What Nobody Tells You About Owning a Café - Catching up with Nav from Pink Broccoli!

Five months ago, Simon Squibb helped make Nav's dream come true.

She took over ownership of Pink Broccoli Café and stepped into the exciting world of business ownership.

But what happens after the cameras leave?

In this honest follow up conversation, Nav shares the realities of running a café, managing staff, handling financial pressure, building culture, and learning how to transition from chef to business owner.

Together, Simon Gault, Kate Fenwick and Nav discuss leadership, team performance, customer service, communication, business growth, and the challenges every small business owner faces behind the scenes.

If you've ever dreamed of owning a business, this episode offers a refreshing look at what happens after the dream becomes reality.

In this episode:

✔ The biggest surprise about owning a café

✔ Why money keeps business owners awake at night

✔ Managing staff and building culture

✔ Getting employees to think like owners

✔ Creating memorable customer experiences

✔ The power of communication and team meetings

✔ Leadership lessons from hospitality

✔ The importance of finding your "extra 5%"

✔ Growing into the role of business owner

✔ What success really looks like after the dream comes true

Visit Pink Broccoli

📍 614 Remuera Road, Auckland

☕ Go support Nav and follow her journey

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Right, well, five months ago we met Nev. Simon Squibb was in town. He came in, asked you what your dream was, sorted you out, got you a cafe, and you took over in April. And so is it all you dreamed it would be Nev.

SPEAKER_04 0:27

That was a no.

unknown 0:30

It's not fun.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

It's not fun.

SPEAKER_03 0:33

It's fun in so many other ways, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

It is It's a lot harder than we're talking about.

SPEAKER_03 0:38

It's a lot harder and harder than I mean I would say like opening a business in New Zealand is very easy, but running it is difficult. It's very difficult.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

It's a bit different to going to work than going home.

SPEAKER_03 0:54

Yes. No, you have to worry about everything.

SPEAKER_04 0:57

So if you won Lotto tomorrow and you didn't own a cafe and you were still working where you now own, would you buy it?

SPEAKER_03 1:05

Yes. So you do it all again.

SPEAKER_04 1:08

So what keeps you awake at night? Money.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Money story of our world. Isn't it? I think well we're all three of us sitting here now are business owners, right? Yes. And money, like it doesn't just, there's no tree in the bed game.

SPEAKER_02 1:26

Even if you know that, it's not going to be bad as you think. It will still the bills still okay. I still got this. I let me look. Did I pay that one? I don't want to be behind on this.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

So yeah, those things. Sometimes I just wake up to check if I paid my you know bills talking about.

SPEAKER_04 1:50

But I'll bet you there's a bunch of listeners out here going, where's the pink broccoli? We want to go and meet Nav. So you're gonna have to come out of the kitchen and say hello to people. So exactly where on Remura Road in Auckland City, is it?

SPEAKER_03 2:06

We are on 614 Remuro Road, Remuro.

SPEAKER_04 2:10

Which is kind of on the corner of Remuro Road. Parking's pretty good on Remure Road, all around the corner.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 2:16

You've got an extensive menu. Things are evolving, and I think visiting Pink Broccoli to see the journey that Nav's going on, I think is going to be mind-blowing as it goes on because she's driven. Yeah, you want this, you were given it pretty much most of it, by Simon Squibbs. Yes. He made your dream come true. And you know, we've all got thousands of dreams, but one right now, your dream is to make the pink broccoli the dog's bollocks, right? And dog's bollocks is really good.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Yeah, he has not pink. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:53

So you guys need to go and see Nav at the pink broccoli. Yes. So if money keeps you awake at night, what's been the biggest surprise since you've been running pink broccoli?

SPEAKER_03 3:05

Managing people. Yeah. Yeah, I think even more than money, it's harder.

SPEAKER_04 3:11

I remember you saying before you took over that the staff were amazing. When you put owner's hat on, do you look at them differently?

SPEAKER_03 3:21

Yeah, it is. It is a different because then you are not just looking at the people that you're working with. You're looking at the people that are working for you as well. I think you looking at them as a cost, as well.

SPEAKER_04 3:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:37

So you want them to be more productive?

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Yes, I would love that. But I think they're doing great, but they're getting there. But I guess it's it's me as well. Like I can be like a bit pulled back as well with people a little bit. Like and you don't want to scare them.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Yeah, you did you become scary in the last few months?

unknown 3:58

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

You get a bit grumpy.

unknown 4:00

I know.

