PROJECT SUPPLIED BY SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY LTD, HAMILTON
“ Because it was an open kitchen
some of the choices were made for aesthetic reasons
”
IN THE KITCHEN The Good Neighbour kitchen provides many capabilities from its central core, a focused, wide-ranging functionality that was carefully scoped before the installation.
competition for the annual Phoenix competition and other teams came to use the kitchen,” says Andrew. “They were just blown away, not only by its looks but by the functionality. The best feedback we could have received? They wanted to work here.” After two and a half years in development and an investment in the fit-out such praise is music to the ears of the gastro-bar’s owners. With plans to extend the garden bar next summer, and the Good George brand going from strength to strength, further restaurants are on the horizon. In keeping with the beer theme Andrew says it’d be great to see “a cool dozen” Good Neighbour bars throughout the country.
“We invested extra in the kitchen from the initial budget,” says head chef Matt Macaskill. “It was about doing more with the limited space we had.” To achieve this the kitchen was installed with a Waldorf Bold chili red pasta cooker, cooktop, oven range, chargrill and two fryers. The multi-use nature of the equipment was vital. “We can use different parts of the oven for the different tasks,” says Matt, “So we still run service while prepping across the entire day.” The centralised nature of the operation helps ensure everything can be controlled from one key point, “so you run (and reach) everything from the middle of kitchen, one person can oversee everything. It makes it all the more functional for a busy service.”
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