Chewing over 2023’s biggest challenges

Future Menus, our recently released global trends report, provides a fabulous insight into the culinary outlook and 8 trends of the future.

Bringing trends to life can, however, be a challenge. We have asked a few local chefs about the hurdles they face when it comes to their kitchen and putting trends into action on menus. Read on as they discuss the big issues.

Surviving the skills shortage

• “We can’t get staff, let alone skilled staff.” - Head chef, Queensland club

• “Staffing is ridiculous. I’ve never seen it this bad ever.” - Head chef, NSW pub

• “Everywhere is short staffed. There are only three of us and we all work six days a week.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “There is a chronic shortage of chefs and, when you do get them, it’s hard to hang onto them.” - Head chef, Queensland pub

• “The challenge is getting mature staff.” - Head chef, Victorian club

• “My biggest pain point is getting skilled staff that know what they’re doing.” - Owner, Queensland pub

• “I’ve learned that you must structure your menu around what you can handle, in terms of your staff and their skills.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “Up-skilling is my new approach.” - Head chef, Queensland club

• “Here, it’s all about up-skilling. Staff like it because they’ve got the option to move around the venue.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “With staff shortages we’re actually trying to cut the menu back.” - Head chef, NSW pub

• “Simplicity is what makes the difference in my kitchen.” - Owner, Queensland pub

Coping with inconsistency

• “Getting a consistent dish out of the kitchen is a huge problem.” - Owner, Queensland pub

• “Probably the hardest thing for me is to manage consistency.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “Consistency depends on who is doing it because skill levels vary so much.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “Getting consistency takes time, but I’ve made my own standard menu cards.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “It’s important to do something that is repeatable. It just takes up too much time otherwise.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “I’m looking for menu stability and dishes we can consistently execute.” - Head chef, Victorian club

Preparing for profitability

• “My other big challenge is making our top dishes profitable.” - Head chef, Queensland pub

• “Making sure top dishes are profitable is important.” - Head chef, Queensland pub

• “Our gross profitability is definitely down at the moment because it’s hard to stay on top of price changes.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “Given the current climate, anyone who is running a kitchen wants to save some money.” - Retail operations manager, WA roadhouse

• “I used to review prices every three months, but now it’s every week.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “I talk to the local reps and food suppliers, and they might offer me something cheaper.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “With prices changing a lot, I make sure we’re costing things properly.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “I’m always shopping around for the best prices and seasonal ingredients, and I buy up when I can.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “I’m focused on good deals from suppliers and distributors, so that we’re always making money.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “I am very careful to get the best price for ingredients, especially for the things I use a lot of.” - Head chef, NSW club

Sorting out supply issues

• “Another challenge is the availability of produce.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “Supply consistency is a big issue for us.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “Availability and supply of produce is a problem.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “Everyone I talk to has issues around getting things from distributors.” - Head chef, Queensland pub

• “I’m open minded and willing to experiment. You have to be adaptable these days.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “I have to be careful not to plan too far in advance.” - Head chef, NSW club

• “It’s important to have back up plans and be able to produce dishes with a variety of ingredients.” - Retail operations manager, WA roadhouse

• “We will use the specials board when we get a good deal on produce.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

• “We try to plan ahead and stow away anything that we know might be in short supply.” - Head chef, Victorian pub

Just by listening, we can learn a lot. Coming soon, UFS will be sharing ideas, inspiration and innovative solutions that directly address the issues affecting you!