Reasons to work in a restaurant

Commis chef jobsThe hospitality sector in the professional world is a competitive place, bust it’s one of those rare professions that teaches you life lessons, that can help with your growing career as well.

1. You’ll develop a hard exterior

The restaurant environment is tough, and you’ll soon develop thick skin and essentially a hard exterior.
You’re bound to come into contact with difficult customers, but it’s a good way of training to deal with similar situations in your everyday life, by ignoring petty comments and working hard at your job.

2. You’ll learn to be respectful

Whenever working in a restaurant, even for a short period of time, you’ll have gained respect for those around you.
As whatever role you were assigned, whether it be waitress or chef, patience and trial and error are recurring factors within those roles.

3. You’ll learn to cooperate

Teamwork is a huge element when working in a restaurant, as you need to know where your colleagues are, and what they are doing so to work together as a unity, and avoid spillages.
You’ll learn to leverage this skill in the rest of your life and in you other job roles.

4. You’ll teach yourself to be disciplined

Putting aside your current needs, and addressing the situation at hand will enable you to work any job role.
You’ll be learning to work quickly, effectively and efficiently, all the while maintaining a positive attitude.
These are the types of skills every employer wants.

5. You’ll understand what it is to be a brilliant manager

In order for a restaurant to be successful, there has to be stellar management behind it.
Ensuring that your employees are working within time slots, are interacting and engaging with the customers in the appropriate manner and that they all respect one another, will surely build a healthy environment for your business.

For more information on working within the hospitality sector, visit  hospitality recruitment website!

Hospitality jobs, head chef jobs, sous chef jobs

 

 

Using social media to your businesses advantage

Social media is here for everyone, but how can you utilise it?

Social media is a fantastic tool that can now be enjoyed by billions of people worldwide. The likes of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest are all being used by businesses across the world in an effort to further their marketing efforts and make them more discoverable to the online community. So, after you’ve set up your social media profiles, just where do you go from here?

In this blog, we’ll look into the benefits of social media for business and just how you can use these fantastic tools to further your hospitality business at the click of a button!

Setting realistic goals

Given that this is your first time using social media for business, just as it will be for a number of you reading this article, you must remember to set realistic goals for yourselves to achieve. Rome wasn’t built in a day and your social media profiles won’t attract hundreds of thousands of followers in such a short time either. Be realistic in the goals you set for yourself and your business, as you may become frustrated when you do achieve optimistic goals, something which can put you off using social media if you don’t see the rewards of it.

Here are some examples of the benefits social media can offer your business:

Brand development: One of the greatest benefits available to your company through social media is the constant development of brand awareness, sociability and trust. You can now have conversations directly with your followers and answers any questions they may have for you directly from your Twitter home feed. Be sure to engage with your loyal followers in order to get a level of brand loyalty flowing, which is great for finding new business opportunities on the web.

Reaching new customers: Social media is a fantastic tool that can help to promote your business for FREE! Have any news you want to share with your audience? Share it on Facebook and Twitter! Want an opinion of a potential new choice of menu? Reach your audience through Instagram and Pinterest! The possibilities are endless when it comes to social media, it’s the ultimate marketing tool for everybody!

Make the best of a bad situation: Say you have a sudden cancellation in your restaurant. Not the best, is it? You’re losing money and a table is going to waste… Or is it? With the speed that social media holds, you can share any news of cancellations on Twitter and Facebook, so customers can snap up that table and put money back in your pocket!

Don’t rush into it

One thing you must always remember is that social media has a strategy to it, just like everything does. You wouldn’t invite guests to a dinner party when you knew absolutely nothing about them, then not preparing any food or drinks for them to have, would you? Of course you wouldn’t! Also, it’s a good comparison to use when thinking of social media strategy. You wouldn’t invite a guest around to your house and spend all night telling them how great you are. Social media is so popular because it’s social! Ask questions, get into conversations and find out the opinions of your business from customers.

Social media needs you to do your research on your target market and existing audience. The fantastic thing about having a strategy implemented into your business is the evaluation opportunities you have, where as you can measure the success of your campaigns. Likes, followers, retweets, +1’s and comments are all easily measureable through each platform, as they all have unique tools available to each platform.

Take the time to listen

A great advantage of social media is that you gain the ability to hold conversations with your customers in an easy format, but it’s always good to remember that customers will talk about your business online, whether you’re around to see it or not. Conversations can take place regardless of your presence, so take this opportunity to monitor what your customers think of your business and act upon it!