SPEAKER_04 4:01

Can you make Gordon Ramsay look ordinary?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

No, no.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

I will look like a little toddler.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

A little toddler.

SPEAKER_04 4:11

Are you having meetings with your staff? Like, do you have team meetings and discuss what you want, what they're doing well, what and ask them for ideas? Because half the time your team actually has the idea. But you've got to tell them we need to solve this problem.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

We have two people that are like permanent at the moment, and we're waiting on one of the chefs that's going to join us soon. But the two people, yes, we discuss specifically about our social media and about our drinks, or what should we do with them? And you you think so we should we can remove this or take this out and put this in. Yes, we do talk about that a lot. Also, I discuss with my regulars as well.

SPEAKER_04 4:57

Do you ask your team how they think they're performing? Or told Kate this before? I remember sitting down with my team and said, you know, if we were operating a pink performance and that's a 10, and one is not very good, where did everybody think they were fitting in? So I said, you know, who thinks they're operating at about 50%? Who thinks they're operating at 60%? Who thinks that they're operating at 70%? Then a few hands will go up. Then there'd always be somebody who thinks they're operating at 100%.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

I think I should do that.

SPEAKER_04 5:32

And when they all put their hand up at the end of it, I said, okay, well, you're all different, right? I'm actually paying for 100%. That's what you get paid for. Yeah. So is it okay if I pay all the people who put their hand up at 70, 70% of what they do?

SPEAKER_01 5:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:47

And that wakes them up a little bit to go, well, really, what am I contributing to this?

SPEAKER_03 5:53

Because I think I should do that because I do not have anybody that actually works on a minimum wage for me. Yeah. They get better wage for the experience and whatever they had done before. I like, I don't want to hold back onto it either. So that I think some people told me that does not even work.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

Yeah, sometimes paying them more, you know, they've got to earn the more.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:20

Right? And they've got to show off.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:22

They've got to show how good you are, they are to you. And you know, everybody should inspire everybody else, right?

SPEAKER_00 6:32

But you also have to take that responsibility as a boss, you know? Like I've I've always thought from a from a humanity perspective, it's like you want to give people what they're like value them.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:47

And make them and build the the business around them as well. You've got to be careful because they could leave. But the more that you build and listen and how get them involved in it, the more invested they become in making sure it's successful. And you're the you're the wizard with the wand, you know, you're you're making it all happen. But it's sometimes I've found as well, the way I think it should be done is wrong. And the way they think it should be it should be done is better. And so I've found having a real open conversation with people was really helpful.

SPEAKER_03 7:24

And for me, it's it's also like there's a generation gap in between me and the people that work for me. They're like most of them are 10 years younger than me.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:35

Other than the chef that is working for me at the moment, she's a bit older than me, but sometimes I just go like, I don't know what you're saying.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Yeah. Yeah, the youth is, I mean, you'd have a lot of experience with youth, Simon, and in restaurants situations, wouldn't you?

SPEAKER_04 7:55

It's something like back in the day, I was employing over 300 people across a bunch of restaurants, and communication is key. You've got to go in, you've got to listen to them. You have to listen. You can't look as though you're listening but not be listening. You've really got to listen to what they've got to say and not answer straight away, go away and have a think about it. Because, as Kate said, often they have a solution, but you've got to float the problems. Yeah. And so, how do we collectively deal with this? Listen to what they've got to say, and then go away and think about it, and not just say yes to their idea because you want to keep them happy. They've got to have a great idea, and there might be a bunch of ideas, and you've got to choose the one that you think is the business owner you can live by day and night, and it's going to improve your business. But I think regular meetings, regular communication of telling them what you're thinking, because they're not mind readers. No. And very rarely do you get somebody that thinks like an owner.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:06

You want them all to think like an owner. And that's the hardest thing is to inspire people to think like an owner. So you've got to delve in to make them have an idea and get their idea to come to life. Then they start to take some ownership. Other people see that happen and go, What are you going to do for that dish? How are we going to make that dish better? How are we going to make that dish faster? How are we going to make that dish easier to put out? What are we going to do to make sure that the windows are clean, the floors clean? Where's our checklist? Does anybody want to do a checklist? Do we need a checklist? And I think if you ask them the question, rather than go, we need a checklist, and somebody's going to do it, we all know that. But ask them, you know, should we have a checklist so we don't miss these things? Yeah. You know, an opening, pre-opening checklist to ensure everything is ready to go. So when we open the door, the party's on. Yeah. And, you know, telling everybody that when they walk in the door into the pink broccoli, they need a pink broccoli face on.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:16

