For my major project I am working with Applejack Hospitality company. (AJ) The company is 15 years old and has grown from a small 1 venue restaurant, closer to pub style, in Bondi, to now 12 vastly different venues and growing still.
My interest in this area spiked as Mark Dunn’s seminar mentioned his work into the history of Wynyard escalators and the histories of Sydney’s pubs. This dive into public history couldn’t be surmised better than the places we frequent to eat and drink, Sydney’s hospitality industry. I picked Applejack as I have worked in their Kirribilli venue, The Botanist (TBK), for a couple years – which admittedly has given me ‘the in’ with many executives.
My project is taking shape as an oral history project, in the form of interviews with Applejack’s employees. By creating an online magazine, I can combine my creativity and utilize what I’m calling the ‘untraditional archive’. This is made up of design plans, old menus, and dockets, etc. The employee ranges range from floor and bar staff all the way to Head of Beverage, Marketing, HR, and the CEOS. I am aware of the daunting amount of work I have cut out for myself. I have highlighted 5 of the 16 interviewees that the magazine will highlight with one main venue to spotlight.
When examining the justification for a project like this, I fall to: How has Applejack grown and thrived within an industry that is constantly ebbing. Hospitality culture has its faults like any other industry and the long everchanging hours burns staff out quickly. That being said, I chose to believe and hypothesize that Applejack’s belief in people and a healthy culture is the reason they have been able to retain staff, grow, and thrive.
Further than the interviews, I am looking into scholarship and media around hospitality companies in Sydney. This helps to contextualize my project within larger hospitality industry. I have worked with other hospitality companies and though you inevitably find friends where you work, the culture everywhere else is vastly different from AJ’s. As I am focusing on TBK, I can investigate the history of the building: transition from a Gentlemen’s Club to an Italian restaurant to now a ‘local neighbourhood gem’.
One of the interviews I am quite excited by is my co-worker Charlotte and her parents. Charlotte grew up in Kirribilli and came to TBK for dinner on a semi-weekly basis and become a beloved TBK regular. Over the past ten years Charlotte has seen countless menus cycle through and now works as a waitress. Funnily enough, I met her years ago looking after her family and knew her parents regular wine order before putting two and two together. I am also
As I have scheduled about half of my interviews, I can see the project taking shape. After each, I am sharing a link to a shared folder for interviewees to search for ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage of the company which I am quite excited for.
Curtesy of The Botanist Kirribilli Instagram run by Applejack.