News / Press

Caterersearch.com 100 who's who in restaurants

Earlier this month, Caterersearch.com, in association with Bisto, revealed its list of the 100 most influential people in hospitality. In its second article analysing the list, they look at the biggest players in the restaurant sector.

This article is from Catersearch.com by Daniel Thomas.

From Richard Caring and Nick Jones who have conquered the market in private members' clubs, to Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, undisputed kings of the London restaurant scene, to Harvey Smyth and Graham Turner, who between them dominate the casual dining sector, the top five in the 2010 list reads like a who's who of UK restaurateurs.

And while you are unlikely to spot Elton John and Beyoncé at the opening of a Café Rouge or a PizzaExpress - the pop stars were among a host of celebrities at the opening of Soho House West Hollywood earlier this year - there are some aspects that unite the leaders of these leading hospitality brands.

Continue reading Comments (0) 22 July 2010

Transform your organisation. Skills for chefs

learnpurple was set up in 2001 to tackle skills shortages and other key people issues within the hospitality industry. A key focus has been on chefs. Our work centres on employee engagement, learning and development and the retention of talent. We are therefore delighted to be linked with the "Skills for Chefs" initiative and to be working in partnership with The Spread: Recipe & Directory book for Catering Professionals. Over the years we have worked with many chefs and our trainers and associates are always thoroughly inspired by working with such talented, creative and driven individuals. We've seen some exceptional leadership skills and discipline and we're very enthusiastic about helping to promote best practice within this sector of the industry.

Continue reading Comments (0) 13 May 2010

learnpurple client Victory Services Club - best places to work

This article was taken from Caterersearch.com. Click here to read this article in full.

The Victory Services Club in London has won numerous employer awards in recent years and has seen its staff turnover plummet from 120% to 14% in five years. Daniel Thomas [Caterersearch.com] reports on why it is one of the best places to work in hospitality.

Continue reading Comments (0) 20 April 2010

Ask the experts: What's the best way to train staff on a budget?

This article is taken from BigHospitality (19th April 2010). Click here to read this artcile in full.

BigHospitality puts one reader's question about staff training to Jane Sunley, chief executive of learnpurple.

Problem: I own a mid-market restaurant, which is popular for the simple but well prepared meals, the relaxed atmosphere and the low prices. We can’t afford to pay the higher salaries for well-trained front-of-house staff, so we train our employees – many of whom are foreigners – ourselves, and also send them on regular training courses. But all the courses we’ve tried have taught them nothing new – they simply hand out certificates for what our staff already know. How can I choose the best courses to know that my investment is worthwhile, and that the staff will learn things that will improve the service we offer and benefit our business?

Continue reading Comments (0) 20 April 2010

learnpurple wins highly commended at National Council for Work Experience Awards 2009/10

This article was taken from Personnel Today. Click here to read in full.

TUI Travel PLC, the BBC and learnpurple are some of the best places to find an internship as the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE) announces the winners of its annual Awards.

Continue reading Comments (0) 25 March 2010

How To Manage Performance Effectively

This article came from FreshBusinessThinking.com and was writen by Jane Sunley, Managing Director of learnpurple.

Performance management should be at the heart of any organisation. With people performing better if there is a shared understanding of what is to be achieved by the business (strategy), leadership, teams and the individual; Performance management should become all-encompassing with clear norms for 'how things are done around here' and what is expected. Depending on company culture, performance management works in a variety of ways. Which ever way it is managed it is extremely important to decide on the process and stick to it, evolving and refining as necessary. My 'ten top tips' will help you do this:

Continue reading Comments (0) 18 February 2010

What's the Story with Construction?

This article is from Talent Management Review, Winter 2009/10.

Fred Story, founder of Story Construction finds that communicating with your employees is the key to improving business.

Continue reading Comments (0) 17 February 2010

Ask the experts - first time manager dilemma

Industry experts tackle common management dilemmas. Taken from Edge magazine, February 2010.

You have promoted a member of your department to head up her own team of four staff. You chose her because she's independent, organised and hardworking, traits which you thought would make a good manager. However, three months into the new role, she has come to you upset, saying she's not cut out to be a manager. You hadn't realised how much she was struggling and that she needed support. What do you do?

Continue reading Comments (0) 5 February 2010

Keeping staff motivated through the highs and lows of hospitality

This article came from Hotel Business December 09 / January 10

Keeping staff motivated through the highs and lows of hospitality can be difficult. Jane Sunley, Managing Director of learnpurple, has some advice.

As 2009 draws to an end, many are sighing with relief. The Christmas period is often quite stressful anyway, and this year we had the added challenges that came with the dreaded 'R'. We have been very impressed with how so many organisations used this period to really up their game and did not cut back on engaging their people. Many realised that it's now more important than ever to really have motivated people to help deliver the best and really go into the New Year on the right footing.

Continue reading Comments (0) 14 December 2009

Linda Halliday, HR Director at BaxterStorey discusses succession planning.

This article came from the Grapevine, December 2009

Succession planning can be a nightmare exercise and no sooner is it done then it is out of date and time to start all over again. To improve our succession planning process we joined forces with learnpurple who provided an online system. Amongst a range of business critical data, we know where talent lies, what development is required, and can spot an employee at risk of leaving - acting fast can keep that person within the business. Similarly, succession plans are accurate and always up to date which has obvious benefits to a growing business.

Continue reading Comments (0) 11 December 2009