Dave Nitzel has a background in the corporate world, and in joining Barmetrix he was able to bring his knowledge of logistics, stock control and management to the busy and often crazy world of bar and restaurant operations. It’s always good to

Finance, Loyalty and Digital Marketing for Modern Restaurants

May 28th, 2019 45m 42s

Most people are interested in trends and predictions, especially for the restaurant and foodservice industry. In this interview, Ken Burgin talked with Johann Moonesinghe, CEO and co-founder of InKind, a funding and customer loyalty system that

Creating a Business That’s Easy to Exit Anytime

Apr 15th, 2019 31m 26s

Ken Burgin has another conversation with Paul Leach, a business broker and the director of GSE Business Consultants. He’s sold nine of his own food businesses over the last 24 years, and has learnt a thing or two about how the sale process work

Financial Habits of Successful Cafe & Restaurant Owners

Apr 15th, 2019 45m 42s

Ken Burgin had a lively conversation with Brisbane accountant Jason Andrew, who is keen to challenge the financial habits of hospitality entrepreneurs. Their decisions are too often based on ‘gut feeling’ and emotions, rather than the truth tha

How to Sell Your Business for the Best Price

Apr 11th, 2019 29m 56s

Ken Burgin talks with Paul Leach, a business broker and the director of GSE Business Consultants. He’s sold nine of his own food businesses over the last 24 years, and has learnt a thing or two about how the sale process works! We discussed the

Opening a New Italian Restaurant: Growth and Expansion

Mar 18th, 2019 37m 22s

Ken Burgin talks with Andre Ursini about the opening of his new Italian restaurant Orso, in Adelaide. We previously interviewed Andre in Podcast #283 From Master Chef to Italian Restaurant Success, and it was great to catch up with him again to

Growing a Healthy Food Business

Mar 18th, 2019 52m 51s

Ken Burgin talks with Ilija and Nicole Sumracki, the owners of Nutrition Republic in Adelaide. Their business has grown from one retail shop, to four very popular food outlets, catering to people who want to ‘consume real, whole, unprocessed fo

Talking About Kitchen Equipment, Repairs and Maintenance

Mar 14th, 2019 40m 33s

Ken Burgin talks with foodservice equipment expert Cathy Goodwin about the selection, maintenance and repair of all that expensive equipment you have in your kitchen. In the constant rush of foodservice production, it’s easy for this to be negl

292: Food at Sporting Events - Speed and Innovation

Feb 24th, 2019 43m 11s

For a change of pace, Ken Burgin talks with Blair Hughes, a sporting fan engagement specialist and long-time sports enthusiast. He’s visited sporting grounds and stadiums all around the world, and advises teams and venues about the best way to

291: The Science of Restaurant Menu Design

Feb 18th, 2019 41m 24s

Your menu can be a powerful sales tool, or a hit-and-miss catalogue of the food and drinks you sell. By taking a careful, even scientific approach to layout, contents and design, it’s possible to increase sales of your most profitable items, an

290: New Recipe and Food Product Development

Feb 12th, 2019 37m 47s

The food products you see on supermarket shelves don’t just happen by accident – the recipes were carefully crafted by chefs, food technicians and marketers to meet the flavour, presentation and price expectations of the retailer and the consum

289: Rethinking What Drives Restaurant Profitability

Jan 23rd, 2019 45m 20s

Ken Burgin is talking with restaurant profitability expert Ivan Brewer, and they’re attempting to work out what will drive restaurant success in the future: 2019 is very different to 2009 or even 1999! They discussed Ivan’s background in restau

288: Managing Food Costing, Yields and Standard Recipes

Jan 7th, 2019 27m 51s

Ken Burgin continues the conversation with chef and kitchen management expert Andrew Briese of Cooking the Books. In the second of two podcast interviews, they talked about theoretical and ideal food costs, improving yields and the importance o

287: Growing Melbourne's Best Coffee, Breakfast & Lunch Business

Dec 17th, 2018 44m 24s

Meet Simon O'Regan from the EARL Canteen group in Melbourne's CBD - 7 stores and growing! They specialise in breakfast, lunch, coffee and catering. Since opening their first store in 2010, owners Simon and his partner Jackie Middleton have main

286: Managing Food Purchasing, Storage & Stock Control

Dec 6th, 2018 35m 7s

Ken Burgin talks with chef and kitchen management expert Andrew Briese of Cooking the Books. In the first of two podcast interviews, they had a lively discussion on the initial stages of the food management sequence: ordering, storage and stock

285: How to Build the Love for Your Business

Nov 22nd, 2018 19m 21s

Customers want fresh, not stale; inspiration, not gloom – it’s time to turn off the news! One way to lift everyone’s spirits is to share the things that we love, that our staff love, and our customers love. Put a smile on their faces and share

284: How ‘Modern Slavery’ Impacts the Hospitality Industry

Oct 31st, 2018 40m 34s

This is a change of pace for the podcast – Ken Burgin talks with Sally Irwin, director of The Freedom Hub, an organisation that helps people trapped by human trafficking and slavery. This is not the chains and slave markets we envision from the

283: From Master Chef to Italian Restaurant Success

Oct 22nd, 2018 40m 2s

Ken Burgin talks with Andre Ursini, owner and founder of Andre’s Cucina & Polenta Bar. Nine years ago he was also a contestant on the first series of Master Chef in Australia, and then used his love of hospitality to open and develop a highly s

282: Talking About the Economics of Restaurant Operations

Oct 9th, 2018 45m 34s

Ken Burgin talks with Veronica Fils of Restaurant Lume, a venue that describes itself as “a restaurant reimagined for people who are bored with traditional fine dining. Those fed up with formality and stuffy service, but who want an experience”

281: Talking About Cafe & Restaurant Design

Sep 3rd, 2018 43m 6s

Ken Burgin talks with Vanessa Cullen, whose business Forward Thinking Design works with cafes, restaurants, fast food operators and retailers. She has a wide range of experience and the discussion covered design for new businesses, shopping cen

280: What Happens When an Accountant Buys a Cafe?

Aug 6th, 2018 42m 37s

Nadi Elias is an accountant who has bought into a cafe! He has many clients in the cafe and coffee roasting business, and has probably advised many more people to walk away from these opportunities. If he’s gone ahead and taken the plunge, we n

279: Getting Better Results from Your Restaurant Bookkeeping

Jul 23rd, 2018 41m 31s

Many hospitality operators are not, but nature, ‘numbers people’ and it’s easy for this important area of management to be neglected. In this interview, Ken Burgin talks with Christine Green from Restaurant Bookkeeping Australia about how to ge

278: Using LinkedIn for Restaurant Marketing & Personal Branding

Jun 11th, 2018 31m 36s

Should we regard LinkedIn as the serious, professional side of social media? With more than 500 users worldwide, it can be tremendously powerful as a marketing tool to build your business and your personal reputation. In this episode, Ken Burgi

277: How Chefs Can Build a Positive Public Profile

May 30th, 2018 42m 55s

Ken Burgin talks with celebrity chef manager Karen Lateo of Entrée Management, about the many ways chefs can build a local and national reputation. With the rise of TV cooking shows and the public fascination with chefs and food, there are now

276: How to Take Your Bar from Good to Great

May 18th, 2018 47m 42s

Ken Burgin talks with bar manager and entrepreneur Daniel Knight about the many factors involved in creating and running a great bar. The small bar sector is one of the most dynamic parts of the hospitality industry, where successful bar operat