Red Hot World Buffet helps students get a head start in the hospitality industry

Red Hot World Buffet used the Manchester Food & Drink Festival as an opportunity to inspire a generation of youngsters.

Four hospitality students, who study at Wrexham’s Yale College, took a tour of Red Hot’s flagship Deansgate restaurant so they could get a feel for how the industry works.

The visit came just weeks after the government revealed that one in six young people are not in any kind of employment, education or training.

The Manchester venue, which serves more than 10,000 people per week, is famous for its live cooking stations and a huge variety of 300 dishes from around the world. Chefs were able to use the restaurant’s facilities to show the students how the company caters for such a large audience.

Thursday’s training day gave the level three BTEC students a real insight into the tips behind keeping up these levels of service on a daily basis, direct from the unit manager, Sandeep Manhas and head chef, Anurag Bist.

During the session the students were taught important lessons in portion control, menu design, budgeting and staff organisation. They were then shown live cooking demos in Thai and Japanese cuisine before being treated to lunch.

Yale College hospitality lecturer, Sarah Kenrick, says: “We had an enjoyable visit with a wonderful meal to complete the experience. As part of their BTEC National Diploma in hospitality it’s essential to gain experience from well-run restaurants and bars so they can link together what they learn in class and how the industry applies it through different businesses.

“Red Hot gave my students an insight into large scale catering and how a number of different cuisines are managed. It was great to see so many different cuisines being cooked to order under one roof.”

The training day was part of Red Hot’s on-going commitment to provide training and education to young people.

The popular chain launched an apprenticeship programme last September that is aimed at recruiting school leavers who have missed out on employment.

The scheme offers perfectly tailored courses in front of house, food and beverage and kitchen training that result in a level two NVQ qualification.

Red Hot’s general group manager, Sal Bajpai, says: “We are proud of our apprenticeship scheme and also that we are able to open our doors to hospitality students so that they may come and learn skills that will stay with them when they go into their chosen careers.”

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Posted: Tuesday 2nd October 2012
ID: 9235 - 824