Chef Ananda Solomon: I believe if the food is good, the croowds will return

Chef Ananda Solomon, the force behind what was the city’s first authentic Thai Restaurant, announced the launch of his own property in February. Of course, your diarist had told you all about it in January.

Solomon used the past months to train his delivery team online and, at the end of June, he finally did return to the cooking station of his 4,000 sq ft property to offer deliveries across the city.

For More Information Click Below :

mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/opinion/the-informer/chef-ananda-solomon-i-believe-if-the-food-is-good-the-crowds-will-return/articleshow/76867478.cms

Hospitality app launches to aid social distancing at venues

Key Take Away

While dine-in operations have started again in the UAE, many diners are still tentative about venturing out into the world amid a pandemic.

Reducing this problem for both diners and operators, Opaala has launched to help digitize much of the dine-in experience. The UAE-born tech startup provides a smart app to be used across participating hotels, restaurants, nightlife spots, and beach clubs.

Speaking about the startup, Opaala Co-founder Marwan Saab said: “It is easy for customers to be overlooked when venues are managing high footfall. 

watch a demonstration video below:

https://youtu.be/PP-8wxZ8fY0

For More Information Click Below :

www.caterermiddleeast.com/suppliers/84572-hospitality-app-launches-to-aid-social-distancing-at-venues

Celebrations for Taranaki hospitality industry after 'game-changing' level 1 move

Key Take Away

Glasses will be clinking and tables moving as Taranaki bar owners prepare for COVID-19 alert level 1.This meant the country would move to its 'new normal', with the only restrictions in place being on the border.

Bar and restaurant owners could say goodbye to the three S restrictions - seated, separated, and single server - and return to normal.

For More Information

www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/121755816/celebrations-for-taranaki-hospitality-industry-after-gamechanging-level-1-move

Maha: Two found dead inside water tank in Mira Road

Key Take Away

Two persons were found dead inside the water tank of a restaurant at Mira Road in Maharashtra's Thane district.

The deaths came to light late on Thursday night when the restaurant owner contacted the police, stating that he was unable to get in touch with two of his employees, manager Harish Shetty (42) and waiter N Pandit (58), an official said.

A case under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered in this regard, public relations officer Tukaram Tatkar said.

For More Information click below:

repository.inshorts.com/articles/en/PTI/9ec1b350-1df1-4319-b3ba-ffe0c6db59ec

Changes in the Housing Market Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic Are the Result of Forces Much Larger Than Airbnb’s Community of Hosts According to Airbnb

COVID-19 has placed enormous pressure on just about every aspect of the economy. With thousands of planes grounded, scores of restaurants shuttered, and few people seeking overnight accommodations, the travel and tourism industry is at a standstill.

Third-party real estate economists have rebutted these claims, but we have received several questions about this matter, so we wanted to address it directly. 

Our analysis indicates that these claims are inaccurate: 

• Today, there are more listings on the Airbnb platform than there were a year ago. 

• In large cities popular with tourists, such as Las Vegas, Montreal, Rome and Paris, the number of active Airbnb listings have increased over the last 30 days. 

• Among the top-20 U.S. and Canada cities, 80 percent saw a net change of fewer than 200 listings over the last 30 days. 

• There has not been any meaningful change to Airbnb’s supply in our top-20 U.S. and Canada cities or in our top-10 European cities.

  We are at an unprecedented moment globally. Unemployment and lost income are rising quickly, leading to a decrease in demand for traditional, 12-month home and apartment leases. In recent weeks, web traffic to web portals has dropped as much as 40 percent, meanwhile U.S. searches for “rental” and “lease” are down 42 and 33 percentage points, respectively, in the last month, according to Google Trends.

Radisson Blu Hotel Nanjing South New Town Announced for 2024

Radisson Hotel Group continues to expand in China with the signing of its first property in Nanjing, the country's ancient capital city, the current capital of Jiangsu province and a thriving modern metropolis.

Scheduled to open its doors in 2024, Radisson Blu Hotel Nanjing South New Town will feature 300 contemporary rooms and suites, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a lobby lounge and three restaurants.

With an array of amenities and facilities, this new hotel will become a hub of the community, creating meaningful guest experiences that are underpinned by Radisson Blu's unique "Yes I Can!" service philosophy. The property is being developed by Nanjing South New Town Exhibition Centre Development Co., Ltd

The new hotel will be located just 3.3km from Nanjing South Station and easy access to Nanjing Lukou International Airport, which offers connections to many major cities including Bangkok, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo.

SureStay Hotel by Best Western Fairfield Napa Valley Makes Its Debut in California

The SureStay Hotel by Best Western Fairfield Napa Valley has opened its doors in Fairfield, California.

The SureStay Hotel by Best Western Fairfield Napa Valley will provide guests with an experience they can count on and the amenities today's travelers have come to expect. The SureStay service promise reflects the brand and the hotel's commitment to providing quality service and value to its guests.

Located at 3331 N. Texas St. in Fairfield, California, the hotel features 100 guest rooms

The property's location near world-class wineries and delicious restaurants makes it an optimal place to call home base when visiting Napa Valley. Also nearby is the Anheuser-Busch Budweiser beer brewery with a tasting room and tours and the Vacaville Premium Outlets which boasts 120 stores.

