WHAM Hospitality Consultancy - thoughts from across the bar

Caution: AI ahead!

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:47:11 GMT

Caution: AI ahead!

If you're self-employed and work by yourself then you'll know that the phrase 'time is money' really is true. To that end, if I'm going to take a day out of my business for some self-reflection or personal development then I have to be confident that I'll get something out of that time away.

When I take the time to visit Expos or trade shows I'm mainly going for the seminars; I'm looking for those nuggets of information or early adoption trends that can help me get an edge, be that in in the hospitality consultancy side of the business or the hospitality recruitment side of things.

I didn't visit Recruitment Expo in 2024. After previously finding visits to the London Expo informative I looked at the 2024 line-up of speakers and topics and nothing jumped out at me. Fast forward 12-months and the 2025 line-up intrigued me - it was really AI and automation subject heavy.

I've been cautious about the adoption of AI/automation or recommending the adoption of AI/automation to clients. It feels like a massive subject matter, and one that is moving so fast that just when you feel you might be getting a handle on its potential uses and benefits, a week or so later than detail is out of date and it's back to the drawing board.

Now I know AI and automation aren't the same thing, but in most instances where I read about the two through my hospitality led lens, it is the combination of both in one form or another that lead the discussion. For the purpose of continuing, where I reference AI I'm thinking about the combination of the two.

So come Recruitment Expo London 2024 there appeared to be a lot of learning on-tap over the one-day I would visit. When I arrived and sat in the first seminar it was clear I wasn't alone in wanting to learn more; the seminar was packed! Literally not enough seats, people cramming around barriers to watch and listen. This pattern continued all day, and by mid afternoon I made my first reflective note:

"If AI frees up administrative time then what do people do with the time they have free?"

Speak to managers in a multitude of fields and they'll tell you that trying to make sure their team is efficient and effective in their use of time is almost always top of their list of things to tackle. So if we adopt AI to free up more time for our team, what exactly will they do with it? I have my thoughts on the potential pit-falls and benefits of this but that's a blog for another day.

The day progressed and the final seminar had 'Dragon's Dens' own Deborah Meaden as the key-note interview. As was the flavour of the day, the conversation turns to AI. Deborah, an experienced leader with a portfolio covering a diverse range of businesses, then dropped her thoughts on the matter that made up my second reflective note.

Deborah spoke about how one of her businesses had taken an early adoptive stance. Eighteen-months down the line she was questioning the strategy behind that stance. Post COVID AI had been used to automate functions with customers that would have previously been done through human interaction. As the post COVID economy began to struggle, business development took on a priority focus. There was just one problem:

The business had sacrificed building in-person customer relationships, replacing these interactions with AI automation. Now, when those relationships needed to be leveraged, they weren't there anymore.

I finished the day with plenty to think about on the train ride home. Within my range of businesses I have a number of AI related considerations:

1) How can I leverage AI within my consultancy to improve my service?

2) Where/when can I recommend AI services to my consultancy clients where they ask about my thoughts on the matter?

3) How can I use AI within my recruitment process without sacrificing building relationships with both candidates and clients?

A month after I returned from Expo (and with Deborah's words still at the forefront of my mind) I came across an article in The Guardian with the headline "Starbucks says cutting shop staff in favour of automation has failed" echoing Deborah's words that the lack of the face-to-face guest experience can be damaging to the long-term health of a business.

Be it machine-learning AI or agentic AI there appears to be a multitude of uses and I'm trying to stay up to speed as fast as the market is moving. Personally I'm cautiously dipping my toe in the water; but I can't shake my takeaways from Recruitment Expo.

If I use AI to free up my time how do I use that time productively (rather than getting sucked into an afternoon scrolling TikTok)?
If clients adopt AI to give their teams more time, what do they use that time for and how do you measure that as a success marker?
Before you adopt AI do you have a structured business case for it? What are you trying to achieve and why? Is there a legitimate benefit to your business or are you simply keeping up with The Jones'?
What are the potential impacts (positive and negative) 18-months down the line if you do and/or do not invest in AI?

As I write this I still don't know the answers, and I get the feeling that I'm not the only one who feels unsure, and I've decided that's OK.

A former line manager of mine once told me that one of my strengths was that I'm "...always looking for the next thing...the next big idea...how to stay ahead...". Recently I've taken to listening to podcasts on the AI matter its clear that the genie is out of the bottle and AI will indeed be the 'next thing'.

Right now though I've decided I'm going to continue to be cautious on the matter, at least until I can better respond to my own takeaways from my last 'day out' - and that probably means down the road I'll find myself in another seminar theatre somewhere in the country looking for answers. Maybe I'll see you there?

Mood Management - a dying art in Hospitality?

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 13:22:21 GMT

As I came back to social media following a festive sabbatical I posted a recount of my experiences around varied hospitality venues across December. The post gained a good deal of traction with comments such as:

“Totally agree”

“Bang on this”

“..absolutely KEY to the success of any venue”

“..by far the most important thing..”

I’d clearly touched on a subject that was close to some people’s hearts apart from just my own; so I wanted to expand on the topic in a longer-form – so here goes!

I was back at it early in the New Year and caught up with a couple of big hitter, wet-led, private hospitality operators here in the North East. Conversation inevitably turned to their trading numbers for the festive period and there was no surprise from me to learn they had been strong. These guys are good operators; some of the best I know.

Their results appear to go against what other wet-led operators have come out in the press/socials to say; its been quiet, the trade is dying, we need more help/support etc etc.

I was across the North East, North West and Scotland in December and I found the same thing to be true now that it was 2️0 years ago.... Those places I visited that did 'mood management' well were busy, those who didn't weren't.

Simplistic? Maybe, but that was the pattern.

What do I actually mean by 'mood management' though? Well amongst other things:

✅️ The music was engaging with the venue demographic.

✅️ FX lighting was all working and was been used with a plan in mind.

✅️ The house lighting was at a suitable level for the time of night.

✅️ The layout of the venue and its furniture was appropriate to the level of trade.

I was brought up through the industry in an era where 'mood management' was ingrained into us from those who went before and mentored us. Even those of us in bars/pubs who weren’t late-night, entertainment, or coloured lighting led, mood management was still key to those sites and the impact on their guests. The article in this link does a great job setting that out.

For those of us with a entertainment edge to our venues though, mood management is so much more than simply letting a DJ play and turning your lighting down.

es, even back then we were ‘marked’ on it- a KPI if you will. Were our house lights down enough? Did our FX lights have any bulbs out? Was our haze machine being used? What effect was the music offering having on our guest?

Bur more-so it was about the ‘feel’. Could you take yourself away from your shift-running to look at your venue through the eyes of your guests, and if so, what were you seeing. Most importantly, what were you feeling?

As a GM I used to put as much in place as I could for our new/less experienced duty managers so there was some structure and consistency around their on-shift mood-management as I could; and when they were on shift with me, they’d stand with me a times and we’d talk about ‘feel’ and I’d try to help them understand the X’s and O’s that went beyond the structure provided. You simply weren’t going to run the busier-shifts and therefore progress in your career unless I had the confidence you could manage atmosphere and ensure our guests were getting that consistent experience.

Many years back I was involved in a Red Bull initiative that included speaking with guests in late-night pubs/bars and asking them what helped them decide which venues to visit. Top of the polls? Atmosphere.

Ahead of pricing.

Ahead of service.

Atmosphere was no1️.

From what I've seen last month, mood-management looks (and feels) like a skill that is sadly dying out, and operator's tills are feeling the cost of a lost art.

Have we lost the mentors to keep this dying art alive? Or have we just lost the time to mentor this skill as companies concentrate on more tactile elements of the guest journey that they can quantify with score and statistics?

As quality management recruitment continues to be a pinch-point for the industry, at a time where we should be (and in large cases are) spending more time and money developing our people, do operators have the time, energy (and structure) to help themselves by investing in helping our superstars of the future understand the importance of mood-management as much as we do mystery-guest scores or cellar cleanliness compliance?

Do I consider myself a master of the dark-arts of mood-management? Perhaps. Some would kindly say 'yes'. What I am is a disciple of mentors who went before me, and in 2024 I'm going to strive to keep their teachings alive and help others to rediscover this (seemingly) dying art.

Mark spent 15-years on the high street managing, amongst other styles of venues, late-night pubs, bars and nightclubs, before moving into a multisite and then executive career. Mark started WHAM Hospitality Consultancy in 2019.

Looking past the stigma - what people with disability can bring to your Hospitality team

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 10:50:11 GMT

It's time to look past what you think you know...

Millions of individuals with disabilities live full and productive lives — working, raising children, and enjoying leisure and recreational activities. Disabilities are conditions that limit specific activities. People with disabilities come from all backgrounds and groups, and often a disability isn't apparent. Disabilities include physical issues that may impact mobility, mental impairments, and conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

In this article I'll tell you why now is the time to look past the stigma of employing people with disabilities and how becoming an inclusive employer can lead to a thriving work place.

Why Hire Workers With Disabilities?

UK-based organizations that want to diversify their workforce will find that workers with disabilities bring several skills to the work setting. For example, Shape Arts notes that individuals with disabilities often have strong problem-solving skills because navigating difficult situations is a necessity for them. Studies cited by Lever show that workers with disabilities demonstrate low absenteeism and high productivity, which organizations seek when recruiting workers. Hiring workers with disabilities also indicates a business is inclusive and that the workforce is representative of the organization’s clients or customers.

Be Intentional When Recruiting and Communicating Using an Online PDF Editor

It’s one thing to say your organisation is committed to hiring people with disabilities; it’s another to make it happen. It helps to be intentional and strategic if you want to be an inclusive employer. Your actions can assure individuals with disabilities that you welcome them. Here is where creating a recruiting document for new applicants detailing why talented disabled employees should work for your company. This document can also emphasize your commitment to creating an inclusive culture. If you're using a PDF, an online PDF editor allows you to make changes to your document. Simply upload the file online to make changes, then download and share.

Consider these strategies for getting more people with disabilities to apply for positions:

Advertise your job openings where individuals with disabilities can see them.
Make web-based job announcements and applications more accessible for those with visual impairments to navigate.
Reach out to college career planning and placement centres.
Develop mentoring programs for individuals with disabilities.
Partner with organisations that serve individuals with disabilities.
Encourage individuals with disabilities to apply for internships.
Make efforts to retain employees with disabilities.

Be a Responsive Leader

Hiring is only part of creating a diverse work environment that includes employees with disabilities. Business owners and managers must ensure that all employees feel like valuable team members. Retaining the best talent can be difficult in any situation, but promoting positivity and keeping the lines of communication open are good places to begin.

Assistance Programs for Businesses Hiring Individuals With Disabilities

Access to Work other resources can help UK businesses hire individuals with disabilities. The government’s Work and Health Programme can help individuals find and keep a job while providing personal support for any special needs they may have. Disability Confident schemes help disabled people transition into work. The charity Leonard Cheshire offers Change100, a program that brings together the country’s top employers with talented disabled students.

Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Work Environment Is Worthwhile

Individuals with disabilities bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the workplace. However, organisations must make the effort to recruit, hire, and retain them. If you want to create a more inclusive work environment, it takes commitment and initiative.

WHAM Consultancy supports small to medium sized hospitality and leisure operators with operati onal support and senior role recruitment. Connect with Mark today to find out more! +44 07958 307056

How You Can Develop Your Career in Hospitality

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 10:19:51 GMT

WHAM Consultancy provides a full-circle consultancy service specialising within the hospitality and leisure sectors. Connect with us today for more info! +44 07958 307056

Working in hospitality is as challenging as it is rewarding, and that goes double if you’re starting your own venture. To flourish, you have to know the industry but also know yourself. Think through this career choice carefully, and research every step to success.

Ready to dive in? Check out the following tips and advice from WHAM Consultancy .

Develop Relationships

To ensure you put your best foot forward, Hospitality Lifestyle suggests making connections and maintaining them, but know where to draw a line. For instance, you shouldn't try to be friends with your boss. Conversely, you want to treat employees with kindness and respect but not be overly familiar. This could break down the power dynamic and make it difficult to enforce policies. Nurture your relationships, notes Success Magazine, especially as time passes. When you can, introduce your connections to each other. They may be thankful when they make a valuable connection, and it also may lead them to return the favour.

Don’t let your relationships stagnate either. Check in with them regularly, even if that only means getting coffee once every few months. The hospitality industry is not one that should be navigated alone; you will likely need to network.

Manage Your Reputation

Your reputation in any industry will make or break you, as the saying goes. The best way to build a good reputation is to work hard and help others. Make sure you hit all your deadlines and don’t let anyone wait, including subordinates. Be willing to help those around you when they need it, and offer ideas to solve problems. When you agree to take on work, be sure to finish it. You want to be seen as reliable, trustworthy, and easy to get along with. Always go above and beyond when possible. If you’re known as the person with the best work ethic and who is assured around others, it will go a long way toward making up for any lack of expertise.

