Tamarind House Restaurant and Bar: Upskilling and adapting with Business Link Pacific
Manager by default, Pasha Carruthers’ positive and flexible can-do attitude will get Rarotongan icon Tamarind House through the pandemic. But it hasn’t been easy. Facing illness in the family, Pasha, daughter of chef-owners, was thrown into the driving seat, putting her career in climate change disaster management on hold.
Chatting as she shuffles plants between properties – part of the new flexible attitude to roles encouraged in all staff – Pasha talks of the challenges of having five key staff stranded in the Philippines since February 2020 where they were holidaying in the low season when COVID struck, and an overnight 80% drop in revenue.
The drop in customers resulted in an uneven and unpredictable number of meals to prepare each week, dropping from over 100 meals each evening to between 4 and 20. The difference between preparing food for 4 and for 20 is immense and Pasha and the team found they needed to upskill their planning. Mix in the brief opening of the bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Islands where Tamarind was working to capacity and still turning away 100+ guests each night!
Spotting the local Chamber of Commerce’s promotion of Business Link Pacific’s business adaptation grant, Pasha applied, seeking support to redevelop their menu, retrain staff including a new head chef, adapt operational procedures to comply with new COVID safety rules, and develop a business continuity plan to work through the pandemic.
With the advice of Tim Tierney, local specialist hospitality business owner and BLP advisor, Pasha believes they have evolved to work smarter while maintaining the standards Tamarind House is famous for. Closely monitoring food costing and adjusting the menu to work with variable numbers, even though that meant switching up long-standing menu favourites (fish chowder, lamb shanks), Tim and Pasha worked hard to minimise food wastage, tighten ordering procedures and improve staff compliance with the new rules.
Achieving compliance with COVID hygiene and safety is difficult in an environment where there simply is no virus. The additional rules around sanitation and contactless delivery seemed unnecessary and impractical, but staff have adapted to the new systems.
As often happens when disaster strikes – and it struck doubly for Tamarind House with family illness and COVID – other business issues come to light. Pasha found tax compliance was behind and finances poorly managed. The only positive was the timing of the pandemic. In the low tourist season, guest numbers were already low, which gave Pasha the time she needed to regroup, learn, and get help.
When the bubble was briefly open, Tamarind House used the bonus income to pay down loans, but now they walk a thin line financially, surviving on the Government wage subsidy and any financial support available. The interest-free period on Government loans has ended, along with the power subsidy and low superannuation contributions, leading to some creative financial thinking to just get through.
Tamarind House has now hired a dedicated person to manage costings and inventory – an investment Pasha believes will pay for itself in time. BLP’s subsidy has given Tamarind House an opportunity to build a strong, adaptable team, develop a flexible approach to business and open up creative possibilities. Come along for Tiramisu Tuesday!
When the bubble opens again, Tamarind House will be there, the same but different, welcoming guests with wide smiles. Meanwhile, time is being spent upgrading gardens, keeping up with maintenance and – for Pasha – getting back on track with taxes and compliance. Everyone, including potential customers, is dreaming of the bubble opening again.
BLP supports an extensive network of advisory partners across the pacific islands, who offer services in 15 different areas, including accounting, marketing, human resources, diversity and inclusion and business strategy.
To get in contact with a BLP business advisor, businesses that employ 5 to 50 people can use the free self-assessment online tools, such as the Business Health Check and the Continuity planner. Also, companies can book a free face-to-face consultation in the countries where BLP operates to go through the business diagnostic, a comprehensive assessment of business needs and opportunities. Based on the assessment results, a business is provided with a list of Business Advisory Service Providers that can help address relevant business needs.
Visit Business Link Pacific Portal to use our free self-assessment online tools or book a local consultation in your country. Country contacts.
ENDS