And that pink broccoli face is the biggest smile in the world. I went to a Thai restaurant in Takanini a couple of nights ago, and that I always feel welcome because when you walk in, there's a big smile. And how you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 10:33

Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 10:34

And getting people to understand that work in your team, when they greet somebody that comes in the door, whether they're busy or not, they might be in the middle of taking an order, but just turning around, come on in, I'll be with you as soon as I've done taking these wonderful people's order. The people you're taking the order feel good about that. The person that's just walked in feels good about it. And they should welcome everybody like a friend that's come to home that they hadn't seen for a long time. And if you can get everybody to buy into that, you know, you haven't seen a girlfriend for 10 years, and she turns up at your door, she's getting the biggest squeezy hug.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:15

Yeah. For sure, right? Yeah. And if we can make everybody that walks into a hyper customer, just well, maybe some you know some art, some. But it can't just be you because you can't be there everywhere.

SPEAKER_03 11:35

To be honest, that's what I've been seeing. Do you see me? Because I have been working in the kitchen for the past 10 years for the very specific reason that I am not an outgoing person. I I have a very introvert personality.

SPEAKER_04 11:50

So I've got a question. What's easier being a chef or being a manager?

SPEAKER_03 11:54

Chef.

SPEAKER_04 11:55

Yeah, there you go. Anyway, that's why I like being in the kitchen too. But it's changed now, right?

SPEAKER_03 12:01

That's what it's like. You see me like a person who likes being in a kitchen, likes behind the scenes more than coming out and putting a very happy face and talking to people, trying to have conversation. Even if it's a small conversation, you should do that. You should try. I tell both of the people that work consistently in the place, I think we are doing better at the moment.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Well, that's one of the things is it's and I've learned from you, Simon, too. Like when we're in the Cormandor and we went into Pivotry, and that guy was there and he used to work for you. And the moment you walked in, you the front of house staff are just there.

SPEAKER_01 12:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Amazing, welcoming, nothing's a problem. And I think it's really hard if you're an introvert to then try and be an extrovert in that scenario. So that's where I suppose, like from a from a business point of view, you need to find that person who represents you and your values who fronts that business while you can be in the back and manage. You know, you don't have to, you don't always have to be the front person. You can be the back person, but have the most awesome front person who you know is just smashing it every day.

SPEAKER_03 13:20

No, no, you you haven't been in in in yet. But you have to try Dallas's coffee. Some people ask, like, oh, what days he work?

unknown 13:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

Because of that.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

Oh, because it's so good. It's so good.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

He makes coffee really nicely, but I would like him to be my extraordinary.

SPEAKER_00 13:39

But he might be the guy that's behind the coffee machine that dislikes making coffee.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

No, he likes people.

SPEAKER_00 13:45

He likes people?

SPEAKER_04 13:47

I bet a bunch of people listening to this podcast will have some ideas. So it'd be awesome if you put the ideas, your ideas, in the comments because inspiring people to come alive.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:00

And that's important in a restaurant, a cafe, a bar, doesn't matter where it was. And I remember back in the days when you know the kitchens were always behind the scenes and you hid away. Suddenly open kitchens became a thing. And I think it's the best thing that ever happened because you're putting on a show. It's a stage. And what I learned fairly quickly is that people love to meet the person who's cooking. They love to give feedback. And you never go and out there and go, I've just put a new menu on. What do you think? You go out there and say, I've just put a new menu on, what do you love about it?

SPEAKER_01 14:40

What do you love about it?

SPEAKER_04 14:41

Let's and you get people focusing on the positive rather than opening it up. What do you think? That's boring. What do you love about it? And you know, your team is the most important thing. The most important people in a restaurant are your team. If your team are happy, that will flow to the customers. And that's why I go back to this communication thing, sitting down, finding that time when you can all have an hour to sit down and just brainstorm some ideas. You know, would it be a good idea not to bring the problems of your girlfriend to work, your kids to work, whatever it is, they bring it to work, right? Yeah. So what you know, what can we do about that? You know, it's reality, it happens, but when you walk through the door at Pink Procly, we need you to flick a switch.

