack” of images online that people can easily access by following a shared link. Google Drive and Dropbox are my preferences. Make the journalist’s or picture editor’s job easy by creating folders such as Interiors, Exteriors, Food, and Portraits. Clearly label each photograph (e.g. the name of the dish) and if you need to credit your photographer put their name or details in the file name.

6. Do your research

Sounds obvious, but really: do your research. Buy papers and magazines and read the online ones so you know exactly what they each cover - and just importantly what they don’t. Does your story fit?

Make a list of the editors and writers covering the most relevant sections - you can often find their contact details in the magazine or contact pages on their websites. You can always pick up the phone to the switchboard and ask who is the right person to contact.

Keep a record of all of the journalists, bloggers and writers you want to approach and a note of what you’ve sent them, when, and how they responded. This will help you next time you want to contact them.

7. Be targetted

Keep in mind that no two journalists are alike. Each journalist has their own focus or speciality - so one size does not fit all. Create and share stories and press releases that are tailored to the individual - even if that’s just by personalising the covering email.

8. Don’t forget the time

Don’t expect to get coverage overnight. Monthly magazines can work on a lead time of six months or more. Editors will have an editorial calendar - think about how your story can fit into other things going on…Christmas or Halloween are the obvious ones, but remember Christmas issues can be planned as early as June.

Clients are always asking me why they can’t get their restaurant reviewed in the national papers, but each paper probably only publishes one review a week so that’s only 52 restaurants a year… and yes as I said, unfortunately, the critics do favour new openings.

It’s good to think beyond the classic review - can you offer recipes, tips, or other opinions. Could you get a profile piece for your chef or restaurant manager?

Is your chef or sommelier a thought-leader? It’s good to establish them as an authority in what they do. Social media or blogs can be a good way to demonstrate their expertise and can help journalists who are looking for a specialist to speak to.

9. It’s all about who you know

It’s an old cliché that still rings true, but these days social media can be your friend when it comes to building your network. Seek out journalists and influencers on social media and give them a follow. Engage with their content and build a relationship. You can even use direct messages to send them an invite to visit. It works!

In the real world - get yourself out there - network, enter awards and take part in events.

10. Be prepared to offer complimentary meals

While restaurant critics prefer to visit unannounced and anonymously if their public profile allows, other journalists will appreciate an invitation to taste your food.

Journalists and influencers are, as you can imagine, inundated with invitations so be prepared for rejections. But by sending targetted invitations to people you’ve identified as relevant and offering a nice hook or reason to visit now, you will have a higher success rate.

My personal experience is that journalists prefer to make individual visits rather than attend a press event - it gives them the real customer experience. But sometimes if you want to celebrate a special occasion like a restaurant opening or anniversary a press event can work, offer something exclusive such as the chance to meet the chef or meet some of your producers.

It’s also worth setting expectations with journalists about what they will get when they come, rarely but nonetheless surprisingly, I do hear stories of people taking advantage of the free drinks offer. What you offer is up to you, but it’s usual to offer for the guest to bring a plus one and include one or two drinks or a bottle of wine with their meal.

11. Share and share again

The real value of PR doesn’t stop when the article or review is printed.

Use social media, your newsletter and website to tell people about the coverage. Although for copyright reasons be wary of posting photographs or publishing the article verbatim. You can share links to the article if it’s online or quote a the headline or an extract and use the publications logo.

12. Talk to the experts

Finally, if you’re struggling to make time to do your own PR, there are lots of agencies and freelancers out there who specialise in doing PR for restaurants, chefs and hospitality. Their value is in their address book and relationships with journalists and influencers and knowing how to make your story newsworthy.

Working with a freelancer like Polly Robinson, is perhaps not as expensive as you might think because they don’t have the same overheads as an agency. Freelance restaurant PRs will work flexibly and either on a one-off project basis (e.g. for a restaurant launch) or on an ongoing basis.

Get in touch with Polly today if you need help with getting your restaurant into the media.

Email polly@pollyrobinson.co.uk or call 07966 475195.

Top 10 Christmas Ingredient Trends for 2019

Top 10 Christmas Ingredient Trends for 2019

With the miserable wet weather we’ve had recently, we all need something to look forward to . . . and luckily Christmas isn’t that far away now. I’ve been chatting to my clients Turnips Borough, the fruit and vegetable retailer and wholesaler in Borough Market who supply some of London’s top restaurants (La Gavroche, Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, and Marcus Waring) about what they predict will be the key trends on our plates this Christmas.

The rise of veganism has only grown stronger this year and that means more households will be planning a plant-based Christmas and restaurants will be offering vegan and vegetarian options at centre stage rather than as an after-thought. It’s not only people going the whole hog with veganism, but more of us are also choosing to reduce our meat consumption and so vegetables will rise in prominence this Christmas.

Although we like to strick to tradition at Chrismas, chefs and home-cooks are looking for new flavours and textures - exploring different varieties and innovative cooking methods to offer a new take on traditional roast potatoes and brussel sprouts.

Here are the predictions from the Foster family at Turnips.

Purple Veg

Whether it’s the Instagram effect of just or just a because we all need a bit of colour in our lives, we’ve seen a growing interest in bold, vibrant and colourful fruit and veg from a rainbow of Chantenay carrots to heritage tomatoes. Purple vegetables are particularly on-trend from purple cauliflowers and brussel sprouts to candy-striped beetroot and purple potatoes. Purple is the hot colour for veg in your Instagram grid this Christmas.

