The enthusiasm of general manager Andrew Jones for the\u00a0hospitality empire is plain from the moment he starts talking. But\u00a0after sitting down over a pint with Andrew and head chef Matt\u00a0Macaskill it soon becomes clear there\u2019s as much levelheaded\u00a0strategy as whole-hearted passion behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
Within the 720 square metres of dining space the brand is\u00a0consistent across every aspect of the visitor experience, and setting\u00a0the right tone was important.<\/p>\n
Across the 150 seats in the restaurant and the 50 in the bar area the\u00a0design details and kitchen capability set the scene for this quality.\u00a0A considerable investment in the initial fit-out made a big difference\u00a0here. Andrew believes another big difference was with the help\u00a0Good Neighbour received from Moffat and key suppliers such as\u00a0Southern Hospitality. \u201cIt was a race to get things open,\u201d he says \u201cand\u00a0we wouldn’t have been able to open without that level of support.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it was an open kitchen some of the choices were made for\u00a0aesthetic reasons,\u201d he says \u2013 the bold red colour of the equipment\u00a0helping to \u201cenlighten the kitchen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course the cooking equipment needed to provide substance as well as\u00a0style. Here, the kitchen needed to perform quickly and consistently.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s set up for speed of service,\u201d says Andrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody likes to wait long.\u201d It\u2019s not just the patrons who have\u00a0discovered the kitchen\u2019s efficiency. \u201cWe recently had a cook off\u00a0competition for the annual Phoenix competition and other teams\u00a0came to use the kitchen,\u201d says Andrew. \u201cThey were just blown away,\u00a0not only by its looks but by the functionality. The best feedback we\u00a0could have received? They wanted to work here.\u201d<\/p>\n
After two and a half years in development and an investment in the\u00a0fit-out such praise is music to the ears of the gastro-bar\u2019s owners.\u00a0With plans to extend the garden bar next summer, and the Good\u00a0George brand going from strength to strength, further restaurants\u00a0are on the horizon.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n[\/spb_text_block] [spb_image image=”2077″ image_size=”full” frame=”noframe” intro_animation=”fade-from-left” animation_delay=”200″ fullwidth=”no” lightbox=”yes” link_target=”_self” caption_pos=”hover” width=”1\/3″ el_position=”first”] [spb_text_block title=”IN THE KITCHEN” animation=”fade-from-left” animation_delay=”0″ padding_vertical=”0″ padding_horizontal=”0″ width=”2\/3″ el_position=”last”]\n
The Good Neighbour kitchen provides many capabilities from\u00a0its central core, a focused, wide-ranging functionality that was\u00a0carefully scoped before the installation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe invested extra in the kitchen from the initial budget,\u201d says\u00a0head chef Matt Macaskill. \u201cIt was about doing more with the\u00a0limited space we had.\u201d<\/p>\n