Dani Valent describes herself as a food journalist, podcaster, writer, eater, traveller and cook - and it's all done with enthusiasm and a passion for sharing. I will also add that she's a great humanitarian and advocate for restaurant workers, asylum seekers and refugees - the people who give vital support to our industry, but are often overlooked and struggle to have a good life. Find more about her work at DaniValent.com.

Questions we discussed...

• What has made her so interested in all aspects of hospitality?
• Food media - what's changed in the last couple of years? Better and worse?
• New media channels - what does she use and find most interesting?
• How do new restaurants and cafes get the attention of a journalist - what's the best hook?
• The Covid experience - what have we learned that's made us stronger?
• Business owners and entrepreneurs - what has she learned about their resilience and innovation?
• How Dani works as a journalist and podcaster - keeping to deadlines and producing a steady flow of interesting content.

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

Management is a lot more than carrying a big bunch of keys and covering the roster. A massive increase in operational complexity makes the manager role more demanding, and also more effective if the data available is harnessed accurately to show performance and results.

Ken Burgin interviewed Liz Perkins from The Hospitality Company on this very interesting topic - she has a background as a chef and business owner. Liz now coaches hospitality operators in how to make the best use of the digital management tools available, and master the critical numbers that show business performance and success.

Topics they discussed:

• The 5 key business areas that modern managers need to handle.
• How manager roles and expectations have changed in the last few years.
• Digital literacy and skills - what should the modern manager be comfortable handling?
• Recommended digital systems to help operators take control eg dashboards, rostering, recipes etc.
• How to upgrade the skills of older and less-experienced managers.

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

Every cafe owner likes the idea of building 'community support' and having loyal local customers, but how do you make this happen?

Ken Burgin interviewed Mike Matich from Crooked Spire Cafe in Perth, about how he's built strong local support in his area. What makes it a place that appeals to everyone in the community, from street people to tradies, families and office workers - including the local Member of Parliament? His enthusiasm for business and for his customers is inspiring!

Topics they discussed:

• How is Crooked Spire different to other cafes?
• Mike's background in hospitality and business.
• How does community involvement work as a profit builder?
• Working with a local Chamber of Commerce and wider networking - something many hospitality operators don't make time for.
• Growing stronger from the Covid experience.
• Advice for operators who want to use their 'community heart' but don't have much time, or know where to start.
• Technology and systems used eg bookings, POS, financial management, social media etc

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

Dianne McGrath has been doing remarkable work on sustainability in the hospitality industry. While everyone believes in reducing food waste and improving sustainability, she has done detailed research on how the problem shows up in restaurants and foodservice, and how to make practical improvements.

Ken Burgin interviewed Dianne to find out what he’s learned from her research, and how that can be used by operators and the wider food production industry - the production chain moves from agriculture and harvesting to processing, distribution and then use by foodservice or households. You can find more about her projects at the Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre or LinkedIn.

Topics they discussed:

• What Dianne found from her PhD research into food waste in restaurants and foodservice.
• Understanding the Value Chain in food production and distribution, and implications for foodservice.
• Shelf life issues - 'use by' or 'best by' dates, and what they mean.
• Handling food waste in the QSR and aged care sectors.
• Over-production issues that regularly hit the headlines eg avocados.
• Future developments in sustainability that will impact foodservice operations and profits.

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

Wherever there are people working together, there will be team dynamics and the need for negotiation and sharing tasks and responsibilities. A good leader guides this process to get the best from their people - and chef Glenn Flood has many years of experience making this work.

It was great to talk with him about Building Teamwork in Restaurants and Cafes - in the kitchen ad front of house, and relations between the two sections.

In the podcast, we discussed:

• What are the elements of good teamwork?
• Back of House vs Front of House - new and better ways to communicate.
• Glenn's background and how he moved into the business development side of hospitality.
• The role of the Head Chef and Manager has broadened and changed, and now less authoritarian - what's their role in modern teamwork?
• How do they fit this into already busy schedules, and what can they delegate?
• Challenges for young leaders in developing a team - beyond 'being buddies'.
• Challenges for including overseas workers - the backbone of our industry. What is it about teamwork that's a cultural issue that might be challenging for non-Australians?
• Communication channels and styles to promote teamwork - what works well and what do you suggest?

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

Michael Tinsager has a unique position in hospitality - as an industry adviser and podcaster with the Hospitality Mavericks Podcast, he has access to the experience and wisdom of hundreds of great operators and experts. He is based in the UK and keeps a close eye on the industry there, in Europe, North America and worldwide.

Ken Burgin interviewed Michael to find out what he's learned during the pandemic about Innovation & Leadership in Hospitality Management. We discussed 'new best practice' with purchasing, cost control, financial reporting and control systems, particularly with the increasing maturity of data analytics. We also discussed changes in managing people - recruitment, retention, mental health, skill development, culture and productivity.

Moving to the customer side of business, we looked at recent changes in the customer experience and service, and how businesses are meeting and matching new expectations. This then led to marketing, customer communication, loyalty and social media. It was a very stimulating conversation! You can download Michael's recent presentation on What Great Hospitality Leaders Know & Do.

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

In this podcast, Ken Burgin looks at Toyota’s classification of 8 different types of waste, and how we can use this in hospitality to cut costs, increase efficiency and improve the bottom line.

Toyota built its world-class success by watching and controlling every step of the manufacturing process, especially waste. It’s very useful to apply the discipline of manufacturing to hospitality – we produce things too! This classification of 8 Types of Waste is based on the work of a Japanese engineer Taiichi Ohno, published as Toyota Production System: Beyond Large Scale Production. It is still so relevant today.

You can also read a summary of the podcast here Using Toyota’s 8 Waste Control Methods in Your Restaurant or Cafe. The types of waste identified are:

• Transportation Waste
• Inventory Waste
• Motion Waist
• Excessive Wait Times
• Overproduction
• Overprocessing
• Defects
• Wasted Talent and Creativity

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.

In this podcast, Ken Burgin talks with Mark Khoder from YourSocialChef. He develops and manages social media and marketing campaigns for a wide variety of restaurants, cafes and food brands. As you will hear in the discussion, his focus is on getting the best return on investment, helping your brand and income grow.

There's no shortage of social media options, and it's easy to be excited by the latest 'shiny object' - the result is often chaos, and disappointing results. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Google, TikTok or YouTube - where should you invest your time and money? Mark Khoder brings order to the process with his OKR framework - Objectives, and Key Results, and in this interview we apply it to Mother's Day and Father's Day. These are often 'easy wins' for a bookings and sales, but how can we leverage more from their popularity, and apply it to celebrations throughout the year?

Topics they discussed:

• Talk us through a better thinking process so we get the most from our promotional dollar.
• Strategy - how and why should we use these popular events beyond a one-day mega sale? Valentines Day also comes to mind.
• How should we organise our promotion - based on what data and research?
• Mother's Day - how else can we develop this, given that it's usually a full house anyway?
• Father's Day - often neglected, how can we ramp it up? How should we think of it differently to Mothers Day?
• How to build up followers, fans and customer lists on Instagram and Facebook
• TikTok & Snapchat - your thoughts re these events?
• What about email and SMS - still relevant? How should we use them in conjunction with social media?

You'll find the Show Notes and links for today's episode on the HospoReset.com website. Don't forget to subscribe to the weekly Hospo Reset newsletter, and connect with Ken Burgin on Linkedin and on Twitter.