TSR Blog

Two weeks in to the year, well, since the rest of the (corporate) world went back to work following the Australia Day weekend, we see that this current reporting period is about to heat up. The next three weeks look very busy in the world of corporate catering Melbourne, with the couple of weeks following this period leading in to Easter a bit of an unknown.

This time of year is great when catering Melbourne, with all CMX personnel enjoying busy times. The stress of writing menus, sourcing produce, placing wait staff and prepping last minute bookings far out-weighs the quiet periods of planning (and general boredom!) in January following New Years and holidays. Getting back to the kitchen well rested, inspired and fresh is the best time to be creating great food, coupled with ultra-attentive service from our waiters very keen to back in to things!

You could argue that February brings the best corporate catering of the year. Fresh menus, fresh ideas, and fresh staff.

So what of this current reporting period of 2013? So far, we've seen an increase in breakfasts and more casual bookings than at the same point in 2012. It also seems the season has begun a little later this year. As always, our corporate catering clients across Melbourne are enjoying beautiful fish dishes, such as blue eye cod and awesome ocean trout. Breakfasts a great alternative for clients seeking to 'hurry up' their reporting season- get their clients in early, and maybe squeeze a lunch the same day! Maybe that's why sandwiches (see menu) are on the rise...?? We hope other corporate caterers across town are following our lead in offering espresso coffee to these bookings, especially at breakfast time. Not only are clients looking for (and need) a special coffee at 8am in the morning, the polish in roving short espresso and piccolo lattes is sure to leave a lasting impression for all involved.

Following a lunch of up to 40px, the feedback gained from serving espresso coffee to order is always sensational, particularly when accompanied by not just petite four, but a dessert tasting plate to share. Cheese and fruit is great, is variable, and is many people's favourite, but putting together a sample encompassing different sweet textures such as panna cotta, jelly, solid chocolate, fruit and perhaps a cake, all in bite-size portions, is not a bad way to end a lunch.

Dinners involving corporate catering Melbourne are not as big for us at this time of year. Larger bookings are often dinners, however it more common to see evening events following the reporting season and once Melbourne's corporate catering scene is back in full swing proper. It's a shame really, given the spectacular sunsets, warm temperatures and extra hours of daylight that the summer months bring. Maybe the corporate holiday and 6 week school holiday period would be better suited over Winter!

We look forward to another update on the reporting season in a couple more weeks, and a look at how corporate catering is looking up towards Easter. As always, thanks for reading!

Pasted from TSR's catering website- www.cateringmelbourneX.com.au

As you're putting together your wedding, you've realised you need a professional presence to ensure important tasks such as serving guests beverages, serving and clearing tables, preparing and roving finger food, and most importantly, event cleanliness, are taken care of. You need to hire wait staff for wedding...

Every weekend across Melbourne, brides and wedding planners are assessing options to either create an extravagant gala, maybe in the bush, a hired venue, or even their backyard, or maybe a low-key wedding to which the service of wedding waiters for hire makes a perfect alternative to "auntie's help" in the kitchen. If it is the latter, auntie, sister-in-law, best friends and bridesmaids may say they're happy to cook and serve on the day, but we can assure you that when it comes to ensuring drinks are cold, people are fed, and glasses are topped up, they have been known to go missing! Not to mention when it comes time to cleaning up dinner!!

Hiring professional waiters for your wedding keeps catering costs down, with our wait staff trained in food prep and service. If it's a VIP event you're looking to bring together, again, the hire wait staff for your wedding are accustomed to corporate and private event life all over Melbourne, and bring years of experience to an event that perhaps will require the presence of someone in a supervisory role.

We have looked after backyard weddings, marquees, 'off-the-grid' special sites and VIP galas with our wedding wait staff. Phone us for a quote and more information specific to your plans.   

After a little interest and a little research based on wait staff hire Sydney and the different roles wait staff play around the world, we've condensed our reading and research in to a glossary below. Much of our reading came from one source, which you can read about here. In Australia, you will certainly find a hierarchy within restaurants, particularly fine dining, but it's very refreshing to see the black and white career path of a professional waiter from this revered European dining culture.

Maitre d'hotel is the main man (or woman!). They are the manager of the restaurant, and responsible staffing the shift, training, greeting guests, and managing any issues. They are the main link between kitchen and floor, and ensure quality standards in food and service are met. Here in Australia, it is commonly known that the "Maitre 'd" may be the head waiter, or primarily responsible for greeting guests and managing bookings, however there will almost certainly be a restaurant manager on shift they report to.