Is there a customer that wasn’t happy with service they received? Don’t ignore it, it’s the worst thing you can do! As we see it, customers are bothered by your service; otherwise they wouldn’t have taken the time to tweet/post about it! Use this opportunity to give your apologies because sometimes this is all it takes to clear up the situation. Here’s a fantastic example from AirFrance:

Always remember to…

So, in summary, it’s good to remember our main three key points: Plan, listen, act.

Don’t jump into anything as this is a recipe for disaster! Relax, take it easy and just remember to talk to your audience and always listen to their responses.

For more on hospitality news, jobs and recruitment, please visit here.

Letter from our Director

Hi,

Gateway Hospitality are dealing with clients everyday who are looking for skilled and enthusiastic people to join their hotels and restaurants in the kitchen, restaurant and other departments.

Here are a list of some of our most recent jobs but we literally have dozens of more jobs available.  Our website shows the most up to date vacancies available

Have a look below and let me know which you are interested in

Kitchen

* Head Chef – Luxury Country House Hotel – Cheltenham £40K
* Head Chef Banqueting – 5* luxury Hotel Surrey – to £36K
* Head Chef – Senior Sous on promotion – 2AA Rosettes Northamptonshire £30 – £35K
* Senior Sous Chef – 3AA Rosettes Fine Dining – Warwickshire £32K package
* Sous Chef – busy dining pub – Twickenham & Cobham £28K ++ tips
* Junior Sous Chef -2AA Rosettes – Warwickshire – £23K + Live in accommodation
* Pastry Chef 2AA Award winning gastro pub Oxford £25K + live in accommodation
* Pastry Chef 5* Hotel Surrey £22K + live in accommodation
* Pastry Chef de partie 4* busy hotel Derbyshire £20K + live in accommodation

We have Chef de Partie, Demi and Commis Chef Chef role throughout the UK.  These range from Michelin* & 3AA Rosette Hotels and restaurants through to corporate 4* hotels and pubs serving simple well cooked fresh food.get in touch if you are looking and we will be delighted to help you find your NEXT JOB!

Food & Beverage and Restaurant

* F&B Manager – 4* Hotel – Hampshire £24K
* Restaurant Manager – 2AA Rosettes – Buckinghamshire £27K + Live In
* Restaurant Manager – 2AA Rosettes Hertfordshire £24K
* Assistant Restaurant Manager – 3AA Rosettes – Lincolnshire £23K + Tips + own Flat
* Assistant manager – Busy tourist pub Dorset – £22K tips and live in accommodation
* Assistant C&B manager small country hotel – Cotswolds – £19.5K + Live in accommodation
* Chef de Rang  – there are chef de range positions available in locations throughout the country

The jobs shown above are a “snap shot” of our most recent vacancies and if none of them seem suited to you please send your CV and let me know what you are looking for.

Best regards
Paul Durman
Gateway Hospitality
paul@gatewayjobs.co.uk

UK Hospitality Industry Strong Growth in 2014

UK Hospitality Industry Strong Growth in 2014

It is known now from studies that from the economic downturn the Hospitality industry is in fact due to have strong growth in 2014.

One of the hospitality business leaders ‘Stewart Campbell’ who is a MD of Redefine (hotel management company) believes he has early indication that the year 2014 will have massive improvements into the sector.

so what does this mean for the Hospitality Industry

This forecast from Mr Campbell was also reported by the global investment specialists who also predict a very strong growth compared to previous years. This growth will spread mainly across Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Shetland. This growth is formed more around the fact that travellers no longer are just looking at the pricing element and now wish to find hotels which are comfortable, high standard, reasonable priced and good customer service which is why there’s such an increase this year.

The growth of the hospitality industry this year means that hotels and BnB’s can focus more on delivering the quality of service people expect as well as work at bringing their hotels up to standard with better rooms, more attractive elements.

Many Hospitality industry related businesses have been focusing on getting by month-by-month with no real sight into how the industry will be in the future and at the moment whilst the predictions can be done for this year, many industry leaders are still questioning 2015 and beyond.

hospitality businesses expect to increase wages in 2014

Yes it’s true thanks to a recent survey from Barclays, in early Jan 2014 they had questioned more than 684 businesses in the hospitality sector, They estimate that more then 2/3rds of the hospitality sector plan to increase wages.

