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SERVICE & HOSPITALITY NEWS: |
 Dine at The Wharf
(28 Jul 10) Popular Auckland venue The Wharf opens its doors to a limited season of fine dining with a new six-course degustation menu on offer every Friday in The Pearl.
The iconic venue on Northcote Point has breathtaking night views across the harbour to the city and has the reputation as one of Auckland’s favourite locations for spectacular social events.
And that means most people can only get to experience the amazing cuisine and first class service at the venue if they are invited as part of a private event.
The Wharf is operated by The Orange Group and director Stu Robertson says it is time to showcase the group’s fine food and wines to a wider audience.
“Guests get to enjoy a superb world class six course degustation menu designed by our very talented executive chef Justin
Rimmer,” Robertson says. “Justin prides himself on using great New Zealand produce and matching these with techniques and flavours from all over the world.
“Now we bring this philosophy to Friday night dining experiences for all to enjoy.”
Robertson says “it is our intention to create an iconic dining experience during this limited season that is a must on all foodies’ social calendars”.
The degustation menu is available with or without wines matched to each course.
 Find out more at www.dineatthewharf.co.nz
Photo: Guests at The Pearl are treated to stunning views, looking back towards the harbour bridge with expansive sea and city views
 Salmon on show
(28 Jul 10) It’s one of the easiest dishes to cook, it tastes delicious and it’s
farmed right here in New Zealand. If you get excited by not only Regal
salmon, but also other culinary delights, The Food Show in Auckland is the place to be at the end of July.
Celebrity foodies Annabelle White and Lauraine Jacobs are promising to serve up some simple and tasty ideas for our most healthy fish.
Auckland Food Show celebrations began in earnest on Wednesday July 21 with top chefs, cooks and foodies sampling Regal Salmon canapés, specially created by White Executive Chef Cristiano
De Martin.
This is Regal’s second visit to The Food Show after a highly successful show in 2009. Visitors to the show - which last year attracted nearly 42,000 people - can sample the Regal
Fresh Cuts range and purchase some to try at home.
The Fresh Cuts range of fresh salmon includes the skinless, boneless stir fry pieces, and salmon loins. They’re ideal for preparing quick, nutritious meals the entire family can enjoy.
King salmon is one of the best natural sources of Omega-3 and is low in saturated fats, which is why Regal Fresh Cuts receives the Heart Foundation tick.
Lauraine Jacobs and Annabelle White are giving free cooking demonstrations in the Electrolux Cooking Theatre at the Food Show.
Lauraine will teach audiences how to prepare a three course meal in under 45 minutes. Her Luxurious Regal Salmon Tart entrée encapsulates the idea that gourmet cooking doesn’t have to be difficult. A simple Asian Regal salmon parcel takes pride of place on Annabelle’s menu.
The Auckland Food Show begins on Thursday 29 July and runs until Sunday 1 August.
 Discover
new worlds of taste at The Food Show Auckland
29 July – 1 August 2010, ASB Showgrounds, Auckland
(26 Jul 10) The Food Show Auckland is a voyage of discovery
for your taste buds, offering an incredible array of opportunities to encounter
new, exciting, delicious experiences. With more than 270 exhibitors, there are
almost too many highlights to mention – but
here is a taste of what’s in store for visitors:
Even seasoned Food Show veterans will be amazed by the quality and quantity of
fresh seafood on display, including scrumptious littleneck clams from Southern
Clams, prawn skewers and mussel chowder from Oceanz, superb salmon from Regal
Salmon, and a variety of shellfish from Omega Seafood.
This year’s show also features not one but four regional groups of exhibitors,
banding together to showcase an astonishing range of local artisan products from
Franklin,
Kumeu, Hawkes Bay, and Southland.
 And
if you’re into cheese, you’ve come to the right place – try and buy from top
producers, including Blue River Dairy, Barry's Bay Cheese, and Mercer Cheese.
Meanwhile, the Da Vinci Gourmet Trans-Tasman Barista Championship will pit the
four best baristas in New Zealand against the four best from Australia in an
all-out struggle for supremacy. Each team has 20 minutes to make 30 coffees ranging
from a short black to a caramel soy decaf latte. Whew! Check it out at the Pure
Via stand
on Saturday 31 July.
The Food Show Auckland, quite apart from being New Zealand’s largest, most visited,
and most awarded culinary extravaganza, is also a prime opportunity for our exhibitors
to introduce tens of thousands of visitors to their latest, most innovative edible
delights. Here’s a sneak peak at some of the new products that will be launched
at the show:
NZ Manuka Eggs
Amazing new cold-smoked raw eggs infused with a deliciously subtle, smoky, Manuka
flavour and imported to Auckland from the gold rush town of Lawrence, Central
Otago.
Waitaki Bacon & Ham
Premium quality bacon, ham, and pork products free from growth hormones and growth
promoters, including award-winning, gluten and preservative-free, 98% pork
sausages.
Gringo Killer
Robust, handmade New Zealand chilli sauces made from local organic produce, including
the newest sauce, ‘Bhutt Burn’, which is made from the world’s hottest chilli
pepper, the bhut jolokia. That’s right – the hottest in the world. Proceed with
caution.
Native Infusions
A new range of delicious, antioxidant-rich, revitalising, tea-based drinks infused
with
New Zealand botanicals and subtly sweetened with pohutukawa honey.
 Stella
Artois Légère
A new, premium, full-flavoured, low-carbohydrate beer with no added preservatives
and less than half the carbohydrates of other beers. In other words, a sophisticated,
less ‘bloaty’ beer.
Heilala Vanilla
Heilala Vanilla (pronounced “hey-la-la”) produces 100% pure vanilla products
including pods, extracts, pastes, sugar, and now Heilala Vanilla Syrup, perfect
for
cocktails, lattes, smoothies and pancakes.
Tasty Pots
Ready-made meals packed full of vegetables, whole grains, fresh herbs, and spices,
all wrapped up in tasty sauces. They’re low in fat, high in fibre, and contain
the
recommended daily dose of vegetables. One pot and you’re sorted for the day!
Loaf
New to Loaf’s artisan bread range is their gluten-free Spicy Carrot Cake and
their scrumptious Banana, Walnut and Poppy seed loaf. Sean Armstrong, one of
New
Zealand’s top chefs, oversees the entire Loaf range.
So much to see, taste, and enjoy – so little time! Book your tickets now for
The Food
Show Auckland and prepare your taste buds for the time of their lives.
For
more information visit www.foodshow.co.nz
 Brewing coffee for London, and then the world
(15 Jul 10) London is calling for premium coffee brand Allpress.
In two months the Auckland company will open a flagship roastery and espresso
bar in the East London district of Shoreditch.
Sited in Redchurch St among design studios, art galleries and advertising agencies,
the premises will operate as a "working billboard" for the brand, says founder Mike
Allpress.
Ten years ago, walking the streets of Shoreditch would have put you in danger
of being mugged. Now it is the heart of East London's renaissance.
The London expansion, part-funded by the University of Auckland Business School
Entrepreneurs' Challenge, aims to tap into a market wanting better-quality coffee.
"They drink a lot of coffee and for years it hasn't been exceptional but .. there
is a shift to the consumer wanting something better," said Allpress. "So there
lies the opportunity."
