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The necessity for individuals and businesses to align their goals where sustainability is concerned could make a huge difference in the lives of future generations and shift the outlook for our planet in general. Are you ready to start making your restaurant more sustainable?

 

Concerns about food waste and sustainably sourced ingredients are no longer taboo subjects reserved for “alternative” groups. More and more consumers are interested in making not only healthier, but more conscientious decisions when it comes to their lifestyle choices – and, more importantly, their meals.

Becoming a Head Chef is the goal for many who enter the restaurant business. However, it can be a long road to get there and once you’re at the top there are plenty of challenges and obstacles you’ll continue to face as part of your chef career. What kind of experiences should you ideally acquire before you become a Head Chef?

The role of chef de cuisine requires much more than just the ability to cook and prepare amazing dishes. It takes excellent leadership skills, creativity and discipline. A brief look at history reveals a long line of flamboyant, inspired, formidable, and sometimes outrageous culinary personalities.

As part of every chef’s training, considerable time will be spent on mastering knife skills. Once you’ve gained confidence in chopping, slicing and dicing, you’re ready to move on to the other aspects of cooking, knowing that you’re able to prepare your ingredients with speed and precision.

Are these culinary terms part of your daily vocabulary or part of your restaurant team's one?

Socially responsible business is where it’s at today – across the restaurant sector, as well as every other industry.

The food you cook says a lot about who you are as a person and a chef. Your culture and family traditions are embedded in your palette, and it’s likely that this is where your initial inclination towards cooking stems from. As you rise through the ranks to become a head chef, you will hopefully gain more freedom to express your creativity and share your culinary inspiration through the meals you prepare.

Before you can start experimenting with ingredients and indulging in daring combinations, however, you do need to have your basic cooking skills firmly established. Honest and willing tasters will also give you the necessary feedback to perfect your dishes. Once you do, you’re on your way to establishing yourself as a specialist – something that many employers will rate highly when viewing applicants.

The food industry is thriving. However there is often a long road to travel before you get the head chef job. Nevertheless, it’s worth remembering that whatever stage you’re at there’s always something you can do right now to help improve your head chef job prospects. 

All of us have had that interaction with an employee who isn’t fully engaged with their job. Distracted, slow, low on energy and maybe even sullen, if an employee is clearly not happy with what they’re doing this kind of attitude can filter through the whole team. On the flip side, the good vibes of happy employees tend to spread not only through the team, but to customers too and if your team feels taken care of they are far more likely to go the extra mile for the business.

Online reviews have become an essential part of marketing for any restaurant. 88% of customers incorporate online reviews into their purchase decision making process and 90% of customers now read online reviews. Given these statistics, the likelihood is that your business is being read about or talked about somewhere online right now. So, how do you maximise this as part of your marketing efforts?

Do you know if your current restaurant marketing is working? Can you measure the return on your marketing investment? And, if your marketing efforts don’t seem to be producing any results, do you know why? Questions such as these are essential when it comes to evaluating how precious marketing resources are spent so as to ensure that you are getting the most impact from every marketing investment. If you don’t feel that you have a good idea of your restaurant’s marketing needs, current marketing performance and potential stumbling points then a marketing audit may be essential.