Being a Chef is not for the faint hearted. And this
story illustrates one of the reasons why.
About three weeks ago I found out to my surprise
that Rob went back to the Waterfront Venue and has
taken my previous position of Executive Chef. And he
asked me if I could come and help him during the
busy Christmas Holiday Period. Since I wasn't doing
much I told him I'd be glad to do it, and normally
I'd say it's a good move for Rob because I think no
one else is more capable of running that venue than
him. But given the circumstances surrounding his
return I advised him to keep an eye out.
Rob and I and along with most of the crew of The
Waterfront and George Street Venues finished at the
end of September. We even had a big
Farewell Party. Then I went to Shanghai and
Taiwan, and Rob took a holiday too. Nubs stayed
behind and was there when I visited Rob. And while I
was away both The Waterfront and George Street
Venues, along with the entire Hotel group fell into
Receivership. Oh dear.
A company only goes into Receivership if it could no
longer pay its debt, or is capable of but refuses
to. In a course of a company's operation it buys
stuff from other companies to be sold to its
customers for a profit. In my case back then it's
buying produce from suppliers to be prepared and
processed in the kitchen to be put on the menu which
guests order, eat and pay for.
How the Hotel Group fell into Receivership is beyond
me. As far as the Food Operation was concerned
everything was in order, and the profit margins were
above good during my time there. Otherwise they
would've fired me 3 months into my contract or I
would've left on my own accord if I can't make it
work out. So it all came as a shock for me and for
everyone else.
Maybe it had something to do with the Executive Chef
that replaced me. When the Receivers, or The Bank,
took over the Waterfront Venue the first thing that
they did was fire the new Executive Chef. That's why
The Bank contacted Rob and offered him my previous
position.
I really don't know much about the Executive Chef
that replaced me. I only spoke with him a few times
during the handover period. But the staff who stayed
behind had some pretty funny stories about him being
intoxicated most of the time, and I was also told
that 8 out of 10 dishes that came out of the kitchen
were sent back because the guests complained about
the quality of the food.
And if that was true, then that's really bad. Also
Rob discovered that there was a major issue with
purchasing. A lot more stuff were ordered than
needed and a good portion of the excess produce
bought were not used and ended up as wastage pushing
the food cost higher and higher.
Staffing was also an issue. The roster was not
properly designed, it did not make any sense, and
there was a significant imbalance of manpower. Long
story short when it was quiet there were too many
staff in the kitchen, and when it was busy there
were not enough to cope with the large volume of
food orders. Rob had to sort that out too!
So within two months of Rob and I leaving the
company what was once a very profitable Restaurant
Operation turned into a black hole. But since Rob
came back everything improved dramatically. The
Waterfront Venue's kitchen was no longer in the red
and was on track for a full recovery. The cuisine
has regained its high standards and the guests were
quite happy with their food given their positive
comments and good tips. But that's the good news.
The bad news is that The Bank has the option of
selling the Waterfront Venue if the potential buyers
offered enough money to cover all the debt owed to
other companies. That's how a Receivership works.
And that's why I told Rob to keep an eye out. Then a
week after I visited Rob The Bank did sell the
Waterfront Venue and the new owners currently
decided to close the restaurant. Yikes!
So a week before Christmas Rob, Suman and the others
were told that they no longer have a job at the
Waterfront Venue. I know it's sad, but in the
Hospitality Industry this sort of thing happens all
the time. Regardless of how well managed and
profitable the operation is and regardless of how
much effort and passion you put into the food that
you create, prepare, cook and serve the whole thing
can still go belly up!
And this is another reason why being a Chef is not
for the faint hearted.
But Chefs are resilient and whenever things like
this happen we all just have a good laugh. No point
crying over spilled milk. So I met them at the
Paragon and we all had a drink and we all talked and
chuckled about our time working together. Ho Ho Ho!
