The future is female: Three tips for managing hospitality with a coffee in hand

Anna Pavoni, Restaurateur and Co-Owner of The Ormeggio Group

Anna Pavoni operates four successful restaurants in Sydney as co-owner of The Ormeggio Group

As a restaurateur and co-owner of The Ormeggio Group, I know hospitality is a challenging and rewarding industry for anyone to dedicate their career to. And, as a mother, I know that balancing family and work life is a crazy juggle.

But I also know that hospitality can also be an incredibly rewarding career path for any one. If you're passionate about quality food, excellent service and the future of our beloved industry, if it's in your blood, there is no doubt you will find a fantastic wide range of opportunities waiting for you.

As an eager member of WOHO (Women in Hospitality), a not-for-profit organization fostering the development of women in hospitality, and the founder of Convention of W.A.R., an annual event bringing together female restaurateurs from around the country, I am passionate about sharing knowledge and support. Here are some of the best tips I have learnt as a working mum to help nurture talent in the hospitality industry and ensure a smooth restaurant management process:

1. Create trusting relationships and lean on your networks: This means trusting in my extended family to help me with childcare, and trusting in the experienced and carefully selected staff that I hire for my restaurants. Don't be afraid to learn from people more experienced than you. I also believe in creating your own support networks, which is something anyone can do not just in hospitality but in all industries. Network amongst yourselves, find your people within the industry you work in, no matter how niche it is. This is where you will learn the most and grow the most.
2. Be flexible: The future of hospitality, and specifically restaurants, is changing. Now more than ever restaurant owners are faced with challenges regarding rising costs of produce and simultaneous pressures to keep menu prices stable and rapidly evolving technologies. Find suppliers and products you can rely on for quality and consistency. For example, at Ormeggio, Via Alta and Sotto Sopra, we choose to serve Nespresso coffee to guarantee the highest quality in every cup of coffee we serve our customers.
3. Find ways to streamline your business: Without cutting corners, ensure that you are only employing as many people (and managing as many schedules) as you have to. Since investing in a Nespresso Professional coffee machine, we no longer require to employ a full-time barista to make coffees for our guests, because anyone working can make a quality product at the touch of a button. The restaurant and the business can focus on what really matters, that impeccable fine-dining experience for each and every customer visits us for a meal.

I feel very passionate about the loss of talent in hospitality as a result of isolation and stress because the number of opportunities for women to grow and learn in hospitality is massive. I wanted more women to feel supported so we can retain some of the amazing talent I have seen in my career and improve the food and dining industry collectively. The world of hospitality is not just a man’s world anymore, together we can embrace supportive and creative relationships with each other and create a powerful voice that is will redefine industry standards. We motivate each other, and we inspire each other to be a little bit better every day.

Anna Pavoni (centre) pictured with the twelve female restaurateurs at the 2018 Convention of WAR