[ad_1]
The loss of international tourists dealt “an extreme blow” to Auckland’s rebranded Number 5 restaurant, Mela, which will close later this month after nearly two years focused on staying afloat.
Owner and executive chef Jack Crosti, who previously worked at well-known Auckland restaurants Sidart and Beirut, bought the decades-old fine-dining restaurant in 2019, revamping it with his wife, Caitlin, and reopening in late 2019.
By the time Covid-19 arrived, it had operated at full capacity for just three months, and it has not recovered, he said. For the past 16 months he has run the kitchen alone, working 18 to 20 hours a day on the business.
“Obviously, this immensely affected my mental health,” Crosti said.
READ MORE:
* How the perfect wedding turned into a Covid nightmare
* Hospitality businesses face closures and reduced hours as staffing shortages bite
* Covid-19: Restaurant owner reluctantly ‘leaning towards’ getting vaccinated to save business and jobs
Despite government financial support, Covid restrictions and the closed borders have hit many hospitality businesses hard, including some of the country’s most famous dining spots. Popular Auckland restaurant Euro closed last year after 22 years, blaming the pandemic.
The Restaurant Association said late last year that an estimated 13,000 jobs in the sector had gone after about 1000 businesses shut.
Crosti said he had been through some dark periods, but was surrounded by friends who had helped a lot.
“Caitlin, my wife, has been the person that really supported me the most and gave me the energy and the motivation to keep going.
“But I reached a point where I’m feeling exhausted mentally and physically, I’m enjoying what I’m doing, but I don’t know if it’s worth any more to sacrifice my health for this game.”
Renamed in late 2020, Mela was called one of Auckland’s top restaurants in 2021 by Metro magazine.
Pre-Covid, contracts with overseas tourist companies from Japan, China and Singapore ensured an average of 30 to 40 diners three to four times a week. Other tourists, from New Zealand and around the world, stayed at the neighbouring Cordis Hotel and dined at Mela.
The complete loss of international tourism “has been an extreme blow to our business”, he said.
Crosti borrowed money to keep the restaurant alive, expecting things to improve.
“I had to cut lots of expenses for the business, but never sacrificing the quality of the product we were serving. Cutting expenses meant cutting staff, but there are barely any people available to hire anyway.”
SUPPLIED
Despite the difficulties, Crosti wouldn’t advise someone against opening a restaurant.
The restaurant was not sustainable with just half of it open, he said.
The budget was significantly reduced after every lockdown, and it was not possible to expand or change the way he ran the business.
For Crosti, who was born in Italy and worked as a chef in other countries before coming to New Zealand, the decision to close was one of the hardest he had made.
“My wife and I have put a lot in the developing of Mela, with hundreds of hours on the renovation to make this place something that represents who we are, every detail of the restaurant has a meaning and a little story behind it.
“I’m very attached to it emotionally, we have done everything ourselves. It was a dream come true.”
The last service would be on January 29.
“After that I’m planning to be out from the kitchens for a while to focus more on myself and my mental health,” he said.
“I’m definitely going to be in the hospitality business but in a different way for the foreseeable future.”
The uncertainty around Covid made the industry almost impossible for a lot of people, he said.
“Every news story stresses you out, and you are constantly asking yourself if there will be another lockdown and when.”
The staffing shortage was also unprecedented, he said, and even famous restaurants such Fleur’s Place in Moeraki had had to close because staff did not want to get vaccinated.
But despite the difficulties, he would not advise someone against opening a restaurant.
“In fact, starting now is probably is a good moment to do it with the knowledge we have gained, and with things getting slightly better I see some growth in the hospitality business and the market.
“It won’t be same hospitality as we remembered from two years ago for a while though, probably a bit harder but not impossible.”
[ad_2]
Source link
