Corporate Mini Catering retreat food and fun.

Corporate catering is the most important factor of any event such as events, get-together, and staff meet etc. The first thing that can strike the mind if talked about corporate events or Business meetings is long durations. Lengthy events require good food to be offered. If neglected, it can lead to loss of interest, decreased productivity and other such factors. Poor food menu offered can result in lack of culinary benefits. Known for our generous portions and tasty dishes, you'll be building lasting memories with family and friends while bonding over a delicious and hearty meal. These party platters are great for home parties, gatherings and office celebrations!

Main advantages of hiring a catering service for corporate events is that you build a rapport about your company. Impressing an important business client can lead to productive results. Therefore, delightful delicacies can bring fruitful outcomes and can help leveraging the reputation of your company. Our catering menu has a variety of wholesome and tasty options that will cater to your different corporate catering needs. Fuss-free drop off trays are available. Catering service providers have experts who are well experienced to handle corporate caterings such as seminar, birthday and staff dinner. The chefs and the team knows well how the food should be presented and how does it holds the interest of the guest. Professional catering service providers have plenty of suggestions regarding the meals to be offered. In-house meal preparation can cause a lot of stress. Hiring mini catering service gives you a hassle-free meal preparation. From planning a menu, purchasing the ingredients, marinating, cooking, beautiful presentation, clean up and everything related is done by the catering service providers in a more organized manner.

Making the event spectacular - One should plan the meal in a way that every person who eats it goes “Wow!” about it. Catering of an event may sounds least to be bothered about but should be at the top priority. The journey from a set of mouth watering starters to finger licking main course and then the heavenly experience of divine desserts should be an adventure ride for the guests. Menu variety - Hiring Captain Shrimp corporate catering service gives you freedom to choose from variety of menus and cuisines with over 88 menus available daily. All you need to do is choose the menu and sit back relaxed as the chefs would then start to show the magic and the best of their experience. A good catering service provides takes care of the entire planning, execution and management giving you ample time to invest on the other aspects of your event. Taking benefit of the pristine catering packages will let you save on overall costs and make your event a big success By hiring catering service providers for your corporate event, you can treat your guests with quality and exquisite dishes. They offer a wide range of menu choice which can help you customize your corporate meal and make your guests go “wow!” Get in touch with our customer service crew about your daily office catering requirements and we will tailor a menu that fits into your budget.

The Difference Between Push and Pull Marketing Strategies

In simple terms push marketing involves pushing your brand in front of audiences (usually with paid advertising or promotions). Pull marketing on the other hand means implementing a strategy that naturally draws consumer interest in your brand or products (usually with relevant and interesting content).

Running your business online means having to choose between two core principles for guiding your marketing strategy. It’s common (and important) to balance your budget, time, and efforts on growing your business across organic and paid strategies that offer the best results. Choosing between push vs pull.

But what is the difference between push and pull marketing? And which one is best for you?

Let’s go through the pros and cons. Understanding the difference between push and pull strategies will help you understand the direction you need to go.

First you have to establish what your long-and short-term goals are for your business’s success. As the world of online marketing continues to evolve in light of shrinking physical markets, and as businesses frantically try to adjust to the 2020 corona virus pandemic, it will be as important as ever to establish a solid online marketing approach to help your business stay up right. For businesses looking to establish a fast and immediate cash-flow, “push” strategies based on paid ads are one option. For businesses looking to gain a long-term customer base, “pull” offers methods for organic long-term growth.

But what are they? What’s actually the difference between push and pull strategy in marketing? In simple terms push marketing involves pushing your brand in front of audiences (usually with paid advertising or promotions). Pull marketing on the other hand means implementing a strategy that naturally draws consumer interest in your brand or products (usually with relevant and interesting content).

This relatively simple definition of push vs. pull marketing skips overs all the different strategies each option offers. Search engine optimization, search engine ads, content marketing, social media content, social media paid ads, etc. – are all forms of these two kinds of marketing.

The Difference Between Push and Pull Marketing

In push marketing the goal is to bring your brand or products to your customers. This form of marketing is a lot more deliberate and proactive than other inbound methods. Because push marketing is a bit more aggressive then the alternative it’s generally preferred by businesses taking advantage of a short time-period or trying to generate sales quickly.

Instances where push marketing can be helpful include:

• When launching a new business or website without a reputation
• When releasing new products
• During holidays, or seasonal events
• For sales and temporary promotional campaigns
• When expanding to a new niche
• To generate cash-flow or sales quickly
• To help clear out product stock before the end of a season
• To help promote brand recognition when competing against a dominant competitor
• Just in general, when trying to subsidize a multi-channel strategy

Push marketing is a broader, sort of shotgun approach that means making your products, services, or brand as visible as possible in order to get the best results you can – but for a cost. It usually means quicker sales. The other side of the coin with push marketing is that it also usually involves spending money. One of the most popular forms of push marketing is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising where marketers can place banners, display ads, search engine ads, and shopping ads across a wide range of platforms, usually by paying a small amount each time their ad is clicked on.

Other popular forms of push marketing include paid social-media marketing strategies that are similar to PPC or cost-per-thousand-impressions.

Pull marketing, on the other hand, involves naturally accruing traffic. The reasoning here is to create high-value content suited for your target audiences and letting them come to you. Of course this doesn’t mean doing nothing. Pull marketing simply means being aware of the fact that there are already users actively seeking out the products, services, or information that you offer and making it easier for them to find it, and making it easier for them to get to their ultimate goal.

The most prominent forms of pull marketing include search engine optimization (SEO), creative social media content, and customer reviews. Whereas SEO has proven itself as the type of marketing with the most reliable ROI for a long time, social media has only exploded as a business channel relatively recently.

Pull marketing is often the primary business strategy for companies looking to:

• Ensure long-term business growth
• Maintain dominance in a specific niche or industry
• Build a return customer base or improve loyalty
• To promote brand recognition with customer engagement and visibility
• Increase social media traffic as well as social media sharing
• Grow traffic to their site across organic, referral, and social segments
• Improve sales and revenue affordably, without an expensive ad budget
• Engage with customers before they know what they want, at the top of their shopping funnel

So what’s the difference between push and pull marketing in practice? A few years ago as many as 71% of consumers claimed to prefer pull marketing techniques. As the online landscape evolves businesses are continuing to see the value in the time-proven benefit of pulling in customers organically.

Close to 3/4th of all marketers claim that content marketing increases engagement. These days 51% of all website traffic comes from search engines, and according to BrightEdge that traffic alone is capturing over 40% of all online revenue. If those numbers aren’t convincing enough, by the end of the decade the number of global, active social media users had grown to 3.724 billion. As these numbers demonstrate a new form of normal for internet use, it becomes apparent that pull focused marketing is an absolute necessity for future business growth.

But the push strategy can be tempting too. According to Wolfgang Digital, this last year was the first time that paid-search ads outpaced regular search in terms of revenue with PPC driving 33% of revenue in the retail channel. For online-only business, paid strategies boast responsibility for as much as 46% of revenue!

The truth is that businesses find the best success when they focus on a multi-channel, multi-strategy approach in both push and pull. These two broad categories are simply too important to focus on just one.

The acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action. The AIDA model is widely used in marketing and advertising to describe the steps or stages that occur from the very first moment a consumer is aware of a product or brand to the actual moment the purchase is made.

What does AIDA stand for?

