Chris Arrell

CHRIS ARRELL

Senior Hospitality & Foodservice Management Advisory Services, Operational & Design Consultant

E: [email protected]

Mob: +61 449 873 239

Chris Arrell, the founder of Hospitality & Foodservice Consultants, Hospitality Total Services in Australia & New Zealand, has collectively over 40 years’ experience in the foodservice, hospitality, tourism, food & beverage, kitchen, retail, residential, healthcare, clubs, entertainment, accommodation, and government facilities sectors providing operational, management advisory and design consultation.

Over the first years, Chris was an apprentice chef, chef, bar manager, hotel general manager, and hospitality operations manager in both Australia and New Zealand. Then, during the last 30 years, Chris has been a hospitality and foodservice operational, management, and design consultant. Chris has also been providing independent advice within his own consulting company.

Chris’s advice and experience span all Hospitality & Foodservice Consultants’ services.

Below is a snapshot of Chris’s skills.

Consultation

Chris started consulting in 1992 and has worked on over 400 different client consultation briefs, some of which included multiple projects requiring management advisory, operational advice, and design.

To name a few, Chris has provided

  • hospitality and foodservice management advice,
  • operational reviews and audits,
  • kitchen and bar design,
  • laundry reviews and design,
  • sustainable design,
  • retail advice including retail mix,
  • liquor licensing advice and application,
  • tourism strategies,
  • advice and recommendations on master plans for hospitality precincts,
  • marketing & feasibility analysis,
  • growth strategies,
  • business plans,
  • redevelopment consultancies.

Management Advice and Consultation

This advice includes but is not limited to:

  • Project oversight,
  • Standard Operating Procedures,
  • Market Strategies,
  • Feasibility analysis & reports,
  • Business plans,
  • Statement of requirements,
  • Market analysis,
  • Probable profit and loss cashflows,
  • Peer reviews design & operations,
  • Key Performance Indicators,
  • Feasibility Snapshot reports,
  • Room & kitchen strategies,
  • Equipment condition reports,
  • Human resources structures & hierarchy,
  • Management plans,
  • Ware washing strategies,
  • Expression of Interest campaigns,
  • Cost-benefit analysis & recurrent cost analysis,
  • Budgets,
  • Spend analysis,
  • Public interest assessments,
  • Pre-purchase due diligence reports,
  • Suitable site reviews,
  • Food Safety reviews,
  • Point of sale & inventory management system review & recommendations,
  • Catering contract negotiations,
  • Benchmarking,
  • SWOT analysis,
  • Legislative review,
  • Supplier negotiations,
  • Project Management & Administration,
  • Food & Beverage Mentoring.

Operational Advice and Consultation

This advice includes but is not limited to:

  • Operational Reviews of back and front of house areas,
  • Profit & Loss reviews including Cost of Goods Sold & Payroll Costs,
  • Laundry Solutions,
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis,
  • Online and offline presence,
  • Food Delivery Solutions,
  • Waste Considerations & Solutions,
  • Revenue Metrics,
  • Stocktaking,
  • Menu engineering development ,
  • Customer Exit Surveys.

Design Advice and Consultation

Chris has provided hospitality & foodservice design from a small kiosk to multi-kitchen or multi-outlet developments. Back-of-house design is completed by Hospitality & Foodservice Consultants, which includes accommodation rooms, kitchens, bars, laundry, storage, waste & service areas, and advice on front of house as required. Chris works in-house with his foodservice designer team and externally with clients, architects, interior designers, builders, engineers, and project managers to complete projects, from a hospitality, foodservice, catering, and food & beverage perspective.

This advice includes but is not limited to:

  • Spatial planning Schematic,
  • Concept Design,
  • Design Development,
  • Equipment Specifications,
  • Equipment Selections,
  • Project Budgets,
  • Tender Documentation & Evaluation,
  • Specifications,
  • Project Administration,
  • Defects Review,
  • Operational Flow,
  • Spatial Planning,
  • Site Inspection,
  • Reused Equipment Review,
  • Kitchen Certification,
  • Compliance with AS4674 2004 design, construction, and fit-out of food premises,
  • Compliance with Standard 3.2.3 food premises and equipment,
  • Compliance with AS1668.2.2024, the use of ventilation.

