Cafe ‘champ’ celebrates 20 years in job
Rotorua’s “hospo” scene is changing as the world adapts to Covid-19 times. Despite the upheaval, there are some who are still loving every single day and wouldn’t change a thing. Reporter Kelly Makiha meets a Rotorua waitress who has worked at the same cafe for 20 years and talks to those in the industry about why hospitality can still be a great career.
Waitress Caro Grammer loves her job at Capers Cafe so much, she’s barely had a sick day in 20 years — apart from that time she needed open-heart surgery.
This week marked 20 years since Capers opened its doors and Grammer was ready and waiting for the customers on that first day. She’s stayed in the job ever since.
Finding hospitality staff who stick around the same job is a rarity in the industry, especially since the Covid pandemic struck.
According to a Restaurant Association Hospitality Report, the number of people working in the hospitality industry in Rotorua peaked last year at 7569. The figures for this year were not yet available.
But those in the industry say it’s still the best job — whether it be to boost confidence, meet people, make money on the side or develop a longterm career.
Grammer, 60, said she not only wouldn’t do anything else, she wouldn’t work anywhere else — and being fed on the job was part of the attraction.
“I call it my food heaven.”
She started working for owners Gregg and Susan Brown when they bought out her previous workplace, Trelawney Cafe, on Fairy Springs Rd.
“Gregg came in and said he was buy- ing it and said ‘I’ll take her, her and her with me.’”
He wanted the Trelawney food and wanted to ensure no one was left without a job.
“They are just good people and there’s not a lot of them out there. When you get a boss like that, you don’t want to go anywhere.”
Besides the bosses and the food perks, there are other benefits.
“It’s just an exciting place to work. So many famous people come through here. Cliff Curtis has been coming to Capers for 20 years and reckons I’m his favourite waitress, and all the young people around you keep you young.”
Before Covid-19 struck, she enjoyed working with overseas travellers on fixed-term contracts.
“We’ve had all sorts here. I feel like I don’t need to travel the world now.”
Grammer still works full-time but has taken a step back from the duty manager role after having open-heart surgery five years ago.
“I’m lucky to be alive really, but that’s the only time I’ve ever been sick at Capers, that’s how much I love it.”
Gregg Brown, who has also owned the Pig and Whistle since July 1995, described Grammer as “gold” and a “champion for customers”.
“If ever there’s a problem she will overcompensate to make sure people are happy . . . I have absolute confidence she does everything right and in her own smiley way.”
Brown said looking after staff, especially during economic crises like New Zealand was experiencing now, was more important than ever.
“I made a commitment to staff we would do our best to keep everyone employed. While we’ve had some people move on recently, we have managed to keep the team together. It’s cost us a bit of money but your business is nothing without your team.”
He said during his time owning the Pig and Capers, he’s had a mix of career hospitality workers and those who used it as a way of making money to fund other goals.
One former duty manager, Gene Tomlinson, was still pouring beer while working as a lawyer and this year became a district court judge in Whanga¯ rei.
Hospitality stalwart Sharon Wallace has trained many of the region’s hospitality workers for more than two decades and said despite the difficult times the industry was facing, there was still no better career.
She said the industry had changed since her heyday in hospitality.
“When I started as a young mum, we got double time, triple time, laundry allowance, travel allowances . . . it was a very financially beneficial industry. I went and did retail for two weeks but went back to hospitality and never looked back.”
She said it had been a wonderful career path and she had achieved many goals, including serving lunch to the Queen at the Rotorua International Hotel.
Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said remaining sustainable could be a challenge but passion, paired with the love for food and service, kept people strong in hospitality.
“A lack of great people is often cited as the biggest challenge in our industry, but there are some truly great employers and employees out there.”