Going nuts

Nuts are no longer relegated to a decorative bowl on the coffee table. Vegans and vegetarians are seeking out natural protein alternatives and nuts are an obvious choice.

Meaty Mushrooms

People are seeking out ‘meaty’ and strong flavoured vegetables to replace meat in their diet. Think beyond bland supermarket button mushrooms to Chicken of the Woods, Beefsteak and Puffballs which have a firm texture and flavour.

Truffles

Long associated with the height of luxury, truffles are the perfect Christmas indulgence and we’re seeing growing interest in the different varieties from the best Perigord truffles to rare White Alba. Truffles have that umami, savoury profile you see in miso and tahini that reflects a shift away from sweet accompaniments. Simply sliced over your Christmas Turkey a truffle adds a touch of decadence to your Christmas lunch.

Exotic Fruit

Out of the UK’s summer fruit season, people are seeking out exotic and unusual fruits from the Southern Hemisphere - chefs and consumers are enjoying the colour and floral flavours of passion fruit, guava and dragon fruit. We’re particularly excited about Mauritius Lychees which are at their best over the festive season.

Oranges are not the only fruit

While we know that clementines and tangerines are in season over the British winter, we’re seeing a growth in the availability and interest in more unusual citrus from cedro and yuzu to bergamot and pomelos. Bergamots are hugely popular with our restaurant customers for it’s highly perfumed flavoured high acidity - it’s the citrus that gives Earl Grey tea its distinct flavour. The sour flesh works well in curds and marmalade while cedro is used for renowned for its peel which is incredible when candied.

Baby Vegetables

Baby leeks were one of the hits of last week - people love them not only as they look pretty on the plate but they’re super tender with an intense flavour. This year we expect the trend of baby vegetables to extend to Rainbow Chantenay carrots and diminutive Piccolo parsnips. Popular in restaurants for some time, baby veg are gaining in popularity with home cooks who enjoy their delicate appearance.

Micro salads and edible flowers

Chefs show no sign of getting bored with micro herbs and edible flowers for decoration. Going back to the popularity of the colour purple, viola flowers are one of our best sellers with their velvety texture, intense purple colour with a lettuce-like flavour. Crimson basil, purple shiso, sweet red batavia lettuce and savoury baby red chard are also perfect for a touch of purple colour to decorate your plate.

Back to our Roots

We’re seeing a return to under-rated roots and chefs are innovating with cooking methods, again putting a twist on the traditional and experimenting with chervil root and parsley root. Parsley root looks similar to parsnips but has a distinct parsley flavour with a hint of celery, it can be eaten raw, used in soups or purées or roasted like parsnips. Chervil root has a slightly sweet, delicate and nutty flavour and has always been popular in France but British chefs are starting to use it more often. Pureed, its creamy white flesh is a great accompaniment to meat or fish or you can roast or even make chips with it.

Get Fermenting

Fermentation is without doubt one of the buzz words of 2019 with much interest in gut health, and there’s no reason to put that on hold over Christmas. Figs are in season now but will be finished by Christmas so we recommend fermenting figs now and serving them on your Christmas cheeseboard. Fermenting is also a great way to deal with leftover fruit and vegetables and avoid fruit waste, when you find that tired cabbage or bag or carrots at the bottom of the fridge, why not have a go at making your own kimchi. It’s easier than you think.

Writing for Great British Chefs - Suffolk Restaurant Guide

Look out for my Food Lovers Guide to Suffolk on Great British Chefs… with a guide to Norfolk coming soon.

The complete foodie guide to Suffolk

Polly Robinson takes us on a tour of her home county of Suffolk, highlighting the best places to eat in this sleepy, laidback part of East Anglia.

Great British Chefs - Suffolk Restaurant Guide >

Speaking and Hosting at the Theatre of Food, Latitude Festival

Polly Robinson speaking at Latitude Festival.

When you’re invited to speak at one of the UK’s favourite Festival - Latitude - it would be rude to say no! In July I took part in a panel discussion at Latitude’s Theatre of Food and hosted demonstrations from chefs from across the UK.

Latitude’s Theatre of Food curated by FoodHaus Productions was new in 2018 and swiftly became a hugely popular part of the festival’s programme with cookery demonstrations and panel discussions from chefs, food writers and campaigners including the team from Sustain and the Real Bread Campaign.

I was honoured to be invited to take part in a panel discussion about the food and drink of East Anglia and the chance to talk about issues close to my heart. I also hosted sessions with chef Richard Bainbridge from Benedicts in Norwich, Georgina Hayden and a brilliant cooking on fire demo from the fabulous Lord Logs - aka Mark Parr of the London Log Company and his partner cookery writer and stylist Natalie Seldon, Pretty Edible Stylist. I also hosted a Q&A with one of my absolute favourite Suffolk food producers, Jonathan Crickmore of the Fen Farm Dairy, producers of Baron Bigod - to one of the biggest audiences of the weekend keen to taste the incredible cheese, butter and raw milk.

It was brilliant to see such huge audience for these demos especially when there’s so much going on at the festival all weekend and it demonstrates the genuine growing interest in learning about food from people of all ages and walks of life.

Polly Robinson is available for talks, panels and to host workshops and demonstrations. Please get in touch.