The Maitre d'hotel will have up to 3 Assistant Managers on shift to support them. The AMs will look after important tasks such as greeting guests, managing tables and bookings, perhaps assisting wait staff at the pass, answering phones or preparing bills and accepting payments.

The Sommelier, also known in Australian fine dining restaurants, is responsible for the wine list. They will source and stock a selection of wines to compliment the restaurant and its menu, and whilst on shift, recommend, open, test and pour wines for guests. Not restricted to wines in Europe, they will also look after their range of apertifs and digestives.

Working with the AMs, 2-3 Station de tete waiters seat guests, explain the menu, and take food orders. Having only 2-3 staff responsible for taking food orders should allow the kitchen respite between tickets, and promote a smooth service period.

Next in the brigade is Chef du rang, 1-2 of whom are allocated to each Station de tete. Their role is table side dining on the Gueridon, and they do most of the serving. Each Chef du rang may have the support of a Demi Chef du rang who will assist with serving, setting perfect tables, and maintaining and stocking the Gueridon.

As with a kitchen brigade, a Commis will do the ground work. Allocated 1 to each station, it is their role to ensure the cutlery is polished, stations are stocked, tables are cleared and re set properly, and napkins are folded. They will clear plates from diners, but not serve.

Is there a restaurant or a market in Sydney for such a brigade? In the Aussie fashion, we may be too relaxed and not focused enough on service traditions/professionalism to carry out such specific roles. Our wait staff hire Sydney encompasses factors in all of these roles, but not so specifically broken down. If you would like to read any further info regarding wait staff hire in Sydney, please visit by following the link.

What does a waiter write on New Years Eve? Of course we want to wish all our readers, clients and potential business partners a very happy new year, and best wishes for 2013. We'd have to say that overall our corporate clients this year enjoyed more robust entertaining and business development (always cause for entertaining!) than 2011, and 2013 looks equally strong.

New Years Eve is traditionally a very busy night for our hire wait staff Melbourne crew, whilst in Sydney, our hire waiters are looking after guests with harbour view apartments or homes, or of course on one of the many yachts on the water this evening. You'd rather be working Sydney, yes.

With many staff on the go, and offices closed everywhere, it's pretty much an afternoon of wait staff confirmation and communicating last minute details with the guys getting ready for work. A relaxing afternoon lies ahead, before the madness starts to creep in, particularly as the sun goes down...

If you're attending a staffed catered event tonight, or have waiters of your own looking after you, remember to be courteous and polite (as always of course!!) and relax if the line at the bar seems a little long. Everyone else wants to enjoy themselves too! Happy New Year.

Catering staff hire, a bit different to wait staff hire, is usually a task requiring a food-savvy waiter or kitchen hand to assist with heating canapes, plating dishes, assisting a senior chef or cook with basic tasks, or serving guests from a buffet or station, such as a BBQ or breakfast buffet.

It requires a bit of a hospitality 'all-rounder'- someone capable of interacting with guests, but at the same time able to undertake most kitchen duties as required by a line cook or mid-level chef. No menu planning or serious techniques, but catering staff for hire may be required to prepare meat or vegetables, cook a BBQ or grill, plate canapes after heating, and probably assist with event tidiness and kitchen cleaning.

They will also be expected to handle normal wait staff hire duties, ensuring guests are enjoying themselves, and that food and beverages items are being circulated properly. But where to find them?! It is definitely a word of mouth position, and if your business is able to source such useful and versatile staff, they are worth paying well and treating well. They can get you out of many sticky situations, cover for a chef or a bartender, and probably have the experience or skills to supervise an event, or at the least, be a key link between front and back of house because of their varied experience.

If you have further questions regarding catering staff hire, or wish to hire catering staff Melbourne please follow our links or simply click contact us above. We'd love to hear from you!

Bar staff for hire, or bartenders for hire Melbourne, are sure to make any private event a success in terms of serving beverages, mixing cocktails, and operating a bar. Bar staff are able to ensure your guests receive a proper mixed drink, keep a well stocked bar and back of house area, and also hold the key to any successful event: the eyes on the grog! They can tell the host if they're running low on anything, and being hire bartenders, can drive to the bottle shop for any 'emergency' run.

The difference in our Melbourne bartenders for hire is that they are well rounded, mulit-skilled hospitality professionals. Bar staff that prepare a bar service area, manage cleaning and glass/bottle collection, as well as bang out the odd Mojito or crowd-pleasing Long Island Iced Tea.