• Awareness: creating brand awareness or affiliation with your product or service.
• Interest: generating interest in the benefits of your product or service, and sufficient interest to encourage the buyer to start to research further.
• Desire: for your product or service through an 'emotional connection', showing your brand personality. Move the consumer from 'liking' it to 'wanting it'.
• Action: CTA - Move the buyer to interact with your company and taking the next step ie. downloading a brochure, making the phone call, joining your newsletter, or engaging in live chat, etc.
• Retention: We all know that this is key to upsell, cross-sell, referrals, Advocacy and the list goes on.. as companies are also focussing on LTV.

The AIDA model, tracing the customer journey through Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action, is perhaps the best-known marketing model amongst all the classic marketing models. Many marketers find AIDA useful since we apply this model daily, whether consciously or subconsciously, when we're planning our marketing communications strategy.

The acronym AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. These are the four stages that a consumer goes through when watching or viewing an advertisement. According to Lewis, first and foremost, the role of an advertisement is to attract the customers. Once an ad grabs attention, it has to invoke interest towards the product in the minds of the consumers. After creating an interest, the ad has to bring desire in consumers mind to use the product and finally the consumer has to take a favorable action towards the product by ultimately purchasing the product.

It’s a mess, get your act together - Malaysia Covid-19 great mess

After “bungling” the handling of the Covid-19 situation, the government needs to get its act together and move fast to ensure millions under lockdown have enough food on the table, says former second finance minister Johari Ghani.

Johari also said government aid to the people should not be based solely on income levels, as this could lead to many falling through the cracks.

“We were doing well initially, but since the middle of last year it has been one mess after another. Now we’re in a lockdown, and I’m very worried about the people, especially those without a fixed income.

“Whenever there is a lockdown, informal sector workers and the self-employed are the most affected as they rely on daily wages and incomes,” he told FMT, adding that department of statistics figures indicated that about 3.92 million people fell under these two categories.

The former Titiwangsa MP said the government must come up with a detailed strategy to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable were taken care of. He said there had been numerous reports from the first movement control order (MCO) of people not receiving aid, while a more recent United Nations report indicated that many urban poor were still struggling.

This, he said, indicated a mismatch between the help people needed and the aid being offered to them.

“We need all assemblymen and MPs to go down to the ground and identify families and individuals who cannot afford to buy food and basic amenities for their families. “The welfare department must work hand-in-hand with elected representatives to distribute the aid and ensure that no one is left behind.”

Johari said the federal government must allocate funds immediately for the purchase of these goods, which could be sourced from the respective constituencies to help spur the local economy.

A proper, total lockdown

Johari said even though he agreed that the total lockdown was necessary given the present Covid-19 situation, the government must have a proper strategy in place to avoid resorting to such measures.

“The repeated lockdowns are damaging to the economy, not just because a lockdown affects the immediate demand but also the atmosphere of uncertainty it creates.”

He added this was not helped by the international trade and industry ministry’s unclear directions and poor government communication which led to confusion and low investor confidence.

“As a result, we see businesses are downsizing and not hiring workers as the uncertainties over government policy withhold them from investing to operate or expand their operations; or worse, they close shop altogether.”

As such, he said, the government needed to be very clear about what were the essential sectors.

“To me, this is only the food and beverage sector, including those involved in the supply chain and distribution of these products.

“As most of the clusters come from the workplace, particularly factories, the government must ask them to close and do mass testing for all local and foreign workers even if the factories produce crucial export items such as electrical and electronic products or medical gloves.”

Johari called on Putrajaya to work closely with state governments and local authorities in carrying out mass testing, quarantine, health education, and enforcement.

Exit strategy

Johari said what remained unclear to the public, the market, as well as investors was Malaysia’s exit strategy.

“It has been a year now since Covid-19 hit us, yet we seem to be directionless. No one knows our way out of the woods, let alone knows when we will get out of danger.”

He said it was clear however that vaccination was the country’s best bet to battle the pandemic and key to restarting the economy.

“My concern is that looking at how things are going, it is highly unlikely that the government will meet its target of achieving herd immunity by the end of the year.

“Clearly, we are not moving fast enough as new infections and deaths pile up in record numbers. In the past week, we had an average of 7,000 cases and 60 deaths a day, and our ICUs are reaching maximum capacity.”

Johari said in order to improve the vaccination process, Putrajaya must manage it efficiently and transparently.

“Disclose to the public the range cost of each vaccine per dose, disclose the companies that have been appointed to manage the vaccination process at the vaccination centres and how much the government is paying them.”

He also said the government needed to disclose how much of the RM5 billion from the National Trust Fund (KWAN) had been used, and provide a detailed breakdown of expenses.

Johari also said the government must clarify if it was buying the vaccines directly from the manufacturers or Malaysia-based agents appointed by pharmaceutical companies.

“If they were purchased through agents, what is the quantity each agent was allowed to import?”

He also asked Putrajaya to clarify if government-appointed companies were offering to vaccinate employees of shopping malls and charging them RM50?

“Is this service open to employees of all other companies?

“If the vaccination programme is to be a success, people must trust the government and that can only happen if there is transparency.”

Johari said the government should also give a weekly update on the balance of vaccine stocks, how much was allocated to the states and the schedule of incoming vaccine supplies.

He called on the government to allow walk-ins for vaccinations on a first-come-first-served basis, especially in states with high rates of no-shows.

“This will allow us to optimise vaccine stocks. The government must also allow private hospitals to procure their own supply of vaccines. Why aren’t they allowing private hospitals to import the vaccines at their own cost?”

“There is no point in appointing 2,500 general practitioners and allowing private hospitals to carry out vaccinations if they have to wait for the vaccine supply from the government.”

Johari also said Putrajaya must be transparent and stop any special treatment for VVIPs and their families.

Why is Malaysia so Polarised today?

In the good old days, citizens only had The Straits Echo, New Straits Times and later on, The Star, to feed them with the latest news. The advent of information technology and rise of Internet popularity has seen the proliferation of online news portals - independent and the not-so-independent ones. Since then, news readership of mainstream media has been steadily on the decline and the print media is being sustained mainly by advertising revenue. Beyond all those superficial issues, the fact remains that the rise of the new media has paved the way for more partisan media in Malaysia and triggered an insidious process of political polarisation of Malaysia.

Today, news audience seems to be divided into three segments - the Pro-BN, the Pro-PR and of course, the fence-sitters. Without prejudice, many seem to buy the tales of their preferred media - lock, stock and barrel without questioning the authenticity of the report, the implication of bias headlines, morals, objectivity and even the unhealthy slants of fanatically populist and anti-establishment, anti-corruption rhetoric, anti-PM articles that those independent news portals carried by TMI, FZ, The Ant Daily, MK, Malaysia Chronicle and other sites. Consequently, more are blindly pro-Opposition and narrowmindedly anti-BN with a one-track mind!

Hitler once said: "A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

That is exactly what is happening in Malaysia. the last ten years or so, irresponsible sites have been filling the Internet with lies, distortions of truth, fabrications of concocted reality and all kinds of warped messages.

A very good example is the Altantuya case.

At the end of this post is a list of headlines from various news portals. Even without reading the whole report, citizens are being BRAINWASHED to hate the government!

Why?

What is the real agenda of those media sites? Why are they persistently seducing their audience with populist views?

Why are some sites so pro-Anwar and anti-Najib?

For that, we need to examine the content, background and ownership of those sites.