SPEAKER_01 15:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 15:37

And it's just like you reach out, you flick a switch. It's like, you know, this cake being a mum, but when you have a child, it's like somebody reaches out, flicks a switch, and your life changes forever. You think about everything completely different. But with your team at work, you need them to flick that switch when they walk and walk into work. And maybe it's saying, you know, if you're on your way to work and your girlfriend or your boyfriend really hosed you off this morning. You walked out the door unhappy. Wind the window down or push the button that makes the window go down in the car, lean your head out the window and just scream at the top of your voice and get it out of your system because you know the expectation is when we walk through that door, we're now part of the pink broccoli and everything else is left outside home.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Yeah, it's outside. Yeah, I totally agree with that because it's very hard to have a like if if if you're because I think if you go to work and you're going to work because you love the vibe, you love the you know that you can feel that as soon as you walk into any restaurant, any shop, any like if you know that person is as you walk in, if they've got this, the the standing tall, like really and even just dress shopping, say uh if I go into shop and they're like, Can I help you? You're just like, see you later. Okay, no.

SPEAKER_03 17:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Whereas if somebody comes out and they're like, Oh, can I help you? And they're friendly, and they're like, What are you looking for? And I'm like, Yes, you can.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:19

And then, and then you have and you almost have this really great time with them, and and that's that's the difference between me going into a dress shop and buying something and not. And it's the same for whether people I would say, like, having not been a restaurant owner. But I know if I walk into a cafe and everybody's like, having a shit day, you know, and where you can tell that somebody's having a shit day, all of a sudden you feel like, oh, well, now you I've got a nice coffee and just feel shit.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

If you're walking into a place like after having a bad day, you should you should think good. You're going somewhere to change actually that that state of your mind as well, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 17:59

They're spending their hard-earned money with you, right? Yeah. And we need to find that extra 5% magic. And what do I mean about that? It's you've got your cafe, and let's say everybody's having a perfect day. Everybody's left their problems at home, and they've come into pink broccoli and they're just having a great day. The customers are extra nice that day. And you all operate at a peak performance, so let's call it 100%. But what say the cafe up the road is doing the same thing? They're having a good day, too. What is that extra 5%? So we operate at 105%. So we're now 5% better than the cafe up the road. So sitting down with your team and going, where are we going to get that 5% from? What is it? Is it just as simple as picking something up off the floor as we walk past? Is it opening a door for somebody and saying, Welcome? Welcome.

SPEAKER_00 19:03

Is it putting a jet plane on the coffee cup? Just saying, love the jet planes. You do love jet planes. But we've got to find I always remember that cafe because of that one specific thing. Yeah, and that's you know.

SPEAKER_04 19:19

I think I'm kind of known for that saying, oh, you know, I'm looking for an extra five cent magic. Certainly when I was judging MasterChef, that was what I was looking for. What is making your big breakfast better than the big breakfast up the road? And, you know, I've talked about it before, and one of my pet hates is I love a big breakfast, by the way. You know, you go out and the tomato comes on the table. It's barely warm, it's cut in half, and there has just had no love to it whatsoever. But if they're drizzled a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, little sprinkling of a nice flake salt on top, a shake of some nice herbs. I've got some, you know, Italian, Moroccan, Mexican, on there, roasted in the oven with an inch of its life. So it's kind of falling apart, it's sweetened up, maybe a drop of balsamic on there, too. Suddenly you have a tomato that stands out like dog's paws. It bears an extra 5% gadget. That's what we want to do. But your team know. You need to brainstorm them. And happiness in a team and that positivity and that hi, how are you? comes from you. And it comes from walking in that door going, happy Tuesday. They see you've left your problems at home, the stress of paying the bills, not enough staff. You need to block it out. Yeah. And that's the hardest thing for an owner to do because you are carrying that weight on your shoulders. Constantly. But if you can walk in there and happy Tuesday to everybody, and you can expect the same from them. Don't walk in here with a hello. I'm interested in happy Tuesdays. Yeah. Just so happens the podcast comes out on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday to all of you out there. Are we on the same page here? What do you think what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 21:12

Yeah, I absolutely energy in the morning is absolutely important, specifically when you start today. Even if it's not a happy Tuesday, just say good morning. Well, no, you make it a happy Tuesday.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

That's the thing. You've got to make it.

SPEAKER_04 21:28

I've got staff that have worked for me for years, and when I see them now, they're like happy whatever a day day it is, because they know that's how I roll. If I walk in and I don't get uh like engaged, I'm excited to be here. We're sitting down and having a having a glass of water, not even a coffee, and I'm like, What's up?

