Believe it not, Christmas is just around the corner!!

Believe it not, Christmas is just around the corner!!

When I was a chef and Kitchen manager, the ongoing process of year long planning never stalled. As soon as the Summer school holidays hit, we got down to business and worked hard to bring in the target revenues for that season.

In the back of my mind, Christmas planning never really goes away and during the months of June & July we began to prepare for Christmas. Christmas is a lucrative revenue generating season and menu planning is easier as the convention is to present Roast Turkey, a fish, a vegetarian and second meat dish.

But Christmas planning goes way beyond Christmas Day. Our festive function season often started mid November, after that, it was 5 to 6 weeks of head down and preserve standards at all costs. Christmas functions means staff planning, negotiating with temporary staff agencies to ensure calibre & rates are secured, dealings with food and wet stock suppliers, managing staff holidays and time off, the list goes on.

For me at least, Christmas was also one of those seasons which once kicks into gear, its very hard to adjust to circumstances such as staff absence, You have to accept that everyone supplying, and working in Catering is flat out busy in December, so when a staff member breaks a leg, or a supplier all of a sudden can’t source a certain type of Aberdeen Angus 30 day matured topside, its very stressful, so planning has to incorporate contingencies and budgets which mitigate the low points should they occur.

I found that precise planning and having suppliers on side and understanding your seasonal requirements at an early stage reduced the chances of ‘upsets’ come the day. If suppliers are given 2  to 3 months plus notice, they have no excuses at the time of delivery. Leave ordering your function meat, grocery and wet stock order until November at your peril, especially if quantities are high.

Tips

• Plan your Christmas marketing in May & June. Agree Copy and Artwork with designers, then arrange for marketing materials are printed ready for advertising as early as August.
• Company staff parties are often discussed mid year so be mindful of making contact with business clients as early as you can.
• Agree menus for both Christmas Eve, Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and Festive Functions by July latest.
• Structure staffing needs for events and day to day services.
• Plan training of staff in readiness for a demanding season.
• If you have to recruit key positions, have them in post by October
• Meet with agencies to secure function staff for the season ahead.
• Meet with key suppliers to discuss likely capacities of food and wet stock. Suppliers are often ahead of trend so could come up with new methods or foods to make you stand out.
• Make sure your costings are accurate and adhered too.
• Plan to have kitchen appliances serviced and made ready for the season.
• Assess any tired appliances carefully in September/October and plan to replace as early as possible. The last thing chef wants is his wobbly 20 grid Combi Oven breaking down on Christmas Eve!!
• Manage stock on a just-in- time scenario with your suppliers.
• Brief staff to be flexible and respond to demands accordingly, especially during December.

And lastly, during my ‘Vietnam Years’ (See my earlier blog about managing stress), me and other team members nearly always caught bad colds on News Years Day! We’d worked flat out for nearly 45 days, we worked often very long days meeting a broad range of clients demands, we ensured standards were met to the last client, and when it was all over???? Collapse and enjoy some welcome ‘Neutral time’. But as if by magic, we always caught the colds and conditions we simply weren’t allowed to catch in December!

I can only say that having a successful Christmas season, achieving targets, achieving desired standards and having a happy boss, for me was an amazing high, come January.

We always presumed January would be quiet as the old adage suggests revellers are now paying for Christmas and January will be quiet. Not a bit if it. Commerce continues from the 2nd January and January is one of those months that can catch the unwary out. In my experience, we hit the ground running so professional heads and stamina was required once again.

But this is one of the unique strengths about a career in the Hospitality sector. Massive highs, a few negative lows, huge commitments, stamina, but all the while, we are called upon to deliver great food and professional service, whilst been creative and inventive, mindful of costs and margins, and without realising, creating life long network of friends and acquaintances.

Magic!

So start planning for Christmas very soon. Here at Caterquip UK we can reduce your capital spend on appliance purchases substantially. If you are worried about a key appliance and unsure about its longevity, get in touch with me and we’ll see what we can do to replace it with a sensible budget solution.

I am but a phone call away.

Cheers.

Paul      01733 286 000 Option 1.      chris@caterquip.co.uk