On November 1 the 2011 DineAid charity campaign will begin, and there is still time for you to sign up to be part of it .

Along time ago, in a very different life, I was struck by a ‘curve ball’ (an unexpected and difficult situation) and had it not been for the generosity of others and the gift of a food parcel just days away from Christmas, who knows what the outcome might have been for me and my two young children. DineAid allows you to give people dining at your establishment the choice to add $2 to their table bill and donate to a cause that puts 100 per cent of the money collected back into the less fortunate in our communities through city missions.

I’ve just got back from a road trip to Napier and I want to share my experiences of buying coffee and food along the way, because if they are examples of how many of us do business, then we are seriously in trouble.

I’m coming to the end of a really long day, actually a really long few days and it would be so easy to give up right now and go pour a glass of wine.

I guess the way I’m feeling is not that dissimilar to what many of you feel in your busy roles in the hospitality industry, whether you are a baker, a cafe owner, a chippie or something else. So I guess you too know the feeling of ‘why do I keep working so hard at it?’ but then something no doubt will spur you on and you’ll get your second wind and away you’ll go striving to always be the best you can be.

Now based on that headline, you will probably think I’m going to rave on about brands on the market. Wrong. I’m going to talk about a missing coffee cup and how it got me thinking.

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. - Benjamin Franklin

Have you heard? Did you spot it in our last issue? Chances are you didn’t. I recently commented “how we live in very changing times” without even realising that it could be a premonition and as it happened, it was.

In my travels recently I came across businesses that were clearly inviting and welcoming, while others simply prevented me from entering just by the image they portrayed.

I’m writing this editorial from my home office on a glorious autumn day where I am refreshed by a gentle breeze, have sunlight filtering in and where all my needs are met – I have power, water, shelter, food and sanitation. Today I consider myself truly lucky.

But my heart is saddened as my thoughts go to everyone in Christchurch still dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and to everyone in Japan, including Japanese in New Zealand who will be mourning the destruction and loss of life in their homeland.

Quite often I see McDonald’s New Zealand managing director, Mark Hawthorne walking past my office (the McDonalds NZ head office is next door) and the other day it reminded me of how he came to be in this position.

Preparing articles for the February issue of Food & Beverage Today I had the privilege of talking to a couple of business owners who seemed to live and breathe their business. They had created a product that was different and interesting then backed it up with quality and great service. The result is that they are busier than they ever expected and loving it. I hope you find the stories on Kim Evans - Little & Friday and Gilles Pererz – Pyréneés, The French Deli (Features section) inspiring. Interviewing Kim and Gilles reminded me that if you get the formula right and enjoy what you are doing it makes all the difference to your success.