After 25 years Allpress is heading for a period of significant expansion.
The Australian arm, which has been in operation for more than 10 years, is adding
a second roastery in Melbourne to support the Sydney business.
Another New Zealand roastery, in Dunedin, is in the pipeline.
In 18 months Allpress anticipates the company will be fielding inquiries from
Europe and Ireland.
It is also looking at proposals from customers to expand into Japan and Korea,
a move which may see it move from the business model of fully owned subsidiaries
into a joint venture.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Doughnut chain gets taste for NZ
(23 Jun 10)
Krispy Kreme doughnut fans are closer to seeing the popular chain here, following a visit from the director of the company to check out interest.
The glazed and coated doughnuts have a cult-like following and the brand has spread from the American south to having more than 600 stores around the world.
The New Zealand territory owner is Krispy Kreme Australia. Its director, Michael
Sherlock, said while it continued to eye opportunities here and a move was regularly talked about at board meetings, there was no timeline for moving to New Zealand.
"We're keen to make money and have fun. I said to the chairman that I'm over here - he said 'have a look around and see what you think'," Sherlock said.
"At the same time we haven't fully developed Australia so it depends on the strength of the market."
There are 55 stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with expansion to Adelaide
and Perth likely.
Sherlock said the success of Subway in New Zealand was a pointer to how Krispy
Kreme could perform.
It could set up here in a number of ways including selling the master franchise,
look for joint venture partners or as in Australia, own the stores and hire staff
itself.
Founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1937, Krispy Kreme's hot original
glazed remains its most popular although there are dozens of coatings, toppings
and fillings.
Sherlock said Krispy Kreme flagship stores could cost $2 million each to set
up.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Hogan’s
heroes take on Aussie chefs
(8 Jun 10) Lance Corporal Stephen Hogan is looking forward to taking on the Aussies – but it will be with salmon at the ready rather than anything more destructive.
The 24 year old army chef from Papakura Military Camp is about to take on Australia’s best as part of the New Zealand Chefs Association senior culinary team for the Gourmet
Pacific Challenge in Auckland in June.
The challenge is being held in Auckland at Fine Food New Zealand, the country’s first international food and hospitality event and involves both senior and junior teams.
The competition features team and individual challenges over two days. Corporal Hogan has been training with the team every second weekend and is looking forward to the clash with the Aussies.
“The services are normally regarded as the place you go if you want to defend your nation so I reckon I’m in the right place for this challenge,” Stephen says. “I love cooking competitions and have done OK representing the army in the past.”
Stephen’s modesty belies his fighting spirit. He has won a couple of army competitions and has also been a member of the defence team in two Toque D’Or events. The Toque D’Or is New Zealand's premier tertiary cookery and food service competition and Stephen won a silver in 2007 and a gold medal in 2008.
Corporal Hogan has his own heroes in the New Zealand team-mates he is working with at the Gourmet Pacific Challenge at Fine Food New Zealand in Auckland on June 13 and 14.
And he’s a big fan of the Regal King Salmon being used at the event. Stephen’s not saying what dish the team is cooking at the event but his own favourite involves pan fried crispy skin King salmon with lime juice and coriander.
“King salmon is such a delicate and beautiful taste - I enjoy the salmon for the salmon and try to let the flavour come through,” he says.
Over two days of intense competition professional chefs compete in a variety of culinary cooking competitions earning points for their teams as they seek not only culinary glory, but to uphold their national pride.
Individual team members compete in individual competitions, preparing dishes of Regal King Salmon, NZ Beef & Lamb accompanied with appropriate garnishes of NZ Vegetables and mouth-watering desserts.
On day two, the competitors compete in their teams as they reproduce their individual dishes as part of a five course gourmet meal under the watchful scrutiny of a panel of international judges from the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS).
 New
Plymouth Rest Home graduates amongst first in NZ
(8 Jun
10) Catering staff at New Plymouth’s
Radius Heatherlea and Thornleigh Park rest homes are among the
first in
the country
to graduate from the highly esteemed NZQA recognized Food
Services Residential programme aimed at setting a new standard in rest home
food service.
Five local graduates recently completed the programme that focuses on delivering
tastefully presented delicious and nutritious meals as well as
enhanced food safety practices within rest homes. They are just
a handful of 12 graduates nationwide who have so far completed
the specialized 20 hour in-house training course.
“The course is the first of its kind to be initiated in the aged care sector,
and Radius is leading the charge and amongst the first of residential care organisations
who have completed the programme”, says Steve Hanrahan, Chief Executive of the
Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI).
The two New Plymouth rest homes are part of the nationwide network of Radius
rest home and hospitals that care for the elderly and disabled. The company has
initiated a nationwide roll out of the programme for all Radius catering staff
to complete before the end of the year.
“New Zealand’s Health and Disability Sector Standard already sets a high standard
for the production of safe and nutritious meals. But Radius is keen to develop
this further and create a real understanding amongst catering personnel so they
become passionate about delivering a product with creativity that pleases not
just the pallate but also the eye,” says Brien Cree, CEO of Radius Residential
Care.
Brien also acknowledges that meal times in aged care facilities are a major focal
point amongst residents and something they look forward to each day.
“Radius recognizes that food quality, service and presentation are becoming more
and more important with the growth and demands in our industry. The Food Services
Residential course addresses the specific needs within rest homes and we feel
it is important to continually upskill our staff to be able to deliver more choice
and well presented meals to our residents”.
“The aged care industry accounts for a very large section of the hospitality
industry and Radius is proud to be paving the way and setting the benchmark with
this new training programme”, says Brien.
Photo: New Plymouth Radius food graduates with Radius Residential Care Operations
Manager Steven Heesen, left to right; Kay Ruscoe,
Lisette
Hooper, Kirsty Jones, Liam Foster, Faye Berge.
 Chip
Group calls for standard scoops
(31 May 10)
The Chip Group is calling for chip
shops to start using a standard scoop when serving up chips, as
a way
of
ensuring
that
portion
sizes are consistent and consumers get what they pay for.
The Chip Group Chairperson, Glenda Gourley, said research shows that the average
portion size can vary greatly from one shop to the next.
“When a consumer walks into a chip shop they don’t know what quantity to expect,” Glenda
said.
“We’ve moved to create some clarity around that by recommending that chip shops
use a standard scoop that measures 330 g of uncooked chips. These can be purchased
from catering equipment companies. Not only will consumers be better off but
chip shop operators will also be able to better account for the finance side
of their businesses if they know more accurately what they are serving.”
Glenda said she struggled to think of many other food or beverage products where
the consumer did not know exactly how much they were getting when they bought
it.
“From The Chip Group’s perspective, there is also a very important health component
to all of this. Currently, New Zealanders consume approximately 7 million servings
of chips each week.
“In this day of increased dietary awareness by consumers it makes sense that
chip shop customers know exactly what they are getting.”
In line with this approach, Glenda said The Chip Group was in the process of
completing a revamp of its website www.thechipgroup.co.nz with a grand unveiling
scheduled for next month.
“We’ve included upgraded modules in The Chip Group Online Training, so that chip
shop owners and their staff can re-familiarise themselves with how to cook chips
according to the Industry Standards as prescribed by The Chip Group.”
