His first BurgerFuel experience was walking into the Ponsonby store and falling in love with the environment. “The fast-paced atmosphere and the food was outstanding, and I simply wanted to be a part of it”.
Never one for the 9-5 lifestyle, he lives for the challenges that he faces everyday with owning his own business, particularly in hospitality, and gets a great deal of satisfaction on seeing through those challenges to a resolution. He’s always been solution focused by nature and attributes that to his engineering roots.
One of his biggest challenges is encouraging his staff to stick to procedure and keep the consistency, which is so important with a franchised business. He finds that his staff are so well trained and proactive that they want to change or improve systems or steps – sometimes a gentle reminder that ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is required.
He enjoys teaching his staff the skills needed to own their own business one day. “I truly want to see them move on and become their own boss. I want to see them succeed”. He feels that the BurgerFuel network of franchisees is very supportive and he endeavours to replicate that supportive environment within his own team. “It’s important to me that they can approach me if they are struggling and in need of advice or help. I try to be accessible to them and working alongside them really helps, as you can get a feel for staff who need a hand, just by chatting together as you work”.