Bar staff that will ensure your beverages are chilled properly, that the bar is clean, and that your guests are cared for. No point having all the bells and whistles when it takes 10 minutes to make one drink. Right? So many bar staff or bartender hire providers miss that key point: they're not working the bar they used to work in. You need bar staff with zero attitude, and 100% focus. Bartenders that respect your wishes, requests, and don't intimidate with their 'old habits' and ways of doing things 'properly'. Come on down... Melbourne bartender hire... 

You would have to say that 90% of private home events in Melbourne, Sydney, or probably anywhere in Australia, make use of some kind of bar or drink station. If you're considering setting up a bar for your upcoming event, below are some suggestions on how to make it most efficient.

Equipment:

Most important- glasses! Think about what you'll be serving from your bar. If you're serving beer, you can safely assume that 95% of the beer-drinking population will be happy drinking straight from the bottle. Skip the beer glasses. You'll need different glasses for sparkling wine, table wines, soft drinks, and cocktails (if you're serving them). If you have 60 guests expected, think around the following ratios:

• 45x sparkling glass
• 30x wine glass
• 100x soft drink/water glass (or 45 soft drink and paper cups for a water station)
• cocktail and/or short glasses for mixed drinks, 1x per style of cocktail you're serving

Searching for and analysing function rooms is tricky, yet it is only a small piece in the fat event-planning pie. Once you have selected the right room, you must then consider food options and catering, who's going to serve food and beverages in a professional manner, such as wait staff for hire, equipment hire, linen, flowers, glasswear, lighting- the works! And choosing the right function rooms can be hard enough...

Function room packages are a great way to eliminate the stress in coordinating every individual aspect of an event because the network between each supplier is strong. If one link in the chain is under-performing, there are other businesses wanting to step up to the plate and deliver. This is because alliances and relationships in the event industry are highly valued- strong businesses want to work with strong businesses. They rely on each other not just to promote business and referrals, but because the events they can create are unforgettable.

Consider the scenario of an engagement party. Imagine the time it would take in sifting through function rooms, then caterers, wait staff providers, the right price on equipment hire, flowers, music- by the end you might be considering a BBQ at home next Sunday arvo!

Using a packaged service, the contacts and pricing are already provided, with a guarantee of  service quality and value. Those in the industry have chosen to align themselves with this network, with the future strength and reputation of their businesses on the line. Not only that, but the group have existing chemistry, cohesion, and no ego. Their time is spent together, showing guests the time of their lives.

The right function rooms chosen for you to select from. One package to select menus, beverages, theming and planning. All you need to do is pick the room... GO!

Guest post from Function Rooms, functionrooms.co

Recruiting for any position, let alone for a role in a high-turnover industry, can be a nightmare. Speak to any restaurant manager, site manager, catering manager or agency HR rep and they'll tell you how difficult it can be.

Advertising on Seek, Career 1, or Gumtree is a pretty good way to generate resumes. Screening these resumes is unavoidable, and I will admit that Seek hasn't been a bad hunting ground over the years. Gumtree is good for a quick-fix if you need some backpackers/students/etc that are desperate for work. (Not our cup of tea). Once you have collated a reasonable selection of resumes, it's time to start scheduling interviews!

The Hard Way

Setting aside half a day, or more, to interview staff is a waste of time when looking for boardroom waiters. You can learn nothing about someone's ability, confidence or grooming skills by sharing a coffee. Sure, you can get a feel for their experience and communication skills, but a follow-up interview or trial will certainly be required. 

So, having spent hours interviewing, reference checking and scheduling trials, you have clients to look after while 'hiding' your potential new acquisition, ready to be baby-sat through their trial shift. What if they can't carry plates but said they could? What if they wear a grubby shirt when they said it would be pristine? What if they drop glasses, spill wine, or generally don't cope??

The Easy Way

Let's go back to our pile of screened resumes. Forget the wasted interviews and risky trials. The way we screen potential hire wait staff Melbourne is this:

• schedule groups of 3-4 staff for an interview in our training boardroom
• request that they wear our standard boardroom uniform to their interview for us to assess
• after a brief introduction and 2 minute one-on-one chats, run a mock 15 minute lunch service with empty glasswear, dry plates and all table cutlery and settings
• asses basic skill set, and identify needs for improvement/moulding in each waiter
• arrange a paid trial at an appropriate site, with an appropriate supervisor or,
• thank the candidate for their time and suggest areas for improvement
• reference check as a final screen