JUNE 1 2019 LISTENER 21
prisoners how to cook at Rimutaka
Prison (he pioneered the Wellington
on a Plate dinner at the prison event),
managing seafood wholesaler Yellow
Brick Road and acting as a restaurant
consultant.
Almost five years ago, Bosley faced
the humiliation of seeing his Martin
Bosley’s Yacht Club go into liquidation.
He and his business partner owed
creditors money and were forced to
shut the doors to the fine-dining eatery
on Oriental Parade.
“At the time, I felt like I had my
identity ripped away, but it was the
best thing that happened to me. I’ve
never been happier than I am now.’’
Running his restaurant was a
16-hour-a-day commitment. “You have a
nocturnal existence. You’re only as good as
your last meal and you’re constantly at the
mercy of seasonal changes.’’
As a restaurateur, Bosley saw many
changes in the food scene, reflecting
changing palates. In the early 1990s, at his
restaurant Brasserie Flipp, he leapt on the
brunch bandwagon that had just started in
Sydney. Before then, dining was something
that only happened a few times a year.
“You went out for dinner for a birthday,
or maybe because you sold your house.
If you went out and told people about it,
they’d ask, “What was the occasion?’’
Now he’s out of it, he says, “You couldn’t
pay me to own a restaurant.’’
The hike in the minimum wage will hurt
even more, and he is sure diners will have
to pay. “Restaurants have never had it so
tough. Diners are spoilt for choice. People
think that restaurant owners are rich. The
reality is, it’s a bowl of cornflakes.’’
TOO FEW CHEFS IN THE KITCHEN
Today, 35% of our weekly food spend goes
on eating outside the home, compared with
about 48% in the US. In the Finnish capital
of Helsinki, where they barely eat at home,
that figure is 80%.
Based on these figures, the Restaurant
Association’s Egan thinks there is room for
growth. However, he says, it is a difficult
business with a typical profit margin of
3%. “Bring-your-own restaurants have even
less chance of reaching those milestones
unless they’re family-run and working for
the good of the family. There really are no
rich restaurateurs.”
What’s the secret of restaurants that do
well? “Consistency. It’s like a show. The
curtain goes up and whether you came on
opening night or 10 years down the track,
it has to be the same. In fact, it should be
getting better and better.’’
Around the globe, though, Egan
says there is a shortage of chefs and
highly trained staff. All the restaurateurs
interviewed for this story identified a lack
of chefs and energetic front-of-house staff,
as well as rising wages, as major constraintson their businesses. “I spoke to another local
restaurateur today and he is struggling to
find junior chefs,” says Egan. “He said he
may just change to a bar. Prices will need
to go up among a range of cost savings.’’
At the National Restaurant Association
summit in Chicago, attended by people
from 14 countries, he learnt the industry is
millions of people short. “It’s a really hard
job to do. Kids see cooking shows and think
they’re going to be famous.’’TAST Y BY TES
Overseas, wage and cost pressures in
the industry are forcing changes, some
controversial. At lunchtime, hungry locals
and tourists pour into San Francisco’s Eatsa –
the city’s first fully automated eatery. When
it launched in 2015, Eatsa was hailed as a
revolutionary concept. Customers orderbuild-your-own quinoa bowls from
online kiosks, then back-of-house
workers prepare each dish. When
one is “built’’, the bowl appears
behind glass in a cubbyhole with the
customer’s name.
It’s even more extreme at Creator, a
burger joint where a single robot makes
a burger in five minutes, ordered on a
tablet and viewable through a glass
booth. Spyce, in Boston, is the world’s
first fully robotic restaurant. Its menu
was created by a Michelin-starred chef,
but it is put together by robots in the
kitchen.
A McDonald’s in Chicago is fully
automated, with all the burgers
and sides made by robots. In New
Zealand, McDonald’s has started getting
customers to order their meals using
online booths. However, a spokesman says
there are no short-term plans to follow
overseas initiatives. “The main technology
changes are more customer-facing, with
the introduction of touch-screen ordering
kiosks, digital menu boards and the new
McDonald’s app.’’
Egan says that while he expects to see
some robotic input in the fast-food industry,
full-service restaurants are likely to retain
the human touch. “I am not sure the
customer would feel they are getting the
magic that professional chefs bring to the
experience.”
However, Egan expects wage and cost
pressures will lead to a new trend here that
is already happening abroad: simplified
restaurants serving basic menus. In London,
the Flat Iron restaurant group serves just
one steak, accompanied by a choice of five
sides, four sauces and a dessert. Also, in
nine locations around London, Burger and
Lobster serves three burgers, a lobster main
and a handful of seafood sharing plates.
“These places are full-service with
beverages and do phenomenal business.
They have one superstar chef who sets the
standards,” says Egan.
Back in Wellington, Fiso says social-media
platforms are allowing chefs to showcase
their work and push the boundaries. Thanks
to her appearance on Final Table, she has
amassed 25,000 Instagram followers who
enjoy her foraging adventures, celebrity
selfies and adventurous Kiwi kai. “Ten years
ago, diners would have gone, ‘Where’s my
steak and chips?’ Plus, the renaissance of
Māori culture in everyday life has really
helped what I do.’’ l“You have a nocturnal
existence. You’reonly as good as your
last meal and you’reconstantly at the mercy
of seasonal changes.’’Sarah
Meikle