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About this seller
The Fresh Collective is one Australia’s most prestigious hospitality groups, bringing cultural venues to life with cuisine and event catering that’s unforgettable. Their heads of marketing, catering and finance offer insights that can help any hospo business level up.
Clockwise from top left, Executive Chef Jason Burrows, Director of Event Operations Jacky Verberkt, Director of Finance Jay Deo, Senior Marketing Manager Carla Gailey and Director of Marketing Eliza Hope.
Dive deeper into The Fresh Collective’s multi-faceted operations
Why failing to plan is planning to fail
Why is having a financial plan for the business so important?
Jay Deo, director of finance:
It’s like a GPS for the business. Without that guide, you won’t know where you’re going. It gives you benchmarks, so staff are proactive instead of reactive. A full financial plan helps achieve profitability and strategies.
And what are the steps for creating a plan?
I think it starts off with the past – getting a sense of the revenue, the costs – labour, food, all of that – for the whole business. It’s also very important to develop a cash flow statement for the business, which ensures the company is in a stable position.
Things don’t always go to plan – is it important to be flexible?
Absolutely. We have the actual numbers, and we also have forecast numbers for the business. So if there’s some negative impact on the business which brings revenue down, we act straight away. We also always re-forecast as we go along.
What are some things that help with planning?
We have innovative tools that help us. It’s not always about cutting costs – it’s about ensuring customer satisfaction. Because without customers we don’t have revenue. A robust financial plan and technology run the business smoothly. Not just working harder, but working smarter.
Why you should know your audience – and focus on yourself, not the competition
Do you give much thought to how your competition markets their venues?
Carla Gailey, senior marketing manager:
I have this philosophy that if you focus on other people’s gardens, you will forget to water your own plants. You need to know your competitors, but you shouldn’t focus or build your strategy around them. Because what works for them may not work for you. And if you copy them, that often misses the mark. So your job isn’t to mimic. It’s to find an offer that’s clear and distinct, that feels true to who you are, in a way that you can easily relate to your audience.
What’s the most important part of marketing that venue and brand to customers?
Eliza Hope, director of marketing:
One of the keys is to really understand your audience. It allows you to reach the right customer, at the right time, through the right channel. It also gives you valuable insights to meet your customers’ needs and drive revenue. If you know your audience, you can speak to them in a way that will resonate and engage them.
Carla:
Simplicity is so underrated. Strip it back. Strong branding shouldn’t be about being clever. It’s about being clear – because clarity is what really cuts through.
How is your creative messaging shaped by your understanding of your audiences?
Eliza:
Different audience segments relate to different pieces of marketing or assets. The younger demographic responds really well to social media, to video, to short clips. Whereas our older demographic are heavily engaged on email and our website, so we reach them there. It’s key to be flexible. Being able to look at your brand and make sure it’s in line with current trends is really important.
Your job isn’t to mimic. It’s to find an offer that’s clear and distinct, that feels true to who you are, in a way that you can easily relate to your audience.
How Fresh Collective’s events rise to the occasion
What advice would you give to a restaurant looking to get into catering?
Jason Burrows, executive chef:
The catering you should offer is what you’re comfortable offering. Start small and work your way up. And have a strategic plan – analyse everything that could possibly go wrong and have a contingency plan for it. Every restaurant-owner and chef can get into catering, but to survive you need to be a self-motivator.
Is working in catering that different to working in restaurants?
In a restaurant, you have set service periods, so the motivation is time-bound. In catering, you have to motivate yourself to achieve the volume of work. You have to do some repetitive work to get to the fun things. The client’s expectation is that you have the mental fortitude and the focus to execute the same product thousands of times. They see your marketing – and they expect it to look exactly the same when they receive it.
How do you pull that off?
Document everything about your product and how you present it. You also need to consider the skill set you have available to you, and the logistics of transporting and moving the food around. And the equipment facilities. It’s better to promise what you can do rather than promise what you can’t do.
What goes into deciding who gets rostered on for an event?
Jacky Verberkt, director of event operations:
We make sure that we have the right people on the floor. Some team members are better at things like a boardroom, which is very much like a fine dining service. But then for things like a birthday party, you’ll want people who are more suited to lively events. And then we also have some on-site teams that know those venues very well. So it’s about getting the right people in the right roles.
What’s the key to finding the right people?
I look for personality. You’ve got to be very personable, friendly, attentive and adaptable.
How do you make sure things run smoothly on the day?
Things don’t always go exactly to plan. So you need to think on your feet and troubleshoot. And make sure that the team is briefed and know exactly what they’re doing – and update as you go. If something doesn’t go 100%, you’ve got to be able to find solutions quickly. You can’t deal with it tomorrow – you’ve got to fix it now.
What’s the most important thing to know about the catering business?
Not one day is ever the same. If you like to know exactly where everything is and how everything is going, then catering will likely not be for you. But some people like the excitement of change. If you have those traits, then catering will suit you.
The Fresh Collective is a proud Square seller.
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This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. For specific advice applicable to your business, please contact a professional.