Get Experience

To prosper in the hospitality industry , you must understand both its operational and corporate sides. Many of us may dream of owning our own bed and breakfast or running a hotel, but a dream and reality can vary drastically. You have to be familiar with the industry to expect to run a successful business. There will be customer-focused issues that arise, staff concerns , as well as business-focused problems that must be proactively solved. The best strategy to learn how to deal with these issues is to get hands-on experience yourself.

Embody Versatility

You’re going to need adaptability. You must have a broad skill set before you start because learning on the job will prove challenging. After all, you may be dealing with bookings, unhappy guests, office work, scheduling, finances, deliveries, and cleaning, as well as making certain all maintenance is seen to. Do your best to be a jack of all trades to cultivate learning.

Going Out on Your Own

No matter our ambitions, we are not all meant to run a business, and the learning curve is steep. Having certain skills is essential, and if you lack them, you must be able to develop them. Be honest and ask yourself some serious questions about whether you’re ready to launch a business. Do you have a well-thought-out plan, and do you have the tenacity and commitment to pull it off? How large is this venture going to become, and what sort of investment will it need? Can you solve problems under pressure? How much do you really enjoy working with and for people? Even more so, you need a passion for sales and delivering the best experience possible. If you don’t, it will be difficult to be successful.

Consider too the type of help you will need for your business aside from regular staff. For example, you’ll do your best to work with an accountant to help you manage your finances as well as payroll and tax reporting. A virtual assistant can also be a boon, since they can help with everything from website management to email and digital marketing.

Manage the money

Another thing you need to check off is acquiring funding for your venture. Lenders will scrutinise your finances before awarding a loan, beginning with your debt-to-income ratio. Many financiers will not hand out a loan to someone with a ratio that exceeds 35 percent, although if your monthly gross income is high enough to assure them you’ll be able to make timely payments there is some leeway on the percentage. Calculating your debt-to-income ratio is straightforward – simply divide your total monthly debt by your gross monthly income

Be prepared for all possibilities; after all, in the hospitality industry, anything can happen. You have to be able to keep a cool head under some pretty tense situations. If this is the right path for you, there is no doubt it can be the journey of a lifetime !!

Video CV's in Hospitality - innovative or invasive?

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:15:42 GMT

The role of video in recruitment - innovative or invasive?

V I D E O - C V s ��️

I found an article by the BBC into the use of video in recruitment a really interesting read - you'll find a link to the exact piece at the end of this blog.

Are video cover-letters/CV's the future? I've got some thoughts:

I don't mind the fact that some companies are recruiting without ever having met their candidates in person. In the current recruitment climate I personally prefer a process with a mixture of online AND in-person interviews; I could expend on why, but that's another tale for another day.

Video CV's and cover letters though? For careers in front of the camera or roles including a lot of presentation or public speaking, I can see the appeal of this being 'on-brand' and useful; for most other roles/careers, I'm not so sure.

Are we going to start judging candidate's on their ability to record a video; on how comfortable they feel in front of a camera? Is that what's important to us - because inevitably that is what would happen; and where does it end? Do we expect top notch production values while they're at it? Does that get extra credit towards gaining an interview?

Take YouTube as an example. Back in the day anyone with a camera could post content. It was raw and organic and that was the genesis behind the platform's appeal - anyone with a video camera (remember those!) who wanted to post could post. Now, to stand out in a crowded market it's all about the production value.

Influencers spend thousands having their videos edited and produced professionally to stand out. Does that make their content any more informative?

You can see where I'm going with this. It's an extreme example I know, but I'd be concerned we're choosing who we interview for all the wrong reasons; not to mention the inevitable judgement and discrimination that will come from seeing the person on screen before you make a decision whether they have the skills and experience you're looking for or not.

I like to think of myself as an open-minded person. I'm all for innovation, trying new things, and "what's the next new idea?", but this one leaves me a little fearful for the future of recruitment if this were to become a wide-scale accepted practise.

Have a read. Form your own opinion. The article goes a lot deeper than I can in post form, but I'd love to hear your thoughts.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220121-the-jobseekers-boosting-their-applications-with-video-cvs

See you at the bar.....

Mark

www.whamconsultancy.com

'Plan B' guidance for Late Night hospitality

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 12:18:30 GMT

Yet again the Late Night hospitality sector finds itself on the brink of further legislation aimed at slowing the spread of COVID, in this case the Omicron variant. It is expected that the guidance laid out below will come into effect in England from 6am Wednesday 15th December 2021.

To help keep you up to speed I've summarised the key points below.

I've also produced a quick and easy-to-follow checklist to help supplement the information below. You'll find that at the end of this article.

Q: What do I have to action as the 'responsible person' for my venue?

Each venue will have a responsible person who must comply with a number of obligations relating to the requirement to use the NHS COVID Pass as a condition of entry. This person should check where responsibility for data protection lies in their organisation.

You are the responsible person for a nightclub, dancehall, or discotheque, or other venue open after 1am with alcohol, music and dancing, if you are the venue manager.

Q: Does my venue need to carry out checks on entry?

Venues and events where the NHS COVID Pass, or alternative proofs of COVID-19 status, must be used as a condition of entry are:

nightclubs, dancehalls and discotheques
other late night dance venues, where all of the following apply:
the venue is open between 1am and 5am
it serves alcohol after 1am
it has a dancefloor (or space for dancing)
it provides music, whether live or recorded, for dancing

Q: What do I need to do?

Organisations must take reasonable steps to make sure that all visitors aged 18 or above show an NHS COVID Pass, or approved proof of vaccination, testing, or an exemption, to enter the venue or event.

Evidence of natural immunity must not be accepted as an alternative to proof of vaccination or testing.

Q: Do I need to test my Team?

COVID-19 status checks are not mandatory for workers, but organisations should take reasonable steps to make sure that all adults working or providing services (as an employee, contractor or volunteer) in customer-facing roles show evidence of one of the following:

a valid NHS COVID Pass
an acceptable alternative proof of either vaccination, clinical trial participation, or medical exemption, for example, international equivalents accepted at the UK border
an alternative proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, for example, text or email confirmation from NHS Test and Trace

Q: Are there any scenarios where I don't need to check on entry?

There are some situations where nightclubs, dance halls, discotheques and other late night dance venues do not have to use the NHS COVID Pass. These are:

nightclubs, dance halls and discotheques which close their dancefloor, or cease to provide music
other late night dance venues when operating outside of the hours of 1am to 5am, or which close their dancefloor, cease to provide music, or cease serving alcohol between the hours of 1am and 5am

Nightclubs, dancehalls and discotheques are required to check the COVID-19 status of visitors at all times, unless hosting an exempt event.

If you operate a venue in the category of other late night dance venue, you must take reasonable measures to make sure that all visitors who are present in your venue between the hours of 1am and 5am have the NHS COVID Pass (or other accepted evidence), even if they entered the premises before that time.

Venues can choose what measures to put in place, and whether checks should begin from either:

the time the venue opens
the time the rules apply (from 1am)

Whichever option is chosen, you must make sure you’ve taken reasonable steps to make sure that all visitors who are in the venue between the hours of 1am and 5am have the NHS COVID Pass (or other accepted evidence), even if they entered the premises before that time.

Q: How do I carry out a check?

In settings where it is mandatory to use COVID-19 status checks as a condition of entry, you are expected to take reasonable measures to ensure that all attendees aged 18 or above have the NHS COVID Pass (or approved international equivalent) or have valid proof that they have completed a negative PCR test or negative rapid lateral flow test within the past 48 hours.

Those relying on testing to prove their COVID-19 status are strongly advised to take tests as late as possible before attending the event, ideally within 12 hours, to strengthen the protection testing provides.

It is also strongly advised that workers aged 18 or above who come into contact with customers have the NHS COVID Pass (or approved international equivalent) or have valid proof that they have completed a negative PCR test or negative rapid lateral flow test within the past 48 hours

You should communicate these requirements clearly with your customers, so they know what to expect when visiting your venue. This could include notifying customers of the requirement to show their NHS COVID Pass on your promotional materials and website, informing those who make telephone enquiries or adding the information to tickets, as well as providing information on the steps required to comply with entry requirements.

As a responsible person of a venue or event, you must take reasonable measures to ensure that only attendees with the required NHS COVID Pass (or other accepted international evidence) or a negative test result enter your venue.

If you are checking passes using the NHS COVID Pass Verifier App, as recommended, you will be processing personal data and therefore you will have obligations as a data controller under data protection legislation. See the ‘Data protection’ section at the end of this page.

Q: How do I validate an NHS COVID Pass?

You should check for proof of COVID-19 status through use of the free NHS COVID Pass Verifier App wherever possible to ensure passes are valid and have not expired and reduce the possibility of fraud. This provides the most secure verification of an NHS COVID Pass and passes from the rest of the UK and 62 countries that are part of the EU gateway, by scanning the 2D barcodes. The NHS COVID Pass can also be visually checked, but to reduce fraud we recommend the use of the NHS COVID Pass Verifier App. Text or email proofs of a recent test should be visually checked.

You’ll find full details on how to use the NHS COVID Pass Verifier App on the NHS website.

The NHS COVID Pass Verifier app is recommended to check the NHS COVID Pass. If you choose to not use the Verifier App, you’ll need to ensure that attendees’ NHS COVID Passes are checked visually for an expiry date and a shimmer animation that confirms a Pass is live and not screenshotted. You should check the online NHS COVID Pass where possible but can also check the wallet (which does not have a shimmer animation).

Q: What if a guest isn't using the NHS COVID Pass?

Those not using the NHS COVID Pass and accessing settings by showing alternative proof of a negative PCR test or negative rapid lateral flow test taken within the past 48 hours must have reported their test result to NHS Test and Trace. They will then have received a text or email notification which should be checked as a condition of entry. A valid notification of a test result from NHS Test and Trace should include all of the following:

the name of the person who took the test
their age or date of birth
the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider
confirmation that the test was either a polymerase chain reaction test or a lateral flow test
confirmation that the result of the test was negative

Q: What if an attending guest is from overseas?

Where attendees to your venue or event are international residents, you should accept certain vaccination proofs from other countries. If the vaccination proof is accepted at the UK border, you should accept it at your venue or event. For more information, read the guidance on approved COVID-19 vaccines and countries with approved proof of vaccination .

Q: Do I need to think about how I que for entry?

Event organisers, venues and businesses should consider where a queue may interact with the public and engage with the local authority, owner or operator of the public space in order to manage queuing arrangements safely and effectively.

Q: Do I need to check everyone or can I spot check?

There are limited circumstances where it may not be reasonably possible for you to carry out COVID-19 status checks on all attendees at events where this is mandatory without endangering the safety of those attending the event or others. The overwhelming majority of events will check the COVID-19 status of all attendees.

Spot checks may be used in the following limited circumstances if it’s not reasonably possible to check proof of COVID-19 status for all attendees at these events:

1. The event is:

an indoor event with 500 or more attendees expected to stand or move around
an outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees expected to stand or move around
any event with more than 10,000 attendees

2. The majority of attendees are expected to arrive for a fixed start time, where entrants are likely to all arrive in a short space of time.

3. It is not possible to set up checkpoints away from the entry points, and carrying out a check on every person would lead to a crowd gathering outside the venue or event.

4. That crowd would either present a risk to the safety of the persons in the crowd, or to any other person, or provide a potential target for terrorist action – read more information on hospitality security considerations

In these circumstances, if it is not practical to check the NHS COVID Pass of all attendees, you must carry out an assessment of risk and determine the percentage of checks that can safely be carried out. The responsible person must submit this assessment of risk to apply to the relevant local authority at least 10 working days in advance of the event.

The local authority will either approve the measure, ask for alterations or reject the proposal thereby requiring the venue to conduct 100% checks. If the local authority replies less than 5 working days before your event then the spot check application will be treated as approved.

For events held between the 15 December and 31 December, event operators that meet the criteria and want to apply spot checks must submit an assessment of risk to their local authority. If the criteria are met and the submission made reasonable requests, spot checks can be used without local authority assessment.

Q: What do I do if people cannot demonstrate their COVID status?

If any of your adult attendees fails to produce adequate proof of their COVID-19 status you must not allow them to enter your event or venue. If anyone tries to breach entry to your event, without having proof of COVID-19 status, you should take the appropriate action to ensure the safety and security of all at the event.

If any of your adult, customer-facing, workers fails to provide adequate proof of COVID-19 status where this is advised, you are strongly advised to not allow them to work at your venue or event until they have provided this evidence.

Q: What happens if I don't carry out my legal obligations relating to checks on entry?

If you do not comply with your legal obligations in relation to carrying out mandatory COVID-19 status checks at your venue or event, local authorities can take enforcement action, including prosecution or issue of a fixed penalty notice ( FPN ).

There are various other enforcement tools that the local authority can use to ensure compliance. This includes issuing a Coronavirus Improvement Notice ( CIN ). This is often the first step that local authority enforcement officers use to require businesses to remedy unsafe practices. A CIN requires compliance by a date specified on the notice, which will be a minimum of 48 hours after issue. The date for compliance is determined by the local authority enforcement officer.