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Mm hmm.

unknown 21:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:50

Are you okay? 'Cause I can't I can't. Fine, fine. Well, I didn't feel that when I walked through the door. I I'm worried about you. You know, I just got hello. You know, I I'm not I want to be here too, you know. Work shouldn't be a sentence. Alice. I want to I want to come to work. I want to be on fire.

SPEAKER_01 22:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:08

You know, I want to be happy. I want to have all my team to be happy. So, you know, nipping it in the bar. Sit down. Water. What's up?

SPEAKER_00 22:16

I'm I can speak from experience with that side of it because as a presenter, every time I get up to present in front of the audience, the switch has to go. Yeah, I could have had the shittest day leading up to it. I could have had everything in my date, like the other day. I was in Christchurch and I was going in to do a presentation in a retirement village, and right before I went in, this poor old lady drove straight into the back of my parked car. So I was dealing with that, and she was so she was rushing to go to the hospital for a husband and she was all stressed out. And I was like, no problem, it's a rental car, don't worry, we'll sort it out. Although the rental car company charged me $900 excess, just saying, um, even though it wasn't my fault. So that was the shit end of the day. But during I I had to go from that to walking in to present to a group of people, and I couldn't walk in and go, oh, well, this really old bitch. So I backed into my car. And anyway, now I'm going to talk about recycling. I had to, I have to just leave everything behind and walk in that door and present to them what I always as I always do.

SPEAKER_03 23:30

So I am trying to do that. Leave all my stress at home. And I'm just okay. It's the start of the day, we're going to have a good day. We'll think about whatever is going when I get home.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

Section it out like that. And I also find like within, and I've been learning myself in the last couple of years, because very, very busy, busy, busy, busy. And I've had to go, right? This is my time that I will sit and do my accounts. This is my and then I'm not going to think about it until I get to that time. This is my time that I'm going to work on my, like for you, your menu. This is the time when I and set those times with the staff as well. Like having team meetings, I've found, is having sitting down and and often like at the the beginning of the week, it's like sitting down. How was your weekend? So we all have a way, like download to each other for 10 minutes and then write, let's talk about this week. What is the one thing that we're going to achieve this week? Or let's set some goals for this week. And that way, because then you can sort out what's going on your board, what's your special, have you got something, you know, what's seasonal, I don't know, like whatever it is, because then you're everybody's on the same page.

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

You know?

SPEAKER_04 24:46

You want them to take ownership.

SPEAKER_03 24:48

Yes, yes, absolutely. Because I I am paying them. I'm paying them back to anybody who could offer them. I want them to behave that way.

SPEAKER_04 25:01

Well, no, you want peak performance out of our mates. You want a hundred percent out of them and you want an extra five percent.

SPEAKER_03 25:08

Because I matched what they asked for, I want them to match what I'm asking for.

SPEAKER_04 25:13

Yeah. But too often people do the bare minimum.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

Yeah, and I have to do that.

SPEAKER_04 25:18

And you have to inspire them. It's gonna start with you. Now, it's your dream. How do we get them to buy into your dream to make your dream come true? And that is the hardest thing. You are not alone here. I don't know a business owner that won't tell you that their team is the root of all their problems.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Oh no, it's the it's also it can be the root of all your success, too. So it's not always the root of all your problems. Your team, depending on who they are, can be the root of your success.

SPEAKER_04 25:58

But very rarely does somebody not have somebody that's not pulling their weight. Yeah. You know, and that's the hardest thing. And then finally they go, you know. I used to have chefs, you know, I go into one of my restaurants, Wellington or Queenstown as an example, and you know, the first thing they're telling you, oh, this person is driving me nuts. I want them gone. And I'm like, have you actually sat down and talked to them? Yeah. Because sometimes it's the devil you know, better what's the saying? Better than the devil you know than you don't know. Have you really worked with them to tell them how you feel in a nice way and tell them what you'd like to see happen? Because sometimes you can turn somebody around.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:46

But if you don't tell them, yeah, they're not mind readers. And then they do go and you think, oh, thank Christ for that. That's fantastic. Then you get somebody else, or you struggle to get somebody else in their worst. You know, so you know what I'm working on at the moment.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

But that's the investment side though, because you have to invest your time and skills and energy. And if you don't know how to do it, you need to get somebody who does to help you with that. Because otherwise, because you're an introvert, it's very hard to tell an extrovert how to behave if you can't do it yourself. So you can't.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

And at the moment, most of my team is introvert. We all are intro it.

