Good Group Hospitality is one of New Zealand’s leading hospitality businesses which is expanding operations into the Australian market, opening three huge new venues in prime Sydney and Melbourne locations.
Tell us about Good Group
Good Group is a world class, independently owned, restaurant group, and a leading player in the New Zealand hospitality industry with 14 venues – 8 in Auckland and 6 in Queenstown.
With over twenty years of experience in the hospitality sector, Good Group will expand operations into the Australian market in 2021 with its Botswana Butchery and White + Wong’s brands. Good Group prides itself on its prime location venues that offer premium ‘fun-dining’ experiences.
What inspired you to get involved with Good Group?
I came in as a business consultant on a three-month contract in early 2008 to assist the major shareholder develop a Strategic Business Plan. Nearly 14 years later I am still here, and I have bought into the business also.
Tell us about your career and background.
My background is in banking & finance and I did an MBA back in the late 90’s to help me move across different industries. It was successful and I have since worked in legal publishing, sports & event management, golf tourism, and of course hospitality.
It was due to my varied business management experience that Good Group reached out to me and it was an interesting project at a key time for the business’ development.
I am a big advocate of Governance and am a Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand.
Describe a typical work day for you (if there is such a thing).
My day consists of lots of zoom meetings with key staff and other stakeholders both in Australia and NZ. It is a busy time with the expansion of our business into Australia and I have been managing the effects of the different lockdowns.
I rise early every day to take Rupert our 2-year-old Groodle for a walk and to grab the obligatory morning coffee.
I am in the home office by 7.30am as New Zealand is 2 hours ahead. Zoom meetings start at 8am and multiple are had during the day. I have my executive team spread between Auckland, Sydney & Melbourne so I have multiple touch points with them on a myriad of issues and projects including HR, marketing, operations, new venue projects and finance & cashflow management.
Once lockdowns are completely over, much more of my time will be dedicated to face-to-face meetings with the executive team, venue visits, key stakeholder meetings, all with a view to building and maintaining strong long term relationships and growing the business in Australia and New Zealand.
I always try to get an hour of exercise in before midday, either at the gym or biking on the road before a lunch to refuel. Lunchbreaks are important for body and mind.
I am on multiple boards so often days are punctuated by board meetings, finance & audit committee meetings, strategy sessions or prepping for one of those.
During the balance of the day, if I’m in the office, I will deal to 50 plus emails and correspond and close off most of them if I can.
I spend at least 2 hours a day/night reading industry related news and scanning all general news mainly to do with economics/finance/politics and of course for the past nearly 2 years Covid news!
In the evening, I spend time with family, sometimes enjoy a social drink and then call it a day.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
- Plan, plan, plan. No one plans to fail but many fail to plan
- Surround yourself with good people who share your vision
- Forecast conservatively and ensure you have access to extra capital
- Build strong partnerships with key stakeholders
What’s next for you, and Good Group?
Good Group is about to open its first Australian venues. We have found premium location sites in central Sydney and Melbourne and we are excited to be able to bring our Botswana Butchery and White + Wong’s dining experiences to Australia. The expansion into the Australian market has been a long time in the making, we wanted to get it right.
We have made a huge investment in the restaurants and they are large venues, from 650 guests each. Our Sydney Botswana Butchery will also have a 350 person rooftop space. Opening will begin from December this year and into January 2022. Good Group has already started plans for more Australian venues.
