Recruitment is frustrating and the winter merciless for some restaurants across Northland. Like making a good souffle, finding and keeping staff and customers requires skill, dedication and patience. Christine Allen spoke to three operators from the region about staff shortages, marketing and the industry's shaky relationship with the seasons
In its 2014 report, the Restaurant Association of of New Zealand found that 86 of its 100 Northland members believed building and maintaining sales would be the biggest challenge this year. Staffing was also a concern with managers almost as hard to recruit as customers.
Senior kitchen and restaurant staff are the backbone of the business and near impossible to recruit now that cafe and restaurant manager roles have been slashed from the Immigration New Zealand Short Term Skill Shortage list.
RANZ lobbied unsuccessfully against the action but has now kicked off a pilot forum to consult on staff shortages.
Anton Haagh, owner of Russell's Duke of Marlborough Hotel, said he had emerged from a frustrating recruitment process.
"The changes to the immigration list is killing us," he said.
"We were looking for a restaurant manager and got 20 applications. Only three were in New Zealand - all graduates with no experience."
It was a stroke of good fortune that brought his new manager from Yorkshire to his tavern while holidaying in the region.
He said Work and Income NZ had also sent him some applicants.
"I was sent CVs for people with cleaning and cheffing experience.
"We can't have unskilled people running our business."
Mr Haagh said provincial restaurants had to pay well to retain staff. "We pay wait staff a minimum of $15 an hour - we want to look after them. If we don't, word spreads and you find you will struggle to recruit people.
"Restaurants operate on 8 per cent profit and 33 cents of every dollar are spent on wages."
The Duke was one of 13 businesses to join in the Bay of Islands' marketing initiative, a financial injection to boost marketing.
"If you just wait for people to walk in the door, it will be death by a thousand cuts.
"We extended our business with a catering arm, a fish shop and wedding business."
The Duke gets 60 patrons on a quiet day (requiring four staff) and up to 1000 on a busy summer day, when they have 35 people working in the kitchen and front of house.
Mokaba Cafe at the Town Basin in Whangarei gets more than 500 customers each day in the peak summer days, and 150 on a quiet winter day.
Justin and Anna Le Cheminant own Mokaba and Riverside Cafe at the Town Basin. They are members of the Restaurant Association and have been operating in the basin for the last two and a half years.
Mr Le Cheminant said they aim to entice customers before they reach the region.
They advertise in the Northland Dining Guide, AA Travel New Zealand Guide and Northland regional guide, as well as on social media.
"We want to win hearts and minds of visitors before they even come to Whangarei."
Staffing was also a challenge for the couple.
"We have 12 at the Riverside Cafe and 15 at Mokaba and yes, it's always hard to get senior staff. The challenge is first to recruit and then retain the key people."
Sometimes staff moved on to Auckland, he said.
Migrating staff was also an issue for Stephanie Gartland, general manager of the Pear Tree in Kerikeri, who said young wait staff migrated to bigger towns and cities for university.
The Pear Tree serves between 25 and 50 lunches on a quiet day, jumping to hundreds on a busy one.
She said her team focused its marketing plan of attack through a calendar of events, with themed nights.
"We are isolated here - our summer patrons leave for the winter, as do many of our locals."
It reduces to a five-day week during the winter.