There’s more to opening a new restaurant than fitting out a space and cutting the ribbon. It takes years of hard work and dedication to a challenging yet rewarding craft to reach this point.
Every chef has a different and often deeply personal journey with food that extends beyond what arrives on plates. Their food tells a powerful story of who they are, where they grew up, the flavours that shaped their passion and the people that inspired them. Sharing that story with a community – in a way that nourishes them and makes them feel at home – is a special privilege.
But opening and running a restaurant also requires a savvy business mind, especially at a time when people have less money to spend. The hospitality sector has been through a tough period recently, marked by lockdowns, cost of living challenges and supply chain woes. Yet, amidst a difficult operating environment, the strongest businesses invested in their communities, providing warm and friendly havens that put smiles on faces.
That’s been the ethos of two of Australia’s culinary stars, Scott Pickett and Josh Niland, who have established well-loved dining institutions that have become respected in their communities. Despite having vastly different journeys and approaches, they both recognise the importance of getting the simple things right: hiring good people who serve good food that makes people happy.
To celebrate American Express delicious. Month Out, we spoke with Josh and Scott to understand restaurant ownership and how the people around them inspired them to succeed.
How Scott Pickett was shaped by food, kindness and humility
Scott Pickett is a polymath when it comes to food, ingredients and seasonality. He’s worked around the world with some incredibly talented chefs – including a stint with Phil Howard at two-Michelin Star restaurant The Square in London – and operates eight restaurants across Melbourne, where he was born. Scott's passion for food started with one of his earliest mentors.
“Growing up, we spent a lot of our school holidays down at my grandmother Audrey’s place, which our restaurant at The Continental Sorrento is named after,” Scott says.
“She was a simple cook, but what she made was bloody tasty. We’d have roast lamb, chicken or pork on Sundays with all the trimmings, which was a very special family event. Or midweek, she’d make us beautiful classics like corned beef with parsley sauce, or split pea soup with lamb shanks; just beautiful, homey food.”
Scott moved to South Australia at a young age, settling on a 20-acre farm in Kangarilla. With a huge veggie patch, fruit trees and livestock, including cattle, sheep, chickens and ducks, he grew up surrounded by fresh produce.
“When you spend a lot of time on the land, you’re cooking a lot. You’re growing vegetables and you’re looking at the seasons to understand when the fruit trees are coming through,” Scott says.
“That sparked a real appreciation in me for product, sense of place and seasonality.”
Scott’s interest in food flourished into a full-blown passion very quickly, culminating in the executive chef position at The Point in Melbourne, and later the opening of his first restaurant Estelle in 2011. He’s since started a range of incredible ventures, including Chancery Lane, Smith St Bistrot, Longrain and Audrey’s. One of his proudest moments was the opening of Matilda, named after his daughter.
“Matilda was a building and concept that we created from scratch,” he says.
“It was a patch of dirt, and it took a nine year project to get it from a dream concept to the amazing restaurant that it is now. When it opened, I remember thinking that this started as an idea in my mind and we’re now standing in something that people have poured a lot of hard work into, embracing this dream. That’s a beautiful thing.”
Scott says the biggest priority for any new venture is always making people feel welcomed and recognised. He says even if you have the best food in the world, people won’t come back if you don’t treat them with kindness.
“The core fundamental for us is that we’re a hospitality business. Our job is to be hospitable,” he says.
“That’s as simple as smiling, showing appreciation, saying please, thank you, opening the door for a customer on their way in and closing it on their way out, giving them that extra bread roll because they asked for it. We want our restaurants to be places for friends and family to celebrate special moments, have great dinners and feel special.”
With people eating out less often, he also advises business owners to rethink their budgets and the value that they’re providing their community. This includes changing up or simplifying ingredients when necessary, using second-hand equipment, and developing special offers tailored to customers.
“We do a Sunday roast at Estelle that includes three courses and a glass of wine for $50. We’d typically charge $90-100 for that kind of meal but it’s about giving back to the community,” he says.
“It’s one menu, zero wastage and it creates an amazing family-friendly atmosphere that gives people the Sunday roast experience that I used to enjoy.”
Josh Niland’s pioneering twist on fish
As one of the Australian hospitality scene’s most innovative pioneers, Josh Niland is changing the way people think about cooking, transporting and storing fish. Josh – the owner of Paddington’s iconic Saint Peter fish restaurant – has led a ‘fin-to-scale’ revolution, focused on using every part of the fish and treating it more like other meat.
His journey started when he was recovering from a rare illness as a child, finding a sense of comfort in food that inspired a passion. After working in cafes and earning an apprenticeship at a restaurant in Newcastle not too far from his hometown of Maitland, he got the opportunity to work with esteemed chef Peter Doyle at the Est. Restaurant in Sydney. Peter left an indelible mark on him and inspired him to take his craft to the next level.
“I learnt so much from Peter Doyle’s discipline and humility,” Josh says.
“When you’re exposed to these types of individuals at a very young age, it’s incredibly inspiring, and motivating, and also shows you what hard work can turn into.”
In 2009, he had the opportunity to work with leading fish chef Stephen Hodges, whose pioneering way of working helped set Josh on his current path.
“I was very fortunate to work with Stephen, who is one of the best fish cooks in the country, and arguably, the world,” Josh says.
“He had a radical approach at the time that was quite polarising. From cooking and serving fish medium rare to having a static cool room where fish would stay fresh for longer.”
Josh took learnings from his mentors and opened one of Sydney’s most respected culinary institutions, Saint Peter, in 2016 with wife, Julie. His innovative and delicious take on fish, which ranges from swordfish belly bacon and kingfish liver pâté to a classic style salt and vinegar King George whiting, quickly won over his community and the restaurant became one of the city’s must-visit dining establishments.
Josh and Julie are now taking on their next challenge by taking over the 14-bedroom boutique Grand National Hotel, which will also become the new home for Saint Peter in July.
“We started planning the move five years ago and the motivation behind it is to try to build a telescopic view of the future,” Josh says.
“We want to create a beautiful, timeless environment to share our love of hospitality and creativity. The hotel provides a beautiful and professional home for years to come that doesn't carry as many operational and aesthetic challenges as the original space.”
Moving a much-loved restaurant carries many challenges, with the new larger space offering the 40-seat restaurant itself, as well as a 30-seat bar and private dining room.
“We’ll need to mobilise a larger team to operate across all spaces, as well as overseeing housekeeping and hotel management,” Josh says.
“We don’t want to rely on the success we had at the original venue. We want to start again and demonstrate our ability as a team to create a unique and special place for guests to come and enjoy themselves.”
Despite their success, Josh and Julie aren’t immune to the challenges that hospitality business owners face. Josh says it's been tough to navigate the rising cost of executing a restaurant service, with very little room for error from a business perspective. However, much like Scott, Josh says that keeping a laser focus on making diners feel happy and appreciated is extremely important.
“The goalposts of consumer behaviour are constantly shifting, although the core elements of hospitality, kindness and consistency never change. They’re timeless,” he says.
“We’re always investing in the people in our team to ensure we’re providing an excellent experience for our guests.”
Focusing on people, community and kindness as a standard for success
Scott and Josh exemplify the dedication, innovation, and resilience that define success within hospitality. Both chefs, through their distinct paths, underscore the indispensable blend of passion for their craft and acumen for the business aspects of running a restaurant.
Their stories are a testament to the power of food preparation, not just as a trade but as a medium of community, heritage, and innovation. As they continue to adapt and innovate, the impact of their work extends beyond their kitchens, influencing the broader hospitality industry while altering how people appreciate the cultural and social aspects of dining.