If you fail to comply with the CIN , your local authority can issue a Coronavirus Restriction Notice ( CRN ), which enables it to close all or part of your business, venue or event. This could also be used to restrict the number of attendees at your event. The notice will apply for 7 days. Following the 7 day period of application, the CRN can be withdrawn or allowed to expire if you’ve taken the necessary steps to remedy the unsafe practices identified. If the necessary steps have not been taken then a new CRN can be issued against the same business, venue or event.

Your local authority can alternatively use Coronavirus Immediate Restriction Notices ( CIRN ). This enables it to close the venue for an initial period of 48 hours. The local authority will be required to review the CIRN before it ends. It can be withdrawn or allowed to expire if you have taken the necessary remedial steps.

If necessary, a local authority could issue you with a CRN at the end of the 48 hours to close the venue for a further 7-day period. Alternatively, where it is concerned that the premises is causing a serious and imminent threat to public health, a direction can be issued under the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 3) Regulations 2020, provided that the legal tests are met. Read more information on the No. 3 Regulations .

If you fail to comply with any notice it is an offence and can result in a prosecution or issue of a fixed penalty notice ( FPN ).

The fixed penalty for a first offence would be £1,000 (if paid within 14 days of the date of the notice, this can be reduced to £500), £2,000 for a second offence, £4,000 for a third offence and £10,000 for the fourth and any subsequent offences.

You can appeal a CIN , CRN or CIRN to the magistrates’ court. Your appeal must be made in accordance with the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 and be made within the period of 28 days from the day on which the notice was issued or the review date. You cannot appeal a FPN , but can challenge it by way of judicial review in the administrative court.

Q: What records do I need to keep?

As a responsible person, you must produce, and keep up to date, a statement setting out the measures you will introduce to ensure that you are meeting the requirements of carrying out mandatory COVID-19 status checks, and that you are making the public aware of these measures. This should explain, where applicable, your spot check approach, if you have prior agreement from the local authority.

You must also retain records containing the following information on implementing the requirements of carrying out mandatory COVID-19 status checks:

the date of the event, or the date the records refer to for a venue
the number of people that attended the venue or event
where you have departed from your general policy statement of measures to meet certification requirements:
the reasons for adopting different measures
what measures were adopted
how an individual’s eligibility to enter the venue was checked
the number of occasions on which the reasonable measures you were taking to check COVID-19 status of attendees were varied from 100% checks by agreement with the local authority, and the number of people who were admitted on each such occasion
the number of occasions on which people were admitted to avoid injury or harm

If you are holding an event in a venue that has a capacity greater than the thresholds, but you do not use the NHS COVID Pass because you are not anticipating the number of attendees to meet or exceed them, you will need to produce a statement explaining how you intend to stay under the thresholds.

You must maintain these records for 3 months from the date of the event or, for a venue, 3 months from the date to which the records refer. You must retain records of your general policy statement of measures to meet certification requirements for as long as the legislation on mandatory certification applies, and a further 3 months after it ceases to apply. Local authorities have powers to request these records or policy statements within 3 working days or as part of an inspection.

You must not retain information from within the NHS COVID Pass, such as an individual’s name or COVID-19 status for members of the public who attend your venue or event.

Q: What are my data protection responsibilities?

If you are responsible for a venue or event that requires mandatory COVID-19 status checks as a condition of entry, data protection legislation will apply when you are processing personal data. You can find further information about looking after your customers’ personal data when completing COVID-19 status checks on the website of the Information Commissioner’s Office as well as information about complying with UK data protection legislation when carrying out workplace testing .

Information about when the UK GDPR applies and on customer and employee consent can be found on its Vaccination and NHS COVID Pass checks page .

The ICO has also published specific information for nightclub businesses and organisers of large events .

You must also comply with the law when processing any special category health data. Further information can be found on the ICO website .

Further information on the appropriate lawful basis for checking people’s COVID-19 status can be found in its guidance in Vaccination and COVID pass checks .

When you use the Verifier App for the first time, you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions. Read the Verifier App user guide on the NHS website for more details.

If you use the NHS COVID Pass Verifier App to scan an attendee’s NHS COVID Pass, as recommended, you will be processing personal data and therefore you will have obligations as a data controller under data protection legislation. A limited visual check of an NHS COVID Pass is not subject to data protection regulations .

If your venue or event requires mandatory use of the NHS COVID Pass, you should communicate clearly with your customers, so they know what to expect when visiting your venue. This also includes how their data will be handled. Further information about privacy information can be found in the ICO ’s Right to be informed page.

I hope you found this useful, and if you have any questions or would like any support around this topic please don't hesitate to get in touch.

See you at the bar.....

M ark

Setting Up a New Business When You’ve Dealt With Financial Hardship

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 14:05:26 GMT

Entrepreneurship is a beautiful, fickle beast. While it can lead to unmatched fulfilment, it also comes with seemingly countless challenges. And when you’ve suffered financial setbacks in the past, the thought of starting a business from scratch can be quite intimidating.

However, most of the world’s leading entrepreneurs have failed time and time again. Conrad Hilton’s first venture was a bank that ended in bankruptcy within the first year. Wolfgang Puck struggled to find a job as a young man, proceeded to get fired after he finally landed a job, and then spent years going from restaurant to restaurant before his career took flight.

Here’s the point: Financial hardship happens to most people at one point or another. And rather than destroy your hopes of being a successful business owner, it can put you at an advantage if you approach it the right way. If you have dreams of opening a business in the hospitality and leisure sector, don’t let your financial setbacks stop you. WHAM Consultancy is here with some practical tips for how you can harness your failures to establish a thriving, resilient business.

Stop to reflect.

Failure can be a good thing in the business world because it’s the best way to learn. Even if this is your first attempt at starting a business, you can take what you’ve learned from your personal financial setbacks and apply it to your business.

To do this, however, requires you to confront your mistakes and reflect on them. Before diving any further into your business formation, take a little time to analyse your mistakes and think about things you could have done differently. Spend time with a mentor who can help you to navigate current challenges and prepare for those that will come in the future. Failure is normal for entrepreneurs. Embrace them.

Spend time on your finances.

You don’t want to launch a business on unstable ground. If your financial setbacks have left you in major debt, then work on tackling that debt as soon as you can. If you have bad credit, figure out how to raise your score .

Sharpen your business plan.

Make sure you have a stellar business plan. Few things are more crucial to the process of starting a business. Your plan should contain any information and details relevant to your company—anything that will show investors and other stakeholders that your company is worth their time and money. Think mission statement, core values, target market, marketing strategy, financial projections, etc. Then, go pitch your refined plan to score funding!

Start establishing your brand.

Too many entrepreneurs wait until “the perfect time” to deploy their marketing strategy. But here’s the thing, the sooner people start hearing about your company, the more time you have to build a following before you launch. So, get to work on creating unique branding that you can promote through your website, social media, mobile apps, and other channels.

You can easily find qualified freelancers for marketing your brand. For instance, if you want to develop a mobile app that will help set your company apart from the competition, just look to online job platforms. There, you can compare costs , delivery times, client reviews, and more to determine the best web mobile designer for the job.

Study the regulations.

One final note: Research the regulations that will be involved in your business. And there are seemingly countless regulations for the hospitality and leisure sector. Take the time to study and learn them inside-out. Knowing the rules, laws, and expectations pertaining to health and safety will save you a lot of trouble.

So, you’ve had some setbacks with money. That doesn’t mean you can’t launch the hospitality and leisure business of your dreams. Learn from your mistakes, shape up your finances, and put together a killer business plan. Start promoting your brand as soon as possible, and learn all of the regulations you will need to comply with. While there’s more to starting a successful business, these fundamental tips will help you form a strong foundation.

Do you need top-notch consultancy for your hospitality and leisure business? Visit whamconsultancy.com today to learn about our services!

Interviewed by Imagesound

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Sat, 08 May 2021 12:32:45 GMT

The Wright stuff - the important of music in hospitality.

I've had a relationship with the guys at Imagesound Group for a number of years now. They've supported me brilliantly first hand with a number of my own openings as well as some of those I've supported clients with.

It was a pleasure to catch up with Charlotte Brett for a natter and talk all things COVID, hospitality and music .

I hope you find this an entertaining and insightful read! Click HERE for the article.

See you at the bar!

Mark

Ten steps for a smart lock-down strategy

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 21:24:14 GMT

There is so much great operational advice on the web based from Lockdown 1 experiences that operators prepare for their Lockdown 2.0 closures with the lessons learnt back in March still relatively fresh in the memory. I did however come across this article from Malcom Muir of Venners who which gives a slightly different slant on a close-down strategy:

"As hospitality operators prepare to go into another lock-down, businesses must rely on tighter controls to minimise losses and ride out the waves of continued uncertainty.

The positive news is that operators can draw strength from the “lessons learned” following the lock-down in March. Operators should follow these steps to ensure they are ready to return to making a profit when the tide turns.

Prepare a lock-down checklist

1. Every hospitality business should have a lock-down contingency plan containing a set of close-down procedures; a complete checklist of everything you need your sites to do before, during and after you close shop. These should address any problems that were raised during and after the lock-down in March too. Contacting suppliers that will take returns of stock should also be one of those procedures.

Monitor completion of lock-down tasks

2. The more sites you oversee, the bigger the challenge to ensure that every site has taken the necessary steps to prepare for lock-down and minimise overall losses. Underperforming sites will drag down your overall GP and, therefore, need immediate correction. Compliance monitoring of close-down procedures across an estate should thus form a key part of your lock-down strategy.

Expand your circle and help each other

3. Reinforce relationships with people in the industry before and throughout lock-down. As travel is limited, take virtual tours of the area online, join local forums and discussion groups. These can be great platforms for gathering ideas on how to get through lock-down, support your supply chain and help each other. Are there businesses nearby that plan to sell takeaways during lock-down? Could they take some of your shorter-dated stock in a safe and covid-secure manner? Alternatively, are there local charities that you could help?

Complete a close-down stock take or stock count

4. Before you close shop, you need to know exactly how much stock on hand your sites hold. If you are not able to do it on the day you close the doors, completing one as you enter lock-down will also suffice. Whatever you do, do not skip your close-down stock count because it will make it impossible for you to identify levels of shrinkage endured during lock-down once it’s over.

Carry out an inventory count

5. Get detailed data on all your storage areas. Inventory checks will ensure you know right from the outset exactly how much stock you’ll be writing off during lock-down, what you’ll be able to sell upon your return and how much you’ll need to order upon reopening.

Perform a detailed cash count

6. Do a full float and safe check upon lock-down. It may be a good idea to reduce the float or bank all cash in order to eliminate any risk of loss. A full third-party cash and float check allows you to assess any variations from expected revenue income and present the reality of your cash on hold position nationally.

Don’t neglect beer disposal and line checks

7. Complete beer and line checks at your sites to verify what scale of beer waste your venues will face. Equally important are checks made on waste management and compliant disposal of beer, by considering whether the correct processes were followed at your sites.

Step up security

8. Ensure the right individuals hold the keys to your stock, cash and banking. Now, more than ever, you need to make sure responsible individuals and their supervisors are briefed to lock up all valuable stock and finances. Make sure your strategy outlines which individuals are authorised to attend sites and access these areas.

Use the time effectively

9. Lock-down can be tough mentally, especially if it’s your own business with plans for the future at stake. Keep busy and make good use of the time personally. You have a chance to open as a better business than before. Were there weaknesses in the business that need to be addressed? Take this time to breathe and focus on future goals. Invest time in a training plan for staff, tidy up neglected areas of the business, or reach out for your painting overalls and get stuck in.

Prepare a reopening checklist

10. Make sure that once a lock-down is lifted, your sites can return to business as usual as soon as possible. Don’t forget to plan a social media campaign to keep customers engaged and aware of your reopening date and offer. Have a list of all suppliers to hand and note which ones need to be contacted first upon reopening. Arrange for all eventualities, thinking through every scenario and establishing plans B and C where necessary too.

Operators looking to get through lock-down with minimal losses should visit www.venners.com for further information."

See you at the bar (in December!)....

Mark

Another lockdown makes little sense by Mark Wingett

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 18:04:47 GMT

Another lockdown makes little sense by Mark Wingett

The following is an article written by Propel Insights Editor Mark Wingett. It sums up the sector's frustration with the finger of blame being pointed at it as the number of COVID-19 cases increases, argues that all is not as it seems with that perception, and why hospitality venues are some of the most COVID secure you can find:

“We put this festival on, you b******s, with a lot of love! We worked for one year for you pigs! And you wanna break our walls down and you wanna destroy it? Well, you go to hell!” These were the words yelled down the microphone by Isle of Wight festival MC Rikki Farr in 1970, as a far from peaceful part of the circa 600,000 crowd was ready to riot and smash just about everything in its path. Farr’s passionate riposte has been playing in my head throughout the weekend, as another round of the government’s increasingly scattergun response to covid-19 was played out through leaked press briefings on what may happen next, and the hospitality sector, was again put blithely, and wrongly, forward as both scapegoat and sacrificial lamb. As Loungers chairman Alex Reilley tweeted: “It’s rather beginning to feel like there’s a Boris bus round the corner and hospitality is about to be thrown under it.” To which David Strauss, restaurant director at Rockfish, replied: “But it will just run over our leg so they can say we can continue to just limp along.” Many are already hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

Either way it is a long way from a few months ago month, when chancellor Rishi Sunak was waiting tables at Wagamama in the midst of promoting the government’s Eat Out To Help Out (EOTHO) scheme. It is an even longer journey back to when Sunak was proclaiming he would do “whatever it takes” to save jobs and businesses. EOTHO was a huge stimulus to the on-trade in August, and while sales have inevitably dropped back in September, it created welcome momentum for the sector. However, with the new Rule of Six restriction on socialising starting soon after the scheme finished and mounting concerns about infection rates and local lockdowns, the sector was already facing a big challenge to preserve guests’ optimism about safety and spending in the second half of September, and now, it seems, for the foreseeable future.