“We’ll be notifying chip shop owners directly of the portion recommendation and
where they can purchase a standard scoop from.”
Foodie
heaven to descend on Wellington
(12 May 10)
Taste and devour at The Food
Show: Wellington Food lovers will be indulging their passion
for heavenly food and drink at
the capital’s premier food event, The Food Show Wellington.
New Zealand‘s finest home-grown chefs and world-class food and drink
will showcase at this foodie extravaganza, which attracts thousands of
people over three days, all keen to sample what’s on offer.
Accompanying the food will be a stellar line-up of iconic New Zealand
chefs who will be holding highly entertaining and informative cooking
demonstrations and workshops in the stunning Electrolux Cooking Theatre.
Ray McVinnie and Ross Burden, judges from MasterChef
New Zealand, will
be joined by Richard Till, Peta Mathias and Annabelle
White who will be
cooking up a storm in the theatre throughout the show. Fans of
MasterChef New Zealand will be in for a treat as the winner and runner-up
of the top rating show will also be holding cooking demonstrations on
Friday and Saturday.
Visitors will be able to take a piece of the show
home by buying the MasterChef New Zealand apron that will be for sale
at the show.
 A select number of artisan producers from Wellington will be on show this
year. For a little taste of Italy, look out for Soprano Limoncello,
a zesty
liqueur perfected by the Italian and Kiwi co-owner’s of Soprano restaurant
on the Kapiti Coast. Warm up with Jamaican cuisine and stock up on hot
sauce, rubs, sauces and marinades from the Wellington-based West Indies
Spice Traders. Indulge the sweet tooth with a visit to Butler’s Chocolatestand, for their world famous handmade chocolate.
A wide selection of handcrafted and artisan foods will be available to
sample and purchase at special show prices. Exhibitors this year include
Loaf, an Auckland-based bakery that prides itself on “honest
and
authentic baking”, Bank’s Peninsula cheese makers Barry’s Bay Traditional
Cheese who will have their range of European-style cheeses and
cheddars on offer, discover why people are buzzing about J Friend and
Co Artisan Honey and keep your eyes peeled for All Good Bananas,
the
country’s first-ever fair trade bananas from Ecuador.
An impressive array of wines, beers, teas, coffees and everything in
between will help quench the thirst of any show visitor. Try the new Frute,
a
zesty fusion of apple cider and fresh berries or how about refreshing
chilled leaf tea infused with juice and botanical ingredients from Teza or
get a hit from Wellington’s iconic café and coffee roastery Caffe L’affare.
Exhibitors of the alcoholic variety will include two of Belgian’s most famous
beers, Hoegaarden and Leffe Blonde, alongside
a number of New
Zealand wineries and cocktail brands.
Another popular attraction at the capital’s favourite foodie event is the
Wellington Culinary Fare where competitors race against the
clock to
complete a variety of challenges from preparing a soup to constructing
an edible table centre piece.
For a gentle wind down at the end of the day, join wine expert Belinda
Jackson with chefs Peta Mathias and Lauraine
Jacobs as they demystify
the art of food and wine matching on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
The Food Show Wellington is the place to find out what’s hot in the
culinary world, discover new sensational meal ideas and sample the
wonderful food from here and around the world. All this plus the chance
to rub shoulders with some of New Zealand’s popular chefs and food
producers.
• WHEN: May 14 -16, 2010 (Friday & Saturday 10am - 6pm;
Sunday 10am - 5pm)
• WHERE: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
For more information and advanced ticket sales visit www.foodshow.co.nz
 Saudi
families queuing up for Kiwi burgers
(3 May 10) Saudi families hungry for New Zealand-style gourmet burgers have been so enthusiastic in their turnouts that they have to wait in their cars until a security guard advises they can enter, says the New Zealand BurgerFuel franchise's Kiwi founder and business development manager Chris
Mason.
He said the listed company's 150-seat, 300 square metre fast food restaurant at Damman, failed to factor in the size of a typical Saudi family group, which can be up to 15.
"One Thursday night, which is like our Saturday night, we did the equivalent of the average New Zealand store's weekly turnover," Mr Mason said.
Friday in Saudi Arabia is the religious equivalent of New Zealand's Sunday.
In accordance with Saudi culture, the outlet has a separate entrance and dining area for male diners without family members.
A 280sqm outlet is about to open in the United Arab Emirates tourist resort Dubai. Mr Mason said more than 20 more outlets were planned in Saudi Arabia.
Not surprisingly, given the Middle East's world-beating capacity for cheese consumption, cheese burgers – using Fonterra cheese from New Zealand which BurgerFuel buys in bulk and slices on site to its specifications – are
the biggest seller.
Kiwi relish and vegetable patties also feature on the menu.
More at BusinessDay.
 Bidvest
now Prime Vendor
(30 Apr 10) Bidvest New Zealand Limited, the country’s largest food supplier to the hospitality and foodservice industry, has been awarded a three year contract to provide total food supply to the New Zealand Defence Force and Department of Corrections. This is in line with the government’s initiatives for greater collaboration on syndicated procurement between government departments.
This agreement is believed to be New Zealand’s largest commercial agreement for food outside of the grocery and quick service restaurant segments.
When asked what he believed the Crown had based their selection on, Bidvest Managing Director Nigel
Boswell said “Bidvest worked very hard to achieve competitive pricing, but also provided a technology and distribution infrastructure that offered a highly efficient supply chain and opportunities for ongoing reduction in supply chain costs.” Under the terms of this agreement Bidvest is appointed Prime Vendor to the Crown, supplying all catering food categories. NZDF and Corrections will use Bidvest’s online system www.findfoodfast.co.nz to manage recipe costing and menu management, converting meal plans directly into orders to Bidvest across all fresh, chilled, frozen and shelf-stable categories.
Prior to this agreement being established the Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army and Corrections have had individual supply agreements.
 KFC
boosts Restaurant Brands profit (7 Apr 10)
Restaurant Brands is reporting full year net profit, excluding non-trading
items, up 70 percent to $19.9 million.
The bulk of the improvement came from another solid performance by KFC,
but both the Pizza Hut and Starbucks Coffee businesses recorded improved
profitability, the company said today.
Total revenues for the year to February 28 rose 2.8 percent to $318.3m, while
same store sales were up 6.8 percent.
A final full year fully imputed dividend of 8c per share is to be paid, making
a full year dividend of 12.5cps, 5.5cps up on the previous year.
Total sales at KFC rose 5.5 percent to $223.2m, which was 9.2 percent higher
on a same store basis, Restaurant Brands said.
During the year six KFC stores were rebuilt, taking the total number of rebuilt
or refurbished stores to 40, nearly half the total network.
Store numbers rose to 85 with the opening of a new store at Greenlane in Auckland.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) at KFC
rose 21.8 percent from the year before to $46.3m.
The Pizza Hut business finally began to return to profitability in the 2009/10
financial year, the company said.
Sales of $64.2m were down 0.7 percent, with two fewer stores. Same store sales
lifted 3.9 percent, the first time Pizza Hut had a rise in same
store sales since 2002/3.
More
at www.stuff.co.nz.