News content that is stems from simple and clear ideological slant e.g. Anti-BN headlines would naturally attract viewers who are ALREADY dissatisfied with the state of affairs. Hence, readers would perceive such websites to be more credible as the owners/writers seem to share their political attitudes.

By reading such distorted articles, these readers are unconsciously reinforcing their stereotypes of the status quo and thus political polarisation multiplies at a very dangerously worrying rate. Things can come to a head when the political ambiance in the country is heated and then fringes may be on the rise.

In reality, citizens have a few choices. They can treat these as the gospel truth or ignore them or accept it and think nothing about those deceptive messages. There is one thing which FEW would ever do.

That is to TEST and to VERIFY the information.

I am not saying we have a perfect government (none exists in this world by the way). We have an imperfect government that is trying to perfect its imperfections in sincere programmes such as GTP, BR1M etc. Along the way, we have little devils in irresponsible news portals spreading doubts, magnifying weaknesses, glorifying the Opposition.

I do not deny the presence of a strong Opposition is important BUT it has to be a wholesome, effective and upright Opposition and that is absent in Malaysia.

There is much irony in news reporting.

1. When the status quo tells the truth e.g. in AG's reports, they are blasted to kingdom come for this and that. Fine - all in the name of efficiency.

However...

2. If the Opposition does something wrong and then the status quo gives them a dose of their own medicine via public criticism, all hell breaks lose and the citizens turn a blind eye to the weaknesses or failings of the Opposition and go into full throttle to blast BN.

Fair?

3. The worst scenario is this. The whole question of selective exposure is a pivotal factor in polarizing Malaysia. Those who are politically conscious carry with them biases and beliefs that those online sites are believable and trustworthy and deliberately read only THOSE news which can strongly influence their attitudes, speech and voting behaviour. These citizens, armed with their 'perceived' inference of what is right and wrong, go on to become opinion leaders in kopi tiams and INFLUENCE others to share their beliefs. Such a multiplier effect in wider society and at the grassroot level can be very potent in swinging voters to become pro-Opposition.

Now here's the catch.

Some argue and say - if that is the case, why can't the government close down those sites?

Helloooooooooo!

If the ruling government would do that in the name of curbing hostility etc... those 'biased' pro-Opposition citizens would say - there you go - we have a government that does NOT practise freedom of speech or press freedom.

It is a Catch 22 for our government, whom I believe is sincerely trying its best to maintain a healthy balance of freedom in a non-hostile and non-confrontational way.

If they pull up editors for misdeeds, people would protest and this would trigger another wave of anti-BN sentiments.

If the government does nothing and allows freedom of speech, the pro-Opposition fellas will say - see our leaders are useless!

Either way, to the pro-PR supporters, BN is always wrong, PR is always right! Sheesssshhh!

The bottom line is this.

Many sites have been spinning their yarn of lies, of deception and myths to the extent that these have become 'truths' in the minds of the audience. You see, the culture of ignorance has made many quite clueless about integrity and journalistic principles.

They do not know what is right or wrong. They only know BN is wrong. Remove BN. All will be right after that WHEN (or so they dreamlah) Pakatan Rakyat takes over.

What a lame and blind displacement of hope!

Their folly is this - their ridiculous belief that whatever BN does is wrong.

To them, whatever PR does is RIGHT. Even if it is wrong, it is ok for their wrong is not as unforgivable as BN's mistakes.

Now you see - our society has really become not only ignorant but so polarized that many have lost their sense of judgement.

They can only see our Prime Minister as the villain and Anwar as the hero.

Anwar - the one who gallivants to foreign countries to shame and blame this nation for anything, anywhere, anyhow he chooses.

Or maybe some look to Lim Kit Siang and his obedient son Lim Guan Eng who has led Penang to four or five consecutive budget deficits, land reclamation issues and botak hills.

In spite of all this...

Despite water cuts and what-have-you's....in the eyes of pro-Opposition citizens....they will say - it is OKlah...they are not as bad as BN.

You see...it is not BN that is taking our citizens on the road to destruction.

It is PR and their insidious media who are marking the routes, paving the different roads to destruction and hurrah for them...many citizens are happily traipsing and spreading their new found 'Pro-PR euphoria'.

Do you see how pervasive is the effect of biased reporting from those websites? They have a malevolent agenda. One to divide, not unite. One to polarise, not to spread harmony.

Maybe now you can understand why this country is so polarised.

Maybe now you can appreciate the uphill task of our government to develop this country for the common good.

Be deceived no more!

Top Ten Reasons Why Pakatan Rakyat is a Failure

1. A coalition is a group of people/parties/organizations who share common interest in reaching the same goal and work together harmoniously by regularly meeting and resolving issues/differences. Pakatan Rakyat does not do this.

Although PAS, DAP and PKR share the same goal of toppling BN, they do not have common interests, philosophy or methodology in reaching that goal.

2. A coalition draws inspiration and direction from citizens/members/regional population. This does not apply for Pakatan Rakayt.

PAS, DAP and PKR each get direction from THREE DIFFERENT party leaders who do not co-exist for the same goal.

3. A coalition works to build a healthy community. Pakatan Rakyat thrives by sowing the seeds of dissent.

PAS, DAP and PKR work for self-interest. Decisions made by leaders are usually for THEIR PERSONAL interests.

A good example is the Kajang by-election and MB issue in Selangor.

4. A coalition draws up guidelines and work towards achieving their goals by following guidelines. This does not apply to Pakatan Rakyat.

Pakatan Rakyat had differences when drafting their Buku Jingga and even when completed, it remains A BUKU - A MERE BOOK for show. All else is forgotten!

5. A coalition must have members which respect member parties/organizations but not Pakatan Rakyat.

Pakatan Rakyat coalition party leaders have no qualms about asking other parties to leave when their ideology or methodology do NOT match.

Malaysiakini reported that Lim Guan Eng said "the biggest issue after Aidilfitri celebrations is whether the two party system can continue in Malaysia. The breaking up of Pakatan Rakyat on the refusal of one component party to respect and hold on to views arrived at together, could not be discounted according to his Hari Raya statement today."

6. A coalition must have member parties/organizations that respect and honour the decisions and opinions of other members.

Recently, PAS frustrated PKR and DAP when it said that there was no reason to remove Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim from his post. According to Lim Guan Eng, "if the decisions we have achieved together in the Pakatan highest leadership council is dismissed just like that by one party, the survival and credibility of Pakatan will be continue to be undermined."

What future is left for Pakatan Rakyat, what hope is there for its supporters when Lim Guan Eng himself has PUBLICLY acknowledged that the survival and credibility of Pakatan Rakyat is at stake? Zilch.

7. A coalition makes and keeps promises but not Pakatan Rakyat.

Over the years, Pakatan Rakyat has CLAIMED it can govern if it is given the mandate by the rakyat. They promised to show their shadow cabinet which today has been in the shadows, never ever seeing the light of day! Are they capable of governing Malaysia when they cannot even keep a basic promise?

8. A coalition must show and develop its abilities and competence to foster healthy relationships with member parties/organizations to sustain efforts to reach their mission. Sorry, this does not apply to PR.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders almost always issue individual press statements without consulting/considering or acknowledging the views of other leaders of member parties.

Is this effective cooperation or destructive individualism?

9. To succeed, a coalition must show progressive or interim victories because its members work together in unity. Pakatan Rakyat does not have any such consistent record except only in their wishful fantasies.