For more family fun, the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom theme park and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Concord water park are also in the area. Also nearby is the Travis Air Force Base, home to the site of the largest military aerial port in the United States.

"It has been a pleasure working alongside Sona Sales & Management to introduce SureStay Hotel Group to Fairfield," adds Daniel Knuckles, Regional Manager of SureStay Hotel Group. "We are confident that David Chin and his team will deliver on our service promise."

CHART Announces Membership Access Program to Support Hospitality Trainers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

To support hospitality trainers in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART, www.chart.org) is providing free membership through a newly created Membership Access Program to new members, and is providing pay-what-you-can renewal for current members who are unable to renew their membership due to the crisis.

“Hospitality training professionals are at the forefront of helping the restaurant, foodservice, and lodging industries get back on their feet and get employees ready to serve guests again in the coming weeks,” said Serah Morrissey, CHART President 

CHART membership includes access to:

• Ask My Peers – a private, members-only online discussion group that actively shares solutions and best practices

• Virtual Training Forums – newly-created to address timely and critical COVID-19 topics

• Regional Training Forums – in-person and virtual meetings across the U.S.

• Hospitality Training Magazine – articles and member blogs with practical training content

• Hospitality Trainer Toolbox – an arsenal of research, publications, and ideas

• Member Directory – contact information for the nation’s top hospitality trainers

APPLICATION INFORMATION: New members must meet the eligibility criteria of being in (or recently in) a hospitality training position for an operator business. Free membership will be offered through May 31, 2020 and will last for a period of one year.

DONATE: CHART, a non-profit association, is accepting donations to offset the cost of this program.

The hashtag for this program is #BetterTogetherCHART.

Restaurants Get Tax Breaks, Deferments from CARES Act

The CARES Act signed into law by President Trump postpones but doesn’t eliminate the inevitable — taxes. But the temporary changes in tax law can help ease the burden restaurants face during the uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis. Here’s a summary of some of the changes.

• Delays in tax filings/payments. The tax filing deadline will be extended from April 15 to July 15, and you can postpone estimated tax payments (both personal and business) due until October 15, 2020, with no cap on the amount of the payment you postpone. Social Security taxes also are deferred, with half due on Dec. 31, 2021, and the remaining half at the end of 2022.

• Employee Retention Tax Credit. Restaurants that closed or whose business declined 50% or more due to the coronavirus – compared with the same quarter last year – get a refundable payroll tax credit for 50% of wages paid to employees during the crisis. The credit applies to the first $10,000 of compensation paid, including health care benefits, from March 13, 2020 through December 31, 2020. What wages qualify vary somewhat depending on whether you have more or fewer than 100 employees.

• Tipped employee wage adjustment. Since table service has been discontinued in most states, and servers are no longer able to earn tips, you can base your payroll costs on the wages you’re currently paying waitstaff for the jobs they’re doing now, instead of the wages plus gratuities they collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can use these wages when you compute loan forgiveness.

• Cap on sick leave expenses. Your sick leave expenses are capped at $200 per day and $10,000 in the aggregate for each employee. Outlays for paid family leave are capped at $200 a day or $2,000 in the aggregate for employees attending to a quarantined child or family member.

• Modifications for Net Operating Losses (NOL). This provides that a loss from 2018, 2019, or 2020 can be carried back five years, and temporarily removes the taxable income limitation to allow a NOL you incurred to fully offset income.

Restaurant Career-Enhancing Training Available Free During April

The National Restaurant Association's ServSuccess program, in partnership with the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation (AHLA Foundation), today announced five popular, career-advancing training classes will be available free of charge to industry employees throughout April. The available courses include the ServSuccess Restaurant Professional and Restaurant Supervisor learning suites and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) Supervisory Skill Builders, Hospitality Manager: Leadership, and Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) Review courses

The Restaurant Professional Learning Suite takes approximately 4 hours to complete and covers:

• Front-of-the-House Service & Communication

• Front-of-the-House Basic Operations

• Back-of-the-House Pre-Production

• Back-of-the-House Production

• Basic Business Operations

The Restaurant Supervisor Learning Suite takes approximately 5 hours to complete and covers:

• Managing Daily Operations

• Leadership & Communication

• Safety & Regulations

• Cost Control Fundamentals

• Controlling Costs

The AHLEI Supervisory Skill Builders course covers essential skills to help supervisors contribute to the success of a hospitality establishment. The nine modules develop skills in key areas including

• Conflict management

• Staffing and scheduling

• Communication

• Team building

The AHLEI Hospitality Manager: Leadership class teaches how to lead a team including:

• Building a positive workplace culture

• Aligning day-to-day operations with organizational goals

• Using emotional intelligence to connect with employees

The CHA Review covers the necessary knowledge essential to overseeing all functional areas of a hospitality establishment as a general manager or operations executive including:

• Rooms management

• Human resources

• Financial management

• Marketing and sales

  For more information or to register for one of the free courses, go to servsafe.com/freecourses.