 McCain
A Grade fries - more than one advantage (17 Mar 10)
Smart foodservice professionals are using McCain A Grade fries. They know it makes good business sense to do so – McCain Foods is also now rewarding A grade end-users via their new loyalty program.
“Some operators are still using B grade fries, but increasingly the smarter professionals are recognising that this is simply false economy,” says McCain Foods Foodservice Director Aust & NZ Bernie Bierman.
Bernie points out that although B grade fries cost less per kilo, the yield is correspondingly lower. In other words, lower grade fries equals less serves per kilo.
“To buy lower grade fries which give you less serves per kilo is not an economical choice,” Bernie explains.
“In contrast, A grade fries have more consistent lengths, less moisture content than B grade, which means a higher yield per kilo and shorter cooking time as well.”
The lower moisture content of A grade fries also means they will absorb less cooking oil and the oil itself will take longer to break down, thereby extending its life cycle. So using A grade fries will save you money on your cooking oil too!
And of course A grade fries, with their higher level of potato solids and less water, simply taste better!
McCain offers a wide variety of A grade fries – the most popular are the 10mm
Fast Fry Straight Cut, ideal for the takeaway market, and the larger 13mm
Straight Cut which will maintain their holding quality, crispness and flavour while in the bain marie.
Whichever McCain variety you choose, your customers are sure to be happy when you serve them the higher quality product – and you’ll be happy too, because A grade fries will give you more serves per carton.
“Serving A Grade fries will ensure you have the edge on your competitor and will lead to more repeat business as well as generating extra business through word of mouth,” Bernie points out. “On the other hand, if you’re constantly chopping and changing grades, customers will soon notice. It’s to your advantage to offer fries that are of consistently high quality.”
 As an added incentive to encourage end-users to serve A grade fries, McCain has established the ‘My
McCain Fries Advantage’ loyalty program.
Find the details of the My McCain Fries Advantage loyalty program on cartons of McCain 13mm Straight Cut and McCain 10mm Fast Fry Straight Cut fries. To participate in the program, all you have to do is follow three easy steps:
1. Register online at mymccainfriesadvantage.co.nz
2. Collect your rewards tokens from each carton
3. When you’ve collected 50 to 100 tokens, print off the submission form from the website and send in to redeem your points for great prizes.
You can see the extensive selection of rewards prizes on offer at mymccainfriesadvantage.co.nz, including sporting equipment, shopping vouches, personal entertainment items, movie tickets, and plasma TVs!
“There are many great prizes available to our customers – McCain Foods reward to you for rewarding your customers with superior quality, A grade McCain fries! It’s a win-win situation for everybody,” points out Bernie.
“So don’t delay – register online today! Your customers will thank you for it and you will reap the rewards.
 Cafe
pair take over biggest Gilmours (10 Mar 10)
The largest Gilmours food-wholesaling operation in New Zealand has been sold by Foodstuffs to private owner-operators.
Foodstuffs said Gilmours Mt Roskill had been bought by Auckland businesspeople Scott
Brown and Jackie Grant, who own a string of highly successful Auckland cafes, including the Takapuna Beach Cafe and Rosehip in Parnell.
Foodstuffs acquired the Gilmours wholesaling operations in the early 1960s, but has recently begun franchising the businesses to independent operators.
Gilmours supplies businesses such as dairies, cafes and restaurants with wholesale products.
Brown said he and Grant would take over the management of Mt Roskill Gilmours in July, and were excited about the new venture.
"[The business] is in the right position, it's in the right market and with the future growth of our industry, with events coming up such as the Rugby World Cup next year, we're at a perfect place to capitalise on that," he said.
Brown said he and Grant would hold onto the ownership of the four cafes.
"We've got a great expansion plan in place for the cafes, and there's a new management
team and new structured arrangement [in the cafes] going into place.
Foodstuffs general manager for strategy and new ventures Rob Chemaly said all
the Gilmours businesses were now franchised, or in the process of being franchised.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Restaurant
Brands lifts profit forecast (5 Mar 10)
Restaurant Brands is forecasting a 67 per cent rise in its annual profit to $19.5
million.
The company says its KFC stores - responsible for 70 per cent of the company's
revenue - recorded growth of close to 10 per cent every quarter during the past
year.
The profit upgrade is up $2 million on the last upgrade, issued at the end of
November, and takes into account a renegotiated chicken supply contract.
In December the company announced it had renegotiated the supply arrangements
for its KFC business, splitting its purchases between New Zealand's two largest
chicken suppliers. The company awarded its chicken supply business for its North
Island stores to Inghams (its current supplier) and its South Island stores to
Tegel.
Chief executive Russel Creedy said there was continued momentum
to build new outlets and revamp existing stores. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken
store opened in Auckland in 1971 and there are now 85 KFCs around the country.
New menus and Krusher drinks have helped
increase sales. Creedy said the savings were now appearing in the bottom line.
Pizza Hut had previously been a poor performer but had now enjoyed four quarters
of same-store
sales growth,
Creedy said.
There were 92 Pizza Huts and new outlets would be run as franchise agreements
with owner-operators.
Starbucks coffee shops sales were flat but profitability was improving with a
trimmed-down range of products on offer.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Weight
Watchers backs McDonald's light options (3 Mar 10)
It seems like an unlikely alliance, but Weight Watchers has backed three items on McDonald's menu.
From today, New Zealand McDonald's branches are offering three meals that each add up to 6.5 Weight Watchers' points.
The meals, the Filet-O-Fish, the Chicken McNuggets and the Sweet Chilli
Seared Chicken Wrap, are the same meals McDonald's customers are used to. But 9000 staff in 150 restaurants around the country have had training to make the meals more consistently, with the same amount of sauce each time, so they fall within the points system.
The system allows those on the Weight Watchers' programme between 18 and 40 points each day, which they must stay within to obtain and retain their goal weight.
The meals are served with salads and water or diet soft drinks.
Weight Watchers spokesman Chris Stirk said the partnership had been formed after similar alliances with other restaurant chains in the UK and US.
People had a greater chance of losing weight and keeping it off when they did not have to deprive themselves of every indulgence, he said.
McDonald's New Zealand managing director Mark Hawthorne said
there were plans to extend the Weight Watchers menu items.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Kiwis
more finicky about food (28 Feb 10)
Picky
patrons at Kiwi restaurants are increasingly putting their hands
up to complain, due to the rising popularity of TV cooking shows.
Restaurateurs and chefs believe dining shows such as The F Word and MasterChef
New Zealand are prompting customers to be more critical
of the food served to them.
T
MasterChef New Zealand judge and top restaurateur Simon Gault is among chefs
to notice Kiwi diners becoming more finicky about the quality
of their food.
And he says customers are well within their rights to voice their opinion - but
only if they speak up in the restaurant, not a few days later.
"A customer has every right to critique the meal - and it's good constructive
criticism. However, if the meal has met the standard of what is on the menu it's
hard for them to say: 'Well I would prefer it to be cooked this way'."
Gault said complaints from his customers were rare because his front-of-house
staff asked regularly whether they were happy but an odd few complained for the
sake of it.
Tony Astle, owner of Antoine's Restaurant in Parnell, is also aware of "professional
complainers" who send food back in the hopes of getting a free meal.