So is there really an increase in wages in the Hospitality Sector?

Yes it’s very true so if you work in the hospitality sector then you may expect some wage increases this year from up to 69% of the businesses. Despite the rising living costs and inflation in the UK it’s said that over half of businesses in Hospitality & Leisure sector said that wage pressure from employees is not an issue..

Continue reading “hospitality businesses expect to increase wages in 2014”

Chef careers explained.

For those who love food and genuinely enjoy cooking, a chef job could be the perfect career for you!  For many hospitality jobs, you may not need specific academic qualifications to start work as a trainee chef.  To become a chef, you will need to have a genuine interest in food and cooking, and be able to perform several tasks at once, as well as creativity and imagination for food presentation.

Chefs prepare food using a variety of cooking methods. In large kitchens Chefs typcially work as part of a team under the supervision of the head chef (also known as executive chef, kitchen manager or chef de cuisine)who runs the entire kitchen.  The main tasks as a chef would include:

  • preparing, cooking and presenting food to required standards
  • preparation at the adequate levels
  • ensuring food is served promptly
  • monitoring food production for consistent quality and portion size
  • stock control
  • following hygiene, health and safety guidelines.

You would usually start as a kitchen assistant or trainee chef, known as commis chef. At this level you would spend time in each area of the kitchen, learning a range of skills and how to look after kitchen equipment.

With experience, you could progress to chef de partie, where you would be in charge of an area of the kitchen. The next step would be sous chef, where you would be running the entire kitchen for the head chef when needed. At head chef level, you would be responsible for creating and updating the menus, and for producing and meeting financial budgets.

You could prepare for working in this industry by taking a part-time or full-time college training course to gain some of the skills and knowledge needed in the job. Courses combine classroom study with practical experience. They include:

  • Level 1 Diploma in Introduction to Professional Cookery
  • Level 2 Certificate in Hospitality and Catering Principles (Professional Cookery – Food Preparation and Cooking)
  • Level 2 Certificate in Professional Patisserie and Confectionery
  • Level 2 Diploma in Professional Cookery.

Once working, you would receive induction training and work under the supervision of experienced hospitality staff. Your employer may encourage you to take further qualifications, such as:

  • Level 3 (NVQ) Diploma in Professional Cookery
  • Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering
  • Level 3 Diploma in Advanced Professional Cookery
  • Level 3 Diploma in Professional Patisserie and Confectionery
  • Level 3 (NVQ) Diploma in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership.

There are also many private training academies offering a range of specialist professional development courses and qualifications, such as the Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts.  With experience you could take further qualifications related to the business side of operations, such as a foundation degree or degree in hospitality management.  For more information on hospitality roles contact Gateway Hospitality recruitment today!  Call us on 01536 206953 to see what we can do for you.

What type of chef could you be?

Becoming a chef comes with different choices. You can have dreams of becoming an executive chef, the mastermind behind the kitchen, but the path to get there is filled with jobs like patissier, sous chef, and even saucier – many of which are viable, well-paying careers all on their own.

Chef de Cuisine: The boss of the kitchen. There is usually only one per restaurant, so the competition to get to the top of the field is fierce, and it can take years of formal training at a culinary school as well as years of experience to land the job of your dream. This position is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the kitchen, including day-to-day food preparation and menu creation.  If you’re looking for head chef jobs, check out our website and filter it accordingly.

Sous Chef: The sous chef is the right hand of the executive chef. These professionals do a lot more of the micromanaging in the kitchen, seeing to the details of each dish and working in the trenches to make sure everything is properly prepared. As the head chef’s right-hand man, steps in when the Head Chef is not available. If you’re looking for sous chef jobs, check out our website and filter it accordingly.

Pastry Chef (Patissier): In most cases, becoming a patissier requires a different type of culinary training. The bulk of this work is centered around pastries, breads, and desserts, and depending on where you work, you could become the equivalent of an executive chef.  If you’re looking for pastry chef jobs, check out our website and filter it accordingly.

Chef de Partie: The chef de partie is usually in charge of just one part of the kitchen: for example, the soups, the salads, or the grill. They work under the sous chef or executive chef to make sure all food prepared and put out of their station is of the highest level for quality and appearance.  If you’re looking for chef de partie jobs, check out our website and filter it accordingly.

