- When did you start in the hospitality business?
- “I started back in Australia, I started work at our local pub back in 2001, but I was actually working as a DJ, I basically thought I was crushing it. We got it to be a packed house every weekend, then I had a chance to work behind the bar and started getting more inquisitive about how a bar functions. So I started a bar shift and thoroughly enjoyed it and haven’t left.”
- What inspired you to get into this industry?
- I came from a small town. You either drink beer or you drink whiskey and coke. And after traveling the world, it opened up my eyes. I went back home and started trialing and implemented new things at the bar I was working at. Some worked and some didn’t work. Because I had such a good time traveling around the US… I was deciding “what’s next?”
- Why St. Pete?
- I was initially thinking of buying a bar/restaurant on an island, the UK, or even Canada. But when i went to St. Pete, I kinda stumbled across it. I felt its rawness and identity. It was under the radar – not the shining star it is now. The energy you get talking to people and the locals – it put St. Pete as a front runner. Made it a great place to live and work.
- Are you considering expanding into other cities besides St. Pete?
- There are other concepts I want to get rockin ‘in the city… Maybe move towards the beach or north Pinellas, or Tampa.
- Would you consider yourself a food-lover?
- A food lover? Uhm.. I love great food. But the hardest thing about working in the industry is that you’re constantly reminded about all the things you don’t know about food. “I’m still a meat and three-veg guy.” I like the simple things.
- Who are some of your biggest supporters?
- Right now it’s the wife and kids. COming from nothing, you’re always able to put it all on the table. When you have nothing to lose, it’s easy to put it all in.
- Settling down and starting a family has changed things. Less likely to work 100-hour weeks, but on the flip side there is extra motivation to make it work.
- Where do you go for inspiration for new concepts?
- So many people are great visionaries. And in America, you have everything from these franchised places that are so dialed in, but also national corporations that’ll blow you away. That’s the real trick. Making a concept work, being viable and then going back to square 1.
- Everyone from restaurateurs, to the guys who have been in my shoes. Some of these people who create new franchises and concepts – people who work in the industry. Thankfully in Florida, you don’t have to go far. Someone is building a new bar every day.
- What inspired you to open a digital food hall?
- I was being stuck in owning a restaurant during COVID, you can see the desire for people to still want to have good food on their table and sometimes we have to get in our space that people mainly go to bars and restaurants for the social experience. Wehn COVID struck and naturally people missed out on that social, stepping out the house and engaging with their traditions. What we didn’t realise we missed so much was the food, the flavors, and not trashing their own kitchen. I had always wanted to open a commissary kitchen, so now it just made sense to build one with a digital aspect to it.
- What can the community expect from Eats Delivered?
- Just a simple, flawless process. As simple as going through a streamlined easy-order menu, to food that’s professionally delivered.turned-up on your door. Making sure food is produced in a way that it’s easy to be transported. Give a true authentic experience to the cuisine they ordered. Hopefully recycled, green sustainable packaging. Choosing food that’s smart for delivery. As much as we’d love to be able to sell a nice… No one’s a winner. Engineering a menu that’s smart and focused towards delivery.
- How many concepts will there be?
- Starting with 6. Happy to keep expanding.
- Which concept are you most excited for?
- Probably the wicked chicken. Chicken is such a popular, no brainer. I’m curious to see if we can crack into that space.
- What is your vision for the next 5 years?
- Sustainable and incorporating more plant based environmentally conscious concepts into the food industry that we work in. Growing my own produce in vertical gardens/aquaponic. Sourcing from reputable sources. That showcases the best that food can be.
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