The sector has worked hard to be “covid secure”, fought tooth and nail for the chance to make a go of living off 40%-70% of last year’s trade. Again and again, it has highlighted its expertise in keeping people safe. The sector has done an amazing job over the last couple of months. The tunnel remained long and dark, but the train was at least picking up some speed. But now another kick in the teeth – and operators already dealing with local lockdown and curfews are sadly ahead here – looks to be on the cards. If you want the shorthand, hospitality, especially pubs, is, without any foundation, being pitted against hospitals and schools in a round of either/or, and being lined up to become a “covid circuit breaker”. Hugh Osmond tweeted: “Shutting down pubs when outbreaks are in care homes is like amputating a leg because you have lung cancer. Pointless, destructive, illogical.” A point picked up by his one-time business partner, Luke Johnson, who tweeted: “Pubs are a soft target – politicians, civil servants and SAGE scientists think they are for common people, not their highly educated chums.” Rob Pitcher, chief executive of Revolution Bars Group, said its Durham and Newcastle outlets were down 50.7% and 52.4% on the same day the previous week. Pitcher said: “The 10pm curfew is a killer. No one was out on the streets last night. It’s likely lots of socialising is taking (place) in houses so infections will continue to rise and therefore no relaxation of the measures for hospitality will be possible – as per Manchester, which is now seven weeks in.”

P ubs are being kicked around like a political football, an easy target, regardless of the lack of scientific data underpinning such a stance. On Friday 18 September on BBC R4, the health secretary Matt Hancock said “… we know that the vast majority of transmissions happen in social settings whether that’s in hospitality or in people’s own homes.” London Union’s Jonathan Downey retorted: “This is a LIE and he must not be allowed to get away with it. If he does, it will be used as an excuse to lockdown pubs and restaurants again. Public Health England’s (PHE) own most recent data is very clear on where transmissions are happening. 43% are catching it in care homes again. 26% from schools/universities. Only 4.6% in restaurants/food outlets.” We have played the game, we have done our bit to help the economy, we have had to cut jobs along the way. When you the government called, we answered, as we always do, to the best of our ability. There may have been some frustration at the start of the government’s handling of its response to the pandemic, for everyone this was new territory, but six months on it seems no lessons have been learnt. Where are the grown-up conversations, the long-term strategy, the leadership? That all these can be found in spades across our own sector, which has been battling through with the handbrake on, has meant that initial frustration has now turned to anger. And what if we lock-down again, how will that help defeat the virus? As the Mail on Sunday’s Dan Hodges put it: “When we re-emerge from lockdown (again), why will it be different? Why will there not be a third, fourth or fifth wave? And how is this strategy even remotely sustainable?” As UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls says: “If we are to have further national lockdowns it is vital that we have transparent and grown-up debate on drivers of infection so we can identify and tackle causes through our interventions – clear that hospitality is not a vector of transmission or a source of infection.”

Perhaps Fuller’s chief executive Simon Emeny put it best: “Why close down a sector who a) Are regulated b) Have been successfully working with strict guidelines c) Have been and continue to work with government on track and trace? Pubs are not the problem, but can be part of the solution.” It doesn’t bare thinking about what will happen if we have to shut down for a long period again. Many jobs and businesses have been lost already, but another million jobs are at risk as a second lockdown is threatened. Or looked at another way, a generation of great general managers, sector entrepreneurs, investors, award-winning pub owners could easily be lost. And what support will the sector get if it does have to lock down again? Hancock said that “the last line of defence is full national action”. However, Nicholls pointed out: “He may say it is a last line of defence but with the North West and North East under curfew, two of our major cities heavily restricted and London under self-imposed restriction on commuting, we are getting there in name only. Main difference seems to be that this way you can decimate consumer confidence, significantly dent revenues and undermine jobs without having to say you have closed businesses and hence providing them with support they need. There are ways of doing this without damaging a sector.” Ominously over the weekend, the talk was of Dishy Rishi turning into Ruthless Rishi, and looking to raise taxes to pay for the support he has already dished out – he will need to balance the books. The fact that the government has shied away from any talk of extending the furlough scheme, or looked at a financial solution to the rent issue, brings up the question of how much more it has in the pot to spend. To lockdown the hospitality sector again without support would be illogical, short-sighted and disastrous.

A ccording to The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), the economy faces a hit of £250 million a day from a second wave of covid-19 infections if partial lockdowns reverse the increase in people going to pubs and restaurants and returning to work. It warned that GDP could fall by between 3 and 5% in the last three months of the year compared with the third quarter. Douglas McWilliams, the CEBR’s deputy chairman, said that a second national lockdown could “knock the stuffing out of consumer and business confidence”, with an impact on investment, business closures and jobs. According to the CEBR, 10pm curfews, which have been imposed in some areas, are also a risk to the economy, particularly in leisure and entertainment. It said there was “a potential £2 billion annual cost if curfew measures reach London”. Understandably, the chancellor is reportedly resisting a full shutdown of the hospitality sector, but the government is still looking at imposing a further six months of “very difficult” lockdown restrictions. There is no denying it has a difficult balance to strike between the health of the nation and economy (and with it the long-term health of the nation), but it would surely get some continued support from the sector if it was clearer in the reasoning behind some of its decisions. Hopefully that may come later today.

Many in the sector have stepped forward over the past six months, to loudly fight for its survival. It is time for those who have stayed quiet to start joining the fray, it might be too late soon. Draft House founder Charlie McVeigh has urged everyone to write to their MP “to save hospitality and protect our democracy” ahead of a vote next week on the renewal of emergency powers to enforce lock-down measures without reference to parliament under the Coronavirus Act 2020. I urge you to do the same. The sector is facing another pivotal moment, in a long line of pivotal moments. In the classic western film, The Magnificent Seven, Steve McQueen’s character says: “All I’m saying is that sometimes you bend with the breeze, or you break.” The UK’s hospitality sector has been in the eye of a storm since the start of March, and has bent over backwards to adapt to everything that has been thrown at it, but at some point, and without further support and fair crack of the whip, it will break. As US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who sadly passed away last week, once said: “Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

E A T - O U T - T O - H E L P - O U T 🍽

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 09:54:12 GMT

With over 72,000 venues signed up to the Chancellor's initiative designed to get the hospitality sector moving again, I'm sat here wondering whether I'm the only one who's worried about the long-term impact of it's introduction. Some quick thoughts:

✅Many operators I'm speaking to are telling me bookings are very strong for these 1st 3 days of the initiative. I'm being told the same from the city centre well-known branded venues as I am the food-led, out-of-city-centre venues.

❌If you didn't have a strong food trade before this initiative, this isn't a magic-wand that is going to create one for you.

✅I 100% understand that this is about getting the top-line sales moving in a depressed economy, and (what is in effect ) 50% off is a well worn tool to do just that.

❌In my experience however finding an exit route out of using such a deep-discounting promotional mechanic is really difficult:

1️⃣you don't tend to see these new customers at times where you aren't discounting.

2️⃣existing customers will change their habits to visit during your discounted period now which affects margin in the long-term (not wholly applicable to this initiative I know).

3️⃣any new customers tend to not stick around and revert to their previous spending habits/return to their familiar venues.

❔This tends to lead to questions about whether to continue with a labour-intensive, lower margin business model to maintain the top line sales and 'work-out' how to survive on lower GP's, or return to the pre-promotion status quo.

��‍♂️I appreciate the times we find ourselves in are new and challenging, and the hope is that by the time this imitative ends the sector will be in a stronger economic position/recovery to off-set this (is anyone confident that this will be the case?), but if it doesn't, where does that leave us ?

��I hate to be glass-half-full on this topic, but for some operators I can see this being the dawn of false-hope. I hope I'm wrong.

I'd be really interested to hear others' thoughts and opinions on this, and if you tell me I'm wrong, I'd never have been so happy to be told so!!

Mark

mark@whamconsultancy.com

Dear Mr Prime Minister, this is my SOS - Save Our Sector

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 09:06:31 GMT

(Note: this blog was initially published on the 19th June 2020 on LinkedIn; however due to website maintenance I was not able to post on this page until this time).

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m officially worried now.

Today is the 19th June, 15 days away from the proposed reopening of the hospitality sector……and we still have no idea what the actual government guidelines are. Frankly it’s becoming nothing short of a disaster.

My worry isn’t centred on me (although clearly an open and servicing sector would benefit my business) but it’s for all those who are potentially throwing away valuable cash-flow, spending it on resources to get trading again that they might not need come opening time, and why is this, because we're STILL waiting on the Government guidance for reopening the sector.

Are you prepared?

How many businesses think they’re sitting pretty? How many have been working on their reopening plans for weeks now and are feeling pretty good about being ahead of the 8-ball with July 4th in mind; sitting there with all of the ‘2 metre’ distancing signage in place for example – but what happens if the guidance says 1.5 metres or even 1 metre. How does that signage spend look now that it needs reprinting?

Only last week a Government ‘leak’ of the proposed guidelines suggested that 2 metres wouldn’t be required, in fact neither 1.5 metres or even 1 metre would be the required distancing measures, it would be a case-by-case ‘reasonable distance’. Then days later on one hand the Prime Minister suggests we could scrap the 2 metre rule, on the other hand the Health Minister says ‘not likely’. What is going on?!

Of course it’s not the fault of that business sitting there with their 2 metre signage up and in place ready to rock – they have their plan and they’re executing it proactively, but what if being proactive isn’t the best course of action right now?

What other options are there?

I took a call from a client 3 weeks ago who wanted support with a number of pre-reopening measures and my words to him then would echo my thoughts today – ‘let’s just wait and see what the guidelines say first – let’s not spend any money until we know you have to. Little did I know then that we still wouldn't know today what that guidance is!

Things are so up in the air that if the senior Government cabinet can’t agree on safety measures and then publish a coordinated guidance plan for reopening the sector what are we to do? Sit on our hands and just wait? And therein lies the problem.

With 15 days to go until we reach the red line of July 4th, do we even know that is the red line date? Never mind the date, PPE requirements, risk assessment requirements, social distancing measures, venue capacity guidelines, do we need separate entrances/exits, what about wet-led vertical drinking venue requirements vs food led venue requirements – the 'uncertainty' list goes on and on.

And what about those businesses who have already brought members of their Team back from furlough? The general consensus was that we would need 3 weeks to get our venues ship shape for opening. Businesses have already reversed furlough and are now paying for labour out of their own pockets with preparation for the 4th July in mind, spending precious cash flow on having their people back at work. Are we all that confident in the 4th July red line that we’re willing to give up having the Government pay our Teams without any firm opening date commitment or having published guidelines on the matter?

The impending rent apocalypse

But the guidance isn’t the only thing worrying me. As we near the end of June we’re entering another rent collection period. Just before I sat down to write this blog news came down the pipe that the Government had extended the anti-eviction measures for business until the 30th September; good news on the face of it.

Yet still I’m worried we’re just kicking the can down the street without tackling head on the growing rent crisis.

Let’s be frank, the code of practise that was released a couple of weeks back to provide clarity and guidance for landlords and tenants is just a waste of everybody’s time. The guidance to work together to find a common solution to the issue of deferred rent is nothing more than a voluntary code at the end of the day. If you’re a progressive landlord looking to work with your tenants to build a mutual plan for both parties to navigate the COVID crisis then the code of practise will have little impact on you. If you’re at the opposite end of the spectrum, then again the code will impact you even less, you’re still going to press on to get the money you’re owed regardless of the damage it might cause to your tenants. The code isn’t going to positively impact either side of the argument.

Yes todays news is positive, it will give parties time to try and find solutions, but for others it is just delaying the inevitable and then all the good work done by the Job Retention Scheme and various grants and loans will all be for nought as businesses fold under the growing burden of deferred rents due. Painting this as a battle between landlords and tenants isn't helping anyone either. Neither party are responsible for the situation either side finds themselves in. Inflammatory language and confrontational stances isn't going to solve this issue, but strong Government intervention would.