Since 2008, we have seen PKR, PAS and DAP fighting over seats, limelight and a host of other issues. Self-interest rules, not party cohesion. We see Anwar Ibrahim trapising all over the world to shame the country in international media whereas other leaders HAVE NO COMMENT about such actions.

Who is in charge? Is there unity?

10. A coalition can only succeed if leaders show consideration for the greater good of the country by pooling resources, ensuring proper communication flow to sustain an alliance that unites members to achieve goals and empowers leaders to share power for long-term social and political change. Pakatan Rakyat has never, will never and can never do that.

It is a marriage of convenience that never worked from Day 1. It is a threesome kind of menage a trois whereby three leaders only see themselves and not the other two leaders nor do they see the Trinity kind of leadership depicted by its name. It is never THREE-IN-ONE leadership but each screaming and fighting to be NUMBER ONE.

So there you go....this is the crux of why Pakatan Rakyat has failed and can never serve the rakyat because its leaders are self-serving giants or dinosaurs in the political sphere of Malaysia!

• Seperti seekor rama-rama yang cantik sayapnya namun hakikat di dalam jiwa dan jasad rama-rama itu mengandungi racun yang tidak siapa tahu. Begitulah kehidupan yang perlu dilalui oleh seorang insan yang bergelar seorang isteri dan seorang ibu. .Ya. Di dalam kehidupannya, semua orang melihat kebahagiaan yang dia kecapi namun siapa tahu, di sebalik kebahagian itu, tersimpan seribu satu rasa dan perasaan yang hanya Tuhan sahaja tahu. Berat untuk diungkapkan dengan kata-kata, hanya doa dan redha sahaja mampu dizahirkan didalam hati tatkala jiwa makin lemah dan tidak bersemangat. Bukan mudah untuk dia menjalani kehidupan yang penuh pancaroba ini.Hanya berbekalkan secebis iman di dada dan dorongan dari insan-insan yang tersayang, dapatlah dia menarik nafas lega seketika. Namun, adakalanya mereka tidak mampu untuk memahami dan menyelami kehendak hatinya sehingga menyebabkan hatinya remuk dan kecewa. Mungkin lebih teruk, ada sedikit perbalahan berlaku..namun, ia bukanlah tiket untuk menyebabkan berlakunya perpisahan kerana mereka tahu itulah ujian dan dugaan yang Tuhan berikan kepada mereka yang harus mereka tempuhi bersama.

American & Tex-Mex cravings fulfilled

New Petaling Jaya affordable Food Delivery & Mini Catering services offers American, Tex-Mex & Snacks, delivered until 2a.m. Attention food lovers! Petaling Jaya’s newest food delivery has just arrived and it’s impressive.

CapTain Shrimp Jaya One is a platform which cook & deliver your favourite meal and to give you in-depth information about your menu choice.“We wanted to go beyond a normal delivery system and create a powerful, neighbourhood solution that gives the customer more control on their food ordering timing. Our focus was not only on the timing. We wanted to raise the bar in terms of customer service and rare menu as we believe that the Petaling Jaya market deserve much better overall experience.” – Delilah, the founder & chef. Our chefs’ menus reflect the full diversity and vibrancy of contemporary American cuisine, skillfully translating the southwestern traditions of Louisiana into impeccably presented, multi-sensory dishes that uphold Captain Shrimp fine reputation.

With a menu that is both seasonal and always changing under the innovative of our skilled chefs, we do not display a fixed menu here. However, we have chosen a sample of some of the best selling dishes.

Hot Buffalo Wings – have that right combination of heat, zest, and buttery flavor

Classic Chicken Nachos – Who doesn’t love a good Nachos?! Fresh chicken, seasoned with Cajun spices, and grilled. toasted with tortilla. Served with jalapeno and 2 kind of cheese!

Crispy Fish Tacos – easy taco recipe filled with simple and clean ingredients including John Dory Fish.

Ice Chocolate - Chocolate it is.

Spaghetti Seafood Marinara – made with organic tomatoes, herbs and spices, sausage, fish and squid.

Oreo Madness – Finely crushed Oreo Cookies with imported ice cream & Chocolate sauce.

Gone are the days when numbers are required to cater, the mini buffet allows for just a minimum of 5 pax to 100 pax to cater. Great for family-styled potluck parties, seminars, house parties or you cozy gatherings with your friends! Sit back, relax and let us deliver the food over to you.

When you place and confirmed an order through whatsapp, you automatically receive a reply with a estimated time of arrival. We have own riders as well outsource rider to deliver other part of Klang Valley. With ordering through whatsapp or social and food prepared by our own kitchen, food delivered to customer by 30 to 45 minutes.

Customers stay in touch with us as we are also giving them complimentary dessert for purchase above RM 50. It’s not just about ordering food, It’s also about value add-ons. So if you come across one of them over social media, you can confidently place your order knowing that you pay less and eat more.

Looking to organize a small party? Select from our large variety of Mini Buffet menu suited for your party of 10 – 30 person. You may choose from a wider selection of dishes such as the our all-time favorite. Food is served in lightweight microwavable containers and comes with full set of disposable cutlery, plates and serviettes.

If you haven’t yet tried Captain Shrimp, we strongly recommend you do. It will become your best choice, it’s definitely ours!

BASIC FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICE

Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food borne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards. Food can transmit disease from person to person as well as serve as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Debates on genetic food safety include such issues as impact of genetically modified food on health of further generations and genetic pollution of environment, which can destroy natural biological diversity. In developed countries there are intricate standards for food preparation, whereas in lesser developed countries the main issue is simply the availability of adequate safe water, which is usually a critical item. In theory food poisoning is 100% preventable The five key principles of food hygiene, according to WHO, are:Prevent contaminating food with pathogens spreading from people, pets, and pests.Separate raw and cooked foods to prevent contaminating the cooked foods.Cook foods for the appropriate length of time and at the appropriate temperature to kill pathogens.Store food at the proper temperature.Do use safe water and cooked materials

Mise en place is a French term meaning "everything is in its place" and refers to preparation carried out before the day's cooking begins Careful attention to mise en place is the vital step in your daily routine. If you are confident that everything required for the day, including equipment, food stuffs and serving dishes are in place and ready to use you are more likely to maintain a smooth and even workflow throughout the working day. This means you can concentrate all your efforts on producing quality products with maximum efficiency and minimal stress. Thing left undone during this preparation time, or food poorly prepared, can easily lead to chaos in the kitchen at the critical time of service. To be competent in mise en place requires a comprehensive range of fundamental culinary skills and knowledge. The type of kitchen and the menu will determine the daily mise en place routine. These includes: A simple task like using a knife includes the types of knives available, their special purposes, how to use them safely and skillfully and how to clean them and store them properly competent chef however needs more then practical culinary skills. Teamwork, effective organization, time management and meeting occupational health and safety standards are equally important work practices, as they contribute to a safe and productive environmentBefore you step into a kitchen it is also crucial that you are familiar with the act that details the requirements of occupational health and safety. You also need to be aware of provisions under the food act, which pertain to people who handle food for resale. It is essential, therefore that you familiarize yourself with these topics.

From confidence to quarantine: how coronavirus swept Italy

Bad timing and bad luck

Italy appeared well ahead of the curve when the coronavirus outbreak began to spread outside China.