He believes New Zealanders are generally bad at complaining, but agrees TV cooking
shows are prompting more to put their hands up.
"People are becoming a little bit more savvy about these things," says Astle.
The Consumer Guarantees Act says services must be "performed with reasonable
care and skill" and the goods must be of an "acceptable quality".
More at Herald
on Sunday.
 Edmonds
dressings and mayonnaise catch on (25 Feb 10)
If you’re looking for quality dressings and mayonnaise, look no further than
Edmonds! This trusted Kiwi brand has an extensive selection in convenient Ezygrip
packs, bottles, pails and portion control sachets – covering all your foodservice
market needs.
Scott Topham of Kiwiking Spitroast & BBQ Catering is
just one of many foodservice professionals who have switched to the Edmonds dressings
and mayonnaise range in recognition of its high quality ingredients, homemade
style and fabulous flavours.
With a steady business providing onsite catering for large-scale corporate functions,
Kiwiking prepares meat, seafood, salads, vegetables and side dishes from scratch,
with qualified chef Scott at the barbecue grill. So it’s no surprise he wanted
mayonnaise and condiments which complemented the quality of Kiwiking’s food – and
Edmonds dressings and mayonnaise were the perfect fit!
“We were previously using a typical off-the-shelf processed mayonnaise, and
it really didn’t have the originality of taste we were after,” Scott says. “Our
local distributor gave us a sample of Edmonds Mayonnaise, we tried it and we’ve
never looked back!”
 Edmonds Mayonnaise is rich and creamy with a distinct tangy flavour and is an
excellent base for creating signature dressings and dips. Kiwiking has been using
it in their salads for the past 6 months and Scott couldn’t be happier. “We don’t
need to add anything to it – it’s great just as it is,” he says. “It tastes as
though it’s been freshly prepared from scratch – basically it’s got the flavour
of a classical mayonnaise you’d make in the kitchen just before service. The
taste is distinctive and original – just what we were looking for.”
Scott also uses Edmonds Tartare Sauce as a condiment for Kiwiking’s seafood dishes
and says his customers have responded positively to its quality and taste. A
tangy sauce made with gherkin relish and a squeeze of lemon juice, it’s ideal
for seafood and like all dressings in the Edmonds range is free from artificial
colours and flavours.
“These are excellent, brilliant products that I’d recommend to anyone,” Scott
adds. “I’m 110 per cent happy.”
And using Edmonds mayonnaise and dressing has even helped Kiwiking’s bottom line!
Scott explains, “The Edmonds products seem to go a lot further. I was using 25
litres of the off-the-shelf mayonnaise at a time and with Edmonds Mayonnaise
I only use 15 litres over the same period. This combined with the positive comments
from our customers has been very good for business.”
Only the finest quality ingredients are used in Edmonds Mayonnaise and dressings
so you can rely on them for consistency and fabulous flavour. The full range
includes Edmonds Mayonnaise in Ezygrip 3.5kg pack and 15kg pail (pictured); Tartare
Saucein Ezygrip 3.4kg pack; 2.4 litre bottles of Caesar, Italian, French, Thousand
Island, 100% Fat Free Italian and 100% Fat
Free French; and portion-control single
serve sachets of 97% Fat Free Mayonnaise (13g), Tartare (12ml) and Caesar (12ml)
dressings.
 McDonald's
opens 150th restaurant in NZ (18 Feb 10)
McDonald’s will reach a milestone today when it opens its 150th restaurant in New Zealand, the first of 10 new restaurants to be opened in 2010.
Richmond, Nelson, will get the 150th restaurant as part of McDonald’s three-year $100 million capital investment programme into the New Zealand market, announced in 2009.
It will take the total to 32 restaurants in the South Island with 118 in the North Island.
Last year the fast food chain also opened 10 restaurants, while upgrading a further 33 of its existing restaurants, providing employment to about 1000 people.
And construction has already started on restaurants in Mt Maunganui and Constellation Drive on Auckland’s North Shore.
McDonald’s managing director Mark Hawthorne said the 2010 restaurant openings would provide hundreds of full-time and part-time jobs.
He said McDonald’s is already one of the largest employers in New Zealand with
over 9000 employees and the Richmond restaurant will immediately create 60 jobs.
He also touted the benefits McDonald’s brings to the wider economy, spending
$145 million with local suppliers last year, a $25 million increase from the
year before.
More at National
Business Review.
 KFC
is new T20 sponsor (3 Feb 10)
New Zealand Cricket today announced its new partnership with KFC for the international Twenty20 series during February.
KFC will be supporting the BLACKCAPS during their Twenty20 campaigns against Bangladesh and Australia with benefits including uniform branding on the BLACKCAPS Twenty20 kit and signage at the grounds.
"We are delighted to welcome our new sponsor to international cricket. We know KFC will add valuable support to our international Twenty20 campaign and we look forward to building a strong partnership with KFC," New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan said.
Restaurant Brands Chief Executive Russel Creedy said KFC is proud to be supporting the BLACKCAPS in their upcoming international Twenty20 games. "We wanted to get involved with Twenty20 Cricket because it's an exciting, fun format that all New Zealanders can enjoy. The hero product throughout the sponsorship will be KFC Krushers. We felt there was a cheeky tie-in between the name and Twenty20 fans' desire to see the BLACKCAPS come out on top."
KFC is already involved with the Twenty20 landscape, with sponsorships of the domestic and international Twenty20 competitions in Australia.
 Restaurant & Tavern
Industry Guide to Safety - 7th edition out now (8 Dec 08)
Pro-Visual Publishing has released the 7th edition of Restaurant & Tavern
Industry Guide to Safety. Distributed to the owners of restaurants,
taverns, bars and cafes throughout New Zealand, the Guide offers practical and
easy-to-understand workplace health, safety and hygiene for employers and employees.
This year, the free Guide focuses on food control plans, food safety tips, and
hazard identification and management. The information is presented is an easy-to-read,
large wall chart format.
“The Restaurant & Tavern Industry Guide to Safety is an easily accessible, practical health and food safety resource for members of the hospitality industry. This Guide provides managers and employees with up-to-date information and procedures on how to stay healthy and safe in the workplace. I would like to extend a thank you to the sponsors of the Guide who have made it possible for this Chart to be distributed free of charge to everyone in the hospitality industry. HANZ are proud to support the Guide and its development over the past seven years. We will have additional Charts available to members who wish to attain more copies of the Guide for their workplace.” Said
Scott Necklen, National Operations Managers for the Hospitality Association of
New Zealand (HANZ).
The Guide is compiled in consultation with the Hospitality Association of New
Zealand as well as the New Zealand Food Safety Authority to ensure information
is appropriate and relevant to the industry.
Over 3,400 charts have been distributed. Additional copies are available and
all Guides are produced and distributed without cost thanks to sponsorship. For
further information please call Pro-Visual Publishing at enquiries@provisual.co.nz,
fax 09 353 1911 or visit www.provisual.co.nz
 McDonald's
bites at Bring Back Georgie Pie products (3 Dec 09)
Phil Callaghan, owner of Kiwiana badges and T-shirts shop Verboom Badges, off
Cuba St in Wellington, received a letter from a lawyer acting for McDonald's
shortly after increased publicity for the "Bring Back Georgie Pie" campaign in
May.
