Geronimo - A celebration of hospitality in Launceston.
Jeremy Kode of Geronimo Aperitivo Bar & Restaurant gives us an insight into creating a unique experience in hospitality. We chat with Jeremy about the fundamentals of a successful hospitality venue, and what the future may hold for hospitality design post pandemic.
Tell us a little bit about the Geronimo journey?
With a background in hotel management at a swiss hotel school in Adelaide, I was fortunate to experience a number of different internships that led me to working in China for four and a half years. With overseas travel, I got to experience some incredibly talented people who had opened up venues. Being able to see how different concepts were created and how spaces were fitted out. In Italy especially, I saw some of the more traditional venues executed in an authentic, old school way rather than flashy designs. From the experience I gathered, both in working and travelling, I amalgamated it into what I thought I could bring to Launceston - a different experience than what was already being offered. This design and concept of Geronimo is a culmination of my experiences thus far.
I wanted to create something a little different for Launceston.
What was your process for creating the venue?
A number of things impacted the development of Geronimo. I had developed a concept, written a full business plan and I had a pretty clear idea of what it was that I wanted to achieve. It took me about two years to find property. I ended up looking here in Launceston, I looked in Hobart, and I even looked in Italy because I hadn’t been able to find anything locally. Fortunately I came home and found this building, I had looked at several properties, and there was nothing that quite fitted. I remember walking into this building and looking at the park across the road, thinking to myself it had a really happy, lovely vibe about it which made me feel at ease. This enabled me to start refining the concept I had to fit the location.
What elements are key for a successful hospitality experience?
There is a huge number of considerations that make up a great experience, obviously you have the design of the space, you want people to feel as comfortable as possible and feel welcome. The space itself needs to match the brand experience you are trying to provide, and also the style that you are hoping to achieve - whether it’s food, service or interior. For example you wouldn’t expect a fine dining experience in a grungy dive bar, it’s about being able to balance and match the entire brand experience. The concept of food, service and drinks and everything that goes along with those aspects, it all needs to match and it really comes down to the details - the quality and type of cutlery and glassware that is provided.
Everything has to be fit for purpose
How would you describe the Geronimo experience?
For us, we focus on experience and sharing. We want people to come and sit down for dinner and engage over great food and wine, using the time to spend with each other. Our menu is a little different in the sense that its a combination of European and Mediterranean inspired food which is unique for Launceston. Alcohol is a really big part of what we do at Geronimo, we have an amazing bar with great bartenders who serve great drinks - our cocktails are the best in Launceston. We also have a big spirit collection available.
What we have done is taken food and alcohol and created a unique service.
Having been in the hospitality industry day in, day out - how do you feel the interior of these spaces impact staff?
When the team walks into a venue that is not only well designed, but clean and well maintained, they feel more at ease and it’s not a battle to come to work everyday. They want the business to succeed and maybe that’s where we will see design continue to improve in regards to flow and making life easier for staff. It’s also about making sure that staff have everything they need in the space to succeed in their role, and to complete it in the easiest way possible, as apposed to designing the space with primarily front of house space and limited operational space.
What has your experience been with poor layouts?
We have all been to restaurants and bars where people are cramped in, and therefore its not a comfortable visit, or where the space hasn’t been designed well, making it difficult for the staff to do their job which leads to a frustrating experience for both staff and customers. Noise is another big problem. Poor furniture is never any fun, and the selection of crockery and cutlery is very important.
Bathrooms also play a big part. I know people harp on about them, but if the bathrooms are clean and well designed, people feel more comfortable as they know that if the business can at least take care of the bathrooms, then everything else behind the scenes is likely to have been accounted for. People don’t like spending money on bathrooms, and therefore they often go without thought.
How has COVID-19 impacted the hospitality experience, and what can we expect post COVID?
For us, we have been through a number of evolutions, I can’t speak for anyone else in their experiences and how COVID has impact them. Our space initially was turned from a restaurant into a bottle shop, and we were fortunate that the Launceston community supported us really well.
Coming out of that, we had to allow more space between tables to accommodate for social distancing. What we are seeing now is that people are really supporting local businesses, and they want to have a great experience when they go out. Expectations are quite high for experience. People do appreciate going out more than ever before, everyone previously took those life luxuries for granted, and now we realize that they are luxuries and they are really great.
People will still design venues to maximize the ability of the venue in relation to the concept. Whether it’s takeaway capacity or dining capacity.
Advice for someone looking to start a hospitality venture
PLAN. PLAN. PLAN. The more planning and information you can arm yourself with before you make the jump to open your own venue the better.
The rate of failure for new businesses is high, it’s not easy to start up - especially a new venue. Be sure to know exactly what your fit-out will cost you, and don’t over estimate yourself. Your financials need to match every else, and you’ve got to be planning very conservatively so that if things don’t go as planned you have a buffer which is absolutely key. You need to understand that you will be putting a lot of work into your venue to make it work.
The design of hospitality venues is very hard, there are so many different elements that you need to consider.
When you are designing a space, you need to be thinking about how the service will work. You can have a space that looks great, but if it’s not practical, then what? It really is a balance of aesthetics and functionality.
In the selection of equipment for the space, ensure it fit’s into the space and accommodates well for the future of your business.
WORDS | Jeremy Kode
IMAGES | Provided, Geronimo.