After detecting three cases, including two Chinese tourists at the end of January, patients were isolated in a hospital in Rome. Contacts were traced, and the country became one of the world’s first to cut transport links with China.

The sense of confidence was palpable. “The system of prevention put into place by Italy is the most rigorous in Europe,” the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, boasted on 31 January.

In reality, as would become clear in February, the virus had been circulating unnoticed in northern Italy via other local chains of infection, in all probability since mid-January.

Another critical misunderstanding also appears to have emerged, this time between central government and hospitals in the north.

It concerns what the proper protocols were for testing unexplained fevers and respiratory complaints, and whether people with no apparent connection to China should be tested.

On 18 February, a fit 38-year old with no apparent links to China fell ill in Codogno. He saw his GP and visited his local hospital several times, but his symptoms were not picked up as resulting from the coronavirus.

Known as Patient One by the Italian media, when he was finally admitted to hospital he was tested after a 36-hour delay, which he spent outside isolation. By that time he had infected a number of medical personnel and other contacts over a period of days.

Adam Kucharski, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the initial spread of the virus in Italy “has shown the ability for this to become a serious outbreak in a very short time.

“The message is, if you have undetected transmission, if that is not taken seriously, you can very quickly get to numbers that can easily put a burden on your health service. You need ideally to be detecting outbreaks as early as possible.” The age profile of Italy’s population also appears to have made it particularly vulnerable. “Italy is a country of old people,” Prof Massimo Galli, the director of infectious diseases at Sacco hospital in Milan, said. “The elderly with previous pathologies are notoriously numerous here. I think this could explain why we are seeing more serious cases of coronavirus here.”

Early decision-making

Much of what we know about the dramatic spread of the virus in Italy remains provisional. All that can be safely said, as the former prime minister Matteo Renzi put it, is that Italy has become the the guinea pig of Europe.

Confronted with the first infections spreading in the north, Italian authorities initially suspected they were tied to the cases of the two Chinese tourists in Rome who had visited Parma.

Authorities moved to shut 10 towns linked to the initial cluster of cases in the northern provinces of Lombardy and Veneto. The local lockdowns, which began on the same day that Patient One was confirmed as infected, were hailed in some quarters at time as speedy and decisive.

According to some critics of the Italian approach, however, what seemed like sound decision-making at the outset of the crisis may have led in part to the problems the country now faces.

“Mistakes were made, probably, in late January,” the author Beppe Severgnini wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times on 2 March. “Italy may have been ill advised to stop flights to and from China; those flights would have provided a clear indication of who was arriving from that country, making health checks easier.”

For Christian Althaus, who models infectious diseases at the University of Bern in Switzerland, said Italy’s issues may come down to the simplest explanation: that it was unlucky.

“You can argue they noticed it late, but that could have happened elsewhere too,” he said. “Once they realised what was happening, I think they took it seriously. The first lockdown was the right choice, and expanding it nationwide probably too. They realise they need to curb the epidemic.”

It is less clear whether the first lockdown was undermined both by a desire to avoid alarm and unnecessary economic impact in the country’s industrial centre, and a belief that the outbreak remained limited. In this respect, mixed political messaging may have been more at fault than any weaknesses in Italy’s health system. We know now too that the geographical scope of those initial quarantines was far too limited. As anxiety spread to bigger cities, including the industrial hub of Milan and the tourist centre of Venice, the political messaging was confusing. Among those pushing a “business as usual” message was Nicola Zingaretti, the head of the centre-left Democratic Party, who travelled to Milan for a meet and greet with young people to reinforce his pitch. Zingaretti announced at the weekend that he had tested positive for the virus.

For Elisabetta Groppelli, a lecturer in global health at St George’s, University of London, a full reckoning is still some way off.

“Until viral genetic analysis sheds more light on the situation, it’s hard to say exactly why Italy has been so badly affected,” she said. “Northern Italy is the economic hub of the country as well as a tourist hotspot, and therefore has lots of travel in and out of the region.

“With more people moving constantly and interacting with each other, this could provide a greater context for spread of the disease.”

Malaysia beat Sars and Nipah. But Covid-19 is different

Southeast Asia is ramping up its fight against the coronavirus as infections spread across the region, with nations locking down cities and sending in the military.As of Friday afternoon Malaysia, t he hardest-hit country in the region, had reported 1,030 infections, Singapore 345, Indonesia 309, Vietnam 85, Thailand 50 and Cambodia 47. However, with 25 deaths Indonesia had the most fatalities. Myanmar has no reported cases, but has preemptively closed its border and stopped its migrant workforce from travelling abroad, despite the cost. From Sunday the Malaysian military will help the police enforce a lockdown on citizens’ movements. The two-week lockdown is approaching its halfway point, but authorities have been struggling to convince Malaysians to stay home. This is despite the threat of six months’ jail for anyone found outside without a valid reason, such as purchasing or delivering necessities, seeking health care or performing official duties.

The government is also urgently attempting to track down thousands of people who attended a mass religious gathering at the end of February. The government believes 16,000 people attended the event at the Sri Petaling Mosque and 600 of them have already tested positive for the virus. It believes 4,000 people who took part are still to be traced, though the organisers dispute that number. Meanwhile the director general of health, Noor Hisham Abdullah, has warned Malaysians that if they do not adhere to the restrictions and social distancing the nation could suffer a “tsunami-like” wave of new infections.

The crisis comes at a particularly awkward time for Malaysia, with the country’s first cluster of infections emerging just as its government was falling apart.The ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition was forced into opposition after the resignation of Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in late February and a week later the nation’s king selected Muhyiddin Yassin as the new prime minister. The selection of Muhyiddin, who helms the Malay nationalist Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance) coalition angered many Malaysians who had voted in the more progressive Pakatan Harapan.

Barely had the nation come to terms with having a new leader when it discovered its first wholly local cluster of coronavirus infections, with dozens of cases being detected in a group of senior civil servants and lawyers. Then, while Muhyiddin was still selecting his cabinet, another cluster emerged, this time at a mass Islamic prayer event hosted by the Tabligh Jamaat missionary movement.

It was the discovery of this second cluster that prompted Muhyiddin to announce a lockdown – the government’s preferred term is “movement control order” – from March 18 to 31.

The news shocked the public into panic buying in supermarkets and hoarding dry goods. After an interstate travel ban was announced on Tuesday evening, Malaysians scrambled to return to their home towns or cross the causeway into Singapore. Massive crowds formed at bus stations and immigration checkpoints.

A day later in an impassioned plea, Muhyiddin begged Malaysians to “just sit quietly at home”. Many Malaysians are now criticising the government for its perceived inability to handle the crisis, which has caught it largely off guard despite the country having relatively recent experience with pandemics. The nation battled outbreaks of both the Nipah virus in 1999 and Sars in 2003, but experts said both paled in comparison to the coronavirus.

Over a period of eight months the Nipah virus infected 265 people and killed 105, the country’s response having been delayed because it was initially misidentified as Japanese encephalitis. Sars, which killed 774 people globally, claimed two lives in Malaysia. Public health expert Khor Swee Kheng said the coronavirus outbreak was “far more severe”.

“This is for several reasons: Covid-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus] has infected many more people than either Sars or Nipah, it has affected many more countries, and the world is more interconnected in 2020 than 2003 or 1999. “This is why we didn’t see movement restrictions in response to Sars or Nipah.”