In the letter, intellectual property lawyer Simon Fogarty asked that Mr Callaghan
stop making two products which feature a modified version of the Georgie
Pie logo.
He agreed, but asked if he could have a "grace period" to sell his remaining
stock, 183 T-shirts and 650 badges. "We're this little tiny shop, so I asked
if
I
could
have at least till Christmas and they agreed. I didn't expect that," he said.
In the latest letter, received from McDonald's lawyers in mid November, Mr Callaghan
was warned not to challenge McDonald's ownership of the trademark, or make any
more merchandise bearing the logo.
McDonald's New Zealand managing director Mark Hawthorne said the company acted
on its rights as trademark and copyright owner of the Georgie Pie brand.
Mr Callaghan said he did not mind that he could no longer produce the goods with
the Georgie Pie logo on it – but only if McDonald's brought Georgie Pie back.
"It's a dormant brand. It hasn't done anything for 13 years," he said.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
 MenuMania
top NZ hospitality site (2 Dec 09)
MenuMania has for some time topped the list of Nielsen//NetRatings as New Zealand’s
busiest and most popular dining and eating out website. Results just published
by leading international internet analyst “Experian Hitwise” (www.hitwise.com/nz/
) show MenuMania’s
popularity with the dining public has made it the busiest of all hospitality
industry web sites in New Zealand, including the Pizza Hut, KFC and Dominos
online ordering systems.
Experian Hitwise - Category Spotlight
Food and Beverage - Restaurants and Catering New Zealand
(Rankings for the week
ending 21/11/2009 > Ranks by 'Visits')
1. MenuMania
2. Pizza Hut New Zealand
3. Domino's Pizza
4. KFC New Zealand
5. Hell Pizza
6. DineOut
7. Menus.co.nz
8. Eatout.co.nz
9. McDonald's New Zealand
10. Subway - International Locations
How locals, businesses and tourists obtain their eat-out information and make
their dining choice is rapidly changing with the use of the Internet and mobile
phones.
MenuMania.co.nz offers its visitors the opportunity to read about restaurants
and cafes in their community and wherever they travel. Visitors can see menus,
check dining offers and prices, read or write reviews, make reservations, and
send restaurant information to their friends. A new feature in 2009, on MenuMania’s
home page, visitors can also search wedding venues, conference or meeting spaces
and event caterers. Following in the footsteps of social networking sites, diners
can read or write dining reviews which inspire and create consumer confidence
to perhaps try somewhere different. Simply put, its word of mouth – amplified,
last month alone MenuMania helped 112,000 diners choose where to eat, diners
searched just under 550,000 menu pages on MenuMania. For business owners, MenuMania
enables restaurants, vineyards, pubs and cafes owners from Logan Brown to Takapuna
Beach Café publish their menus, dining promotions, photos, ambience and location
information at the click of a mouse or iPhone. MenuMania.co.nz was first launched
in 2006 by Cristian Rosescu and Karen Gibson, in 2009 chef restaurateur Mark
Gregory joined as the third partner.
www.menumania.co.nz
 McDonald’s
cracks record (2 Dec 09)
A Canterbury catering company has helped fast-food chain McDonald's crack the
record for the world's largest scrambled eggs dish. Rangiora-based Continental
was contracted to prepare 1.24 tonnes of eggs for the successful Guinness World
Records feast in Christchurch's Cathedral Square yesterday. McDonald's used the
record attempt to promote its use of free-range eggs in its Christchurch and
Dunedin restaurants. More than 20,000 eggs and 100 litres of cream were cooked
in a purpose-built dish measuring 5.4 metres in diameter. Rakes were used to
mix the eggs, and shovels to dish up the mass breakfast. Continental food and
beverage director Will van Heeswyck said controlling the cooking was the most
difficult task. "Eggs are such a delicate food item, it's best to take care with
them," he said. "You don't want too high a temperature, because they can easily
burn and go rubbery." More
at The
Press.
Takeaways
operator forecasts healthy profit (2 Dec 09)
Shares in KFC, Starbucks and Pizza Hut operator Restaurant Brands closed
at a seven-year high last night, after the company's announcement it would make
a 50 per cent improvement in profits this year.
Apparently proving that consumers do turn to takeaways in a recession, the company
said yesterday that stronger than expected trading results meant it had increased
its profit forecast for the year to next February to $17.5 million.
That was up $5.8 million or 50 per cent on the 2009 result.
KFC and Pizza Hut both saw increased margins but Starbucks' coffee sales declined.
KFC's same-store sales grew 8.8 per cent on the back of promotional activity,
new products such as the Popcorn Chicken Roller, and new meals such as the Ultimate
Burger Meal with Wicked Wings.
The Pizza Hut business had begun to show signs of a turnaround with same-store
sales growth of 5.2 per cent, the first growth in the brand's sales for nearly
four years, it said.
More at NZ
Herald.
 New
Restaurant Value Book makes dining out in Auckland more affordable! (1
Dec 09)
The cost of socialising during the festive season can be expensive but thanks to the new Restaurant
Value Book, even the most budget conscious Aucklander can enjoy dining out this summer!
Featuring almost 50 top restaurants around the city from Albany to Papakura, the Restaurant Value Book is jam-packed full of great deals including a free bottle of house wine, a free main meal or 25 percent off your bill*.
This fantastic Auckland dining guide will no doubt be the best investment you will make in the lead-up to Christmas because it pays for itself after just one voucher redemption!
Light, compact and glossy, it fits perfectly in your handbag or glove box so you can keep it on you at all times when out and about.
Sample menus with pricing are also included as well a full description of each restaurant so you know exactly what type of cuisine is on offer.
This quality voucher book makes a great Christmas or Secret Santa present for any foodie friend, family member or workmate who enjoys dining out.
Cathy Bignell (26) says the Restaurant Value Book has been instrumental in making eating out more affordable again.
“My friends and I used to go out to restaurants all the time but over the past year, we’ve had to cut right back to save money. The savings I receive from the Restaurant Value Book are amazing and when I’m out with a group, we all benefit which is great.
“Because it’s more stylish than other voucher books I’ve seen, I’m not afraid to pull it out in the restaurant. I haven’t stopped raving about it since I got it and I know I’m going to use it a lot over summer.”
Some of the restaurants featured include Tony’s, Bolliwood, Thai Me Up, The Crib, The Grange, Mink, Copper Room, Nickie’s and Squid Row.
The Restaurant Value Book can also serve as a fundraising tool for schools, work social clubs, sports clubs and other community fundraising groups who receive a percentage of each sale.
The Restaurant Value Book (RRP $20) is available from New World, Pak n Save, Paper Plus, Whitcoulls, Magazzino, Mag Mania and other leading dairies and magazine stores around Auckland.
To order a copy today or to find out more information on how to use the Restaurant Value Book to raise money for your cause, visit www.restaurantvaluebook.com
 Silverdale
chip shop New Zealand's best (30 Oct 09)
Deep fried chips may not be the healthiest food but to get the best in the country
you will have to drive north of Auckland to the small settlement of Silverdale.
Oceanz in Silverdale, 35km north of Auckland, has been named New Zealand's top
chip shop in this year's That's Life! Best Chip Shop competition.