Management Skills

  • Strong problem-solving attributes through sound knowledge and lateral thinking capabilities,
  • Proven leadership in management, with a hands-on approach,
  • Great communicator,
  • Cultivating relationships,
  • Clear decision making,
  • Ability to prioritise tasks,
  • Strong customer focus,
  • Strong financial acumen,
  • Team building,
  • Staff development,
  • Influencer,
  • Day-to-day management of multiple sites, or multisite operations,
  • Strong negotiation,
  • Strong ability to develop strategic client relationships,
  • Strong strategic planning capabilities,
  • Strong track record of developing successful business relations with key stakeholders,
  • Strong public speaking skillset,
  • Strong attention to detail,
  • Ability to adapt quickly to situations,
  • Strong interpersonal skills,
  • An innovative approach to management by identifying opportunities,
  • Committed to self-development, being on-trend and ahead of the pack,
  • Researching and learning how to be better, and putting this new knowledge into practice,
  • Strong listener.

Key skills within Hospitality, Tourism & Foodservice

Financial Acumen

  • A clear understanding of balance sheets and profit and loss reporting
    • Revenue,
    • Operating costs: payroll, cost of goods sold,
    • Other revenue,
    • Expenditure,
    • Fixed costs,
  • Development and implementation of cashflows and business plans,
  • A proven history in growing revenues and bottom-line profitability,
  • Strong financial acumen and the ability to complete financial feasibility reports, including cashflow forecasts,
  • Producing forecast revenues and later conducting the review against actual revenue,
  • Strong budgeting capabilities with the ability to implement the same, departmentally, overall site, or multisite.

Operational and Key Performance Indicators

  • Developing and implementing service standards and statements of requirements,
  • Development and implementation of standard operating procedures,
  • Developing and implementing marketing plans,
  • Development of and monitoring/auditing service standards, including Key Performance Indicators, through measuring the same,
  • Conducting, measuring, and reporting on surveys,
  • Developing maintenance and preventative maintenance strategies,
  • Strong operational & functional understanding of back-of-house and front-of-house operations,
  • Reviewing and measuring leased operations.

Reporting

  • Strong capability of developing daily and weekly reporting requirements for operations, financial, and property reporting.

Management

  • Fully conversant with the management, operational and financial components of the food, beverage, entertainment, retail, and accommodation industries,
  • Strong management of multiple or multisite operations,
  • Management of leases, contracts, consultants, and operators,
  • Management of front of house operations – including accommodation, bars, cafés, retail, functions, nightclub, dining, alfresco, takeaway, entertainment, and restaurants
  • Management of back-of-house operations – including kitchens, stores, laundry, housekeeping, maintenance, office, and administration,
  • Management of quality customer service,
  • Inventory management, including stocktaking and ordering, stock control, and stock rotation,
  • Menu development and recipe implementation for food and beverage,
  • Cash management,
  • Opening & closing,
  • HR including staff training, job descriptions, duty statements, staff management & direction, staff interviews & shortlisting, conflict resolution, staff rostering & staff roster budget development, and implementation,
  • Constantly considering trends in the marketplace and implementing the research findings, were able to,
  • Strong knowledge of hospitality, foodservice, healthcare, retail, entertainment, and tourism industries,
  • Site management.

Developments & Redevelopments

  • Strong understanding of solid design requirements through completing many varied successful project fit-outs, developments, and redevelopments,
  • Strong experience in completing refurbishment, developments, and pre-openings.

Statutory Regulation

  • Strong knowledge and understanding of the statutory requirements associated with the accommodation, hospitality, entertainment, retail, healthcare, leasing, tourism, and foodservice industries,
  • Strong knowledge of food safety and HACCP,
  • Strong knowledge of AS4674 2004 design, construction, and fit-out of food premises,
  • Strong knowledge of food standards Australia New Zealand 3.2.1, 3.2.2 and 3.2.3,
  • Strong knowledge and understanding of laundry standards,
  • Knowledge and understanding of AS1668.2 2024 Ventilation within kitchens, Strong understanding of food & Liquor acts in Australia,