The lockdown, he said, had a good chance of mitigating the spread of the coronavirus but only if Malaysians adhered to its restrictions. He said Italy had seen positive effects from a similar lockdown within five days. “However, it could take much longer for Malaysia, especially if there are people disobeying the orders. Movement restrictions are not a magic solution, as they have to be paired with testing and contact tracing as well.”

Meanwhile hospital staff say they are overworked and low on protective gear. At least 15 medical workers have been infected.

Malaysians have banded together to send snacks and drinks to medical staff, while some have set up an online aid platform called “Kita Jaga Kita” (we take care of us), matching people who “want to help with people who need help via various civil society initiatives”. While economic activity is slowing, work continues even for Malaysians in “non-essential” professions. Many workers are seeking clarity from the government on how to keep calm and carry on.

“It’s certainly no holiday,” said commercial lawyer Yudistra Darma Dorai. “In fact, we’ve been busier. Clients are concerned about the legal ramifications of the regulations. Much of it is unprecedented and most lawyers are being kept on our feet.” Political economist Khor Yu Leng said the lockdown had prompted concerns over food security and supply chain disruptions. “What measures are farmers and supply chains taking?” she asked. “Producers and processors need to operate effectively and keep supply going. We should prioritise the delivery of essential services and inputs for farmers, fishermen and the food and forestry segments and keep food and related processing operational. “Payments are fine with the banks running, but farmers were not prepared with enough fertilisers and other inputs. Permits and approvals are needed for all related commercial activities to ensure farm incomes can continue and that fishermen can deliver produce.“In fact, the plantations and other corporations with business continuing through the virus lockdown will also be helping in other ways, including resource support for health care providers.”

Activist Jaskirath Kaur criticised the decision to deploy the army, calling the move “disproportionate”. “We need clear criteria as to what justifies military involvement. These threats create more hysteria and panic, especially coming from a government we did not elect and therefore do not trust.”

Key differences between the 2009 swine flu and COVID-19, and the response to each of them

It's been a little over a decade since the world experienced its last pandemic, the 2009 H1N1 swine flu. Between the spring of 2009 and the spring of 2010, the virus infected as many as 1.4 billion people across the globe and killed between 151,700 and 575,400 people, according to the Centers for Disease Protection and Control. Now, the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2.

Having been through a pandemic in recent history, it seems reasonable to expect that government agencies in the U.S. would be prepared for the next one. But there are some key differences between the 2009 swine flu and COVID-19, and the response to each of them.

The 2009 flu pandemic was the second H1N1 pandemic the world had seen — the first being the 1918 Spanish flu, still the most deadly pandemic in history. The 2009 pandemic was caused by a new strain of H1N1 that originated in Mexico in the spring of 2009 before spreading to the rest of the world. By June of that year, there were enough cases that the World Health Organization declared the swine flu outbreak a pandemic.

In the U.S., between April 2009 and April 2010, the CDC estimates there were 60.8 million cases of swine flu, with over 274,000 hospitalizations and nearly 12,500 deaths — that's a mortality rate of about 0.02%.

The mortality rate for the novel coronavirus is much higher so far, around 2% (although the number will likely change as more people are tested). That may not sound like a big difference, "but when extrapolated, can mean millions more deaths," Strathdee said.

The 2009 flu pandemic primarily affected children and young adults, and 80% of the deaths were in people younger than 65, the CDC reported. That was unusual, considering that most strains of flu viruses, including those that cause seasonal flu, cause the highest percentage of deaths in people ages 65 and older. But in the case of the swine flu, older people seemed to have already built up enough immunity to the group of viruses that H1N1 belongs to, so weren't affected as much.

This means that so many people are immune to the infection, because of vaccines or because their immune system has already fought the infection, that the few people who aren't immune are somewhat protected. There might be some groups of people who have immunity to the 2019-CoV-2 virus, too, but that's an area that's still being researched. So far, COVID-19 is most deadly for people over 60 who have underlying health conditions.

Another difference is that flu viruses are spread in respiratory droplets and airborne particles, while 2019-CoV-2 is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, and in some instances may be shed in feces, Strathdee said. "We don't yet know how important the oral-fecal route of infection is, but it's another reason to wash your hands regularly with soap and water," she said.

The symptoms of the swine flu were similar to those caused by other flu viruses, primarily: fever, cough, headache, body aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue and runny nose. Those symptoms show up between one and four days after contracting the virus

At the beginning of both pandemics, the genetic sequences of the virus were released to the public with remarkable speed, so that countries could create diagnostic tests as soon as possible. On April 24, 2009, just nine days after initial detection of H1N1, the CDC uploaded genetic sequences of the virus to a public database and had already begun development of a vaccine. Similarly, on Jan. 12, 2020, five days after the novel coronavirus was isolated, Chinese scientists published the virus' genetic sequence.

"Another difference is that this is the first pandemic in the era of social media," Strathdee said. The wealth of misinformation about the disease has spread faster than the virus, she said, as has blame for the virus. "We need to stop thinking like this. We need to unite against the virus."

However, the plus side of living in this advanced technological age is the speed at which research and vaccine development can occur. A potential treatment and the first trial of a candidate vaccine are already underway, which is amazing and encouraging, Strathdee said. "It will take time for a vaccine and treatments to be studied and scaled up," she said. "So in the meantime, we all need to do our part and stay home."

UP SELLING INSTEAD OF HARD SELLING

First what’s the difference between the two:

Up selling: selling a product or service by using subtle persuasion.

Hard selling: selling a product or service using a more direct, forceful, and overt approach.

Don’t overlook Up selling as a key way to make money. The gross profit margins on beverages are astronomical compared to food, yet strangely, most beverage incidence (ratio of beverages sold to food sold) is less than 10% in food service operations. And yet beverages can contribute as much as 70-80% gross profit margin per serving…so what’s wrong with this picture? Opportunity knocks if you’re willing to listen, and here’s a few ideas to help you start managing your beverage sales like the (overlooked) profit center they are.

Sell two beverages to every guest.

At breakfast, train servers to suggest a glass of juice and a coffee. At lunch, a soda, or a bottle of water or mango-raspberry tea, or coffee. At dinner, a beer, cocktail or glass of wine and later, a cappuccino.

Keep the lines clean.

If you want to get the most out of your fountain beverage sales make sure you listen to the advice of your account reps relative to maintaining clean lines, nozzles and syrup/carbonation mixes. Take as much pride in the quality of your carbonated fountain beverages as you do in your food. Your customers notice and will buy more—and more often.

Just say no to tap water.

I figure that giving away a glass of ice water to a customer costs you about RM 0.90 per serving once you factor in the cost of the glass, ice, and labor to store and serve it, coupled with the cost of the detergent, hot water, rinse and labor necessary to clean it. So I say carry bottled water on your beverage menu and suggest it always instead of faucet water when a guest asks. This is applicable no matter what segment you operate in, full-service or quick service, fast-casual or on-site dining. A glass of tap water is not “free”!

Offer to re-fill alcohol beverages at 1/3 full.

The best time to offer a new alcohol beverage like beer or wine or a cocktail is when the glass is about 1/3 full. Which reminds me of a classic line: “Is the glass half empty, or half-full? That depends on who’s buying.”

Suggestively sell non-refillables.