Over to you Mr Prime Minister

Now this isn’t a political piece, I’m not taking a swipe at the Conservative Party. If it was Labour in Government I’m pretty sure we’d all find fault in their handling of the pandemic in one form or another. Nor is this a swipe at the Prime Minister or his Cabinet who I genuinely have empathy for; whoever was in power right now would be trying their best to make this up as they go along – there’s no manual for governing during a pandemic (although they better be writing one now and learning from their mistakes as they go); but patience and empathy only go so far and our sector needs strong guidance from our elected officials and we need it NOW – today!

Our supply chain needs notice of what reopening date we are definitively working to; brewers need time to ensure they can meet the requirements for fresh product; we need to know what it is we’re training our Teams in to adhere to the guidance; we need to know what to spend those precious pennies on to be compliant – and we need to know now.

If not today, if it is Monday, then those are another 3 days lost, potentially more money spent/wasted, 3 more days of uncertainty. Yep, I’m worried. I’ve all my fingers crossed for some good news, and it’s needed soon otherwise I’m fearful there will be many within our sector, many within our local communities, that have already opened their doors for the last time.

S.O.S

So Mr Prime Minister, this is my S.O.S to you - Save Our Sector . Whatever the guidance is just publish it - today. It is benefitting nobody by keeping us in the dark. Let us see what we're working with, what we're up against and we'll find a way to make it work. We're a resilient bunch in hospitality but what we're not are mind readers. Let's get this guidance out in the open and give us a fighting chance at reopening our doors again - after that, let's talk rent.

See you at the bar (hopefully soon!!)…..

Mark

www.whamconsultancy.com

mark@whamconsultancy.com

Counting the cost of reopening

mark@whamconsultancy.com (Mark Wright) — Fri, 15 May 2020 16:03:21 GMT

So, we have the first line drawn in the sand – Saturday 4 ^th July 2020. On that date the Prime Minister has professed that if all goes to plan, we may be reopening the doors to our hallowed hospitality sector once more. How those pubs, bars, restaurants, coffee shops, cinemas might look when they reopen their doors is a point of much speculation and this will only intensify as the weeks count down to a possible reopening.

It is clear that much like huge swaths of the UK economy we need to reopen our doors, to once again have beer flowing through our dispense taps, food being served across the pass and coffee cups handed over the counter, (amd whisper this as not to upset some people) money going into our tills. The challenge to all operators is not that we must open, but how we open safely (both for our Teams and our guests) and how we open profitably.

That we will need to invest in increased PPE for our Teams is not in doubt; that we will in most likelihood have a lower venue capacity or depleted number of covers is more probable than not; that we need to consider how we demonstrate to our returning guests that we have their safety as a paramount concern will be a must; how we embrace new technology and what changes we make to our operational plans..….all of this will all cost money – and working capital is at a premium right now.

Financially the mounting cost of businesses surviving COVID-19 continues to escalate. The generous intervention of the Government through the introduction of the job retention scheme may have removed the short-term financial pressures from owner/operator’s door steps (and if you qualified for a business interruption loan or grant – even better), however not only is the looming apocalypse of landlord rent payments being due still at the forefront of financial planning, but the potential costs of reopening are certainly not to be sniffed at.

Across the country in notepads and on laptops will be various calculations on cash-flow projections and break-even points, with scenarios around how different percentage decreases in trade affect x, y and z. For some the bottom line to those projections will be frightening, and in some cases not only will the additional cost of reopening be worrying, but the of cost of reopening at all in a post lockdown economy may simply be too much for some.

Will seven weeks to go and no firm announcement on legislation and operational requirements prior to reopening the light at the end of the tunnel is dimming, clouded in uncertainty. Financially some simply will not make it to the end of the tunnel, seven weeks out or not; for others their journey may already be coming to an end; for a few the doors are already closed – for good. The cost of continuing already too high of a price.

It is difficult not to be paralysed with the degree of uncertainty that exists within the void of actual firm information. With seven weeks to go before the 4 ^th July is upon us there is still so much we don’t know that we simply need to know. Most operators are looking for a period of 3-4 weeks to give themselves ample time to reengage their teams, make changes to their venues, introduce new safety practises and retrain their Teams; and to price up the financial cost of reopening.

Financial worries, safety worries, potential legislation worries – where does it all end, and when do we get answers to ally these worries? A bad plan is still a plan. A flawed plan is still a plan. No plan, well no plan is a plan for disaster.

I’m sure the Government are more than aware of the questions we all need answers to – sector leaders and lobbyists and making sure of that – but we must have answers soon. We need their plan to allow us to complete our own, to go back to those notepads and laptops, to crunch the numbers again, to count the cost of reopening.

See you at the bar (sooner rather than later hopefully!)…...

Mark

mark@whamconsultancy.com

Comfort and gratitude in uncertain times.

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 15:15:53 GMT

I've been quiet on my social platforms the past 2-3 weeks. I've kept my peace while I take time to consider what is happening in the world around us right now and how things might look when we come out on the other side of COVID-19. Outside of the worry and concern for family, friends and the vulnerable, this really is a fascinating time to behold how our society is changing and adapting to the circumstances around us and watching those who come to the forefront and show wisdom and poise in testing times.

Professionally I'm sure I'm not the only one struggling to find work (of any kind) to fill not only the financial void but also the void of being busy, of feeling like you have self-worth in the work you do and your contribution to whatever your wider whole looks like - tidying the garage and the loft hasn't quite scratched that itch for me!

I'm not sure what my own working landscape will look like as the months roll on but I'm determined to look forward with positivity and excited to discuss proposals for future opportunities (whatever those might end up being) when this is all over.

Right now, while I'm frustrated at not being able to earn a living, the flip-side is the quality time being spent with the family - I can't remember the last time we were consistently all under the same roof for this amount of time...its lovely to have and for that I am full of gratitude; I know there will be others who are not as fortunate and my heart goes out to those struggling through the lockdown alone. Thankfully the fact that through technology we can all choose how connected we want to be to others in these trying times is hopefully delivering some solace to those who need it.

So, I hope that you are all well and keeping safe, and while for many of us the immediate future may look uncertain I hope you have been able to find comfort wherever you can - even if that is in gratitude for the things we may have taken for granted only a few short weeks ago.

mark@whamconsultancy.com

www.whamconsultancy.com

Why points-based Immigration isn't the real threat to a Hospitality labour shortage

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 17:35:58 GMT

“Points-based immigration and its impact on the hospitality sector....let the discussion begin!!”

That was how the introduction to my ‘Thought Thursday’ video blog post read last week ( http://ow.ly/6pwZ50ywr1q ). I knew fine well I was just scratching the surface of the topic and that it would need a much longer-form format to share my thoughts, but discussion has to start somewhere right? As for a longer-form format – here goes…..

First up, this isn’t going to be the place where I clap back at the Government for its lumping of all hospitality work onto the ‘unskilled workers’ shelf – that reply is coming though, just not this week. This is the place I want to highlight my thoughts on the years of lost opportunity that the sector I love has let slip through its fingers. Lost opportunity that has led us to the door that we find ourselves standing in front of, a door that we simply can’t blame entirely on the Government’s new policy when it comes to our workforce shortage.

Take a look at the infographic below put together by UK Hospitality as part of their ‘Menu for Change’ campaign that was launched prior to last year’s General Election ( http://ow.ly/35n650ywr3i ):

No one to blame but ourselves?

As a sector we’re BIG, so much bigger than perhaps those outside the sector give us credit for, yet those numbers have blinded too many within the industry for too long with short-term strategy. For years experts and thought leaders have bemoaned the shortage of labour within the hospitality sector. For those operational within the industry we’ve cried about the difficulties of finding chef talent. The doom-and-gloom articles for the years leading up to Brexit pre-warned us about our over reliance on European workers labour. I mention all this to say that the topic of an ever-shrinking labour talent pool isn’t new, and as a sector it is so easy to cast blame onto a Points-Based Immigration policy for our impending labour shortage predicament when the truth is that we’ve simply not been good enough in the whole to get our own houses in order a long time ago.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that across the country different people will have a slightly different reliance on European workers depending on your geographical location. In fact, there will be those out there who can’t understand the furore of their peers over the past few days since the Government’s announcement. Depending where you sit on that scale I’m sure we all agree that hospitality is at its best when we’re a melting pot of cultures and diversity bringing together skills and experiences from around the globe. The threat of that being diluted due to the ‘unskilled workers’ tag, now that is something we must engage with the Government over, but again, a blog and discussion for another day.

The question we should be asking ourselves

Today I want to challenge those within the sector and ask “when do we start looking at ourselves” and realising that as a whole the threat of losing European workers to help prop up a steadily declining talent pool of UK workers has been something we’ve had the power to effect for years and simply haven’t done so?

We’ve fallen into the ‘trap’ of valuing the bottom line at the expense of attracting the best candidates into the sector through offering a decent salary and investing in training, developing and mentoring so that said talent knew they had found a trade that valued them and could offer a pathway to a career. We ‘welcomed’ zero-hours contracts that gave our Teams no security and sent the message that we had little-to-no care for their financial wellbeing above our own. We turned a ‘blind-eye’ to the challenging working conditions of long-shifts, split-shifts, constant shift working under duress almost as an out-dated way of evaluating who had-it-in-them to stand the test of time and deserve a seat at the exalted high-table of hospitality warriors. We lost talent to other industries. Horror-stories circulated and acted as a deterrent to potential super-stars from trying their hand behind a bar, waiting tables or working in a kitchen, and still, on the whole, we did nothing of any note.

Now this is generalist I know, and I use the royal ‘we’ as we all must accept collective responsibility for not being good enough as a sector. There are some superb owners and operators that have built thriving hospitality companies led by a culture of ‘Team-First’. They have well-supported recruitment and induction processes backed by reward and recognition programmes. Training and development programmes identifying talent and nurturing that talent helping to give businesses higher stability and lower worker turnover. These will be the same companies with mental-health First Aiders on hand to support times of duress and who are encourage their Managers to empathise with their Teams when they sit down each week to schedule their rotas. This isn’t a pipe-dream people, it’s happening right now, and it’s these forward-thinking organisations that will feel the pinch far less when/if the available pool of talent shrinks further.

#HospitalityWorks

This month the return of UK Hospitality’s #HospitalityWorks campaign placed a focus on the sector to promote opportunities and vacancies to jobseekers. Given the immigration announcement the campaign’s return couldn’t be better timed. It has helped to challenge the conversation towards how we must fight harder than ever to change the perception of our industry and how we must do more to persuade young people that they can build rewarding careers within hospitality as opposed to simply looking at us as a short-term job, a stepping stone on their onward career journey.

Yes, the Immigration Policy is a problem but it’s not THE problem. We’ve had THE problem starring us in the face for longer than we may care to admit and that’s the real reason we have a work-force crisis on the horizon; the Immigration Policy is just another contributing factor.

For further discussion on culture within your hospitality company/venue check out my chat with Shaun de Vries on his Open Pantry Podcast where we cover my thoughts on developing talent and building a winning culture:

Apple: http://ow.ly/muUx50ywG5f

Spotify: http://ow.ly/PdDZ50ywGak

See you at the bar.....

Mark

mark@whamconsultancy.com

www.whamconsultancy.com

Mark is the founder and Managing Director of WHAM Consultancy helping hospitality & leisure operators run more efficient ��, effective �� & profitable �� businesses ��

My Top Tips to starting Self-Employed life

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 11:22:01 GMT

I recently returned from a week away with the family. Usually we’re a very adventurous family, my youngest son Sam is 11 and he’s never had a traditional ‘beach’ holiday for example. However, with my wife and I both having had a busy last 9 months we decided to buck our trend and go for a low-key beach break.

For me, coming close to 1 year of starting WHAM, the time away was a perfect opportunity to relax, reflect, reenergise and refocus. Part of my reflection led me to thinking about what the things that I’ve learnt from setting up WHAM that I could share with others to help them with any similar journey into self-employed life they might be preparing for. So, in no particular order:

· Finances – this one might sound self-explanatory, but I’ve met others this year who have started up their own companies and did so with no savings behind them, and I admire their bravery. For me I’m glad I had some money in the bank. If you’re lucky, self-employed work might come to you straight away, but that doesn’t mean the invoiced money will. Have a pot put aside to keep you going – at least 3 months’ worth.

· Billing –just because you’ve sent an invoice, don’t expect it to just be paid when it’s due. If there’s anything I’ve learnt it’s that at times you need to nudge people to remind them your payment is due. Don’t feel timid or reluctant to do so in fear of looking weak or cash-starved to your customers/clients – if you’ve put the work in then you’re well within your rights to ask to be paid for that work – preferably on time!

· Accountant – get a good one from the start! Once you go self-employed, every single penny really does count. A good accountant is a godsend. They’ll know what you need to do in terms of self-employment finances and filing, and how to make your money stretch. They’re also a great resource for finding answers to those finance related questions you’ll have throughout your 1 ^st year – and you’ll definitely have them. I was fortunate enough to be recommended Stephen Bird at Avis Accountancy and he’s been great for me.

• A Plan – you’ll have one right? A business plan, a plan of action? That’s great. Be prepared to change it. At best be prepared to alter and update it quite a bit during year 1. That doesn’t mean your plan isn’t very good, it just means that the landscape of your business will change under your feet the further you get into your journey.

