Hawke’s Bay Whine Country

I ADORE Hawke’s Bay, I do BUT every now and then it needs a swift kick to the bot-tom to remind it of what’s important. Particularly in regard to small but important matters like that age old bum scratcher called ‘Customer Service’. You’ll hear me jabbering on about it till the cows come home and at this rate they’ll probably be home and hosed before we can get through to some shop owners and their staff about what’s good and what’s not and which bit of it they’re not getting yet!

My sister has been visiting from overseas so we’ve had occasion to be eating out all over the place in the Bay recently. We’ve eaten at small, medium, large restaurants and purposely stayed away from most of the big Wineries in order to experience where your average ‘on-the-road’ persons passing through are most likely to stop to eat on the hoof. Eating out has been a little hit and miss I have to say, but more miss than hit.

The Bother is in the Details

Here’s some constructive advice. Hawke’s Bay you need to lift your game across the board in order to satisfy consumers that you can compete with your other country cousins over in Martinborough. You can be Wine Country or Whine Country, you choose. And you KNOW which one you’d rather be! Business owners bench mark your businesses because long term it’ll be better for them. Benchmarking is a brain-engaging activity, so yes thinking is mandatory. Attention to detail matters.

In this economic climate and contrary to popular belief, people still do have money, they just get choosier about how and where they spend it. They’re buying smaller but they haven’t stopped buying. Trust me, competent customer service will get you the repeat business again and again. If not tomorrow then the next time they’re in town and who knows how many other people they’ll tell on the way to wherever they’re going. There’s no magic formula, it’s the little things done properly. I’ve done fancy smancy recently and guess what, it wasn’t necessarily better bang for my buck!

My biggest whine has to be expensive salads that require me to make them up myself on my plate when it gets to the table. They have the usual suspects red/green gourmet salad, some carrot scrapings and if I’m feeling really lucky a cucumber that any self-respecting horse would love to have as an appetiser. Me, I’m human though! What’s been passed off as salads over the past few weeks is appalling. At least make them for me is all I ask!

Hog’s Breath needs Mouthwash

The last lot at Hogs Breath in Napier on Sunday was just awful. The business must be under new management because contrary to popular franchise blurb the steak tended to the tough side (despite their advertised 18 hr slow cook regime) the salad was totally uninspiring and the mixed bean salad straight from a can. I filled out the evaluation card but I suspect it made File 13 as soon as it was read. I wrote in my email address too in a hand up attempt to help them back to culinary redemption but it’s been over 48 hrs now so it’s a business as I suspected, uncaring of its reputation. Too bad! I’ve told at least 45 people already how bad it was, now all you mob! Mon dieu.

Bay Expresso on Omahu Road, Hastings

So my advice again. Go to Bay Expresso on Omahu Road where the chef knows how to put together fantastic and divinely edible salads with flair and freshness. The coffee’s great and the girls will remember your face even after just one or two visits.

Now, I’m not a person to be irritated easily but lately I can’t count the number of times I’ve been called ‘guys’ by waitresses and waiters. Small matter BIG irritation to me. The thought bubble in my head immediately sees red because quite clearly I’m a girl NOT a guy! Our point of difference here in New Zealand may be our friendly laid back manner but make no mistake, when people are spending their money (even on holiday) they want to feel like they’re ‘treating’ themselves and they don’t know you from diddley-squat so your informality can seem a little too familiar! Think about it. My advice. How about a simple, “what can I get you or help you with today?”

To Do or Not to Do, that is the Question

A time is coming shop owners when you’ll decide whether tourist dollars will stop and shop in your town OR whether they’ll just pass on through to the next OPEN town. I see it happening already. Just before Christmas a small shop was closed but left a quaint country town notice on the door saying if we were REALLY interested enquire at a shop a couple of doors away. We did this because I was after a silver cake server and knife set for my aunt’s 80th birthday I’d seen there just before Christmas. No sooner had the woman opened the doors to us than in walked 8 other people ( I counted them out of interest) and she was busily wrapping gifts when we left.

Of course I hear the other side of the coin too. Weekend staff rates and all the rest. So here’s the thing. It’s all in the planning. Do the sums and start small until you can comfortably gauge what’s a definitive break even scenario and build on it. Open up for half a day at the weekend for a fortnight or ideally 3 weeks, then if it’s not working for your type of shop, stay closed. Waipukurau is a really good example of many businesses not understanding the service needs of their community.

It’s a service town for a large number of meat workers, that’s good news for business savvy owners but you wouldn’t think so because come Saturday and Sunday when it really counts and meat workers are home and restocking the cupboards or relaxing, 98% of the shops are closed. So what do they do? They do what any sensible and rational minded consumer would do. They go to ‘the big smoke’ in Hastings and spend their hard earned dollars there because more shops are open there than along Ruataniwha Street in Waipukurau.

Of course I hear shop owners and Chamber of Commerce Groups spruiking the benefits of shopping locally but you know you’ve got to be open or aware or simply acknowledge the shopping and buying patterns of your community. I hate to say it but someone should, you deserve to lose business if you’re not reading the business climate. Waipukurau is small but when it rains the farmers are in town or Saturday morning shift workers from Bernard Matthews and Takapau Meat Works are in town and parking is at a premium. The town is buzzing. All these elements make for a commercially viable business as well as communityscape. I wonder how long it will take for the lesson to be learnt?

UPDATE: Bernard Matthews

“The Waipukurau plant was lauded as a major advance when it was opened in 1985 as a joint venture between Meat Board and English company Bernard Mathews, to produce lamb roasts for export. Ovation New Zealand Ltd proposes to relocate its Waipukurau boning room operations to Feilding but the company would keep a scaled down storage and logistics operation at Waipukurau.

Managing Director Willem Sandberg said a drop of more than 50 percent in the national lamb kill during the past 25 years meant there were no longer enough lamb carcasses to keep economic throughputs at the Hawke’s Bay plant.” The Plant has closed.