1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,840 Speaker 1: Now get a load of this. For the first time 2 00:00:01,960 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: in twenty years, the number of cafes and restaurants in 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: this country has gone backwards. It is a small drop, 4 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: and what it means is we've got now around about 5 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: nine thousand cafes and restaurants. But nine thousand cafes and 6 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: restaurants is still twice as many as we had in 7 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: two thousand. That's the year two thousand. By the way, 8 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: chef and restaurateur Al Brown has with me, now. 9 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 2: Hey, ol, maybe we need some more events. 10 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: Do you think, Well, do you know what that's not about? 11 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: Odea And actually we don't have enough events in Auckland 12 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 1: at the moment, do we. 13 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 2: Well, the money that comes in hopefully goes into the 14 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 2: coffers of the hard work in cafes and restaurants and 15 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 2: pubs around the town as well as everything else. 16 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: Well exactly now in one of the arguments about why 17 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: we're seeing this drop in cafes and restaurants is that 18 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: we just have too many. Do we have too many? 19 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 2: Ah? Look, all the people who are operating would think 20 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 2: we have too many. Look, it's exciting. What's happened to 21 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:00,639 Speaker 2: New Zealand over the last sort of twenty thirty. We've 22 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 2: got such a great food scene and now we have 23 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 2: restaurants that as good as anywhere else in the world. 24 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,559 Speaker 2: But you know, there's only so many dollars to go around. 25 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 2: You know, since COVID, thirty percent of people are working 26 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 2: from home evidently still, so if you're a breakfast and 27 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 2: lunch operation, that's kind of thirty percent off the bottom line. 28 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,120 Speaker 2: So it's a it's you know, I've always said it's 29 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 2: a bit of a mug's game, but it's it's also 30 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,400 Speaker 2: something that we love, and it's you know, it's part 31 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 2: of our favor of the country and we love going 32 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 2: out for dinner. 33 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: Even before we had people staying home and working from 34 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: home and COVID and all of that stuff that happened 35 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 1: to us, the margins were really tight, right, This is 36 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: a conversation about whether we've got too many And it's 37 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: been going on for years, isn't it. 38 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 2: Yeah? Oh yeah, I just I really don't know what 39 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 2: the answer is because people keep opening them. But if 40 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 2: they are, if some are dropping off, or it's turned finally, 41 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,640 Speaker 2: maybe people are getting to sort of understand that it's 42 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 2: it's a lot harder to make it back in our 43 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 2: game and a lot of other businesses, that's for sure. 44 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 2: And I think, you know, the thing is sort of 45 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 2: in the past, sort of Jim and Sally, who loved 46 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 2: throwing dinner parties and in the tech business and made 47 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:12,920 Speaker 2: a whole lot of money, think, oh, why don't we 48 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 2: open a restaurant. And I think lots of people go 49 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 2: in pretty naive understanding. You know that everything has to 50 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 2: be incredibly tight with all your cost centers, and you 51 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 2: know it's not just about putting food on a plate 52 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 2: and great service, but you definitely got to have all 53 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,079 Speaker 2: of those. But you've got to have good bookkeeping. 54 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: Now what do you reckon? What are you seeing in 55 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: terms of people spending at the moment. Are they still 56 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 1: spending in good quality places or not even there? 57 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 2: Oh look yeah, I no, no, I mean it's pretty 58 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 2: dim out there, to be honest, most of us, you know, 59 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 2: compared to what it used to be. We hope that 60 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 2: it's turned in. The casherts and all that sort of 61 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: things is going to get people coming out. I used 62 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 2: to think that the hospital was you know, kind of 63 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: you know, recession proof in a sense that people maybe 64 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 2: didn't buy a car or a fridge or go overseas 65 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 2: a right onto their house, but they still wanted a 66 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,640 Speaker 2: cup of coffee in a bagel or go out for dinner. So, 67 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,079 Speaker 2: but this is the first time that I think it's 68 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 2: really hurt everyone, and especially the store warts that have 69 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 2: been in the game for a long long time. 70 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:21,920 Speaker 1: You know, it's the toughest you've seen. 71 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, yeah, Yeah, Well that question. 72 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: Why do you reckon? Why is this one the worst? 73 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 2: Well, you know, you know, I wonder, you know, it's 74 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 2: crisis and all the all the talks doom and gloom, 75 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: and people are you know, everything's going up and rent's 76 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 2: going up, and so people, you know, I think sometimes 77 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 2: you know when they added you know, sort of the 78 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 2: doom merchants out there. But you know, once it turns 79 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:51,480 Speaker 2: and days start getting longer and just rates drop and 80 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 2: bits and pieces, hopefully people are going to start to 81 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 2: smile and get a bit more positive again and get 82 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 2: out there. Yeah. 83 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 1: And when people are like the people who are coming in, 84 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: are they cutting back on how much the spe or 85 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: if you go in, do you still spend the same 86 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: amount because it's a treat. 87 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 2: Look, I think the people that it's a treat to 88 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 2: go out, they are sort of you know, they're not 89 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 2: probably buying, you know, the middle bottle of wine and 90 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,599 Speaker 2: the wineless, the more to the to the front, or 91 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:22,239 Speaker 2: the cheaper bottle, that sort of thing. And they're probably 92 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 2: not eating oysters, but you know they're eating forloffel or 93 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 2: you know, something that's a little bit cheaper on the menu. 94 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 2: But they still you know, it's not just about eating, 95 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 2: and you know, it's we're in the entertainment game and 96 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 2: getting out and being in a space that's convivial and 97 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 2: fun and having a bottle of wine. You're catching up 98 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 2: with people. It's something that we love and we still 99 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 2: want to do it even if we had to cut 100 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: it back a bit. 101 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: Well, it's good to talk to you made the best 102 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: of luck. You haven't got long to go before all 103 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: of this turns around and we're all spending again. That's 104 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: Al Brown, Chef and restate to for more from Hither 105 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: Duplessy Allen Drive. 106 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 2: Listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, 107 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 2: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.