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Think Again special issue


advocates that it is not about the food and more about the experience. Employers need to focus on their front-line teams, who are the least focused on of all. By creating a wonderful ambiance and giving customers things they don’t even know they want is how you drive sales and that is how businesses can complete the virtuous circle of investing in their people and being able to pay their staff more.


What should the industry be getting behind that is already in place to attract people into the industry – particularly the younger generation? AP: We have got to get more engagement with schools. Springboard already runs Future- Chef, which teaches 12- to 16-year-olds about cooking. The aim is to get professional chefs into schools to nurture the next suite of chefs. This is difficult, but some 8,500 kids take part in FutureChef ever year, so there are 8,500 pos- sible chefs. It could solve the problem.


MK: The impact of National Waiters’ Day has galvanised students, too.


PA: Kids love a story. I go back up to Liverpool and talk to 15-year-olds in my old school. I tell them I went to London, started as a pot-wash, met Beyoncé – once – and travelled the world. I tell them I’m not academic and I show them how they can have a great career. I see their eyes light up. I have just captured four young people through my story who are coming to


22 | The Caterer


“Using messages from ordinary people at work rather than superstars is


sometimes more powerful” Ruston Toms


Babylon in January. Media can capture a big- ger audience, but me talking to 30 kids and telling them stories has an impact too.


SW: It’s about connecting with the parents. Bring the parents into work for a day and tell them our stories. We can show them you can earn a lot of money once you are through the initial hurdles.


SS: Who are kids listening to? It’s other kids or people who have had your journey and who are inspirational. Some 600,000 people follow the Rolling Stones on YouTube, but some 13-14 million young people are talking about the trainers they bought on YouTube. My point is that if kids are learning about the world through devices and social media, then that is where the campaign needs to be.


Markos Tsimilakis (MT): Get people in for work experience and use mentors to show it is an exciting environment to work in.


SW: Work experience is key. At my past employer, we used to invite parents in and put


them up on a Sunday night. The child cooked the parents’ meal and the parents could see how excited they were.


SS: We are a positive industry and we need to show that. It should be easy because hospital- ity is all about magical moments, but the industry needs to live up to the hype. So part of the audience for the campaign needs to be industry itself – it needs to raise its game.


PA: We could use all our resources – People 1st, Springboard and so on. We could perhaps invite young people and parents down to Babylon and initiate a media message?


Yes, it is tempting to create a new campaign, but resources are already out there so, what are the most important ways to use them? AP: My frustration is that people want to invent something new. All the ingredients are there, but it is about getting behind them, not rein- venting the wheel. Springboard has created the tools. There are careers materials on our website, mentoring schemes, the Ambassador schemes and a quality standard for work expe-


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