SPEAKER_00 27:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:31

I don't know how I meant that.

SPEAKER_04 27:34

Well, maybe introverts are trained introverts. I think that's the thing you have got to think about.

SPEAKER_03 27:42

I can't hear your voice when you're talking to a customer.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

What is that?

SPEAKER_04 27:52

So that's where you So how are you gonna turn that around?

SPEAKER_03 27:56

Just slowly getting them used to the routine of the cafe and the work that we do, and then we're gonna have meetings. You're gonna walk on that.

SPEAKER_04 28:05

Let me tell you one thing about having owned a few of these things in my time. You make or break your business in the first, I think, two weeks of opening. And if you get it right in that first two weeks, the next three months will be easy. But if you don't get it right in that first two weeks, people don't feel that soul when they walk in, that welcome, the food good, the ambience good, the lights good, the music's good, the toilets are clean, the windows are clean, all of that sort of stuff. If you don't get all that stuff right, that culminates in people not thinking I can drive past three other cafes to come to you, and you spend the next year struggling. So you gotta get that is your priority is to get your team happy and excelling and book, you know, living the dream of pink broccoli. And you gotta make that happen quick, otherwise it's gonna be a good idea.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

How to make the team happy? I am an intuit myself, but I treat them good. I pay them what they ask for. I I have never said no to anything about the food, above the drinks, about we are having fun at the cafe, we are having breaks, or if it's not busy, you can have a seat. That's what I can do.

SPEAKER_04 29:33

That's what you've done, right? Yeah, that's what I have done. Okay, so you sit down with them and you say exactly that. What do I need to get you guys to buy into my dream? My dream is that everybody that walks through that door feels welcome way more than any other cafe.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:52

And the food is fast, and we work as a team and the food's good, and attention to detail. We care, we plate the food like we're plating it from my mother's last meal.

SPEAKER_01 30:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:05

That's the care and attention. And you ask them the question. Yeah. They'll have the answers, but you've got to sit down when the cafe is closed, get them all together, and you sit there and you ask that. And if you want me to come along and help you with it, I'm quite happy to come and do that. I can do it good in Ramsey, though.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

End of the day, I do not want to be on their heads as legs. Where is your but you have to say that.

SPEAKER_04 30:35

I can't say that with that bear it coming out for you, but I could facilitate it. Yeah. Maybe Kate could come as well, you know. Like, well, we'll we'll roll them up in a ball and roll them down the middle of the restaurant and we'll see who gets up and fights. Because that's the team you want.

SPEAKER_00 30:50

I'm like, I don't want, I don't want to roll people. But I I must admit though, like when you find the right person, like, for example, Brody's been with me for 12 years. And I, from my, you know, he can talk in his on his own. Brody's own by the way. But when like Brody started with me when he was 17. And then through that process, he did a degree, then, or bachelor's, or what was it, master's, or what I think. Well, yeah, he did his thing, you know, business management. And then he was gonna leave, and I was like, nope, no, no, no, no. So I was like, no, you're staying. And then, and then we have what I did though, and I think one of my I don't know, whether it's sometimes is good, and then sometimes it's uh it's uh you're you're vulner you lay too much vulnerability up. But I have tried to be very open, book, very honest, very like, what do you think? How do you think that would work? Like, how are we gonna do it? Not I I've never, I don't feel Brody might disagree, but I've never been like, this is how we need to do it, that's it, that's the path, this is what I expect. I've always been trying to grow my team, but also grow myself. Because it's not like you don't just start owning a business and then go, right, I am gonna be the perfect business owner, I'm gonna pay all the bills and everything's gonna be beautiful and I'll make money. You actually have to grow as a business owner too. Like when you started your first restaurant, Simon, you wouldn't have had all the answers. No, you learn. Yeah, you learn, you learn your mistakes, but also you need to learn with your team because then they will grow with you, and then as they grow, they become invested because it becomes our dream, not my dream, and and then their input becomes invaluable too.

SPEAKER_04 32:48

But I think the brodies are rare. You know, I really do. Uh, you know, I've got a Bex. Yes. You've got a Brody, I've got a Bex, you know. Must be the bees. Yeah. Beck started work working for me in 1994. She's been around a long time. She knows when to ignore me. She knows when to tell me to shut up. She frequently tells, well, not frequently, but often tells me that, you know, I tell everybody too much. I'm too, I'm too honest. But, you know, the Brody's and the Bexes of the world are invaluable, and I could never have done what I have done without Bex. And you've got to find that person. You've got to have one person. And in a kitchen hierarchy, you've got a head chef and you've got a sous chef. And the sous chef to me is the one on the ground with the infantry finding out who's unhappy, what they're not happy about, coming to me and going, you really need to go and have a little chat to Joe over there, because he's a little bit upset about something I'd said or something that somebody had done to them, or the hours he's got, or how much money he's earned. You need that person on the ground that's giving you the heads up when you need the heads up. Not running to you with a telltale story. No.

