SAD NEWS FOR SUPERLATIVE SERVICE

SAD NEWS FOR SUPERLATIVE SERVICE
By Susanne Wilder
Quality and consistent culinary delivery may well be affected soon with history repeating itself in the next mining boom. Déjà vue of the dire straits Perth was in before with unavailable staff raises its horrid head from the shallow muddy pool of foodservice workers. In point of fact, now according to Chris Arrell of Hospitality Total Services there plain is no pool of properly trained staff to draw from. “We lack trained staff and we lie about wanting to train more and those we do train we don’t train enough so we and the government need to put more resource into training correctly and to suit the industry...” And of course, it’s the customer who suffers the poor service. So now that more will be revealed below one can perhaps be more patient.
Even in the global train wreck of greed slamming into economic collapse, Perth has fared well compared to other states and continents. Western Australia has long held up the other states with its mining and exports and to some the rape of Mother Earth. Weren’t we supposed to be the stewards of our planet?
"We must all become caretakers of the Earth."
---- Haida Gwaii Traditional Circle of Elders
Mother Earth is the source of all life. We should not only be concerned about the part of the Earth we live on, but we should be concerned about the parts of the Earth that other people live on. The Earth is one great whole. The trees in Brazil generate the air in the Untied States. If the trees are cut in Brazil, it affects the air that all people breathe. Every person needs to conscientiously think about how they respect the Earth. Do we dump our garbage out of the car? Do we poison the water? Do we poison the air? Am I taking on the responsibility of being a caretaker of the Earth?
Great Spirit, today, I will be aware of the Earth. I will be responsible.
However our cafe society has thrived in comparison to many cities in Oz and overseas.
There are over 20,000 workers needed in Hospitality over this next financial year and more than 50,000 already working in foodservice in Western Australia alone. Cooks especially have always been needed in the entire country. Our government has decided on an immigration change to lower the numbers of skilled migration hospitality workers. This will damage not only the food and service but our over-all International reputation.
An effective idea was put forward to allow 6-12 month working visas for short term hospitality staff. They could share their culinary culture and return home with added skills. The immigration minister rejected it out of hand with no reasons.
The newest great idea was just in the media a few weeks ago. “Send anyone under 30 and on the dole to the mines. Get them to work in the hospitality industry,” says Tony Abbot. Alrighty! Just what we need more unmotivated, untrained dole louts in our industry. Culinary courses at TAFE and other schools have plummeted to less than half. Many restaurants now have to close 1 or 2 days a week or only serve lunch or perhaps just dinner, so as not to burn out their staff.
On a positive note, gourmet foodie numbers are up at Upper Crust cooking school, over the entire range of cooking classes, according to owner, Gabriel Zahra. Even the kid’s summer camp for fledgling chef- ling’s is growing and popular. Of course these folks are not interested or ready to work 100 hours per week. One sad saying I’ve often heard is the fastest way to lose your passion for cooking is to become a chef.
Compass Group who has done no recruiting in the 2009 now needs 1000 more hospitality workers by July. Chefs have been poached in the past at Perth restaurants for the mines and oil rigs from our local restaurants. According to Bradley Woods, CEO of the Australian Hotels Association, “Chefs do remain the target of the mining and resources sector. Industry consistently reports staff losses due to being lured by the mining and resources industries. Things do remain tight and are predicted to get worse as the demand for staff continues.”
From a chefs point of view it could mean 20K more a year with a week off and back home, rather than working 6 days a week. However between the travel time and long hours each day producing basic volume foods, the hourly fee is considerably less. Then if the quality of living is considered it could be a life sentence rather than a life. Hello little donga! Alas, some uncultivated men return even more feral from living up there. Every chef and cook I queried over the last month, both male and female were not interested in leaving this superb life- style in Perth even for more of the ‘dosh.’
In talking with a few owners of my favourite cafes poaching or poor service was not an issue. Both White Salt and Spinnaker’s Cafe operate on many of the same principles. They take care of their employees, pay staff more than the award rate, have regular team and training meetings, treat them like family and keep their same staff for years. Both their food is reasonably priced, 90% made in-house with fresh local ingredients and their location couldn’t be better if you love the beach. White Salt has won many customer service awards. Owner, Claire Leech says, “We hire likeable people-person staff for the front of the house. This is an innate talent and a natural charm.”
Customer service can be done and to a stellar level from both back and front of the house, cooks to servers. Quinlan’s gives hospitality students practice in a real environment in Fremantle. Now they will have the ‘industry’ experience and sustainability is a core cultural value that is linked to training practices and technology. This is a cutting edge new program.
Finally, on a great adventure, Chris Arrell shares a success story. “We recently stayed at a Kimberley Coastal Camp in the Kimberley’s Australia. We were served from when we woke up until we went to bed breakfast, morning tea on the boat, lunch, afternoon tea on the boat or bushwalking for rock art, dinner, after dinner there were 9 guests and 3 staff (not including the 2 fishing guides). This story must be told as it proves that service can be achieved and the outcome was ecstasy to say the least. The staff served, cooked, laughed, sang and served again. Australia, go have a look and learn how to get back to the basic principals of hospitality.

WELCOME – FUN – ADVENTURE - PRODUCT – AMBIENCE & MOST OF ALL –
SERVICE -- all achieved in the Kimberley’s. Okay, now I want to go too!
BIOGRAPHY

Susanne E. Wilder, CFE is a Home Economist (Washington State University), Reformed Cordon Bleu chef, nutrition consultant, food stylist for print and film, writer, author of 7 cookbooks, culinary consultant in the food industry, and instructor with three decades of experience in the foodservice and consumer food segments.
Avocationally, Susanne is also a masseuse and Hatha Yoga instructor, as well as a roller-blading, biking, kayaking, and fishing bon vivant! Currently she is working on new formulas and PR for various organic and healthy Australian food clients as well as a play and murder food mystery series.

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