Commentary

By Corinne Attard

By Tara Poole

Olivia Cameron and Melissa Webber from Holy Cow! Design and Advertising wrap up a few important trends that will affect the QSR industry this year from a design and digital perspective.

Or how can we capture their feedback in real time and react accordingly? by Peter Buckingham, Managing Director of Spectrum Analysis Australia Pty Ltd.

Tips from Mario Siliato, Sales Manager at Nextrend Furniture

Getting advice at the right time, from the right sources, can be critical to prospective new business owners in making decisions that can cost them dearly.

From Kevin Rudd’s favourite chef at Mr Wong’s to a UTS business school lecturer to the main stream press and an army of amateur bloggers – everyone is talking. Nando’s really did go out on a limb with their reference to Schapelle Corby but did it pay off?

In 2014 it will be increasingly important for hospitality owners to understand that in order to be successful in the hospitality industry their restaurants will need to standout.

The solution to growing your franchise network profitably and sustainably maybe right under your nose!

When we talk about QSR chains, the consistency and strength of a brand is one of the key ingredients for the success of a business. Growing brand awareness is about customer’s perception and engagement, standardising consumer experiences and maintaining control while growing.

When you think of creating a brand the first things that come to mind are the company logo, the website and advertising.

For franchise marketing campaigns to be effective, franchisees and their staff need to be engaged. Here are five tips to enhance franchisee and staff engagement on marketing and maximise the effectiveness and implementation of campaigns. 1. Engage franchisees in every step of the marketing process

An employer application to change the Fast Food award safety net - part of an initial 2-year review of modern awards by the Fair Work Commission – will soon result in a new payment option for employers and employees for work around public holidays. Fast Food employers and their ‘weekly’ employees – but not casuals - will soon be able to agree to substitute the existing extra time and a half payment for work on a public holiday, with an equivalent paid day off to be taken within 4 weeks, or have an extra day added to their annual leave. Put in another way, currently the modern award provides that employees working on a public holiday get paid a total of 250% of their ordinary rate (275% for casuals). Under the new arrangements, they can work and get paid their standard rate for the day, then get a paid day off to be taken within 4 weeks. If they don’t get to take the day off, they will get paid out the equivalent of the extra day. Cost Reduction Possible – Only By Agreement The upside for employers is that by reaching agreement with a weekly employee, the effective cost to the employer for the work on the public holiday can be reduced to 200%, down from 250%. Some employers have chosen not to trade on public holidays because of the cost of labour, meaning the employer has lost the trade on the day and the employee has not earned penalty rates for the day. The employee and employer are entitled to a fresh choice of payment or time off by agreement on each occasion work is performed on a public holiday. If there is no specific agreement (which should be evidenced in writing for proof purposes), then the default position of the 250% holiday penalty will apply. The change will apply to all non-casual employees covered by the Fast Food Award, but won’t change conditions for employers and employees covered by enterprise agreements, unless the arrangement is already permitted by the agreement. With the decision only handed down on 30 September 2013, at the date of this article the Fair Work Commission is yet to issue the orders making the changed conditions legally effective.  

When asked the question on what are some of the hottest topics in QSR small businesses, one can always stop and ponder, as there are many areas that become the latest hot topic, however there seems to be some basic ground rules that can be forgotten.

Nutrition claims As an industry Dietitian I am always astounded by the number of claims in restaurants that are incorrect or illegal. Choice magazine brought this to light earlier this month with its exposé on FroYo chains. What do you need to know? Nutrition and health claim are defined as statements in relation to a food or property of food. They can be, expressed or implied, via representation, design or information. In Australia majority of nutrition and health claims are regulated under the Food Standards Code (the Code). This year, a new standard governing these claims was introduced. The new standard allows a three-year grace period. During this time both the existing regulations and new regulations are operating. Meaning companies can choose to follow one, or the other, but not both. What can you say? The new standard in the Code splits claims into three categories. Each category has a set of conditions for making a claim. 1. Nutrition content claim means a claim about the presence or absence of, a nutrient, energy (kilojoules or Calories) biologically active substance; glycaemic index (GI) or glycaemic load. For example “low fat”, “Good source of calcium” or “low GI” are all nutrient content claims.

Every franchise is trying to grab media attention, so if you want to see your name in print rather than that of your competitors, you must have a well crafted public relations plan. This needs to cover a wide range of activities across all mediums, and should promote not just you, the franchisor, but also your franchisees, and the company’s products or services. Also, it’s not enough just to devise the plan, it must be implemented diligently and the results should be monitored, so you know what works and what doesn’t.