GSA F&B Training Consultants 1st Aug 2007 Back   Emma & Nicholas Scott met three years ago while working at one of Sydney’s most exciting waterfront restaurants, Otto Ristorante Italiano. They formed Ginger & White Consultants in December 2005 to provide training and consultancy for the hospitality industry. They married last year and divide their time between Sydney, London and Asia. Nicholas fell into hospitality eighteen years ago in Queenstown, answering the call from a friend to help with a bar opening, and he hasn’t looked back since. Moving to Sydney in 1996, he went to work for chef, Matt Moran, and restaurateur, Peter Sullivan, who now own Aria Restaurant. Peter was, in part, responsible for igniting Nick’s passion for wine. “Peter really opened my eyes to what it takes to be successful in this industry, he introduced me to the world of wine and set me on a path that I’m happily still following.” He spent three years with Sullivan, before moving on to work for another legend in the restaurant industry, Maurice Terzini , joining Otto Ristorante Italiano at Woolloomooloo Wharf just after it opened in early 2000. Two years later he opened Otto’s sister restaurant, Nove, for Terzini. “I learned an enormous amount from Maurice. He taught me that no detail, however small, can ever be overlooked and that consistency, as well as flare, is the key to a great operation. Peter and Maurice gave me a great grounding in this business, I couldn’t have asked for better mentors.” Emma, on the other hand, has been working in pubs and restaurants since her teens. “We had a great family friend who owned a pub in the town where I grew up and I was behind the bar, pulling pints, as soon as I was old enough. I loved the banter with the regulars and the old blokes who’d pop in for their pint of stout every Sunday afternoon, it was my introduction to customer service.” Emma got serious eleven years ago, landing a job as the Cocktail Bar manager at quaglinos, Terence Conran’s first flagship restaurant in London. She went on to manage some of the capital’s definitive restaurants The Sugar Club , ‘10’ Covent Garden, Maggiore’s, working with some great chefs both in London and Sydney. “Dave Selex at The Sugar Club taught me the importance of synergy between kitchen and floor. He encouraged the floor staff to get involved in the kitchen and we held tastings all the time.” This is clearly a subject close to her heart. She becomes particularly animated when talking about the time she spent at her favourite restaurant, St John in Clerkenwell. “Fergus Henderson’s food is an inspiration to so many of us in this business and a large amount of credit has to go to him for turning British cooking around and making it a force to be reckoned with once again. The wine list has a strong French influence and some of it’s wonderfully obscure, it’s a great match for the food. St John, I believe, is the closest thing you’ll find to the perfect restaurant.” Moving to Sydney in 2002 Emma worked with chef Luke Mangan (www.glassbrasserie.com.au) managing his restaurant, Moorish, in Bondi before moving to Otto Ristorante Italiano in 2004 where she met her future husband. More recently she and Nick have worked alongside two of Sydney’s hottest chefs, Jane and Jeremy Strode, helping them to set up their restaurant, Bistrode, in Sydney’s Surry Hills. “We adore Bistrode, it’s the perfect neighbourhood restaurant. Jeremy is incredibly passionate about his food, he sources the best local ingredients and we’ve worked hard to translate that passion to the customer through the service.” When they met in 2004, Nick and Emma were both at a stage where perhaps the next logical step would have been to open their own restaurant. Instead, after much debate, they realised that their enthusiasm for food, wine and people, coupled with their troubleshooting abilities, made consulting a better option. So in December 2005 they formed Ginger & White Consultants, quickly landing their first contract with popular Sydney bistro, Forbes & Burton, as wine consultants. They continue to maintain the restaurant’s acclaimed wine list on a monthly basis. “It seemed like a natural step for us. We have, between us, nearly thirty years’ experience in the restaurant and bar industry and when we met, Emma had already been consulting for three years in London for FMC. We just decided to make it more permanent.” FMC, as it happens, are the operators of the biggest catering operation in Europe, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Emma started out as a restaurant manager at Wimbledon ten years ago and now returns every year to oversee the set up and running of five restaurants across the site, two of which cater to some of the tournament’s most prestigious customers. “Part of my role involves training the managers of each of the units. Set up lasts no more than two or three days and there’s always a certain amount of pressure involved due to the very high standard of customer service expected. Once the tournament starts, I become more of a trouble shooter: conducting on-the-spot training, making sure the restaurants run smoothly and that they hit their financial targets.” This year Nick joined Emma at Wimbledon as manager of the prestigious Sportsworld (www.sportsworld.co.uk) complex at the Fairway Village. “It’s an incredible operation when you consider that just a few days before the start of the tournament, there’s nothing there but an empty field. Sportsworld take the concept of hospitality to a whole new level. Clients come from all over the world and they rightly demand a very high level of service. We have to get it right first time. “ Despite the pressure that events like Wimbledon bring to bear, Emma and Nick both agree that it’s uniquely rewarding work. “Perhaps because we accomplish so much in such a short space of time.” However, as they point out, the events may be short but they leave a lasting impression on those who attend and now, thanks to the media, on millions of others around the world. Getting it right, they believe, may depend on how well people are trained, but their core beliefs go deeper. “Training is more than just teaching people how to serve customers. There’s so much passion in this industry, it’s a lot of fun and right now it’s an incredibly exciting place to be. We try to communicate that passion and inspire people to get really involved. Great customer service isn’t just about how you pour a drink or serve a dish, although the technical side is important. Connecting with people is what it’s all about. We teach that anticipating a customer’s needs and being totally approachable can often turn a good experience into a great one. And, of course, we all need to enjoy our work. We live by the maxim that happy staff equals happy customers.” They clearly love the industry, so what does the future hold for Ginger & White? “We’d love to develop the business in Asia.” Emma says. “Having recently spent time in both Hong Kong and Beijing, we recognise that the market’s right and it’s such an exciting place to be right now. There’s an explosion of restaurants and hotels all aiming to open their doors before 2008 and event companies are already a growing presence in Beijing too.” Nick agrees. “Recruitment in the run up to the games will be enormous. I was working in Sydney in 2000 and the number of people needed to cater to all the visitors was mind-boggling. A lot of companies will be looking to outsource their training, and that’s where we come in.” Along with their technical and what they call ‘holistic’ training packages, they have developed a course of workplace English lessons. This is aimed at people for whom English is a second language, designed to teach the vocabulary and develop the speaking and listening skills needed in the hospitality workplace. It certainly sounds like they’ve done their homework and no doubt we’ll be hearing a lot more from this partnership. Watch this space. Ginger and White Consultants specialise in training and consultancy for the hospitality industry. Their training packages are designed to meet the needs of your business and will include: Holistic Training:  Clarifying your mission statement.  Delivering and communicating your company philosophy to your staff.  Ensuring the message is conveyed to the customer. Advanced Customer Service Training:  Communication Skills.  Importance of teamwork.  Anticipation of customers’ needs and going the extra mile.  Confidence building.  Initiative training. Technical Training:  Food and Beverage knowledge.  Fundamental service skills.  Sequence of service.  Cleanliness, hygiene and maintenance.  Set up and break down procedures.  Workplace risk assessment.  Food handling and hygiene. Workplace English:  English lessons designed specifically for an F&B environment.  The vocabulary and language of hospitality.  Developing the skills of speaking and listening to English in a service environment. Emma & Nicholas Scott have 18 years’ management experience in the hospitality industry. They specialise in restaurant openings and will manage your project from concept and design stages through to completion and beyond. Their programs are tailored to meet your business’ needs be it management and staff training, menu and wine list consultation or project management. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT JONATHAN VIA EMAIL ON [email protected]