Most restaurant likes the profit inherent in favourite beverages, but has another perspective too: “Every time you allow a guest to slide into a default beverage choice that comes with unlimited free refills, you not only miss a chance to distinguish yourself, but you potentially lose money too. Consider the number of times a RM5 iced tea is refilled at lunch on a hot day—four, six? If that beverage was two non-refillable Cokes or bottled water or a signature fruit/spice premium tea at the same price instead, you’d already be ahead by 100% and your guest has a better tasting drink to remember you by.” You can get your waitstaff to warm up to this thought process by asking them how many times and how much they’re tipped on six refills of iced tea or tap water.

Say what, say when.

The best way to offer a new alcohol beverage is by being specific. Don’t say “Sasha want another drink?” The word “another” can be off-putting. Instead, servers could say: “Ready for a glass of the wine, sir?”

Offer another drink before delivering entrée.

Our good friends at The Cheesecake Factory have taught me that the best time to suggest dessert is right before you bring the entrees out, and that is also the ideal time to suggest another beverage.

Be a Devil’s Advocate.

With your fellow managers, compile a list of reasons why your team doesn’t sell more beverages. Now do everything you need to do training-wise and operations-wise to remove those obstacles and make those objections irrelevant.

Don’t sell “rounds” (unless it’s shots).

“When you have four or more people drinking alcohol beverages with dinner, try to stagger the drink orders and avoid the phrase ‘Another round?’, unless it’s shots.” says Mr. Kirkland. Although it can affect a server’s table timing, selling new drinks one-on-one, actually raises the number of beverages sold.

Suggest your best.

When a guest orders a vodka/tonic, many servers respond robotically: “Would you like Absolut or Grey Goose in that?” Nice try, but a better, softer way to sell might be to phrase the question : “Do you have a favorite vodka that you’d like in there?” Servers tend to suggest more top shelf liquor when they’re reminded that when the guest drinks better, they do too! Better tips now, better drinks for the staff after the shift. (If you don’t serve alcohol, this is another example of where suggesting bottled water over tap water can improve service and increase sales).

List wines from driest to sweetest.

If your servers are novices at wine selling, I recommend that you list your wines from driest to sweetest so they have an easier time remembering the flavor profile.

Use the Sullivan Nod.

Whenever servers suggest a beverage, have them smile and slowly nod their heads up and down as they make the suggestion. Body language is powerful, and research shows that over 60% of the time, the guest will nod right back and take your suggestion!

Coronavirus - Predictions and Prophecies

Since the coronavirus first appeared in China in December it has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease has infected more than 154,000, killing at least 5,400.

Where do we stand today?

The outbreak continues to spread — As of Feb 1st, the WHO has confirmed around 12,000 cases, and more than 2,000 alone was confirmed on Saturday (That’s roughly 18% of the total reported cases). A total of 48 provinces across 28 countries have been affected. However, only a little more than 2% of these cases were found outside China. Although this number might seem small, Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak, is a major transportation hub of the country. Inter-city travels increasing because of the Lunar New year has aided the outbreak to some extent. During Oct-Nov last year, close to 2 million people flew out of Wuhan and roughly 120 thousand people flew outside the country as well. Hence the outbreak of Coronavirus remains a major concern across the globe.

How Contagious is the Virus?

The pace and ease at which any outbreak spreads, determine its scale. The Report published by the Imperial College of London suggests that a person suffering from Coronavirus can affect 1.5 to 3.5 healthy people. According to the New York Times, if 5 people with new coronavirus can impact 2.6 others, then 5 people could be sick after 1 Cycle, 18 people after 2 Cycles, 52 people after 3 Cycles and so on.

Coronavirus (COVID19) has recently caused major worldwide concern.

As the number of coronavirus cases reportedly increases, the spread of COVID19 is a serious threat to global health. In this work, we will try to predict the spread of coronavirus for each one of the infected regions. Fitting time series analysis and statistical algorithms to produce the best short term and long term prediction. An adaptive online Kalman filter provides us with very good one-day predictions for each region.

As a beginning, let’s briefly compare the COVID19 to an older fatal virus-Ebola. Ebola is not a new disease (first cases were identified in 1976) but in 2014 and 2018 it erupted again until these days.

* The fatality rate of EBOV is much higher and may reach a 75% death case comparing to ~2.7% death of COVID19. It must be noted that COVID19 is an ongoing disease so the fatality rate is not final and will most likely increase.

* The locations and countries are obviously different where EBOV harms mostly in Africa and COVID19 in China and Asia.

*COVID19 seems most likely to spread in cold weather where EBOV in warm weather.

* Eruption trend seems very similar between the two, both diseases showed powerful eruption rapidly.

COCKTAILS REBIRTH

The trendy modern cocktail bar now makes more cocktails than ever before. Trendy modern cocktail bar now makes more cocktails than ever before. A cocktail menu is no longer an additional extra but an critical ingredient in today’s bars. The types of cocktails that bars now have on their cocktail menu’s has also changed with the more developed palates of today’s cocktail drinkers.

The influx of superior quality products in most of the major bar markets in the world & the more culinary styles of progressive cocktail trends have made developing a cocktail menu a challenging prospect that will have a major influence on the success of your bar.

Part 2 i will follow up with 3 secret of a great new cocktail menu are balance, variety & quality.

SEAFOOD MENU ITEM SELLING POINT

Selling and up-selling is crucial for any food business. First, we have to train staff about food knowledge basic and specific food pros and cons

Cooking Method

Don't wok-fried or deep-fried. Instead, we use boiling or steaming method. Because we need to preserve the freshness and juiciness of the seafood. It’s also a healthier way of preparing meal

Seafood

Live crabs difference with frozen crabs. Crab meat is guaranteed fresh meat not so fresh. Meat sweetness and juiciness preserved very little of its original taste left

fleshier and fuller on the inside. Only serve large sized prawns.

Ingredients

We serve signature sauce using only imported spices. Sauces are cooked using pure butter, not cooking oil. The main reason is not only we want to serve quality food but to enhance flavor & taste of the food.

ARTS OF POSSIBILITIES IN BRANDING

Brand is a complex phenomenon. Though brands have been widely discussed and debated in academic world; a common understanding on brand could not be made among the brand experts. Each expert comes up with his or her own definition of brand or nuances of definition, which increases the complexity in brand interpretation as well as its management. This article aims to provide an overview of the existing academic literature defining the brand by analyzing and synthesizing more than three dozen definition of brand. The review of the existing literature was done to reduce the time and efforts of present and future researchers in this area by providing a quick snapshot of the existing definitions; pointing unanswered questions and various perspectives that constitutes brand meaning. At the end views and critical analysis have been presented reflecting authors understanding of the brands.

It's important to have some context to understand this paradigm shift. Until roughly the mid-nineties, commerce operated within the framework of the industrial age - when production shifted to factories. Branding did not have the same meaning as it does today. In fact, it was much more simple. A brand simply indicated ownership, just like a branded cow tells who it belongs to. Then technology came along and changed the game. It wasn't until companies such as giants demonstrated the power of a strong brand image and its effects on the company's value. The simple reason for this is that, these days, everyone is on social media. That includes restaurant operators and especially chefs. Take Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for example. Chefs are social media savvy where it concerns these platforms, using them for a number of purposes

Some of the most influential consumption tends that have forced major companies to reinvent the wheel include offering more health-conscious options, becoming transparent with their products, and interacting with consumers. There are things these potential customers like to see from food/beverage brands on social media. Appealing content includes high-quality food pics, recipes/menu app info, and insights and interviews from other chefs.