Commis Chef: The commis chef is typically an entry-level, workhorse position in which you work alongside the rest of the kitchen doing what needs to be done. You may cut vegetables one day and plate dishes on another. It is a fast-paced position with plenty of room for upward mobility.   If you’re looking for commis chef jobs, check out our website and filter it accordingly.

Saucier: The saucier’s sole responsibility is to prepare the sauces. Although it might not sound like much, certain types of cuisine, particularly French, are all about the sauce.

Poissonier: A fancy word for fish chef, the poissonier works with seafood, both in preparation and in cooking.

Entremetier: The entremetier can take on a variety of roles, depending on the type of cuisine. For the most part, he or she deals in soups, vegetables, potatoes and rice, and egg dishes

Meat Cook (Rotisseur): The rotisseur is the mastermind of meat. From roasting and braising to broiling and grilling, the rotisseur does it all. In many cases, the tasks will overlap with those of the saucier, especially when it comes to gravies.

Fry Cook: When a restaurant has a heavy dependency on a frier (for french fries and many Southern delicacies), a fry cook may be employed to cover the station.

Pantry Chef (Gard Manger): The pantry chef is in charge of all cold items, from salad and hors d’oevres to cold sauces and dressings. One big aspect of this job is making the food appear presentable.

Whatever chef position you are looking for, Gateway Hospitality Recruitment is here to help you find your dream position.  Call us on 01536 206953, we are on the Corby Business Centre, Eismann Way in Corby NN17 5ZB.  Register your CV today!

http://www.gatewayjobs.co.uk/contact.php

Head Chef Awards – could you be next?

Celebrity chef James Martin, host of BBC TV show Saturday Kitchen, has scooped the Special Award at the Craft Guild of Chefs (CGC) Awards 2013 which also honoured Lima restaurant and The Ivy’s April Partridge.  Martin was the recipient of this year’s Special Award at the annual ceremony, now in its 20th year,  which was held last night in front of an audience of more than 800 industry professionals gathered at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.  fancyfood2

Enormous contribution

Of the 16 award categories, the Special Award, sponsored by Sodexo, is the only one where nominations are not required  – the winner is chosen by the committee of the CGC who choose one person that has made an ‘enormous contribution’ to the industry.

The celebrity chef follows in the footsteps of Heston Blumenthal, Brian Turner, Raymond Blanc, Phil Howard and Cyrus Todiwala  who have all won the Special Award previously.  Of the 19 previous Special Award winners, 12 were present on the stage earlier in the evening to mark the 20th anniversary of the awards.

Reach out

Opening the awards dinner and ceremony, Christopher Basten, newly-appointed chair of the CGC,  said the awards were designed to reward chef talent from every area of the industry; from fine dining restaurants and pubs to contract caterers and staff in the armed services.

“The Craft Guild of Chefs is inclusive and this is an important message to spread throughout the industry,” he said. “We bring together people from all aspects of the hospitality and foodservice sectors – from those just starting out in their careers and considering head chef jobs to those at the very top of their game. We want to reach out to everyone that shares our passion for our industry,” Basten added.

The Craft Guild of Chef Awards 2013 winners: 

  • Apprentice Chef Award – Ruth Hansom, Boundary Restaurant
  • Banqueting & Event Chef Award – Michael Bullard, West Bromwich Albion FC
  • Armed Services Chef Award – Cpl Alun Davies, Catering Team RAF Squadron
  • Chef Lecturer Award – Patricia Paskins, University of West London
  • Competition Chef Award – Javier Mercado, Le Cordon Bleu
  • Contract Catering Chef Award – Darren Thompson, Sodexo
  • Cost Sector Chef Award – Rob Bean, University of Leicester
  • New Restaurant of the Year Award – Lima
  • Development Chef Award – Andy Twells, Eurest Instore
  • Pastry Chef Award – Andrew Ditchfield, House of Commons
  • Ethnic Chef Award – Giorgio Locatelli, Locanda Locatelli
  • People’s Choice Award – Simon Boyle, Brigade/Beyond Food Foundation
  • Pub Chef Award – Stosie Madi, Parkers Arms
  • Restaurant Chef Award – Pascal Aussignac, Gascon Connection
  • Young Chef Award – April Partridge, The Ivy Restaurant
  • Special Award – James Martin, The Talbot Hotel

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