Meet Kayla from Applejack

Apr 21, 2022

Kayla has worked for Applejack Hospitality as a casual employee for 3 years. She works full-time hours & is an asset to Applejack. Kayla has often won Applejacks ‘Unicorn of the month winner’, weekly Incentives at Bopp & Tone and always has a smile on her face. She provides guests with an excellent service every day, her personality & banter beaming through. That’s why Kayla is our Employee of Choice. 

Tell us a bit about yourself – how did you get into hospo?
My name is Kayla, I’m 27 years old, originally from Auckland, NZ. I moved to Sydney just over 5 years ago because I wanted to challenge myself in a completely different city. I actually got into hospo when I was about 16 - working at Pizza Hut if that counts, but after I finished school I joined a bunch of my best mates at a sports pub just for an excuse to hang out with them some more. Turned out I really enjoyed it, a couple of years went by and then I moved on to a cocktail bar, and then a few years after that I moved on to the restaurant side of things and found I loved that even more than bartending and have been doing it ever since.

What’s your favourite thing to make?
People laugh. Ah see you thought I was gonna mention food but I’m thinking outside the box here. I love making people laugh

Fave tv show
Ooft, it’s a tough call, but I’d have to say either The Wire or Boardwalk Empire. If you haven’t watched them do yourself a favour!

One utensil you can’t live without
Honestly, my AirPods. Not sure they are necessarily a ‘utensil’ but I can’t go anywhere without listening to music. Just feels wrong.

What do you love most about working for Applejack Hospitality? 
I’d probably have to say the lack of pretentiousness - the fact our owners Hamish and Ben know everyone's names and take the time to get to know you. They have also helped out during chaotic periods like Christmas, even if it’s just running food, which makes all difference and shows they care/aren’t too good for anything. Also, Applejack definitely has a great culture which seems to attract the best kinds of people. Over the years they have somehow managed to find a huge number of absolute legends to staff all their venues with.

What do you love most about working at Bopp & Tone 
Ultimately I’d have to say the team, of course, they are like my dysfunctional family and I have so much fun spending 40 hours a week with such a great group of people. I also love our style of service, again there is no pretentiousness whilst still remaining professional and it’s a lot of fun for us as well as the guests while still being smart and schmick (that’s definitely a word please just go with it). 

What do you love most about being a waitress?
Lots of things, it’s pretty hard to pick. A big one is just the time I get to spend with guests – meeting all kinds of people, the banter, building rapport, the satisfaction of being part of their experience.  I also love how good Bopp & Tone Management is, they definitely encourage everyones personality to shine. I know I definitely couldn’t work in a super fine dining place, I’m sure I have the skill but nah I need a place where I can be 100% myself, loud and sassy and happy.

What do you love about hospitality
I’ve met some of the greatest people in my life through this industry, a lot of them still really good friends of mine many years later. I think it takes special people to do well in hospo, the whole industry is as equally trying as it is satisfying… it’s a high stress environment and you’re working in close proximity with your team 40 hours a week, constantly problem solving and schmoozing, all with a smile. It can take a toll but at the same time I don’t think any other industry provides the kind of “second family” closeness that one comes to experience in a hospitality job. Particularly in those busy periods, it’s so intense that you can’t help but all bond over it and grow respect for everyone who shares that same experience with you.

Covid 19 has had a huge impact on the hospitality industry. What have been the main challenges for you during the past year? How have you learned to overcome them
I hate to say it, but the main challenge was completely based on financial stresses in the first lockdown. Everything was so up in the air, it took a while for the government to provide support for the hospitality industry, and because I was paid hourly I didn’t have a lot to fall back on at first, when we closed. I knew so many people going through the same thing as well. I suppose I learned to overcome the lack of financial security in hospitality by working in a different industry for a while during lockdown to support myself. Another thing that was really challenging for me was not seeing those same people I was used to seeing every day for so many months. 

What do you think will be the biggest game-changer in hospitality over the next 5 years
Ultimately, keeping in mind we are now living through a pandemic as a society and will continue to do so for the next few years at least, I think some of the most important attributes a business can have are versatility, flexibility and adaptability in this current climate which has so much uncertainty. By that, I mean things like takeaway cocktails, QR codes at tables for ordering, delivery apps etc.
So for the future, I would say a big game-changer would be places that think outside the box in terms of keeping people socially distanced. A friend told me about a bar in England that had lots of arcade games and pinball machines with beer taps attached to them so you just pay for the machines and serve yourself, no middle man needed. It’s always busy too. I think that’s genius and a great example of a new concept that’s viable in this world. 
 

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