Michael Good friend – hospitality legend and Cobb & Co trailblazer dies –

Tribute: The New Zealand hospitality trade has paid tribute to icon and pioneer, Michael Good friend, who has died after a short battle with most cancers.

Hospitality New Zealand Chief Government Julie White says Michael, who was a Hospitality Corridor of Fame recipient in 2014, made a tremendous contribution throughout his greater than 50 years within the trade.

“Michael was a real icon of our trade.There merely wasn’t something about hospitality he didn’t perceive and hadn’t encountered, and we’re indebted to the work he did in main massive modifications to trade coaching strategies that we see at present.

“He had that nice knack of presenting a balanced however supportive view. Michael was a key member of our Auckland Department till very not too long ago when well being points took priority.

“He labored tirelessly as the pinnacle choose for our annual Awards for Excellence for some years, kindly travelling extensively throughout the nation for this. The trade scene gained’t be fairly the identical with out him. He shall be sadly missed.”

Hospitality NZ Board member Russell Grey stated: “He was Department President previous to me and I couldn’t have wished for a extra loyal and studious contributor throughout my tenure as President.”

Michael Good friend, 70, had huge and various expertise in hospitality in most cities and areas throughout New Zealand and alongside the japanese seaboard of Australia.

His first foray into the sector was in 1972, when he was within the first group of resort administration trainees recruited by New Zealand Breweries, now Lion.

Over the 28 years that adopted, he labored throughout all kinds of Lion’s managed, leased and franchised enterprise items, each in New Zealand and within the japanese states of Australia.

He spent his early years studying the enterprise in two of Wellington’s best inns of the day, the Lodge St George and The Waterloo.

His first trail-blazer position was serving to to construct the Cobb & Co chain that launched New Zealanders to reasonably priced informal household restaurant eating. After opening a Cobb & Co in Hamilton in 1975 he grew to become an integral a part of the group that grew the chain to twenty-eight eating places – the thirty fifth largest restaurant chain on the earth with revenues of $40 million.

In 1981, Lion despatched him to Australia to ascertain Cobb & Co in Sydney, and when he returned he took on a wide range of resort regional supervisor positions which led to his appointment as Basic Supervisor for the 60-hotel Hancock chain, and later as Basic Supervisor of Lion’s 150 leased inns.

When the resort enterprise got here to a shuddering cease with the introduction of the 1989 Sale of Liquor Act, Michael led Lion’s resort sell-off, earlier than serving to them do the other in Victoria, Australia, to assist them develop market share of beer manufacturers acquired from the defunct Bond Brewing empire.

He was on the board of the Lion Basis charitable gaming belief for 10 years.

In 2001 he was appointed CEO of the Loaded Hog brew pubs and the One Purple Canine chain. In more moderen instances, he led the operations group of the Portage and Waitakere Licensing Trusts in West Auckland. Michael left the Trusts to seek the advice of to the hospitality trade.

Michael served for a decade on the trade coaching organisation Hospitality Requirements Institute, six as its chairman, throughout which period it overhauled coaching strategies and ideas into the trendy developments within the supply of meals, beverage and lodging which are used at present.

A memorial to have fun Michael Good friend’s life shall be held on Friday December 9 at 2 pm at The Parnell Lodge and Convention Centre, Gladstone Rd, Parnell Auckland.