Here are the five biggest challenges I face in my role as a Chef.

1. Competition

With an influx of new players in the hospitality industry all wanting to make an impact with strange new techniques and quirky new ways to present food to the public, it is becoming difficult for chefs to keep up. Customers are expecting all the glitter and sparkles that they see online and on apps such as Instagram. These pictures that people see take a long time to plate and can be unrealistic to do in a busy restaurant when you have a lot on order.

2. Customer expectations

With increasingly demanding and rigorous customers expecting more and more from restaurants, it is crucial that companies focus on providing fantastic customer service, providing positive reactions to customer’s feedback and on rewarding regular customers.

How is this possible? The simple answer is to improve the efficiency of the team. They are critical for protecting brand reputation and to instil loyalty in customers. Their work can be made a lot smarter and simpler with the correct tools to deal with the public. Proper training is essential for all staff, including the front of house, so have days where staff develop themselves.

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3. Staff Retention and Recruitment

Some of the services required in the hospitality industry are highly personalised, which means it is necessary to devote more time to guests and to optimise operations within every team. This will allow for a higher rate of staff retention, as they will enjoy a more organised work schedule.

Given the expensive and time-consuming nature of finding the ideal candidate for positions, small changes to the quality of the work schedule will have a significant impact on staff wanting to stay.

4. Sustainability

“Going Green” remains an important challenge for the fast-growing tourism destinations around the world. It is vital that managers try to redesign the product/services offered so that it uses fewer environmentally harmful or resource-depleting raw materials. Using local suppliers and having your resources delivered within a 250-mile radius will help the economy grow; however, this has its challenges as you need to start becoming more seasonal with your choices for the menu. Simple processes, such as recycling, installing water-saving toilets or shower heads, or going paper-free, should be adopted by every restaurant.

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5. Technology

Customers are now better informed than ever before. People are visiting more and more countries/cities, with many new countries making a real name for themselves. With so much competition, utilising technology can give you a competitive edge over other competitors. Some restaurants have new ways to show customers the menu using 3D cameras to take pictures of the food and then show them to the customers at the table.

Training is essential for staff to be able to use digital order pads instead of the old paper-based methods. The technology in the equipment we use to cook food these days has become so advanced that they can cook food perfectly by the touch of a button and can also be self-cleaning.