And regarding that modern, millennial audience alluded to above, any content that promotes the sustainability practices and charitable endeavors of the food/beverage company in question is always going to perform well.

Companies are moving beyond TV and magazine ads. Social media and actually experiencing something are what consumers want.

Developing And Executing Cross Training Plan

My director wanted me to develop and implement a cross training plan. I didn’t even know where to start. A cross training plan just seemed like a lot of work with little benefit. The kitchen team worked really well together. They all knew their positions and we had high feedback scores. Why would I want to intentionally cross train Team Members? I just didn’t think there were any benefits to having a cross training plan!

Well, that is how I felt about cross training 3 months ago. I now understand the benefits and the importance of a cross trained team. Here is some information to help you get past my initial reaction to cross training.

Benefits of Cross Training

If a plan is well designed and implemented it can reduce turnover and recruitment costs, improve Team Member engagement and increase team productivity. Those are some big benefits. You are investing in your team by providing an opportunity to develop new skills while adding value to your restaurant. It is a win-win situation.

Cross training allows managers to make better hiring decisions. If your team is cross trained you have time to select the best candidate. The pressure of filling a shift instead of hiring for skill is relieved. A restaurant will always have some type of turnover, this is a way to prepare for it.

Timing

During a crisis is not the time to implement a cross training plan. The best time to start is when everything is running smoothly. Remember it is a plan and you have time to think about each step to make sure the Guest experience is not impacted negatively.

Create the Plan

Plan – Plan – Plan. So do you get the point? Success is in the plan. Here are some first steps:

1. Identify position with greatest risk.

• Is there a position that has limited resource? Ask yourself if one person in that position quit would you have a person ready to move to the position?

• List the remaining positions in order of greatest risk.

2. Evaluate your team.

• Identify the talent that has the desire and skills to take on added knowledge/responsibilities.

• List the top 5 in order of readiness.

3. Meet with trainer

• Create a individual training plan for the identified talent

• Determine validation process. This is not the same process. An existing Team Member has the basics and food safety skills. The validation is the gap of existing and new skills.

4. Establish timeline.

• This is the difficult step in implementing a cross training plan. You can’t cross train everyone at the same time. You will need to schedule the training.

5. Celebrate validation

• How will you celebrate a Team Member’s successful validation of additional positions? This will recognize great talent and engage others to cross train.

DELEGATING TASK TO IMPROVE LEADERSHIP

You may be thinking I don’t need to delegate. I am the manager and I can do it all. However, there is a danger in thinking you are a super manager. You may think everything is great but in reality it isn’t. Read the following story about a self proclaimed super manager to see how it is working for him.

The Manager thinks …

The Story of a Super Manager

I am a great manager! I started as a line cook and worked my way up to a manager. Because I started as a team member I know every position. I step in to help my team get their work done. I can tell they really like me because I make their job easier.

I like being a manager because I’m in control but sometimes it is hard to get my work finished. I didn’t realize all the responsibilities. I write a task list every day but I never get it finished. I have inventory, orders, invoices, interviewing, hiring, training and many more responsibilities. It is a lot to get finished but I think I’m doing a good job.

That is really all I can tell you right now, I need to go help Paul on the line. My team needs me – I am GREAT!

The cook thinks …

My manager is not the best manager. I would say he is average. The way I see it, he really doesn’t trust his team to get the work done. I know it seems great to have a manager jump in and help but most times I really don’t need the help. What the team really needs is a plan to cross-train all cooks to help each other. My manager doesn’t seem to have the time to think about growing his team.

He tells us all the time how he started out just like us. I have told him several times that I want to be a manager. I have offered to learn how to do inventory but he says he doesn’t have time to show me. I even came up with a training plan to cross train all the line cooks, but he hasn’t even looked at it. I am so frustrated! I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to be a manager.

Maybe I will talk to a Chef and I heard he was the one that developed the manager. I am sure she will understand.

General Manager thinks …

Cook quickly learned all the positions and was a natural leader. I quickly saw his management potential. I began to delegate some of my responsibilities. He loved the challenge and appreciated the chance to grow into management.

I immediately recommended X for promotion to manager. I had tracked all his added responsibilities and the results so it was easy for my to agree with me.

A year later, I believe the decision to promote X was the right one. I know he can run a great shift but he struggles to focus on the responsibilities to manage a great restaurant. The truth is he is overwhelmed with the added responsibilities. He thinks he can do it all but if he would delegate some responsibilities it would help him and grow his team. Doesn’t he remember how he got promoted!

His team has told me they are not happy. He is late with performance reviews and the team doesn’t know how they are really doing. One cook has resigned and I am concerned we will have more resignations.

I think it is time for me to talk to John about the importance of delegating. I need to make sure that he understands this is not a task but a process. He will need to work at delegating until it becomes a habit. There is no time to waste, I am going to talk to X now…

Birthday Party Mini Catering Ideas Loved By All

Birthday party catering is a hassle-free way to plan a party in no time. Throw the best-themed party with corresponding themed foods at separate food stations. Furthermore, all dietary requirements of your guests will be taken care of. Hiring a caterer for the special event will make the day a grand success. A professional caterer is inevitable for party success in your place. Experienced catering companies will fulfil your requirement without any gap.

SUPER HERO THEMED PARTY

Time to take a trip to the SUPER HERO with a themed birthday party that’s perfect for both adults and kids! A party where everyone is dressed up makes it easy for everyone to get into the party mood and join in on the fun.Strap on your boots, put on a hero suit and you’re ready! Celebrate in style with these prop ideas, party games & delicious bbq food. This birthday party catering idea is sure to impress!

BALLOON STAMPEDE

A game that's fun for both the kids and adult. Fill each balloon with prizes such as chocolate and sweets. For the adults, the prizes could be something more enticing. Maybe even a dare? Fill an area of the garden with balloons. Then set everyone loose on a balloon-popping stampede.

BARBECUE & TEXMEX FOOD

A wild west themed party calls for smokey delicious barbecue food. Barbecues are great alternatives to plated meals for everyone. Serving this as a buffet-style will ensure everyone will get what they want to have and minimise food waste. Hiring a caterer takes away the hassle of preparing the food beforehand, especially for a large group. Request for your barbecue food to be placed in wooden crates and hessian table cloth to add to the themed party. This will give your themed party event a special look https://www.minicaterer.my/menu/

ALICE IN WONDERLAND THEMED PARTY

Go down the rabbit hole with an easy Alice in Wonderland themed party. The beauty of this idea is that it can be easily adjusted to your budget and time. This themed party will be best thrown in the summer in a garden. For this garden tea party, you can ask your guests to come in bright floral colours. For the younger guests, they can dress up as the characters from the child book.

BIRTHDAY PARTY CATERING IDEAS BOTH ADULTS AND KIDS WILL LOVE!

Birthday party catering is a hassle-free way to plan a party in no time. Throw the best-themed party with corresponding themed foods at separate food stations. Furthermore, all dietary requirements of your guests will be taken care of. Hiring a birthday caterer for the special event will make the day a grand success. Food is the main attraction of a birthday party. So, you need to spend time and attention on the food items selection by giving importance to a wide variety. Take care of the audience because you may expect both vegetarians and non-vegetarians to the birthday event. Accordingly, prepare the food items that make the visitors so happy and delighted. For example, you can add bbq catering BY CAPTAIN SHRIMP PETALING JAYA for the party.