I've had business opportunities land on my doorstep that I hadn’t previously considered and I’ve had to adapt or miss out on that potential income stream. I’ve learnt that my original plan wasn’t all that, and that some areas of the plan weren’t going to work. Be adaptable and don’t see it as a sign of weakness if you have to deviate – you’re just being a savvy businessperson!

· Advice – there is so much out there from so many different sources and people. You sign up to learn more about one training seminar, or one online resource and the next thing you know your social feeds are over-run with gurus telling you they know how to make you a millionaire, or how you can earn seven-figures while sitting on the beach in Bali, or they have a discount training scheme available but it’s only that price if you sing up NOW!

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve learnt some valuable bits from some of these social feeds and free resources, but after a while it can be overwhelming the amount of ‘advice’ that is coming at you from all angles. My advice? Don’t feel pressured or over-awed by it all. These people don’t know you or your business (even though they might say otherwise). Stick to your plan. When you have time, use these resources to develop yourself (particularly if they’re free), but take what you think is useful to you and ignore everything else that you think isn’t. Only you will know what you need to do in your business to succeed.

There are more people in your position then there are in the guru’s positions. Why? Because that’s just the way real-life works. If it was easy setting up by yourself (as the gurus make out) then everyone would be doing it. In most cases, you’re not missing out on the secrets to life if you scroll past their social ad.

· Support – make sure you have yourself a real solid support circle of people who are there for you. You’re going to need a shoulder to cry on (sometimes literally), you’re going to need someone to speak straight with you and not just tell you what you want to hear; sometimes you just need someone to listen while you have a moan or get something off your chest. I’m so fortunate to have a supportive family circle who are egging me on when times look a little less rosy, and a circle of professionals who are there for me to run ideas past.

· Look at the long game – you start a new business; you have a flurry of work in the opening weeks as you’ve had that all set-up before you started. Then the works dries up a little, and as you look forward the work schedule calendar is looking a little light. That’s not the time to get disheartened or second guess yourself (but you will). That’s the time to keep planting acorns. Keep networking. Keep developing areas of your business for the future. Cliché I know, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Look long term. Keep planting those acorns every day – do 3 things every day designed to bring long-term success – and watch them grow into success further down your path (in most cases when you’re not expecting them to!).

· Social Media – will not make or break your business. Spending 6 hours a day posting about who you are and why people should buy from you is just a foxhole to get lost down. Social is important, using the platforms to raise the profile of you and your company, giving out free value and staying at the forefront of potential clients minds; but if you don’t post 8 times a day, and put out 64 pieces of content a week that’s not going to break your business.

A statistic I saw recently said that 86% of small businesses get customer through word of mouth. Absolutely. Personally, I’ve had more success through networking or inviting people for a coffee and having either direct work or recommendations come from those chats then I have through social. Do the social, it’s fun – but don’t get stressed up about content and posting. Go out and find your customers through customers. Believe me, you’ll find it far less stressful than thinking what to post every Wednesday afternoon!

· Look after you – it’s tough starting up. I think it might be a bit tougher if like me you’re starting up a little later in life. True, by later in life you’ve got a real good idea of what skills you have (and just as importantly what skills you don’t have) and are more comfortable in you, but there’s the pressure of the mortgage payments, making sure you don't neglect the family, and the longer days are a bit tougher than they were 20 years ago!

Make sure you don’t neglect you. It’s OK to take some personal time. Surely it’s one of the perks of working for yourself – taking a time-out when you need it? For me it’s off to the gym for a couple of hours 3-4 times a week. That’s my non-work time; clear the mind, leave the phone in locker and do you. World’s still gonna turn while I’m away from my phone; I’m still going to have a business when I get back to my locker – it’s not going to have gone under in the 2 hours I’ve had to myself. Keep yourself fresh – you owe that to you.

· Don’t give up – yep, it’s easier financially to have paid employment. If you wanted paid employment you would have stayed in paid employment. In those tough times remember why it was you started out by yourself and what your long-term goals are. You might have 20, 30, 40 even 50 years of working ahead of you to make a business a success. It doesn’t need to be successful in the month or so since you started; and if you need to go back to paid employment for a spell to replenish the financial coffers to go again, so-be-it, it’s all part of the bigger picture.

The Wrap

On a Monday I do the archetypical motivational quote on my social platforms. In most cases those are more for me than they are anyone else - starting the week off with some fuel for the fire to keep the engines burning for the days ahead. Starting up isn’t meant to be easy, but it is rewarding when you start getting traction; knowing that your income is the result of your work, your vision, another stepping stone to your wider goal, whatever that may be for you.

For me the last 11 months have been such a rich learning curve for me that despite almost 25 years in the working arena, the experiences I’ve gained (and continue to gain) in this relatively short time are unlike anything I’ve come across, and I wouldn’t swap them for anything.….unless you’re offering me long-term success in exchange!

See you at the bar….

Mark

The Art Of Street Food

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 12:15:31 GMT

I’ve got a real fascination with street food - all things street food. I love the variations of food that I wouldn’t otherwise try if I was to see it on a menu in any other style of eatery. I love the originality of the company names, and the ingenuity and decoration of the vehicles that end up cranking out these culinary delights. I love the dedication of those who throw their lives into the pursuit of creating these worldly dishes and man their station come rain or shine. I love the sense of social eating street food destinations provide. I love the food.

I’ll be honest, I was late to the whole street food revolution. It wasn’t until the winter of 2017 that I had my 1 ^st experience working in that market when helping to piece together the ‘Winter Wonderland’ version of Newcastle’s ever-popular Hadrian’s Tipi. I remember being blown away by the guest reaction to the less than main-stream food options that were on offer and how they all stood the test of time for over a 2-month duration.

From there my interest was piqued, and by the time we were vetting tenants for the city’s 1 ^st shipping container village the following year I was legitimately excited when we secured some of the more-popular mobile regional street food operators into permanent sites within the complex.

Point me in the direction

It’s safe to say that now I’m a sucker for a food festival, a pop-up event or where-ever I can go to get my street food fix. Recently I found myself in London for a client. After my work was done my mission was to visit the as many places as I could do see what was being served in trucks, tents and sheds across the capital’s favourite (and new) street food pitches.

From Camden Mark to Dinearama in Shoreditch, from KERB Canary Wharf to Seven Dials in Covent Garden (and all points in between) I ate my body weight in dumplings, sea food, meats and cheese – yes cheese – the Cheese Bar in Covent Gardens is just a brilliant concept; think Yo Sushi! But with cheese dishes on the conveyer belt…….life changing!!

At some point in a future blog I’ll write my ‘Top 10’ street operator as per my taste-buds, but that is for another day. For now, my London trip had me considering the factors behind the success of the movement and where it’s journey might evolve.

Around a decade ago, had you spoken about your street food adventures you were probably talking about the dodgy sausage van at the end of a Saturday night out on the sauce, or if you were lucky a top-class fish and chips from your sunny Sunday afternoon at South Shields beach. Now it could be argued that street food at best sits at the cutting edge of culinary innovation, and at worst, is now a billion-pound UK industry.

Why the all the noise?

A recent poll of over 2000 consumers by The Grocer showed that self-confessed ‘foodies’ found street food exciting (80%), authentic (78%) and high quality (72%). Like myself, these consumers are moving away from standard High Street (branded) fare seeking out these exciting culinary experiences, so much so that the High Street is fighting back with operators looking to mimic these authentic flavours on menus that offer more than just ‘token’ themed dishes.

Not just the High Street but it could be argued that even our beloved grocery retailers want in on the act with ever expanding number of more authentic and fusion flavour offerings filling the supermarket shelves as they look to cash-in on the growing demand for more interesting taste experiences.

Over the years the street food van has evolved into the quirky street food van; the traditional British food sold from these vehicles has evolved into an offerings from all corners of the globe; and now more and more we see those popular operators are moving into permanent homes in street food markets and the like up and down the country.

Street food has its own annual Awards in the UK having celebrated it’s 10 ^th anniversary this year. There is no denying that for many consumers the visual experience of the food and ‘doing it for the ‘gram’ is an exciting part of the move to experiential dinning as street food now is (search the hashtag on Instagram and there are well over 8 million examples of food-porn ready and waiting!) ; but the British Street Food Awards are rating the passion, the authenticity, the provenance…..the taste.

Moving on

So, where next? A shopping centre? Taking street food to the High Street? How many years before street food is main stream? There are already operators looking to capture that authenticity and find their niche outside of the traditional street food scene; Dishoom and Wahaca perhaps the most successful proponents to date.

Who will be the UK’s 1 ^st Michelin Star street food operator? What a leap that would be!

It feels to me like the days of wanting to operate a ‘standard’ food truck are behind the current consumer market. If you’re serious about making a living from mobile catering then what is your niche? What trend are you passionate about bringing your culinary edge to? Hell, what trend are you looking to start and become the next big thing? I may have seen the future from a few operators during my time in the capital – only time will tell (hello innovative uses of spices), but whatever genre of food you decide to bring to the market one thing is clear; in the billion pound industry that has risen from the humble trail blazed by The Meatwagon, The Fish Hut and Pizza Pilgrims, if you’re going to do it, do it with the same passion and authenticity that started the movement, or don’t do it at all. This consumer will thank you for it either way.

See you at the bar….

Mark

Don't forget what you don't remember

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 17:31:18 GMT

Since the back end of last week I've been on the road; up and down the country and side to side. As a result of my travel blog writing time has been at a premium; that being said, this week rather than write an article I wanted to share with you some thoughts from a piece I read whilst on the road.

Due to work commitments I wasn't able to attend this year's Propel's Operations Directors Conference held in September so when Ann Elliott published her notes from the conference in a recent Propel 'Opinions' newsletter I found the insight both informative and reflectionary.

I've spent my career in Operations and over those 20 years (plus!) it is easy for some of those experiences from my early formative years to slip through the cracks of one's long term memory; however what never leaves you are those learnings both old and new that form the cornerstones of your approach, culture and beliefs throughout the ensuing years.

It was reflective for me to see many of those learnings made Ann's review of the speakers she listened to at the conference while others are a reminder of those nuggets of wisdom that have stood the test of time in operations, leadership, management and business:

– 95% performance from the ops team isn’t enough, you wouldn’t accept this from the rest of your business

– If you’re an operator, never walk past anything that isn’t perfect

– No excuses. Be accountable. Be personally responsible

– When things aren’t going right, call it out quickly

– Have honest conversations, really honest

– A great operator manages people, product, process, place, performance and profit

– You won’t improve your profit by looking at your PNL

– The PNL isn’t what you do, it’s the result of what you do

– Your PNL is just a scoreboard

– Lose the ego and chill out

– Decide what only you can do, give what you “should” do to someone else

– Just get on with it, by the time it’s brilliant enough the moment will have passed

– Get out of your own way

– Allow yourself to be vulnerable, you don’t have all the answers

– Many of the best things I’ve implemented have come from the team, not me

– Innovation drives growth

– It’s not the big fish that eats the small fish but the fast fish that eats the slow fish

– Find your thing and bring everyone with you

– Be persistent. Be relentless. Be congruent. Listen

– Tailor your conversation to your audience

– There will be a fight for talent

– Make it easy for talent to find you

– A high-performing team isn’t just a group of people who work well together, it’s a group of people who trust each other

– General managers are the most important employees in the business

– Develop careers, not jobs

– Your team is your internal customer

– Focus on your team and let your team focus on the guest

– Celebrate individuality

– Focus on recruitment, incredible inductions, pay, and having great leaders

– Help your team be the best version it can be

– Encourage mastery. Constantly improve and learn

– The circle of success is team experience, guest experience, great business processes

– Give autonomy, it helps retention

– Great operations are about simplicity

– Check the cellar, it’s a real indication of attention to detail. Toilets are the customer-facing cellar

– Start with “why?”

– What’s your common purpose?

– Create a compelling offer to help you recruit

– Develop an organisation with a purpose beyond just making money

– We are not a pub business that develops people, we are a people business that develops pubs”

– Build a culture of consistency

– Ask the questions people don’t want to be asked

– How soon is now? Speed of service is a baseline

– Your brand is only as good as the guest’s last visit

– We sell time. Time with friends and family is the most precious thing of all

– Anyone can copy your product but sales and service superiority can’t be copied

– Have food that makes people stop talking when it’s put on the table

– Make it easy for guests to spend money with you when they want to by sorting out the barriers

– Get into your restaurants and your competitors. Watch how others are served, not you

Phew! There are a lot of great points there that Ann captured. I'm interested to know which of these really speak to you and how you relate them to your approach to work....and life.

See you at the bar....

Mark

Ann Elliott is chief executive of Elliotts, the leading integrated marketing agency in the hospitality and leisure sector.

www.elliottsagency.com

The Path to Positivity

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 15:07:04 GMT

The Path to Positivity….lined with the potholes of self-doubt but with promise on the horizon

In the June of 2018 I knew it was time for me to make a change in my work life. I had enjoyed my time with my employer at the time, a leisure start up with one venue when I joined them, and here I was preparing for our 7th, 8th and 9th openings a little over 3 years from starting; however circumstances were telling me it was time to think about what was next.

