Peter Nield Email & Phone Number

Sydney & Mid North Coast, Australia • Auckland, New Zealand

In addition to the full-time and part-time positions I have held and with over 25 years front line industry experience in Australia and NZ. I have also worked in many different roles to help both established and emerging restaurants, cafes and bars get their front-of-house in order.From the design stage, working with architects, builders and getting the doors open on schedule, to fixing service issues, sorting out operational problems, putting systems in place, hiring and training staff, developing/designing menus, editing content, and much more - I love it and get a buzz from it all.My approach is always professional and always discrete, from simply listening, learning and sharing ideas, to hands-on trouble-shooting and working as part of the team, right through to performance auditing and confidential recommendations.

Kerikeri, Northland, New Zealand

While living in NZ for a couple of years, I worked at the wonderful Marsden Estate Winery in Kerikeri. On my frequent visits back to NZ over the years, I had been a happy customer here on many occasions. The restaurant and cellar door are located in a magical setting with a large covered terrace looking out over the gardens and lake to the vineyards beyond. The food is always fantastic, using the freshest ingredients and the best local produce. Their award winning wines are superb, the multi-medalled Black Rocks Chardonnay being my personal favourite! The service is always warm and friendly, nothing is too much trouble, special requests are met with a smile and a 'can do' response every time. It was great to join Cyndi, Rod, Brenna and Sera and become part of the team for a time. Open 7 days for brunch and lunch plus dinners from time to time, it gets busy at Marsden and everyone pitches in doing whatever is needed which is how I love to work. From taking orders and waiting on tables, to making coffees and running drinks and food, to conducting the ever popular wine tastings at the bar/cellar door - the place is always abuzz with the sound of happy diners and servers - love that!

Danks Street, Waterloo, Nsw Australia

I had known Michael Rantissi ever since he first opened the doors of Kepos Kitchen. I love his modern take on traditional middle eastern and mediterranean flavours and was one of the many happy customers there whenever I had the opportunity to call in for lunch or dinner. When Michael opened his second restaurant Kepos & Co complete with authentic wood fired Taboon style oven just a few minutes down the road from his first, it was a huge success almost immediately. Kepos & Co happened to be in my very own neighbourhood and when I discovered they were looking for staff, I called in for a chat and was delighted to be able to join the front of house team almost straight away. Kepos & Co was a busy place - open for dinner 6 days plus breakfast and lunch on weekends. The service was just how I like it - knowledgable, fast moving and friendly. The food of course was fantastic! I loved being able to learn about all things middle eastern/mediterranean in an exciting new way and enjoyed both the many return customers and also the first timers, all of whom would invariably depart with big smiles on their faces, vowing to return again very soon - perfect.Sadly like so many other establishments, Covid and lockdowns took their toll and Kepos & Co has now closed and consolidated with the original Kepos Kitchen which thankfully is still going strong!

Darlinghurst, Sydney

Working closely with owner Simone Lai, I did several stints at Onde over the years helping her run the front of house of this ever-popular and sadly missed Sydney institution... 'you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave'

Sydney, Australia

I joined REGATTA Rose Bay as General Manager in 2014 and worked in this role for just over 2 years. As GM I was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the day to day operation of both the Tide Cafe and the Restaurant & Bar of this Sydney Harbour institution (previously The Pier), constantly developing and growing the brand while I was at the helm.I oversaw and directed REGATTA's social media, a vibrant and integral part of the restaurant's success, building up our on-line profile significantly during my time (even the Kardashians booked us out for lunch!) and working closely with our events and PR teams.During my 2 years at REGATTA, I helped steer the organisation into what it ultimately became - one of Sydney's most stylish and sought after dining experiences. I appointed Executive Chef Damien Pignolet and Head Chef Michael Morrison - who came on board bringing their reputations, their experience and their culinary visions, and joining me in laying the strong foundations for the restaurant's celebrated reputation. Sadly, I noted that REGATTA closed its doors in late 2020 for the last time - a shame the owners decided not to continue. It was a pleasure to steer the ship every day when REGATTA was one of Sydney's most popular eastern suburbs restaurants and bars - I loved my time there. Fortunately this iconic venue in the most wonderful of locations has now become The Boathouse Rose Bay (part of The Boathouse Group) and I wish the new owners every success.

Waterloo, Sydney

With a brief to set up a slick yet casual wine and tapas bar, MOJO (located in the Luke Mangan Group's warehouse headquarters in Danks Street, Waterloo), I worked closely with Luke and his executive team to create something truly unique!A 6 month role, my job ranged over several areas including interviewing and employing staff, putting in place the front of house team and setting up the venue itself entirely from scratch.From ordering cutlery, glassware and furniture, getting uniforms made, sourcing, selecting and liaising with suppliers, getting the point of sale system installed and tested, etc, etc... to staff training, putting systems in place and implementing a service model not only appropriate for the style of venue but one which would actually work as the business grew... to the day-to-day operational management which included handling the very busy functions and events side of the business which literally took off as soon as the doors were open and mojo was up and running.This was a big exciting project but it also required careful attention to detail at a local neighbourhood level and our approach ultimately paid off as we were very well received by neighbours and local residents when we opened the doors. It was particularly satisfying for me to see MOJO attracting such fantastic reviews from food critics and leading bloggers within a very short period of time. After a time, MOJO morphed into Luke's Kitchen and it was gratifying to see the place going from strength to strength whenever I walked along Danks Street. Sadly however, like so many other hospitality businesses, the pandemic and lockdowns of 2020 took their toll on Luke's Kitchen and the doors closed for the last time in 2021 - I wish Luke and his team all the best for the future.

Sydney, Australia

I was approached by head chef and co-owners Damien Pignolet and Ron White to head up their brand new French bistro-style restaurant, Bistro Moncur at the re-launched Woollahra Hotel. From the very moment we opened the doors, 'The Bistro' was a smashing success!As Restaurant Manager I was responsible for overseeing the high-volume of customers (heady days of 250+ covers a night), managing a wait-list of often high-profile patrons, liaising with the beyond-busy kitchen, and managing a top team of waiters and bar staff. In 2000 I was asked to expand my role with the company, Evenrace Pty Ltd, to become the Hotel's Licensee & General Manager. I saw this as an incredible opportunity to not only build upon my hospitality experience but to take it to brand a new level.By the end of my time at the Woollahra when the Hotel was ultimately sold, I had accumulated knowledge and hands-on experience in a number of new areas including the acquiring & developing of new properties (The Bellevue Hotel, Paddington & The Sackville Hotel, Rozelle). I played a significant role in helping to transform the old Woollahra Hotel into a highly successful, multi-venued hospitality establishment housing several new private function spaces, an additional indoor-outdoor rooftop restaurant/bar purpose built to accommodate changes to government smoking legislation at the time, and a boutique retail wine store. I am eternally proud of what we achieved and to have been part of the redevelopment of this iconic Sydney establishment right from the start.

Kings X, Sydney, Australia

I first heard about the Bayswater Brasserie (Sydney's hottest restaurant at the time) when I arrived from New Zealand and I was keen to make it my first Sydney gig. Everything about it impressed me - the extensive menu, the fresh live flavours, the little cocktail bar out the back, but most particularly the attentive, friendly, never-forget-anything service. With no vacancies for a waiter, my first role was as a bus-boy where early every morning I squeezed oranges for hours on end. Four years later I was the manager. Life was never the same again.