DarwinLife - Jan / Feb 2014

Page 47

Tim’s Surf and Turf /

Tim Hayward Tim’s Surf and Turf

Make life memorable is the secret to Tim’s success Living life, creating memorable moments and having adventures keeps Tim Hayward energized and focused. It is one of the keys to keeping him grounded and being on the ball with his business. “I work seven days a week, 24-7 and I need to take short adventures. But they can’t be anything ordinary, I want it to be something memorable or a tick off my bucket list,” he said. “My last memorable one was sending my son to helicopter school, we then bought a R44 clipper 11 and flew from Darwin to Papua New Guinea.” Tim is the driving force behind Tim’s Surf and Turf, a Darwin institution that has offered great food at affordable prices and a friendly smile for 20 years. It is one of the few restaurants that has lasted and Tim thinks the reason is a mixture of things. “One of the tricks is to do whatever it takes to hang on to your good staff as they are the pillars of your business, and also treat both your regular customers and staff like family. Be consistent, firm and fair!”

And Tim sure does treat his staff well. In the past he has taken his team to Papua New Guinea, Bali, Jakarta, Hong Kong and Las Vegas. He often thanks key staff with personal gifts and amazing experiences. Tim has given loyal staff holidays, cars and many spur of the moment adventures. “We recently had a professional driver that does drifting (sideways) take us for a few laps around Hidden Valley.” “I foster loyalty and repay with memorable moments. I treat them as if they are family.” Tim said he has survived due to factoring in and budgeting for market fluctuations, being hands on, and good value for money. He has owned or set up 16 food outlets with his first one in Darwin being such a hit that he sold it at a profit within the first six months. “But clichés aside, I treat the customer

as a person not a dollar value. I have many regulars who have been coming weekly for many, many years,” he said. “The best form of advertising is happy customers and word of mouth. If they liked the experience they will come back and recommend you to others.” Tim added that another attraction to his popular restaurant is its resident croc. “Mr Bubbles – tourists love him!” “If your business is quiet, then something is wrong and may mean that no one is talking about your business positively. You’ll need to get motivated and put the spark back into your dream.” To find out more call Tim’s Surf and Turf on (08) 8981 1024 E: tims.darwin@westnet.com.au W: www.timssurfandturf.com.au Tim’s will reopen 29 January 2014. DarwinLife Magazine

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DarwinLife - Jan / Feb 2014 by Darwin Life Magazine - Issuu