SPEAKER_03 34:11

I kind of have that person because I can be also like too honest at times. I think it's just kitchen makes you because you're always responding to what's going on as well, just as you go.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

So then that was just like you could tune it a little bit turning down a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

But that's that it's growing that into because it and it's hard because you've taken an existing business and now you're turning it into your business. Yes. And that's a journey in itself. And you've got the same staff who were in the existing business.

SPEAKER_03 34:50

We have changed most of that because even when I was working with Nancy, I was not happy with most of the stuff.

SPEAKER_00 34:58

Yeah, so you've been building your own crew.

SPEAKER_03 35:00

In the kitchen, we can't have too many people because we have a small kitchen and the kitchen is pulling the weight for everybody as well. So I was not happy with that.

SPEAKER_04 35:10

Yes. You need a team where the kitchen and the front of the house are conducting the orchestra together. You never want them and us. More important, it's one team, one dream. And we all, you know, the kitchen hand is as important as the owner.

SPEAKER_01 35:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:29

And that's what you've got to foster. I'm getting quite excited to come in now, and like we need to have a meeting with the staff, and we need time, and we need to just chat about everything. And we need to listen to them.

SPEAKER_01 35:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 35:45

And we need to do that before this podcast out, because we don't want any staff hearing what else it's right. And be careful what you say about the old staff, because they all remember. Yeah. They've all got long memories.

SPEAKER_03 35:59

Okay, so it's not. I I hope they won't take it personally because I used to tell them that. Even when I was an employee, because you worked with the person who was a bit passive, aggressive, doesn't say things out loud. It's like I am pulling your weight.

SPEAKER_00 36:20

Yeah, well, that's I shouldn't have to do that. But that's the thing is when you're a staff member versus an owner, that's exactly what you've got to take is that mentality of like when you were a staff member and they were colleagues, yeah, and you felt like you were pulling their weight, right? Yeah. So now you've got to look at your staff as you felt, that's then you've got to be able to put yourself in that position as an owner and go, I remember feeling that. And and you start recognizing patterns or things, and and that, and what you want to do is you always want to get that sorted before it becomes 10 things. So if you can see it's one thing, then and that's why I think the open, honest side of it, like as you said, sit, like go just front up, because sometimes people don't, they don't some people will come to you and tell you, yeah, and you know, and you're like, great. But some people will just, you know, they turn it mount uh like a what is it, mountain into no molehill into a mountain. You're gonna get it the right way around. But then it it just grows and grows, and the tiniest little thing that somebody's doing grows and grows and grows and grows, and all of a sudden they lose their shit.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Yeah. Because it's you know because that that was me.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:43

I I would keep it, keep it, keep it in the case.

SPEAKER_00 37:46

And then blow your top.

SPEAKER_03 37:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

Yeah, because you care.

SPEAKER_03 37:49

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:49

You care.

SPEAKER_03 37:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:51

And you know, I I I'm I'll blow my top. Because no. But it's once I've said it, it's because I'm looking out for the business or whatever we're doing, and then it's gone. Yeah. You know, if you want to carry that for the next three weeks, that's your problem. And it's got very PC this world. So I have to be a little bit more careful now because you know, as I'm told, I'd say too much what I think, but now we have to be very polite to I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 38:23

We can be polite, but if you see me running on my toes, I want you to be running on your toes as well.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

So that's what you have to set up as a team expectation. And also speak from experience as a customer.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:38

Like going into a cafe, and I was in one the other day, and I was just standing there, and this person took forever to take the order. And I'm just like, really? Like, can we like come on, like, you know, like every and it was just like I don't have a problem if somebody's chatting or you know, whatever, just briefly, but literally these two just kept chatting, kept chat. There was me and then probably five other people standing behind, just waiting to order a coffee. And we're like, did like, come on, come on, come on. So it's sort of like you've got to learn how you also need to train your staff how to have a welcome order conversation, which is this short, not that long, yeah, and then move on. Like we need to because then when you're not busy, you could pop over and say, Oh, and that's just you know, but that's part becomes part of an owner's expectation of how things should run, right?

