When Niall Sandison arrived in Australia 18 years ago, he discovered every week was a culinary adventure. Nothing has changed, personally or professionally. Niall’s most recent professional culinary adventure is his promotion to the role of Hunter St. Hospitality General Manager of Premium Venues Victoria.
Previously the General Manager of Rosetta Ristorante, Niall now oversees all aspects of operations for Saké Hamer Hall, Rosetta and Spice Temple Melbourne – three premium restaurants within the Hunter St. Hospitality portfolio.
Thirty-Year Hospitality Career
It’s a big step up, but Niall has it covered at Hunter St. Hospitality. He has been in the hospitality industry for 30 years. His hospitality career started on a part-time basis in a local pub in Balerno while he was in secondary school. He washed dishes, prepared vegetables and absorbed the inner workings of hospitality life. At home, he was often in charge of cooking dinner for his family. And later he undertook an apprenticeship as a chef. So, you could say that a hospitality career is calling for culinary-obsessed Niall.
Career Change
Niall was born in London and raised partly in a small fishing village in the north of Scotland, then Edinburgh. After leaving school he worked in Insurance before going on to study Electrical Engineering. However, he always kept a foot in the door of hospitality due. He was lured by the social nature of the profession.
After a few years working in restaurants and hotels in London, Wellington, Dublin and Austria, he undertook an apprenticeship as a chef. He moved to Australia not long afterwards.
Melbourne’s Culinary Adventure
Niall has spent 18 happy years in Australia. “Having worked with many Australians before arriving here, I had heard all about the vibrant multicultural dining and arts scenes in Melbourne,” Niall explains. “It seemed like a logical choice. I was not disappointed. I was amazed at the breadth of restaurant options. Every week was a culinary adventure.”
Niall joined Rockpool Bar & Grill Melbourne as a section waiter in 2008. He stayed for two years, working also as a bartender and a host. He joined Spice Temple Melbourne when it opened as a Restaurant Manager. After a few years, he left to run his own business. He returned to Hunter St. Hospitality as General Manager at Rosetta in 2018.
Hospitality Joys
Asked what it is that he enjoys about working at Hunter St. Hospitality, Niall explains that hospitality has always been a passion of his.
“I come from a large family, and we ate dinner together almost every night – often cooked by me,” Niall says. “This basic human connection and show of love through a shared experience has always stuck with me. Translating that into the guest experience is one of the greatest challenges and most satisfying of feelings.”
Now with a trio of Hunter St. Hospitality restaurants to oversee, Niall is looking forward to upskilling, understanding a more macro view of the business, and passing on some of his experience.
“The hospitality industry has seen so much flux and lost a vast amount of knowledge in the last two years,” he says. “It won’t ever be the same again. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing, more like a clean slate and a chance to reinvent. I feel it’s my duty to embrace the change and help teach and rebuild, as part of the Hunter St. Hospitality team.”
If you’re inspired by Niall’s story and would like to work alongside him at Hunter St. Hospitality, view our career opportunities here.