It beat off winners from five other regions to take the title.
Chip shops were judged on the freshness and colour of their chips, shop cleanliness
and customer service.
Chips were analysed for fat content and only those with less than 11 percent
of fat were judged, said competition organisers.
Regional finalists were decided through public text voting, mystery judging and
chip fat analysis, with the
overall winner then chosen by a panel of judges.
The other regional finalists were The Chip Shop in the Auckland suburb of Royal
Oak, Oppie's Fish and Chips, Rotorua, So Fine Seafood, Lower Hutt, The Sands
Fish and Chips, Nelson, and Portobello Store and Takeaway, Dunedin.
More at www.stuff.co.nz
Radius scoops Excellence in Food Safety Award (29
Oct 09)
Two Radius Residential Care rest home facilities have scooped ‘Excellence in
Food Safety’ awards at the 2009
Food Safety Awards held in Hamilton yesterday. Radius Maeroa Lodge and
Radius St Joans Care Centre were selected from more than 750 food operators to
receive the awards that recognize a standard of excellence in management and
maintenance of a registered food premises. The Hamilton City Council Food Safety
Awards is an annual event and acknowledges recipients who maintain a standard
of excellence in their food premises above the standard required by legislation.
A total of 75 excellence and 60 merit awards were presented to food operators
such as takeaway and delicatessens, restaurants, dairies and supermarkets at
a ceremony held at the Claudelands events centre. “Radius are delighted to win
the food safety excellence award again. This is the third time that our aged
care facilities have won this award and it’s great!” says Steven Heesen, Radius
Residential Care Operations Manager. “We take food safety, presentation and preparation
very seriously and our kitchen team is vigilant about food preparation within
the rest home and it’s great that this is recognised by way of the awards”. Food
operators are assessed randomly throughout the year by Council food inspectors
and evaluated in accordance with their food handling practices, cleanliness,
staff training and sanitized work environment.
 NZ
Natural 'world-first' - ice-cream sushi (9 Oct 09)
Sushi-inspired ice-cream snacks, complete with chocolate 'soy' sauce have been
launched by the Auckland-based, Diane Foreman-owned Emerald Group, through its
New Zealand Natural chain of ice cream parlours.
Claimed as a "World First in New Zealand", the 6-piece Sooshi ice-cream
snack comes in a box, with NZ Natural's 'world-famous ice cream' wrapped in a
100% fruit roll (nori), with real fruit fillings designed to resemble vegetables,
with lemon replacing yellow peppers and apricot replacing carrot. Fillings are
Raspberry, Lemon, Apricot and Blackcurrant.
www.sooshi.co.nz
 Coffee
house brews up big franchise deal in China (8 Oct 09)
The Chinese will be drinking New Zealand-roasted coffee following a deal done
by the Kiwi owners of the Esquires coffee house franchise.
Brothers Stuart and Lewis Deeks own the Canadian-developed coffee house franchise
for everywhere outside of Europe and North America, and have expanded from New
Zealand to the Middle East, Fiji and India.
Now they have sold the master franchise for China to a large investment company
in Yunnan province in the country's south.
Yunnan Metropolitan Construction Investment (YMCI) - part-owned by the Yunnan
government and listed on the Shanghai stock exchange - will open 250 Esquires
outlets over the next 10 years. The first store opened in the central business
district of Beijing a month ago.
Another two are expected to be opened within the next two to three months, and
16 are planned for 2010."The whole shop's basically come in a container out of here."
Deeks said Esquires aimed to supply all its stores worldwide with its own blend
of organic, Fair Trade coffee roasted in Auckland.
More at NZ
Herald.
Hunt
on for best chip shop (1 Oct 09)
Straight, crinkle, shoestring or wedge?
Mystery judges will spend October checking out the nation's chip shops in
the hunt to find the best.
The That's Life! Best Chip Shop competition was launched
today
after
the
top 120 shops were
chosen via text message.
Chip Group chair Glenda Gourley said the shops should be on
the look out for
a "shadowy character" as undercover judges would be visiting each of the finalists.
The judges would look at a range of criteria including freshness, colour, shop
cleanliness and customer service.
They would also look for certificates showing at least one employee had completed
training on industry standards for deep fried chips, Ms Gourley said.
Last year, over 400 chip shop owners around the country picked up the challenge,
and over
70% of the 89 finalists achieved the Chip Group’s aim of an average
fat content of 9.2%. Heart Foundation nutritionist Judith Morley-John said
shops could reduce the
level of fat in chips by following industry standards.
Six regional winners and a national winner will be announced next month. More
at NZ
Herald.
KFC,
Pizza Hut defy recession (23 Sep 09)
Restaurant Brands, the operator of the KFC and Pizza Hut franchises
lifted second quarter sales 4.8 percent from a year earlier to $96.9 million.
Same store sales for the 16 weeks ended September 14 were up 6.9 percent, with
KFC and Pizza Hut recording same store sales growth during the quarter, although
Starbucks Coffee sales were down, Restaurant Brands said today.
Last week the company said it expected half year net profit, excluding non trading
items, to be around $8.7m, an increase of $4.1m on a year earlier.
The improved profitability was largely due to sustained strong sales growth in
the KFC brand and continued turnaround by Pizza Hut. The half year profit is
to be announced on October 16.
In today's statement, Restaurant Brands said the economic recession had not adversely
affected overall sales growth, with the 4.8 percent rise in the second quarter
on top of a 4.3 percent lift in the first quarter.
Year-to-date total sales were $169.7m, up 4.6 percent on the prior year across
the three brands, with year-to-date same store sales improving 6.7 percent.
KFC, responsible for 70 percent of company sales with 84 stores, had second quarter
sales growth of 7.6 percent to $68.2m. On a same store basis sales were up 9.2
percent.
More at www.stuff.co.nz.
There's
gold in those arches ... (22 Sep 09)
With McDonald's planning aggressive expansion in New Zealand in the next three
years and a 500-tonne annual sales order placed last month for New Zealand angus
beef, the much-maligned fast food multinational is actually a strong supporter
of our food industry.
Fonterra is believed to supply
a quarter of its dairy requirements globally, and Fonterra subsidiary The Pastry
House is a major supplier
of McDonald's bread and pastry requirements.
McDonald's bought more than US$270 million ($383 million) of
food from New Zealand last year, including sending 6000 tonnes of cheese to Australia,
Asia, South Africa, the Middle East and South America; more than 24,000 tonnes
of beef; 2600 tonnes of hoki to Europe, Asia, Australia and Hawaii; 18,000 tonnes
of French fries to Southeast Asia and Australia.
In the same year McDonald's New Zealand bought 4.7 million kg of beef; 1 million
kg of cheese; 1.5 million litres of milk; 15 million kg of potatoes; 13 million
eggs; 200,000kg of hoki; 2.2 million kg of chicken; 66 million buns and rolls;
and 12 million muffins.
Ray Kroc, founder of the McDonald's fast food chain, was a 51 year-old milkshake
mixer salesman when he flew from Chicago to California to
find out why a hamburger shop owned by two brothers called McDonald wanted so
many of his milkshake mixers.
More at NZ
Herald.
