Guest Blogger: Simon Schmidt This is the first in our Guest Blogger series. Simon Schmidt is the Managing Director of Vinnovate a proudly South Australian run beverage innovation group doing awesome things to disrupt the beverage industry including the wine industry. Simon has over 20 years' experience in the wine industry, is a qualified wine maker and grew up in the gorgeous wine region of the Barossa Valley. He is passionate about wine and South Australia. For most of us, we go about our daily lives very much in the throws of a routine. Sometimes the smallest changes upset the status quo, and leave us wondering what just happened! Ask yourself then, when was the last time you stopped and had a look around; actually looking further than the places and people you already know, or buying the same things you always do. We often operate in autopilot, sometimes because we have it so good we forget to see what is right in front of us. We buy the same milk or bread from the local supermarket and we buy our wine from big retailers, we buy the best deals of the day and with all the noise around, we sometime forget that we have the most incredible products on our doorstep, just waiting to be discovered. If you are lucky to live in South Australia like I do, you will know that we really do live in the lucky country. South Australia is home to hundreds of wineries and vineyards, many of whom you’ve likely never heard of, and inside these wineries and vineyards, people toil every day to perfect the art of what they do and the products they produce. South Australia is the home of wine in this country, and is without a doubt one of the best and highest quality wine producing areas in the world. People save up their pennies in other countries and years of annual leave to travel to South Australia and experience what we have to offer. Pretty incredible huh! While other countries are often better at promoting their wares, make no mistake their wines are not superior to ours – so don’t always believe they are. So let me ask this, where else in the world can you find a large variety of world class wine regions within a mere two hours drive from a capital city? We’ve got the Barossa, Clare, McLaren Vale and The Adelaide Hills within a day trip just to name a few. We are spoilt for choice and high quality produce which is loving made by those who dared to dream they could. One little gem I found recently was Beresford Wines’ tasting pavilion in McLaren Flat. 45 mins from Adelaide, 15 minutes from the beach, and a world away from anything resembling stress. Nestled in amongst their own estate vineyards I’d highly recommend a visit. With delicious local wine and delicious food it’s worth a look. I could go on with all the little wineries I love to visit but it would take all day and to be honest I’m still working my way through them myself. We are incredibly fortunate to call South Australia home, so forget the old phrase – “think global, act local”, I challenge you to think local, and drink local – you’ll be glad you did! Support our local wineries and get out and about in the gorgeous state we call home. Cheers, Simon If you are interested in being a Guest blogger get in touch today.
0 Comments
Complex and clever menus have their place in the dining world and I would be the first to put my hand up to eat at Heston Blumenthal’s table any day of the week. What doesn’t work for restaurants is when they try to implement complex menus without the right tools, know how, training, or staff to make it work.
I am a big believer in keeping it simple when it comes to food in restaurants. Quality ingredients executed well can define a dining experience. When you prepare meals with fresh, well-cooked, well-seasoned produce consistently, you offer a quality experience and in turn a great product. It’s not to say that I don’t like complex, fine-dining style food, I do, however I think keeping it simple with great flavours will help a restaurant in many ways. Complex menus require an executive chef team who can ensure that all the tricky details come together each and every service. Other factors to consider when planning complex menus are having costly and complex ingredients on hand which in turn can result in more kitchen wastage due to the number of elements required to deliver a dish. Additionally, front of house staff need to have extensive training in every area of the dish to ensure they can explain the ingredients to even the most discerning of diners. I find menu planning is often a little pie in the sky with some venues. They plan elaborate menus to get people in the door, but the execution can be poor when they cannot deliver on quality, speed or presentation. Many restaurateurs could stand themselves in better stead by sticking to what they know, and doing it well. By simply providing great food, real value for money, and ensuring that it is coming out of the kitchen in a timely manner, you can guarantee you will send your diners home with a smile on their faces. Often keeping it simple is the best strategy to increasing services levels in venues that have long wait times, complaints about value for money, and food that doesn’t deliver on taste or price. Restaurants and Cafes that try to be too complex in their offerings often haemorrhage money down the drain, not from lack of passion or hospitality know how, it’s more that they forget who their target market is. A complex fine dining menu in a country pub town (for example) could work, but you may also alienate your ideal target market. When everyone is looking to provide something unique and different to get customers through the door, some owners lose their way in terms of getting back to the basics of hospitality and remembering why they started in the first place. The answer could be as simple as offering simply great food, and quality service. Love to hear your thoughts. KB Social Media has integrated itself in to every part of our lives in every way, shape, and form, and the power of Social Media to market your business is huge.
With over 70% of consumers making a choice about a company, a brand, or where to shop on Social Media recommendations and reviews alone, it is crucial for businesses in the hospitality and tourism industries to be engaged and actively involved. Venues need to be strategic with how they engage with their audience online. We see many clients who know the value of Social Media as a marketing tool, but don’t know how best to engage, or are time poor and struggle to manage their accounts. The result is a half-cooked attempt at updating profiles, with poor strategy, content that is not engaging, and no idea how to get their business noticed. Navigating the social media landscape can be confusing and time consuming, and when you are running a busy venue it’s the last thing that you have the time or energy for. Having a strategy on how you promote your business online will stand you apart from the rest. A Marketing Agency can help take your Social Media to the next level. Outsourcing your Social Media to a marketing expert is a great solution for venues managers who are busy running their venue and time poor. Here are our top five top reasons for outsourcing your Social Media:
If you are ready to outsource your Social Media get in touch with us today. We specialise in Social Media Marketing for Hospitality venues, and Tourism businesses, and bring years of industry experience to create unique content for your brand. KB |
AuthorKate Bickford MD & Owner - BK AGENCY: Archives
April 2020
|