Further north this time to the border and visit lovely Wodonga for the May PPP. After a sensational feed and some of the cleanest, freshest pots of Carlton Draught at the Huon Hill (not to mention the fantastic and very well priced accommodation at the Quest next door), we went to Elgin’s Inn where we were kept warm by the famous Steak Pit!
Kimberley and Paddy from the AHA reminded everyone to make sure your signage is up and your RSA (and RSG) registers are up to date. As always, if you have any licensing issues, get the AHA on the phone first!
Tim Ockleshaw from CUB presented the 6 Mega Trends in the hospitality industry. Did you know there’s a shift to lighter and easiser to drink beers?! Well, there is! It’s all about making the drink offer is provided to customers first, and creating an engaging environment. And what’s the ‘story’ of your venue? It can be a great selling point.
Andrew from Cooking the Books was as entertaining as ever, breaking down the menu. Review the menu at least twice a year, have a ‘hero’ dish, cost EVERY ITEM on the menu, and make the menu easy to read. Remember, it’s not just a menu, it’s the key piece of communication between you and your customers, so put the stuff on it that they want, and you can make a quid on.
Damian O’Malley from the OMC Group gave a great presentation, showing everyone the pathway to obtaining ‘raving fans’ of your business – that is, people who will actively bring people in the door. The more people you have in the high performing/high satisfaction quadrant, the more the discretionary effort you get from them, the further mile they go and the bigger the impression they make to your customers. Abracadabra – you have raving fans!
Luke Ponti from Round 6 talked about the small changes with big impact projects that deliver a real return on investment. It’s not always about doing a whole revamp – continual changes, making zones or spaces for your customers to have their own experience – that’s what it’s about. Oh, and don’t forget your female patrons!
The Publican’s Panel of Dan Cronin (Western Hotel Ballarat), Bob O’Kane (All Nations Richmond) and David Canny (Red Lion Ballarat) talked about engaging customers, and listening to their feedback on social media and old-fashioned feedback forms. Discuss the results with all your team – good and bad – to get them to be a little more aware of what’s affecting your business, and get a little bit of buy-in from them to go the extra mile.
Next month it’s off to Marong!
Oh and don’t forget – we’re presenting at the AHA for a EOFY business update. Register with the AHA today!
