Items to address:
- The recent problems confronting the F&B industry
- Feasible solutions to the aforementioned obstacles
(Common weaknesses: Dull and mundane ideas; Inadequate illustration when rigorous elucidation is entailed)
Wizardry: Rhetorical questions (to arouse the audience's interest/awareness// to captivate them); Creative opening; Advanced vocabulary, sentence structures and phrases
Hello, our fresh-faced aspiring restaurateurs, thank you, first of all, for attending this year's "Restaurants' new blood" talk. I am Chris Wong, the chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants. Dominating our give-and-take must be the means of starting an eatery. As such, I would like to seize this opportunity to illustrate the ineluctable obstacles on your way to success, as well as the keys to thrashing them.
The be-all and end-all: Unhygienic dining areas. As a veteran restaurateur for decades, I understand there is manifestly no gainsaying (denying) that this ravaging COVID-19 conundrum has played fast and loose with businesses and human lives. Therefore, cleanliness of eateries around town has been front-and-centre. Do you still remember how a restaurant in Kowloon Tong flouted guidelines from the Centre for Health Protection as regards ventilators and culminated in the fifth wave? Never before has there been such a relentless nemesis that had 90 of the respondents of a University of Hong Kong survey [citing research data] saying they have been giving a wide berth to eateries. Residents here seem to chalk their concern up to cleanliness. After all, ensuring a high calibre of hygiene is crucial to preventing the virus from sullying your reputation.
Also taking primacy is ensuring your menus do not overlap with others'. It is imperative that you remember you are not the only person operating, for instance, an Italian cuisine. It has been observed that some fastfood stores have overlapping menus, such as Cafe de Coral's and Cha Chaan Taangs' both boasting baked pasta. This, despite knowing full well their menus boast similar dishes. Not only is this unsatisfactory, it also represents a lack of options when customers yearn to seek good eats. Would you welcome seeing one same dish in two different eateries, located just opposite to each other?
Having learned of the roadblocks, you may find it challenging to grasp the nettle and clear all manner of hurdles. Be that as it may, solutions always outnumber obstacles. Now, I do have a few suggestions that will certainly be grist to the mill.
One noteworthy key regarding hygiene is definitely to read and comprehend the CHP's guidelines -- what they stipulate. Given such clear instructions, you would not want to be held culpable for issues that arise, would you? Make sure you install ventilators that filter the air every fifteen minutes in every corner, in addition to posting a notice outside the restaurant guaranteeing the guidelines are being adhered to. Furthermore, you are advised to train your staff to describe to customers how they work in terms of filtering unwanted particles when asked. However embittered you are, given how much ventilators cost, they do go a long way towards nipping virus clusters in the bud. Maintaining the dining area's and kitchen's hygiene is one thing, but keeping a spotless kitchen will also make for one impeccable business, since kitchens are notorious for being breeding grounds for bacteria.
Layered on top of that is crafting unique menus. If you ask me, I would recommend that you try devoting your menu to one single cuisine only. Here is one example: provided you prefer Italian dishes, try to train your staff to make lasagna, pasta, bread and so on. Additionally, it is of paramount importance that you check out others' lists. You will get to know if your menus boast dishes akin to theirs. Next, you should research into the latest trends to create a sparkling array of new dishes that will impress and attract customers like magnets. Don't you wish to see customers delighted? As you serve never-before-seen dishes while others only know how to take a leaf out of their counterparts' dull books, you will no doubt stand out.
Irrefutably, COVID-19 is punching us hard, trying to change the F&B landscape. But we are entreated to punch above our weight albeit in the thick of this unprecedented public health calamity. Amid the uncertainties with a city's fate in limbo, what I am certain of is that you all will prosper and shine with your unfaltering mettle. Now, it is my honour to invite our vice-chairperson, Ms. Tsang, to expound on being professional business owners. Thank you.
Comments