As it happens it wasn’t until the very end of 2018 that I worked my last day with that company. I had had seven months to think about what I wanted to do next and where I wanted to look for that next career challenge, and I’m not too proud to say that in those seven months I must have imaged every worst-case, apocalypse level, scenario that could have happened when that fateful day arrived; no job to go to, running down my savings and squandering all the hard work that had went into building up that reserve, not being able to provide my family with the standard of living they had been accustomed to, letting down my wife and kids…..and I could go on.

The point of that positively jolly intro to this blog post was to say that I wasn’t doing myself any favours with my fairly desolate mind-set at the time; but then something changed. I started on the path to changing my mind-set.

What path would I take?

As 2018 came to an ending I had received a handful of interesting job offers but none that floated-my-boat, none that felt like the next evolution of my 20-year career. From that period of uncertainty, the budding life of a consultant began to take shape organically as I found my phone was ringing with requests from friends who knew people, and people who knew other people all looking for some direction with their hospitality businesses (and that’s another blog post for a another day).

As the life of a consultant begun to look more of an option, and one that I found exciting to pursue, that apocalypse level negative mindset was still prevalent. Could I make it work, how would I make it work, where would I find work, could I make enough of a living to support my family? What I knew was that I needed more information. I needed to do my research about the life and times of consultants and how (If I was going to pursue this option) could I be the best consultant I could be.

From that time, I dove straight in, podcasts, articles, books, cultivating social media feeds, all with experts in their fields, hospitality leaders, consultants, business leaders, and from them all I found a common thread – positive mindset.

The golden penny on the pathway to redemption

I can remember exactly where I was on the day I found the golden penny of mind-set redemption. I can tell you the location, time and who dropped that penny of wisdom, such was its influence on me. I was listening to VaynerMedia’s CEO Gary Vaynerchuk/Gary Vee, who I’ve found to hold a number of interesting viewpoints. His topic this day in question was why ‘you’ (the procrastinating viewer/listener and in this case ‘me’) shouldn’t care about what others thought of ‘you’ and how ‘you’ are using this an excuse to hold yourself back from taking a risk and being successful in your life/career.

I immediately found myself thinking of that well-worn social media friendly quote from poet Erin Hanson– “What if I fall? Oh, but darling, what if you fly?” – and at that point I understood entirely what it was that was influencing my negative mindset - it was the fear of the opinion of others (even writing this now and putting these words on paper is still cathartic months later).

No one cares what pathway you take so go your own way

Once I understood that 99.99999% of people don’t care what ‘you’ are doing as they have their own s**t to deal with, and that they’re really not bothered about what it is ‘you’ are up to, then things begun to change. I began to change. I started to open myself up to the possibility that my mindset had been pre-wired through my work and life experiences to-date to always look for the worst case scenario and plan accordingly; that I never allowed myself to look at a glass half full, it was always half empty.

Further readings and listening allowed me to appreciate that I had the power within my own sphere of influence to change my own mindset, and that is what I have been doing for the past 6 months now…..but it hasn’t been easy and I doubt it ever will.

I 100% believe that my upbringing, early adult-life and career to date had shaped me to look at those worst case scenarios but now I no longer want that mindset to define the next phase of my life and career as I embark on this journey to share my hospitality experience with others, to help other learn and flourish and add value to those clients I am fortunate enough to come into contact with. It’s not been easy to alter four decades of thinking in a particular way, but this is what I have learnt.

You need to pound the pathway of positivity every-single-day

You can change your way of thinking once you take ownership for doing so, once you commit to having and holding a positive mindset on work, life, or whatever it is you want to change your outlook on; but you need to work at it, every day. Every. Day.

Bit by bit, day by day, each morning you gradually notice the difference; and yes, I have my ‘relapses’ so to speak, but I’m starting to identify those triggers and how to move past them to get to the mindset and approach I want myself to have. I know I’ve not wholly cracked it, and I’m still learning from both external and internal influences to get me to where I want to be, but I know I’ll get there because I’m telling myself I will – and if you identify with any of what I’ve written about here, know that you’ll get there too….but only if you really want to and you’re willing to put in the work. Every day.

Onto the horizon

So, I write all of this to say that I’m look forward to the future of launching WHAM Consultancy full time. I’m not filled with the fear that comes with being self-employed, but with the excitement and anticipation that I’m about to build another defining path in this journey called life and grasping that opportunity that sits on my horizon…all with an ever-improving positive mindset.

See you at the bar....

Mark

The Future is Now

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 18:33:44 GMT

I know that advances in technology move at a breakneck pace. We all know advances in technology move at a breakneck pace. Perhaps knowing this and appreciating what that actually means are two different things however.

For those interested (of which that will probably be no-one!) I’ve recently moved my coffee shop loitering from Costa to Café Nero. No ulterior motive apart from I’ve found a liking for their hot chocolate. Earlier this week I downloaded and was registering for my Café Nero loyalty app when it asked me to input my bank card details. Next thing I know I’m showing the barista a QR code on my phone, it’s registered my loyalty purchase and it’s paid my bill, all in one quick and efficient operation.

Why this impressed me I don’t really know. After all, it’s not like this is something new – but on this occasion it was new to me, 1 ^st time I’ve paid this way, and the barista tells me that next time I can use the app to order my drink ahead of time and simply turn up to collect it. Magic.

Magic

Well OK maybe not magic. I recall me arranging to meet my oldest son at a Wetherspoons a few months back. I was with other members of the family who wanted to order before he showed up as he was running late. ‘No problem’ he messages me. ‘Let me know the table number and I’ll order from the app on my way in and can eat with the rest of you’. Magic.

OK, not magic, simply an example of the pace that technology is moving within hospitality; you can order your food from phone on the bus and have it ready when you arrive at your destination. Progressive.

A couple of weeks back I was talking to George Wright of SLU Marketing & Consultancy. George was filling me in on the latest innovations he was working with and the conversation moved to technology within hotels, or more specifically those operators moving away from having telephones in their hotel rooms preferring a tablet based system and software instead to take care of dinner reservations, spa treatment bookings, housekeeping enquiries, even selling advertising space to local attractions and booking your tickets through the hotel tablet.

What else?

After diving down the fox hole a little more it appears that in hotels the technological world is their oyster:

· Remember actual hotel keys? And then it was a seen outdated if you didn’t move to key-cards? Well now how about finger-print or facial recognition to open your hotel door.

· More hotels are moving to self-check-in kiosks, some even have the availability for you to check-in via an app up to a day in advance of your reservation and for your room key to be a virtual key on your phone.

· Could the vaunted hotel concierge be a thing of the past? The Hilton has their robot Connie moving in on that hallowed staple of a hotel. Meet Connie HERE .

If all of this seems a little too progressive for some then the Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki say to that ‘hold my beer’. The Henn-na is the first hotel in the world to be staffed by robots. Throughout the hotel, robots are deployed to provide information, front desk services, storage services, as well as check-in and check-out services with technology including voice and facial recognition.

Interested? Take a look HERE .

Of course, it’s not just hotels that are marching into the future unabated. Many years ago, if you ran a pub or a bar you were cutting edge when you moved your jukebox to an integrated music system, or the fruit machine found a partner in the touch screen quiz machine partnered next to it. Nowadays, during your visit to your local you’re more likely to connect with a cutting edge CRM system (we’re not even going to discuss WiFi – it’s a must – that is all), and the music system is now part of a bigger mood-management programme automating everything from heating to lighting levels based off real-time atmospheric readings.

What next?

The traditional printed menus may be next on the chopping block, replaced with tablets allowing operators to cut down on reprint costs, make product alterations at the push of a button, introduce dynamic pricing to maximise trading pattern opportunities or else to rotate the entire menu offering per day part.

Whether you own a full-blown restaurant or a causal eatery, letting your guests know that their table is available via text or app notification has already meant no waiting in queues for some venue’s guests. Your guests might even have placed their order in advance of sitting down at their table, from the back seat of the taxi on the trip in, or perhaps via a chat-bot who fielded their enquiry online.

Away from the customer facing technological initiatives, operators are benefitting more and more from the introduction of AI into the operational running of their businesses. Software that takes the ‘human error’ out of the ordering process is available using historical sales to predictive order for restaurants as they look to minimise food waste aiding both profitability and sustainability. What would Chef think of that?

What about the people?

Where the debate around technological advances (and how they can be used) will forever be centred will of course revolve around how much each individual business values the human element of face-to-face guest interaction and service (a debate I myself had very recently with a client) and in that, each individual operator will have their own point of view. How much do you put a value on human interaction within your style of business verses say the labour efficiency of automation for example?

I recently visited a multi-plex cinema and the only human interaction I had during my entire visit was someone handing my (pre-ordered) food to me from a service collection point. Did that lack of face-to-face interaction bother me? Not particularly. I was there to witness a summer blockbuster on the big screen and so to that end ‘mission-accomplished’ whether I spoke to a member of the Team there or not. Would I like to pay to stay in a premium hotel and not have any human interaction during my stay? I’m not sure, but I know I’m open enough to try it and see.

That willingness of consumers to try something new continues to be the driving force behind the evolution of technology within the sector. Look no further than the growth of delivery within the food hospitality sector. How many of us haven’t logged onto an app, clicked a menu, chose our food, paid for it through the site and had it turn up to our door where the only human interaction is the handing over of the food parcel and perhaps an ‘enjoy your food’; and perhaps even that will come to an end. Take the trial by Starship Technologies in Milton Keynes where your Co-op food groceries order is delivered via robot.

What?!? It’s outdated already?

The point is that the technological advances will continue to roll-out and probably quicker than we recognise them doing so. In the time it’s taken me to write this piece it wouldn’t surprise me if some piece of technology I’ve referenced is already out-dated. Whether your view is for or against this style of evolution within the sector, what cannot be denied are the opportunities they present to make businesses more efficient, and dare I say in some cases, more interesting?

Hospitality to me is, and always will be, about the people who deliver it - that face-to-face guest interaction. The challenge of finding the balance between emerging technologies verses the human factor in each business is only just beginning for many operators. With the technological advances available to us now, and new advancements coming down the pipeline on what feels like a weekly occurrence , I find this topic interesting, exciting and I can’t wait to see how quickly this article dates itself in years to come.

See you at the bar….

Mark

The Hidden Challenge of Mental Health in Hospitality

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 12:14:50 GMT

This blog wasn’t the blog I intended to write this week. In fact, a few weeks back I had already written the blog I wanted to post today, but then something changed last week which made me reprioritise the topic for this week.

Across the company’s social media feeds my ‘Thought Thursday’ topic last week was in response to a conversation I had with a good friend of mine about the state of mental health awareness in the hospitality industry. That fired a spark in me and so Thursday’s video became about asking others for their input and opinion.

Was there in-fact an issue with regards to mental health awareness in our industry? Were we doing enough to address the topic if it was an issue? Who out there were the shining lights tackling this? Where was the support for industry workers coming from? The response both on-line across the social platforms and off-line in messages, conversations and phone-calls was enlightening and led me to want to learn more, so off to the internet I marched!

Where to start?

Back in May of this year the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) published a report titled ‘Service with(out) a Smile-The Mental Health of Hospitality Workers’. The report gave insight from 743 Hospitality workers that had been surveyed between March and May’19. It is important to put into context that with 6 million people employed within the industry the limitations of the RSPH report should be self-evident in sample size, however when the data is taken as a benchmark to compare against other similar surveys there are some interesting similarities on the results of the big-tickets questions.

The headline results were:

· 1-in-5 respondents reporting severe mental health problems they believed were a direct result of their job.

· 84% of hospitality workers reported increased stress which was believed to be a direct consequence of their job.

· Two-third of workers do not believe that the sector looks after the wellbeing of its employees.

· The mental wellbeing support available for workers is inconsistent, and where it is available there is limited awareness amongst employees.

You can find access to the full report HERE .

Further data from other sources included:

· In May ‘19, a survey by the Morning Advertiser reported that 81% of chefs had experienced poor mental health at some point in their careers.

· In 2018 The Caterer reported that 59% of hospitality workers had a mental health problem.

· A survey conducted by CV Library in 2015 found that 45% of employees reported taking time off work due to stress, with 33% reporting that their stress was due to poor management.

· A survey of 500 hospitality employees by Industry showcase ScotHot showed 57 per cent reported mental problems including stress, depression and anxiety.

……and there are more statistical reports that I haven’t referenced, however all have a common theme – we have an issue and we’re not doing enough to tackle it in the eyes of those suffering.

Are we any different from other industries?

Now, full disclosure, I’ve spent my entire career of almost 25 years in hospitality, I’ve never known anything else. As a result, I don’t have a comparison from any other industry to bench-mark whether we in hospitality are alone in these challenges – I expect not; in fact the only comparison I could find was in the RSPH report which used the Legal profession as a comparative sector in that they would also work long hours, experience a high workload, stress and demanding situations.

