Restaurant owner Dean White has opened a third Wellington venue for the first time in six years. He tells Sarah Catheral that eating at a restaurant should feel like eating at home.
Dean White has recently spread thinly. His Asian street food business and Italian restaurants are already popular and are now a mix of Middle Eastern restaurants.
One of the challenges of owning three places is not being able to stand on the floor as much as he wants.
“Guests like to know who is cooking for them,” says White. “That said, having multiple restaurants has good benefits.”
Jericho Rock Archer / Staff
Restaurant owner Dean White has opened a Turkish restaurant, Kisa, on Cuban Street in Wellington.
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A 31-year-old restaurant owner opens a restaurant with enthusiasm not seen in the capital for decades, despite staff shortages, rising food costs, and the continued impact of Covid-19. Part of a new generation of up-and-coming restaurant owners.
White grew up in Wellington, studied hospitality and economics at the University of Otago in Dunedin, where he ran the waterfront restaurant Plato. After three years in food sales in Wellington, he moved to Auckland, where he managed Bird on a Wire, a chicken-based restaurant with takeaway, and then returned to the capital to set up a store.
White runs a restaurant under the banner The Dining Room Group. He chose this name because he thinks his meal should be treated like a guest in his home. More broadly, he is a big fan of Wellington and says the city deserves “good food and a good concept.”
Britman / Staff
Dean White’s first restaurant was Mr. Goes, who served modern Asian Hawker-style cuisine.
He brought Asian street food to Wellington when he opened MrGo’s in 2016. This is a lively restaurant serving pan-modern Asian cuisine. White calls it “fast casual”. The $ 12 baozi bread comes out soon and appeals to various diners who don’t want to spend a fortune.
Two years later, he bought an ombre on Cuban Street. This is an Italian restaurant reminiscent of the shabby chic backstreet bars and eateries that are popular in Italy. He is currently expanding at Kisa, a Turkish-style restaurant across the street.
Kevin Stent / Staff
Ombra is an Italian restaurant on Cuban Street, reminiscent of Italy’s popular backstreet bars and eateries.
It’s a long-standing dream come true. Growing up, White was eating with her family at Cafe Istanbul on Cuba Street. There she loved sitting on the floor cushions and dressing in kebabs.
“I always thought there was a Middle Eastern restaurant room in Wellington,” says White. “In my opinion, Cuba Street has enough Italian food. I don’t need any more.”
Johnny Taggart is Kisa’s executive chef and head chef Chris Morgan has joined the kitchen of New Zealand’s only Jospermangal (charcoal barbecue) grill.
Jericho Rock Archer / Staff
Like other venues in Dean White, Kisa saves half of the table for walk-in diner.
Unlike other Wellington restaurant owners like Leonardo and Lorenzo Brezorin, White doesn’t have it in his blood, unlike taking their father to a restaurant deal. Instead, he describes himself as a more entrepreneur, looking at the culinary gap in the city.
All three of his venues are about “friendly meals”. If the table cannot be booked, 50% of the seats will be reserved for carry-on.
White sees Kisa as an opportunity to showcase New Zealand food and drinks. In particular, tourists from abroad will finally arrive again. He offers Marlboro wines and national spirits, and considers “eating locally” to be an overkill buzzword.
“I’m not trying to wave a flag with a good footprint. I think the nice thing about going to a restaurant overseas is that you’re doing something you don’t have at home.”
White shrugs when asked about the wisdom of opening a new restaurant in the current market. He doesn’t talk about staffing pressures and sets out to pay competitive staff.
According to a recent survey by the Restaurant Association, 80% of restaurants are raising prices due to rising food costs, and White is also affected.
“This means that you need to cut popular dishes that aren’t making any more money, such as when the $ 4 to $ 7 plate price rise doesn’t work, and make quick, sometimes hard calls. To do.”
Jericho Rock Archer / Staff
According to a recent survey, 80% of restaurants have increased in price due to rising food costs.
White says the diet has become more sophisticated in recent years for shows like Master Chef.
“Ten years ago, if you mentioned the source, Sriracha, no one would have a clue what you were talking about,” he says.
“We can underestimate how proficient some people are in cooking, and the blockade has allowed everyone to cook better.”
White welcomes the challenge and says that shortage creates creativity.
“We need to use everything, minimize waste, and think seriously about each ingredient on the plate-it needs to be there, what does it add?”
Being frugal and sustainable is no longer just a fad, he adds.
“Now it’s also a simple and smart business. That’s a good thing.”