Get it right
from the start.
Build the foundations before opening: budgets, menu costing, service standards, onboarding and practical systems. Give your team clear expectations and the confidence to deliver from the first service.
Independent hospitality advisory · AU / NZ
Great hospitality.
Stronger business.
Great service, capable teams and a clear view of the business.
I work alongside hospitality owners and managers to strengthen service standards, support their teams and improve commercial performance. From a fresh look at the operation to practical help putting changes in place, I bring experience, focus and direct advice.
Explore reviews & pricingReviews from $950 NZD including GST · New engagements from January 2027
Start with a free 20-minute conversationWho I work with
Opening. Expanding.
Bringing a group together.
The right support looks different at each stage. I work alongside owners and managers to put the service standards, people, numbers and systems in place for what comes next.
Get it right
Prepare for
the next venue.
Understand what the next venue will need. Review the numbers, management capacity, service standards and training, then put a practical plan in place for growth.
See each venue.
Understand the group.
Build consistency in service, onboarding, reporting and cost controls across the group. Give managers clear ownership while retaining what makes each venue distinctive.
Already running one venue and looking to strengthen performance? I can help with that too.
Talk through your next stepWhere I can help
Hospitality is a complex business.
It pays to stay on top of the detail.
Great hospitality takes more than good systems. Service standards, capable teams and commercial discipline all matter. I help you take a clear look at the operation, identify what needs attention and put practical improvements in place.
A clear view.
Practical priorities.
Take a fresh look at commercial performance and day-to-day operations. Identify immediate fixes, understand the bigger decisions and agree what to tackle first.
Explore this serviceGreat hospitality.
Consistently delivered.
Review the guest journey, floor operations and service standards. Help teams deliver a consistent experience while keeping each venue’s own character.
Explore this serviceClear expectations.
Confident teams.
Give new starters a practical introduction to the venue and help managers coach, train and lead their teams through service.
Explore this serviceConnected information.
Smoother service.
Make POS, stock, reservations, rostering and accounting work better together, with clearer reporting and less double handling.
Explore this serviceThe numbers behind the message
Stats NZ data shows that 41% of New Zealand accommodation and food services businesses born in 2019 were still active in 2025. That is a six-year business-survival measure covering the pandemic period, not a restaurant insolvency rate.
In Australia, CreditorWatch reported a 12.03% closure rate for cafés, restaurants and takeaway food businesses in the 12 months to July 2026, compared with 6.69% across all industries. Closures are broader than financial failures.
Sources: Stats NZ Business Demography 2025, via Figure.NZ; CreditorWatch, July 2026 Business Risk Index. These figures describe sector conditions; they do not predict an individual venue’s outcome.
Practical help, directly with Dan
Practical experience.
Working alongside you.
I bring 25 years across hospitality operations, founding drinks businesses, CEO and COO roles and boards. I work with you and your managers to turn the priorities into changes that work during service.
Meet Dan- Look at the whole operation
Direct advice on the guest experience, team capability and commercial performance, with a clear view of what needs attention first.
- Make service standards practical
Clear expectations, useful training and routines that help teams deliver consistently through a busy service.
- Give managers room to lead
Focused project support, better information and clear responsibilities, so managers can stay close to their teams and guests.
Focused project support
Why bring me in when you have capable managers?
Your managers are already balancing service, rosters, suppliers and the guest experience. Finding space to step back, review the operation and lead a focused improvement project can be difficult alongside those daily responsibilities.
I bring operational experience, dedicated time and a focused approach to getting the work done. Working alongside your managers, I take ownership of the agreed review or project, keeping it moving while they stay focused on their teams and service standards.
We prioritise improvements that can make a difference early: a smoother reservations-to-floor handover, clearer onboarding, accurate recipe costing or more useful wage reporting. We agree the starting point and track the measures that matter to your operation.
Your managers remain involved throughout. When the work includes implementation, they finish with practical training, clear responsibilities and the confidence to maintain standards beyond the project.
A straightforward way to start
A clear plan.
Practical delivery.
Start with a conversation, choose the right review and agree the priorities. Any implementation or ongoing support is scoped and quoted separately.
Understand the priorities
A free 20-minute conversation about your venue, the challenges and where I can help.
Get a clear view
Choose a defined review of the business or systems, or agree a tailored scope for your group.
Put the plan to work
Take the recommendations forward with your team, or bring me in to deliver agreed improvements.
Keep progress visible
Agree ownership, measures and any ongoing support needed to sustain the changes.
Reviews & pricing
Know where you stand.
Know what it costs.
Fixed-fee reviews for one venue. All prices are in NZD and include GST. Each review gives you advice and priorities you can act on, whether or not we work together afterwards.
A focused starting point
Business Health Check
$950NZD · includes GST
Owner discussion, review of supplied trading information, written priorities and a follow-up call.
See what’s includedUnderstand the setup
Systems & Workflow Review
$1,500NZD · includes GST
A review of POS, stock, reservations, rostering and accounting, with written recommendations and a debrief.
See what’s includedSee the whole operation
Full Venue Business Review
$3,500NZD · includes GST
Commercial and operational review, one on-site service observation, written findings, a 90-day plan and an owner debrief.
See what’s includedImplementation, group engagements and ongoing advisory are quoted to scope. Any travel outside an agreed local area is quoted beforehand.
Compare the packages and inclusionsMake the business case
Small improvements.
Meaningful value.
$20,000 per year from a one percentage point cost improvement on $2m in annual sales
That is an illustration, not a savings promise. We use your own numbers to assess the opportunity, the effort and the cost of making the change.
NZD. The calculation uses sales excluding GST and assumes unchanged sales. Project fees and additional software or support costs reduce the net benefit. Review package prices include GST.
How we assess valueBuilt around your operation
Build on what
already works.
The right changes should make service smoother, support your people and make commercial sense. We work with your venue’s character and your team’s knowledge, then focus on the improvements that matter.
Working across Australia and New Zealand, with an initial focus on Queenstown, Dunedin and Christchurch. Reviews and workshops can be delivered remotely; service observation and other on-site work are agreed around your operation.
New engagements from January 2027
Let’s talk about
your business.
A free 20-minute conversation about your venue, your priorities and where practical support could help.