The Chef of tomorrow

I've just returned from a very entertaining evening with Chef Gary McDowell who was giving a 2-hour demo cook-in at The Chef Shop in Belfast. Cooking on a budget was the theme and Gary walked us through producing Instant Gelatine Free Cheesecake + Orange and Rosemary Semi Confit,Duck Byriani with Jal Frezi Sauce, Thai Chicken & Iceberg Parcels. The food (and wine!) tasted fantastic but what struck me was Gary's relaxed style of delivery and presentation with an ability to hold an audience. This got me thinking and wondering are more chefs now focusing on their PR skills? Is there more to being a Chef then back-of-house? Should the Chefs of tomorrow be trained in presentation/demonstration skills - how important is this to running a profitable kitchen/restaurant? A lot of questions, I know! Then, I'm not a chef! What do you think?

Reward me and I'll come back!

Welcome all to my first blog in 2011 I am kicking off with a subject that is close to me heart - customer reward. I am not necessarily talking here about financial reward (although invariably it is that special discount or bonus that we end up telling our friends, colleagues and family about). I perceive customer reward to be more like a 'bundle of benefits' that make you continue to use a service or buy a product in many cases without realising that you are being rewarded!

In an industry like hospitality and tourism industry where word-of-mouth PR is such a critical aspect of the marketing mix then surely if I feel valued as a regular customer I am going to naturally spread the word - evangelise about one of my favourite restaurants, pubs, travel agent, accommodation providers….

Traditionally in our industry the focus has been more on lead generation and lead conversion - getting the sale - as opposed to customer retention and rebooking. Consider the following:how do you feel when you walk in to your local pub, café, coffee shop, restaurant, shop, butcher, greengrocer, hairdresser, travel agent or beautician and the proprietor or other members of staff acknowledge you by your first name?How would you feel if they offered you a complimentary cup of coffee, a trial size bottle of the latest product, etc. You get the idea?Reward is not just guaranteeing me "the cheapest price in town!" - surely it is about adding value. So, the next time that are in a customer service situation evaluate your 'bundle of benefits' to establish how well you are rewarded for your business. For businesses consider how you can improve your customer value proposition.

MTB Skills day Rostrevor Oct 09

Ballyhoura good spot for mountainbiking

Just returned last week from a brief business trip to Limerick when I got time (well 45 mins) to try out the new Coilte MTB trails at Ballyhoura. I tried the Green Loop (6Km) really a taster loop but if this is anything to go by I'll certainly be back. What's really impressive is how well maintained the 5 trails are with excellent shower/changing facilities and bike wash at the trailhead. Car park is 5euro. There is an interesting event there this summer The Beast of Ballyhoura Adventure Race - if you're not up to the 2-day team event there is a duathlon 25k mtb cycle + 10k run on Day 2. A great spot for walking and cycling - check out http://www.ballyhoura.org/

Hotels and restaurants are top places to find customer service -What do you think?

When it comes to customer service, hotels and restaurants are showing other industries the way forward, according to a recent survey, which placed both in the top five sectors for quality service.

The report from moneysupermarket.com showed that hotels were considered the second best places to find top customer service, beaten only by hairdressers, with restaurants and coffee shops coming in fourth

Irish Accommodation providers on Youtube

The dynamics of building relationships with existing and new visitors is in a process of rapid and significant change but for destination promoters it will no longer be sufficient to just maintain an information-rich destination website. The emergence of social media means that competitive destinations and tourism businesses will need to provide a platform that will facilitate dialogue among past and future visitors.

Following from a thread on Talktourism I looked at a range of accommodation providers using Youtube. More tourism businessess are using this medium now but in light of the growing demand for interactive communication there still is a long way to go.

Selection of Irish accommodation sites on YouTube
Isaacs Dublin
Lough Derg Holiday Village
The Ritz Accommodation, Killybegs
Self catering holiday homes in Kilkee
Discover Killaloe self catering holiday homes Clare Ireland
MY IRISH LODGE® http://myirishlodge.com Bed and Breakfast Ireland, Glinn,Limerick
Town & Country Homes Bed and Breakfast Ireland
Avalon, Bed & Breakfast Glenties Co Donegal
Silver Springs Hotel, Cork
Ardmore Hotel Dublin (professional?)
Best Western Aisling Hotel Dublin (professional?)
Tripadvisor Video Gallery