 Private
equity in Whopper deal (16 Sep 09)
Sydney-based private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners has bought the New Zealand arm of fast food chain Burger
King.
Anchorage has been in talks with Burger King's local owners, Dennis Jones and
Mark Backhaus, for some months, and officially took over ownership of the 69
company-owned and two-franchised Burger King outlets yesterday.
Anchorage partner Mark Bayliss becomes chairman of the New Zealand Burger King
operation.
Jones and Backhaus first brought Burger King to New Zealand in the mid-1990s.
Oil company Shell owned 50 per cent for a time but sold out to the pair in 2002.
Their TPF Group has long been tipped to be looking to exit.
It sold the 61-outlet Hell Pizza franchise back to its founders in May after
just three years of ownership.
Anchorage planned to invest in the brand and the existing network, and to expand
the number of outlets.
It was not planning redundancies.
Bayliss said the fast food business had proved to be counter-cyclical during
the recession, in that people had traded down from more expensive eating out
options.
Former McDonald's executive John Elliott is the new chief executive.
Bayliss, a former chief financial officer for Fairfax in New Zealand, will sit
on the board alongside fellow Anchorage partner Phil Cave. More at NZ
Herald.
 McAngus
on the McMenu - McDonald’s goes premium (26 Aug 09)
A 500-tonne sales boost to New Zealand’s Angus beef industry was announced
yesterday afternoon.
Fast food giant McDonald’s, which has 145 stores in New Zealand,
has launched two new premium burgers to its menu – both based on high quality
AngusPure beef patties.
The burgers, a likely push to gain back market share from the likes of Burger
Fuel and Burger Wisconsin, will be available on the menu from today.
McDonald’s has predicted it will buy an additional 500,000kg of Angus beef, which
brings its annual beef total to about 5.2 million kilograms, up from 4.7 million
in 2008.
For Angus beef breeders, the McDonald’s move has already paid off.
New Zealand AngusPure chairman Tim Brittain said the latest
East Coast Angus bull sales saw average bull prices rise to about $6,000 per
bull, up about $800.
AngusPure is a brand attached to certified Angus beef, which attracts a premium
for producers.
Marketed as a high-end quality beef product, AngusPure beef must be sourced from
Angus steers and heifers sired by a registered bull, contain no hormones, be
grass fed and processed by an approved meat processor.
New Zealand Angus beef is being used in North American products, but is blended
there with meat containing more fat to produce the final burger.
He said the New Zealand meat would have an 80-85% chemical lean value. Chemical
lean is a technique to check the fat content of the meat.
The Grand Angus is described as a café-style burger with salad
and cheese and
the Mighty Angus with relish and bacon will both be presented
on a premium sourdough
bun.
More at National
Business Review.
 Radius
rolls out food service training (18 Aug 09)
New Zealand’s third largest aged care provider, Radius Residential Care is setting a new standard in rest home food service by rolling out a nationwide initiative aimed at upskilling catering staff.
It is anticipated that more than 40 food service staff working in 22 Radius Residential Care facilities nationwide will undergo future training to complete the Food Services Residential Programme, which forms the basis of the National Certificate in Hospitality Entry Skills.
“The course is the first of its kind to be initiated in the aged care sector, and Radius is leading the charge and amongst the first in the residential care organizations who has completed the programme”, says Steve
Hanrahan, Chief Executive of the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI).
A 20 hour training programme facilitated by HSI over a two month period was recently completed at Radius Hampton Court in Napier. Programme participants learned the importance of food health and safety as well as how best to prepare food for the elderly and to enhance food presentation.
“New Zealand’s Health and Disability Commissioner already sets a high standard for the production of safe and nutritious meals. But Radius is keen to develop this further and create a real understanding amongst catering personnel so they become passionate about delivering a product with creativity that pleases not just the pallate but also the eye,” says Steven
Heesen, Radius Residential Care Operations Manager who is a member of the HSI' s Food Services Sector Committee and has many years experience in the hospitality sector.
Steven also acknowledges that meal times in aged care facilities are a major focal point amongst residents and something they look forward to each day.
“Radius recognizes that food quality, service and presentation are becoming more and more important with the growth and demands in our industry. The Food Services Residential course, created inconjunction with HSI, addresses the specific needs of rest homes and we feel it is important to upskill our staff to be able to deliver more choice and well presented meals to our residents”.
“The aged care industry accounts for a very large section of the hospitality industry and Radius is proud to be paving the way and setting the benchmark with this new training programme”, says Steven.
Photo: Food Services Residential Programme graduates Therese Simpson, Amanda
Olsen & Wendy Bateman
Aussie
buyer tipped for Burger King (6 Aug 09)
Australian private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners is buying
the Burger King master franchise and 42 outlet
stores from Tasman Pacific
Foods, according to well-placed sources.
Reports have been around since November that Tasman Pacific Foods' New Zealand
Burger King chain is on the block. The reports were denied by
TPF.
But it is understood Anchorage is in the final stages of establishing an agreement
to buy the Burger King franchise, with the price unknown.
Several parties are believed to have done due diligence on the Burger King chain
since it was put up for sale, including movie chain Reading Cinemas.
TPF bought the Hell Pizza chain for $15m in 2006, introduced efficiencies and
cost-cutting but had to lower prices and suffered from the recession.
It resold Hell to the business' Wellington founders.
More at The
Independent.
Pieman
shows his winning wares (30 Jul 09)
John Newell is not being cheesy when he says he makes one of the best pies in New Zealand.
Not a man to mince words, his Hamilton-based company has scooped the gold award in the commercial/wholesale mince and cheese section of the prestigious 2009
Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards.
The company was a silver medallist in the section, only open to producers of
more than 60,000 pies a week, last year.
A regular around the Waikato, Oxford's award-winning mince and cheese pies are
made from 100 per cent New Zealand beef, and 100 per cent New Zealand grated
colby cheese, a combination which Mr Newell calls "a Kiwi staple".
Oxford Pies weren't the only Waikato winners on Tuesday night, with Thames' Food
for Thought bakery scooping a gold in the chicken and vegetable section, while
other bakeries from Hamilton, Taupo, Otorohanga and Matamata also picked up silver,
bronze and highly commended awards in various sections.
Tauranga's Goldstar Patricks Pies Bakery & Cafe won the supreme pie award for their gourmet creamy bacon, mushroom & cheese pie.
More at Waikato Times.
Judges chewing through record number of pies to find NZ's
best (23 Jul 09)
Judges tasked with finding the country's best pie face their toughest job yet
with an unprecedented 388 bakeries taking part this year. The figure is a big
jump from the previous record of 290 and has created a logistical challenge for
organisers of the Bakels
New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards. "Blind" judging, with all pies being
coded, is being conducted in Auckland today with the panel assessing about 4000
pies for pastry, filling and flavour. The entry list shows the presence of Asian
bakeries continues to grow – from 5 percent of entrants 10 years ago to 60 percent
this year. The competition is divided into 11 categories, for which there will
be gold, silver and bronze medals. The bakery producing the best pie overall
will get the supreme award and $7500. The competition results will be announced
on Tuesday night. Statistics New Zealand figures show the New Zealand pie market
is worth more than $120 million a year, outstripping the burger market. More
at www.stuff.co.nz.
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