🔥 Better Easter, Cocktail Costing, Messy Kids, Tracking Waste, Feedback Hacks, Toxic People, Coffee Excuses and Cruise Ships

Information, Trends & Inspiration for restaurant, cafe & foodservice operators - helping to create a strong, dynamic industry in a fast-changing world. Brought to you by Ken Burgin. Issue #207

Mar 04, 2025

✋ Welcome, I’m a former cafe & restaurant owner, now a hospitality adviser, and consultant. Always looking for the latest trends and how-to information - this is where I share it. Find me on LinkedIn, on Facebook, on BlueSky, on the Ken Burgin blog or via the Contact Form… cheers, Ken #PeaceIn2025 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇺🇳

🔥 SPECIAL TOPIC PAGES for Paid Subscribers - with 700+ selected articles
* Recruitment & Management (updated - 350+ articles)
* Staff Training & Development (updated - 100+ articles)
* Menu Design, Presentation & Pricing (updated)
* Menu Sales, Marketing & Trends (updated)
* Cost Control, Financial & Fraud Management Resources (updated)
* ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence for Hospitality Use (updated)
* Easiest Way to Do a Restaurant Newsletter - using Substack (free)

🦋 Goodbye X, hello BlueSky - I was an avid Twitte/X user for more than 15 years, and still find useful info there. But crazy Mr Musk means it’s time to change - I no longer post there, and you will find my (almost daily) posts now on BlueSky.

🌞 Have a Much More Profitable Easter - how to break out of the wage problem and take advantage of ‘3 Saturdays’ [KB]

🍹 Cocktail Costing Formula - how to set the prices for your bar.

🥂 Do You ‘Splash’ your VIPs? From the world of fine dining...

😳 Messy Kids at a Restaurant - who should clean it up?

🥣 The Dead-end of Appointment TV and Appointment Retail - making us fit in with the provider’s timing no longer works with those two. Now let’s think through ‘Appointment Dining’ - how can we break the chains to create a bigger market?

🍔 Mystery Shopping - how to make it work for restaurants and cafes [KB]

🙁 They Lied About the My Coffee Order - how lazy excuses open you up for review shaming.

🚩 Surviving in a Post-Truth World - staying strong against the broligarchy.

🤷🏼‍♂️ Is Lightspeed Leaving Australia? ‘Focusing on North America and Europe’ according to the latest announcement. Massive POS tech upgrades in recent years and many new features, and have invested heavily in industry educational events.

😎 Good Coffee, Great Coffee - running the app game definitely easier than the real thing.

🌽 Tracking Food Waste - start by classifying the different types, more than you might think.

⚙️ Product of the Week: Issimo Markets - manage and promote local markets and stall-holders.

Employment Reset...

😲 What? You’re Leaving? Handling the departure of a high-profile person.

❌ Preventing Sexual Harassment - guidelines, wording for policies and lots of staff training ideas. [KB]

🔄 14 Effective Team Feedback Techniques - be more effective and get better outcomes.

✋ Stop Calling People Toxic - a throwaway line that just condemns people as unable to change. I hear this used too often…

Marketing, Digital & AI Reset...

💥 Customer Rage - what is causing it in 2025?

🥘 Get Listed on TripAdvisor - often overlooked, still highly influential.

💕 How Tinder Can Make You a Better Copywriter - lessons for websites, newsletters and social posts… even menus.

🔸 44 Ways to Thank Customers - messages, emails and more, creative examples.

Share Hospo Reset

📆 Hospitality Events Calendar - trade fairs, events and promotions.
💥 Last week’s and previous » Newsletters - this week and last week are free, previous 200+ issues for paid subscribers.

🕺 Find Me Live - I’m active in the Profitable Hospitality Owners Group, with regular live Q&A sessions on management, staff, COGS and other hot topics. Join me!