SPEAKER_04 39:40

I I agree, and I think you mentioned training, and unfortunately that person has not been trained properly. And I give you a little example. I always say to people, hey, look, I might say something that's pretty harsh, but it's for the right reason of wanting performance out of you for the rest of the team. But when people start working for me, why do you want to work for me?

SPEAKER_01 40:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:08

And generally they say, I want to work because you're a chef and good, supposedly, and they they want to work for me. And we've got a young guy here who's working for free now to live work experience, and you know who I'm talking about, okay. And sort of quite slow to start off with, still at school. And I said to him, Lock, when you go out of here, you're gonna say, I work for Simon Gold. And I want people to think you're a rock star because it will get you jobs, yeah. It will get you a job, you'll walk into a job, no problem coming out of here. So I'm gonna be hard on you. I'm gonna make you really good. And he was getting something out of the oven early on, and I and it was the slowness. And I said, stand back, give me the cloth. This is the speed we need to get this out of the oven. Boom, boom. I don't have time to wait around for the slow stuff. Smart kid hooked onto it straight away, moved up again. We're now not walking from A to B like this, we're walking like this. The kid has it. He will be fantastic. And and he's coming to do some work experience with you as well. I will offer him a job as soon as I've got another restaurant, and he will be good because he listened. But you I either have people that work for me for a long time or two weeks.

SPEAKER_01 41:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:42

If they make it through the two weeks, we're all good. And the guys that don't last two weeks probably say I'm a complete arsehole.

unknown 41:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:51

But I've sorted it out, and the rest of the team of high-fiving means that person's walking out the door, thinking, well, we don't have to work with that person, right?

SPEAKER_00 42:01

At least I don't work for you. Yeah. Two weeks, they would have been like, boom, out of here. Yeah. No, you'd be good, Kate.

SPEAKER_04 42:11

You're good at those dishes. Although you turn up to a few of these things saying, I'll be your sous chef, and then she's out there just chatting to everybody. We'll have to work with it.

SPEAKER_00 42:19

Why don't you nick it in your house? Well, I'm being front of house. I'm being front of house. You can't be a sous chef, front of house, and you know, Broicy, the onion chopper. Nav. Nav. Employer she.

SPEAKER_03 42:38

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 42:39

And you know, she'd love some help. Yeah. Like you might have a skill out there that you think Simon and Kate don't know what they're talking about. Nav will welcome any offer of support.

SPEAKER_03 42:53

I'm actually looking for somebody who could do a social media for us, who like specifically a newer, newer generation person who is quick with things. Actually, I'm looking for that.

SPEAKER_04 43:04

Okay, well, I'm looking for somebody young who understands all this stuff. Maybe we could share that person.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

I know someone, so just yeah.

SPEAKER_04 43:12

Okay, and we need to that because you know, these big companies, yeah, you know, they take so much money and they don't understand that margins and food, whether it's a restaurant or in a deli like Gold's Deli, it's quite a lot of things. They're a lot more. Yeah. And you know, they want you to spend five grand with them a month. Yeah. Do you know how much food you need to sell to make five grand?

SPEAKER_03 43:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

A lot of money.

SPEAKER_03 43:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So much money.

SPEAKER_00 43:35

And if you're wanting to know how we got here to actually start talking to Nav, make sure you watch the episode or listen to the episode, which was in it was in about March, wasn't it? When we did the because it was before. Oh no. Oh, you'll find it. Just look up Pink Broccoli. We'll we'll put a link. Push that. In the description below. There'll be a link. Brody does all that sort of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 44:00

But that that episode's pretty cool. So Simon Squibbs was in New Zealand. You might have seen him. He's a billionaire out of the UK. He travels the world asking people, what's your dream? And in the case of Nab, when he likes somebody and thinks they deserve it, he makes it happen.

SPEAKER_01 44:18

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 44:19

Wonderful man. And the episode totally worth watching. But watch the space with Nab. You know, I'm excited and I'm keen to help. So if she's got no staff when you go in, you'll know that I scared them off on.

SPEAKER_00 44:39

Well, that's it from us this week. And we'll be back again next Tuesday. Happy Tuesday.

SPEAKER_04 44:45

Happy Tuesday. And don't forget to subscribe and spread the word about the Forking Good podcast with Kate Fenwick and the beautiful nav from the pink broccoli.