Recession busting course for small hospitality businesses

24th July 2009, 11:25am

Stonebow, the training division of People 1st, has been helping small businesses to weather the recession through a course that shows them how to maximise their profits from food.

People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism, said that over 300 businesses have now taken the half-day "Focus on Food Profit" course, designed to help any business with a food offering to identify where they can make savings.

It includes:

• Working with a food costing toolkit that will allow businesses to calculate bottom line profits

• Guidance on planning menus, product management and calculating wastage

• Face to face consultation on areas of food production and understanding where food profits could be made

The course also provides businesses with free access to online business tools, such as a food profit calculator, to help them put their new knowledge into practice.

Emma Rooke from Rutland County Council, who attended the course, strongly recommends it. She said: "Focus on Food Profit is a great course with excellent content. The trainer made sure the examples and practice sessions were relevant to the individual businesses. I would strongly recommend it."

Stonebow director Sharon Glancy said: "The course gives small businesses the knowledge to make vital savings at a fraction of the cost of hiring an accountant or consultant, and is especially helpful to those businesses where food sales are not necessarily a priority, such as bed-and-breakfasts, or visitor attraction cafes. In this economic climate, it can make all the difference between the success and failure of a business.

"Focus on Food Profit was developed by experienced industry personnel as a direct response to a two-year consultation with businesses, where six out of 10 employers admitted that they were unsure of their gross profits and weekly wastage. During the current economic climate, it's a great way for businesses to ensure they are not making unnecessary losses."

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