Owner – Solera,  Venue Manager – Saltwater, Mount Maunganui

Nick is the owner of Solera and venue manager at Saltwater in Mount Maunganui with over 20 years of hospitality experience across Australia and now Bay of Plenty. Specialising in restaurants of the more premium nature he also has experience working in bars and function spaces. Nick has a degree in business management and has built his career around assisting businesses that are generating revenue but struggling to turn it into profit. Nick is the Bay of Plenty Branch President for the Restaurant Association and we asked him 7 questions…

What made you decide to go into the industry?

While at high school in Melbourne, I studied hospitality and thoroughly enjoyed it, so when deciding what to study post High School, I attended La Trobe University to study a bachelor of business (tourism and hospitality management) with the idea of moving into hotel management. However when I completed Uni the only job I could find that I liked was a food and beverage graduate position at Crown Casino in Melbourne, which had a hotel attached so I took this thinking I would then transfer across to the hotel later on. However, after 1 year of this position, I was hooked and have never looked back.

What inspires you?

Giving customers the very best experience I can. Regardless of if the guests are in for a weekly dinner or a once-a-year special treat the ability to make the dinner as memorable as possible.

What do you love about the industry?

The social side of it. The way that, technically, we are competing against each other, we are always here to help each other and the industry has such a great culture.

What is the secret to your success?

Haha, well how do you measure success? I am sure I am not the only one at the moment who is questioning if they can even call themselves a success. We, like any other restaurant, are seriously struggling financially, which causes us to question if we are a success. So what I do is make sure I have the ability to reassess our approach to what we are offering. Like finding a cheaper way to bring an equally high-quality product, which is what we have been known for over the past 3 years. This kind of thing is what has enabled us to continue to operate, even if only with a small profit over the past 3 months.

What one piece of advice would you give to others in the industry?

Small savings here and there can potentially add up to enough to pay yourself a small wage.

Which restaurants are on your dining bucket list (kiwi & international)?

Well, Amisfield is certainly on my Kiwi bucket list. I haven’t travelled enough around New Zealand in the short time we have lived here. From a global list, Asador Etxebarri in Basque would top the list.

Also keen to get to the States and do a lot of the food chains that you hear about on American TV shows.

What do you do to relax / in your spare time?

Ideally catching up with friends, watching sports (AFL, Cricket) and enjoying good food and drinks.