Ignoring those QR codes when you drop into the supermarket? Can’t be bothered when you grab a coffee? The people serving you notice, and you’re freaking them out. So far, New Zealanders’ use of the Covid-19 Tracer app has been notably woeful. Food industry workers who’ve watched streams of customers walk straight past their workplace’s … Read more
Data released by Stats NZ today shows the impact of Covid-19 on New Zealand jobs during the June quarter was disproportionately felt by women. Mary Jo Vergara from KiwiEconomics breaks down what it all means. Women have historically fared well in times of war and crisis. During the Second World War, there was a dramatic … Read more
As the pandemic escalates, New Zealand’s already-struggling restaurants and bars are wondering how they’ll get through. The New Zealand hospitality industry is bracing itself as the coronavirus pandemic continues to escalate. Chinese restaurants have been hit hardest, with many entering their second month of seeing business down by up to 50%. But now, in the … Read more
A downtown Auckland institution, the 28-year-old foodcourt Food Alley is soon to be demolished. Alice Neville and other Spinoff staff visited at lunchtime the day after the news broke to see how diners and stallholders were feeling. My earliest memories of Auckland life revolve around Food Alley. ‘Twas the summer of 03/04 and I’d come … Read more
The reward for being a smoker in the hospitality industry? Extra break time than non-smokers, causing many hospo workers to pick up the bad habit. For years it’s been a running joke in the hospitality industry that in order to get more breaks, young workers should start smoking. But it turns out there’s actually some … Read more
Two years on from her open letter to Andrew Little on his vow to slash immigration numbers, Israeli-born Yael Shochat, who owns Ima Cuisine in Auckland, writes about the harm the changes to the work-to-residence visa will do to the hospitality industry. Last week I, like many who employ immigrants, received an email from Immigration … Read more
Why are bitter cocktails all the rage? It could have a little something to do with Sother Teague. We humans emerge from the womb with a sweet tooth – that’s why you’re more likely to see a baby drinking breast milk, which is slightly sweet, than propped up at the bar nursing a Negroni. Seriously … Read more
Cave à Vin founder Zane Kelsall says he has been in ‘intense therapy’ following sexual misconduct claims in Halifax. Last week, The Spinoff published a story about Cave à Vin, a new wine bar on Auckland’s North Shore. The story hailed the vision of its owner, Zane Kelsall, who had recently emigrated from Canada with … Read more
Hospitality is a legitimate career, and a hard one at that, and it’s about time it’s treated like one. I recently stopped working in a beer bar in Edinburgh. I worked there full-time for 20 months and loved it. But there are two questions I was consistently asked by my customers that irked me. The … Read more
While KFC staff are desperately trying to draw attention to their terrible working conditions, people are losing their shit over a chicken burger. Over the weekend, as their staff begged them for better working conditions, KFC sent out an email to influencers and media inviting them to a party. KFC relaunched their Double Down burger … Read more
Chloe Ann-King wants to set up a digital union providing hospo workers with tools such as a ‘Rate My Boss’ scheme and an online pay checker. In Chloe Ann-King’s 14 years of working in the country’s bars and restaurants she has seen staff underpaid, harassed by members of the public, and exploited by employers. This … Read more