Some research from across the web on this matter showed that the Legal sector launched ‘ The Legal Professions Wellbeing Taskforce’ in 2016 with an agenda to raise awareness around mental health and share best practise across the industry from all avenues of society. Reports conclude that this has helped but progress is slow.

The hospitality sector accounts for the 3rd biggest employment sector in the UK. An estimated 70 million working days are lost every year within the industry to mental health problems believed to cost employers around £2,4 billion a year; of that 12.7% of all sick days are attributed to mental health conditions. Even if we don't consider a move to improve mental health within the industry a societal obligation, from a pure business standpoint the benefits for employers to take mental health seriously and to put measures in place to improve employee wellbeing would appear obvious.

Help is at hand

So what can be done? What is being done? Externally there are organisations who offer support indiscriminate of industry:

- Mind

- Mental Health Foundation

- Depression Alliance

- Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous

- Sane

- Rethink Mental Illness

- Young Minds

Those named above aside, it is the organisations I came across that are supporting the hospitality sector specifically that I was interested to learn more about, and more interested to learn that they existed at all!

Hospitality Action was established in 1837 and has since offered vital assistance to all who work or have worked within hospitality in the UK. They offer counselling, support, grants (for those falling into financial hardships) and training of mental health awareness. Their helpline is open 24/7.

While this is a progress service for the sector it places the emphasis on the employee to seek out their own help and support. Already reports show that 28% of workers surveyed sought medical assistance for their mental health issues and 24% undertook counselling or talking therapies as a direct result of work-related issues. Indeed, 37% saw their GP, and 16% saw a professional counsellor.

The question is that outside of employees taking their own wellbeing into their own hands what can leaders within the industry do to offer support to their teams, and by leaders I mean specifically employers. From employee feedback, much it appears is within our own hands and simply needs a commitment to tackle this issue:

· Ensuring breaks can be taken and in an environment away from the workplace.

· Access t o healthy food that can be eaten in an environment where your team can connect on a social level .

· Paying a wage that not only allows an employee to survive but to live.

· Employees having access to 100% of their tips (surprisingly an issue that I’ve come across time and time again when researching this topic).

· Having a team big enough to allow for shorter shifts and time off to be granted; and that time off to be paid.

· Regular 1-to-1’s to encourage open dialogue and regular communication/feedback with their line managers.

· Keeping your Team abreast of the business performance so they feel valued and involved.

· Encourage ideas allowing them to feel creatively engaged.

I appreciate that some of these are easier to initiate then others. Some require a financial commitment that your business may not be able to acquiesce to, however all these changes when taken in isolation can all help to piece together a working environment that would improve the ‘head-space’ within your team.

Employee Assistance Programme

That is not to say that even if you implemented all those ideas that employers won’t still find themselves facing the challenge of mental health in their workplace and to that I turn again to Hospitality Action.

For the cost of £5 per employee per year Hospitality Action’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) was created by hospitality people, for hospitality people, and already supports over 130,000 industry professionals:

“… Our EAP supports industry professionals by providing specialist, independent and confidential advice, support and assistance. Its range of benefits includes personal counselling, legal guidance, addiction support, debt and money advice, parenting helpline, elder care helpline and a whistle-blowing service - all for an annual cost of just £5 per employee. Whatever the problem, we’re here to help 24 hours a day, 365 days per year.

We also offer critical incident and trauma support. For example, we provided on-site counselling to hospitality professionals… should a hardship grant be required by any recipients of EAP support, we’re able to point them towards our grant-giving team, for consideration for further support…”

Five. Pounds. Per. Year .Per. Employee.

If we’re serious about raising awareness of mental health and offering the requisite support that the statistics bare out that we're lacking as an industry, the EAP seems like a 'no-brainer' to start the ball regardless of the size of your organisation. For more information about the EAP follow the link below: pitalityaction.org.uk/about-us/

Who else is out there?

Further clicks around the internet shows that there are other hospitality centric support organisations out there too:

Founded in 1886, The Benevolent’s mission is to help those from the trade facing serious medical or financial hardship or any other workplace or home difficulties. T he Benevolent helps anyone who works in any role in the UK drinks industry. They define the drinks industry as any part of the supply chain including, but not limited to, production, distribution, marketing, import, export and sales of alcohol in both the on trade and off trade of the UK market. In practical terms this means anyone who has worked in pubs, breweries, bars distilleries, off licenses and warehouses or in an office-based role at a company producing, distributing or selling primarily alcohol.

www.thebenevolent.org.uk

The Healthy Hospo offer online education, practical advice, and inspiration through their website and social media feeds to help hospitality professionals live healthier, happier lives . Founded by a former hospitality worker who suffered his own mental health issues whilst working in the sector they run a variety of events including Wellness Workshops, regular seminars and flagship health and creativity retreats. The Healthy Hosp also work with hospitality outlets around the world to assist them in implementing health and wellness programs designed to encourage healthier, more productive and profitable staff.

w ww.healthyhospo.com

The best Aid is First Aid

So, help it as hand. There are organisations out there who are here to support and advise those from the sector, I just don’t think we shout about them enough, or even know that they exist!! I’ll be honest, whether by my own ignorance or not, I had never heard of these organisations until I started to look – and two of them have been around since the 19 ^th century so it’s not like they’re new on the scene!! I’d be interested to find out how many people were also in the dark around these guys being in operation.

Out of the research I’ve done, there was one reoccurring idea, strategy, proposal that really struck home with me and it feels like the next logical step for those looking to make a positive impact within he culture of their own business. That is the appointment of a Mental Health First Aider.

I’m pretty sure we’re all aware of our responsibilities towards First Aid within the workplace as part of our Health & Safety strategies, but it feels like now is the time to take those responsibilities to the next level and to be active with First Aid of the mind and not just the body. A quick Google search (other web search engines are available!) turned up any number of courses available from half day to 2-day durations at non-prohibitive pricing to start the journey of appointing a Mental health First Aider.

The challenge is clear

What does all this mean in the end though? The hospitality industry has always been a place where you can find a place and pursue a career regardless of background. Our Teams are integral parts of the industry and we ask them to put a brave face on sometimes in the fiercest of environments and at times surrounded by the cruellest of critics – our guests. For those in a management position we ask even more; to supply a positive energy for our businesses to feed off regardless of situational challenges, be those personal or professional.

There are so many aspects of the industry that can (and are) causing anxiety, stress and depression and we have a responsibility to put aside the macho attitude of stiff upper lip and ‘get on with it’ and to start to recognise that we start from a base of having done so little despite there being so much to do. Those within the sector should not be held to an impossible standard of mental health in an environment that is testing both physically and mentally and I would hope that the support highlighted in this blog can point you in the direction of the support that is available for us all.

See you at the bar….

Mark

Note : as a result of this topic and my research over the past week I have sent off an application on behalf of WHAM Consultancy to become a corporate member of Hospitality Action. I plan to carry out fundraising activity over the course of the next 12 months to support the work that organisation does within the sector. If you’d be interested in getting involved in any fundraising please drop me a line.

If anyone would like any further information around the support organisations detailed in this blog or would like to discuss ways in which you can tackle metal health awareness or employee wellbeing in your workplace, please feel free to get in touch via my contact details in the website header.

What does today’s review of the UK’s food system mean for hospitality tomorrow?

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:11:14 GMT

What does today’s review of the UK’s food system mean for hospitality tomorrow?

Earlier this year the government announced that they had appointed Henry Dimbleby to lead a landmark review of Britain’s food system to determine a national strategy for Brexit and beyond.

You may recognise the surname from Henry’s esteemed father David, he of Question Time fame, but the erstwhile Dimbleby carries his own reputation and credibility within the hospitality industry. Co-founder of Leon, the ‘naturally fast food’ restaurant chain founded in 2004, Henry Dimbleby also founded the Sustainable Restaurant Association in 2009, the not-for-profit membership organisation which works with food businesses towards sustainability in their sectors.

Aside from his works within the food industry Henry Dimbleby, alongside his Leon co-founder John Vincent, wrote on behalf of the government in July 2013 ‘The School Food plan’. The paper made recommendations on what the government could do to get children to eat well at school as well as what role cooking and food should play in schools. All told, Dimbleby has the requisite industry credentials and the understanding of how to work within governmental departments in order to tackle a style of report not seen since the end of the 2nd World War.

How times have changed

The last such review report was commissioned to plan how the country would feed itself following the end of the War, and while it seems inconceivable that it has taken over 70 years for such a report to be revisited again, the challenges facing the government around the issue of food sustainability are non-the-more stark.

As the population continues to grow and lives longer, the breakneck farming techniques needed to keep the food production pace required to feed this growing population is causing damage to the environment and the consequences are found in public health. Add to this reporting from the Trussell Trust that in the 12 months to March 2019 there was a 20 percent increase in the distribution of food packages (taking the total to £1.6 million packages over that time), it is clear that the report due in 2020 is overdue and badly needed to help shape the future of our food strategy for generations to come in this country.

But what does it all mean?

From the farm to the fork, the report will for the first time cover these topics from across departmental Cabinet agencies looking to pull together the strategies from the likes of the Agricultural Bill and the Environmental Bill coming out of DEFRA (Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affaris), the Childhood Obesity plan coming out of the Cabinet and the industrial strategy of BEIS (Business Energy Industrial Strategy).

While it is unclear at this point what the government’s 2020 white paper will contain in ways of conclusions from Dimbelby’s report and its recommendations, what we can safely assume is that those of us connected with the food service industry will soon find ourselves at cross-roads.

The choice is likely to be, do we make an ethical stance in supporting sustainability for the good of the health of the country and it’s generations to come, or do we continue down our current path of end-game self-destruction with the ‘easier’ (and likely ‘cheaper’) choice of continuing with our current practises.

What are we willing to give-up?

Should we be asking ourselves, what are we willing to change and what are we willing to give up to support long-term sustainability within our sector? Is the choice as simple as protecting short term profit at the expense of long-term vision, particularly when those of us currently in the thick of our careers may not see the benefit within our lifetime?

Perhaps now is the time to take guidance (and some would say inspiration) from current operators who have already made that decision and are driving their business models forward with their flag well and truly planted in the lands of sustainability.

Ahead of the curve

‘Spring’ can be found in the nation’s capital and only uses fruit and veg grown in Britain which is deemed the wrong size or shape for the retail sector and would otherwise find itself discarded (40% of this countries fresh produce falls into this category!).

www.springrestaurant.co.uk

Taking sustainability to the next level ‘Silo’ of London have successfully eliminated waste by composting every scrap of leftover food directly on-site. The business also crushes all waste glass for their local potter to make into ceramics and fittings right down to the chairs have been repurposed and upcycled. www.silolondon.com

These two are merely a handful of progressive businesses looking to improve sustainability within the industry. For those businesses who are already offering a commitment to reducing food waste and improving sustainability but may not be as progressive as other venues across the country, the movement ‘Guardians of the Grub’ offer free resources to aid food businesses as a campaign to reduce food waste. www.guardiansofgrub. com

Have your say

It is clear that Henry Dimbleby has a real challenge in front of him to propose an overarching strategy that delivers safe and healthy food, is robust as well as sustainable and humane, restores and enhances the natural environment for the next generations, and also delivers this in a cost-effective way.

To this end he is encouraging those who are within the food industry, in whatever capacity and where-ever they contribute on the journey from farm to fork, to get involved. You have an opportunity to make your voice heard regardless of where you fall on this topic during this period of a call for evidence HERE .

Protecting profit verses protecting the environment. Self-interest verses sustainability. The choice is coming.

Have your say today and contribute opinion on strategy that will affect you tomorrow, before others make those choices for you.

See you at the bar...

Mark

Welcome to WHAM

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 22:34:08 GMT

BOOM!

And just like that, we’re live with WHAM Consultancy!! Welcome and thanks for checking out my 1st blog post.

My name is Mark, I’m the Managing Director at WHAM Consultancy and (for the most part) I’ll be the voice behind the blog posts you’ll found on this page of the website.

What is WHAM?

If you’ve stumbled across this post without any context let me introduce WHAM - we’re specialists in hospitality business development and turnabout. We provide strategic, targeted support to help your business to pack a punch – WHAM!! Check out the home page of our website for a more in-depth explanation of what it is that we do.

Who am I?

As for my story; I’ve been working within the hospitality sector for over 20 years. I’m the classic tale of the young lad who starts as a glass collector and over the (many!) years progresses through the ranks until my last position before starting WHAM was as Operations Director at one of the North East’s most cherished cultural venues.

Why write a blog?

My goal with the WHAM blog is to try and add value to those who of you who take the time to read my ramblings! I hope to use the space to share my thoughts and opinions on hot-topic industry items in the news; recount personal experiences from my years working across private, corporate, PLC and charitable businesses within the hospitality sector; lend some thought provoking insight into changes within the sector, and also share some of our journey as I launch WHAM– as well as answering the existential question on everybody’s lips – what does the name WHAM mean and what’s with that logo?!

All to be revealed very soon, but for now, thanks for hitching your horse to my story-telling wagon and I look forward to sharing my blogs and interacting with your comments and opinions over the coming week and months.

See you at the bar……

Mark