Lisa Quarrie grew up in Auckland and has always loved food and cooking. Since her first job washing dishes at a deli in Newmarket, Lisa worked in kitchens around Auckland through her university studies, and the environment stuck. She met her husband, Brent working in Kingsland and together they decided to follow their dream of opening a place of their own. Their opportunity came via a mutual friend, and without hesitation, the pair upped and left Auckland for Hamilton. Together, they set up and ran a café for nine years, before opening Hayes Common in 2016.
In Hamilton, and at Hayes Common, Lisa and Brent are known for their breakfast and lunch fare and have staked a name for themselves as a great casual evening dining option too. Loving the fresh, punchy flavours of SouthEast Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the pair aspire to have their fingers on the pulse of international trends, flavours and inspiration. Having kitchens of their own has allowed them the freedom to explore flavours they enjoy from around the world.
Working in the hospitality industry, Lisa loves that no day is the same as another.
“I love the buzz of getting through a busy shift, seeing your team perform with energy and poise under immense pressure, and knowing you've put a smile on lots of people's faces.”
Lisa finds hospitality is a great training ground and offers opportunities for those who want to be their own boss, travel, and work with a variety of people. With skills transferable to other industries, anyone with a good attitude and willingness to work has a guaranteed job and open doors. However, the industry is not without its challenges.
“Until people are prepared to pay more for the product hospitality businesses produce, it's going to be a constant battle to juggle wages, price increases and job shortages.”
The reality of tight margins means businesses must be extremely savvy to survive. Lisa knows the unfortunate reality that prices are going to rise and the battle to break the tough mentality of consumers' expectations to pay the same prices they paid 15 years ago. With the loss of workers in the industry due to upheaval from the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenge also lies in enticing good people back.
“Collaboratively, we've got to work on bringing the fun back to our workplace, increasing wages and providing some sort of work/life balance - it's a challenging task in any service industry, but not impossible!”
Lisa and Brent recently opened a second establishment, Weave Eatery in Ruakura’s Innovation Park. The daytime café in the heart of the growing business precinct offers great connection to its people and place - something the pair are big on. The challenge of renovating and opening a café throughout lockdowns was done with the help of their outstanding team.
“Your team is everything, and learning to delegate and share responsibility is one of the biggest things we've learned - you can't do it all on your own, and surrounding yourself with good people makes all the difference.”
Hayes Common is a neighbourhood eatery offering creative, robust food, beer, wine, and great coffee in Hayes Paddock, Jellicoe Drive, Hamilton East.
