Page 22 - Foodservice Magazine October 2018
P. 22

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TRADE TALK
COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS
WITH THE FESTIVE SEASON FAST APPROACHING, ANITA CONNORS CHATS TO CREATIVE DIRECTOR TOMMY MCINTOSH AND HOTELIER ANDREW LAZARUS ABOUT HAVING A CRACKER OF A CHRISTMAS AND PLANING FOR THE INFLUX OF CUSTOMERS, EVENTS AND BUSINESS.
TALK
Christmas is always a special affair in Australia. With sunshine, seafood and
fresh produce on the menu, it’s hard to imagine an operator
or restaurateur dreaming of
a so-called white Christmas. And while it might seem easier to rest on one’s laurels and let the diners come to you, such a move does nothing to attract new customers or to showcase a chef ’s culinary talents. So this silly season, be sure that your operation is maximising on
the potential profits and plan ahead.
MAKING A PLAN
To create the perfect Christmas, Tommy McIntosh, creative director of Melbourne-based boutique catering company Tommy Collins by Atlantic Group, says the team start planning operations four
to five months in advance, this includes confirming produce and supply from suppliers and farmers.
“Ultimately we plan as
far in advance as we can,” he says, “there are always so many moving parts and logistics that need to be taken care of so we’d rather lock things down, and move on to the fun stuff.”
This process involves considering diners and the client as well as their vision, and asking several, straightforward questions: “How can we support and activate this for them? What can we do to ensure this is a stellar event? This shapes all of our activity, and remains the focus till the lights go up.”
Shoal Bay Country Club started their preparations roughly six months ahead of Christmas. The reason being the amount of work it entails. “The holiday period can get a little hectic,” says owner Andrew
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