The Holiday Season Is Basically Here. Is Hospitality Prepared For A Busy Couple Of Months?
Once again, the end of year is coming up extremely quickly. It felt like just yesterday we were watching the fireworks on New Year’s. However this does mean that it is the happiest time of the year, as the holiday season commences again.
The holiday season brings a time of great joy for many, with holidays and time-off just around the corner and catch-ups with family and friends for weeks leading up to the New Year, it is busy all around.
However, while we are all thinking about where we should go for our work holiday parties, or what restaurant we should choose for our next dinner, the hospitality industry is getting prepared for the hundreds of people that will walk through their doors.
For hospitality, the busiest time of the year is the holiday season. Not only because of Christmas and New Year’s, but since summer is also just around the corner Australians are ready to follow the sun to their favourite venues.
Many venues see hundreds of people daily in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year. With the food service industry welcoming the re-opening of Australia’s two biggest capital cities, this holiday season is bound to be hectic.
So, is hospitality prepared for a busy couple of months? Well, luckily for the industry they have just received a last-minute bout of good news with the borders once again open to skilled migrants, so that an influx of skilled chefs and service staff can turbocharge the local food service economy.
Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Wes Lambert says that the return of working holiday makers, tourism and skilled migrants is an “early, huge Christmas present” for the hospitality industry, specifically across Sydney and Melbourne where quarantine requirements no longer exist for those who are vaccinated.
The only issue that hospitality venues will have to keep an eye on throughout the holiday period, is ensuring any delivery delay or supply chain issues don’t leave them without crucial ingredients or supplies.
With supply chain issues still plaguing the country, it will be up to venues to ensure that they are stocked up on their non-perishable items to ensure they will have enough to get them through weeks of busy service.
One of the most crucial aspects of being prepared for a busy season, is ensuring you are using the right suppliers who will deliver the utmost quality and the freshest ingredients. This is the real key to being prepared. The best ingredients possible can create incredible dishes and have your customers wanting to come back, months into the New Year.
After a tough two years, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Australian hospitality and as the food service industry carefully navigates through this time, there is bound to be a learning curve once again.
So when it comes to heading out this summer, be nice and be patient with all the hospitality staff you come across, and enjoy the holiday season.
