Do you ever get the sense that some restaurants are taking the piss? You know what happens, they begin serving quality cheap food, have friendly efficient service and a reasonaby priced wine list. Actually, coming to think of it the serviced has always been a bit hit and miss at Basque Tapas & Wine (159 Chapel St Windsor 3181 +61 3 9533 7044) but right now there’s a lot more missing that hitting. That’s a shame because I used to […]
Month: July 2006
Scooping up success
Freshness, production on site and good cheer are part of the successful recipe at a gelato outlet, writes Ed Charles FINDING and motivating the right staff is always a problem for business. Now Trampoline Gelato chain is looking to develop a gang of at least 40 small business entrepreneurs to grow its chain. Trampoline opened its first store on Brunswick Street in Melbourne’s fashionable Fitzroy on April 14, 2004. Trampoline general manager Richard Furphy had been given the task of […]
Strength in numbers for the little guy
Moves are afoot to help even out the balance of power in franchising, writes Ed Charles ONE of the problems of being a small franchisee is that disputes with the franchisor are unequal. Franchisees are often small businesses while the franchisors are big, multi-million-dollar businesses that can leverage their market power and afford large legal bills. But the balance of power is moving a step closer to being evened out with the likelihood of the Senate passing legislation that will […]
Loan gymnastics
The Australian — Wealth: With mortgage providers jostling for business in a highly competitive market, there is a loan to suit almost anybody, reports Ed Charles July 19, 2006 WITH low interest rates and competition among mortgage providers we are able to borrow more money than ever before to buy homes. In some cases it is possible to borrow four times one’s salary. The problem is that the median cost of a home in Sydney is 8.5 times the median […]
Which bank wants to sell you a package? Every bank
From The Australian: EVERY bank wants to sell you a package. The idea is that if, in addition to a home loan, they can sell you transaction accounts, credit cards, insurance and multiple mortgage accounts for investments they can make more money. And hopefully you can make more money too. This is the thinking behind professional packages which has been extended to the latest generation of portfolio loans. Portfolio loans are where wealth management meets packaged home loans. Typically, for […]
Become a French pastry chef in five minutes and impress your friends
Ingredients One sheet frozen puff pastry Two apples A couple of tablespoons of icing sugar Perhaps it takes 20 minutes with cooking. But it only takes 5 minutes of preparation to make something that a smart patisserie would be proud of. And certainly you can impress your friends. I was hoping I would find some kind of super puff pastry from a local providor. I reckon they thought I was a weirdo, especially when I turned down their suggestion of […]
15 14 things to do with rosemary this weekend
I’d prefer it if my front garden was a herb garden. Instead it is a stupid pattern of topiary, hard to maintain and even worse to eat. My neighbour has a rosemary hedge which I’ll sometimes “harvest” just because I can (when they’re not looking). If like me you have a plentiful supply, here are 14 things to do with rosemary for Weekend Herb Blogging #39 back over with Kalyn’s Kitchen this week. 1. Par-cooked new potatoes roasted in the […]