Simon Bayer is the Front of House Manager City Co-op at SKYCITY Hamilton. He is well experienced in all things hospitality, having worked from a dishwasher job all the way to managing restaurants. He began his time with SKYCITY in October of 2016 and has really enjoyed his experience so far, read more to find out!
Describe your current role:
As a Front Of House manager, I look over all the staff from recruitment to training, staff issues, rostering, looking at stock control, stock management, dealing with customer front line service, customer standards and ensuring they are all up to spec, budgets and back of house tasks, liaison with other areas and functions. It’s pretty cool because it’s over five outlets, something I’ve never done before and it’s awesome. It keeps you on your toes and keeps you busy.
What did you do before you joined SKYCITY?
Before I joined SKYCITY, I was working for ‘The Training Bureau’ where we did hospitality training, specifically food safety training and the licence controller qualification. I had quite a lot of experience regarding the sale and supply of alcohol act and that’s what I was doing for the last two and a half years. Previous to that, I was managing the Agenda nightclub. It was where I started in hospitality as a 'dishy' and worked my way up to being a general manager.
What do you enjoy most about your current role:
What I enjoy the most is that nothing is the same everyday. Similar to a police officer going to work and not knowing what calls they’re going to get, I may have no idea what I’m going to work on in a given day. I might spend all day in the office or I might end up making coffee, serving burgers and pouring beer. The versatility of it is something I find really interesting, you’re not just stuck in a pub setting, you have a cafe, a fast food burger joint, cocktail bar and a restaurant - it’s awesome.
What challenges do you get with your role?
The challenges are always around rostering staff and trying to anticipate when the busy times are going to be. I’ve got different outlets and it might be a busy morning or week at the coffee post because of a particular event, but it might be quieter in the evening. It’s the unknown that is the real challenge but it is part of what makes it exciting!
What do you enjoy about working at SKYCITY?
I really enjoy working at SKYCITY Hamilton because the people here have been fantastic to work with - from the executive level right down to the staff that I work with. I also enjoy the versatility that comes with the work. Also, SKYCITY is the largest entertainment destination and that’s what I really like about it, a lot of people may look at SKYCITY as being just a casino, but here in Hamilton, we have it all. We’ve got bowling, a sports bar, a city co-op with all the restaurants and bars, and functions in addition to the Casino - we have it all.
What would you say to anyone considering joining SKYCITY?
As long as you’re motivated to do your job and put in the effort to learn, SKYCITY will definitely help you to evolve. I’ve seen one of the staff member recently go from coffee post to a senior role and then suddenly going into the HR office. She has evolved throughout time and there are definitely opportunities here. If you want to pursue a career in hospitality or any area, then opportunities do become available if you’re willing to put in the effort.
Which of SKYCITY’s employee benefits do you enjoy most?
The $2 coffee is a winner for me everyday! Also, car parking discounts, it’s either free or $2. I’ll spend $2 if it’s raining to park downstairs, and to me that is huge. The $2 staff meals, I don’t bother packing a lunch anymore, I can’t make the lunch that I get here for the price that I have to pay at a supermarket.
Is there anything about SKYCITY that makes it different to other work places?
The number of opportunities here to develop and move around in different areas is really something that’s quite exciting. I’ve only ever worked for owner/operators where budget is more limited and there are limited opportunities. The reason I left the job at the nightclub was because I made my way to the top and I couldn't go further, there was nothing else I could do. There was nothing I could take over and take control of or project management.
Here, there’s a lot more flexibility and a lot more that you could learn. If you learn a lot about one outlet, then there’s always all the other outlets to learn more about. There are always opportunities to learn and develop and I think that is a big thing.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I really enjoy music - I play the saxophone. I also enjoy watching rugby and playing social sports like squash, tennis and badminton. I have a real passion for wine as well, I do enjoy collecting some of those finer bottles when the bank account lets me.
Thank you for sharing your story Simon! You are a real asset to SKYCITY Hamilton and we can't wait to see how you would take SKYCITY Hamilton to greater heights.
