Rotorua has great style and locals might not know what they've got here, says television MasterChef judge Ray McVinnie.
The food writer and professional chef was invited to Rotorua in June to do an appraisal of hospitality culture and service standards in Rotorua, as the Inner City Focus Group had concerns with the quality of service and generally negative reputation of Rotorua.
Mr McVinnie presented his findings yesterday at a workshop organised by Raising the Bar, an initiative run by a group of local business people who want to help Rotorua become the best place in the country for friendly, efficient and high-level service.
Mr McVinnie said before and during his appraisal, he heard different things about Rotorua from visitors and locals.
"Someone who was not a local described Rotorua's hospitality sector as a culinary desert but then locals I talked to during the appraisal said service could be amateur and unsophisticated and had many examples of bad service experiences."
In his 29-page report, Mr McVinnie said his own experiences of service were quite good but he found it inconsistent and generally lacking in confidence and sophistication.
He visited several key places in Rotorua, evaluating their present state and making suggestions on how to improve.
Mr McVinnie said Eat Streat was a convenient cluster of food outlets but needed to be finished in a way that "reflects it as a dining precinct rather than a group of independent outlets".
"While the roof appeals to me because of its unifying and aesthetically appealing design, there is a disconnect with the rest of the complex."
He said a sense of community needed to be encouraged among operators and the rules about liquor could possibly be reviewed "so that it can have some sort of common liquor policy that doesn't restrict consuming alcohol to the place it is purchased".
He suggested a system of "Eat Streat vouchers" or "Eat Streat dollars" that could be redeemed anywhere in the area to encourage a more cohesive dining precinct.
District councillor and Inner City Revitalisation portfolio leader Karen Hunt said Eat Streat was like a "new unfurnished house".
"You want to put in all the furniture straight away but one, you don't have the money, and two, it won't feel like home.
"Eat Streat is at the point where we are wanting to put in green space, seating, and a fountain but we need to see where that all fits in."
Ms Hunt said retailers in Eat Streat needed to decide how they wanted to use the space and overcome issues like liquor licensing.
"Finding a solution to the liquor licensing problem is not insurmountable but is something somebody needs to drive, and that is not council."
Mr McVinnie said while the museum and its grounds were beautiful, the cafe was uninspired.
"At present your cafe is not making a profit, which is a waste. For such a prime site, the cafe is unremarkable but has the potential to be a real drawcard by redecoration.
"It should be as attractive as the building it is housed in."
His suggestions for the cafe included a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Kiwi tearoom decor and food.
"This may sound ordinary, but with careful planning, a creative style consultant and operator, this could be unique and successful.
"It would have great appeal to tourists and locals appreciative of good quality food and an interesting atmosphere."
Ms Hunt said the museum cafe was an "area of focus moving forward".
"This is not a problem experienced only in Rotorua and we are working towards making the cafe a drawcard on its own."
Night Market
After experiencing the Rotorua Night Market first-hand, Mr McVinnie said it was as good as any he had been to. He said the experience was authentic and the event should be expanded.
There was high praise for the Rotorua Night Market.
"Markets are not just about shopping and food, they are social places that build community and an easy way for tourists to meet the locals."
He said there was no reason why there couldn't be other regular or "special occasion" markets.
"There could be a Chinese market as part of Lantern Festival, an Indian market for Diwali, a farmer's market, a kids' market, a Christmas market.
"They all stimulate good food and service, build community and attract tourists."
Local perception
Mr McVinnie said there was a local perception that crime was a big problem in the city but statistics showed it was no worse than anywhere else in the country.
He also said local perceptions of Rotorua's shopping and dining sectors were about "the grass being greener in the rest of the country".
Mr McVinnie said while service could always be improved, personal taste may have played a part in locals deciding what good service was.
"Some people complained that an example of bad service was being addressed by service staff as 'yous'.
"Being called 'yous' by a waiter who is otherwise delivering efficient, friendly service doesn't make it necessarily bad service for me.
"I just think of it as an interesting or quaint dialect, something I like when overseas."
Mr McVinnie said there were things that could be improved and fixed but Rotorua was a "fantastic place with incredibly good people".
"Rotorua has a great style, unique to the city and locals may not recognise it when comparing to other cities. It's really about fixing local perception."
Ms Hunt said she was happy with the presentation and both the national and international perspective it provided.
"Ray reminded us to see the city with fresh eyes and be proud of it. I think many of us have forgotten what a jewel of a place we live in."
Raising the Bar spokesman Heinz Fett said it was a successful presentation that raised some good points and provided useful information.
"It was a pretty good evaluation with lots of positive things said about Rotorua and I think he highlighted that the service situation here is maybe not as severe as we thought."
In response to Mr McVinnie's conclusion that local perception needs to change, Mr Fett said perception frequently became reality.
"We need to get local people talking positively about ways we can improve the sector in order to change people's perceptions."
