OUR PEOPLE, LIKE US
Within our family at People Like Us we love the People as much as we love the Hospitality Industry.
That’s why having the right people on our team is a goal of ours.
We strive to hire people who believe in the same Values as us.
PJ & SAM
HEAD HONCHOS
PJ & Sam are very much part of the local community. Having both lived and worked in Arrowtown prior to moving back there in 2012, they always knew this is where they wanted to be.
They both have an overwhelming passion for the Hospitality Industry and love to fill their teams with like-minded people. Whether it be a new senior member of staff, or a person curious about the industry joining the crew, these two love to provide a fun, safe and creative place to grow and push your skills.
Food, drinks, atmosphere, culture and art are all part of their vision of providing a great hospitality to their loyal fans and first time diners alike.
These two are always seeking out the best systems to keep their teams up to date and informed not only in hospitality but in business as well. People Like Us, Sam & PJ, are big fans of Open Book Management and growing a strong workplace culture.
Pop in and see for yourself!
KATIE TOTHILL
FRONT OF HOUSE OPS
Kate started as a waitperson at La Rumbla in 2016, then progressed to the Restaurant Manager of Slow Cuts, and onto Operations Manager of People Like Us towards the end of 2019, leading a team of 15 front of house staff across our two venues.
For Kate working in the hospitality industry in the current environment has been both challenging and rewarding, pushing our teams to be the best they can be, and stimulating creative problem-solving in order to keep the business pushing forward.
“Our open-book management and systems such as Loaded Reports and Jolt have certainly aided in the growth of the business during this difficult time and has helped us to streamline accountability for costs.
Arrowtown holds a special place in my heart. The locals in our community are certainly my favourite part of my job. Seeing familiar faces and hearing all the fascinating stories they have to tell keeps every day new and interesting. Hospitality is unlike any other industry- every day another challenge arises, inspiring creative problem solving, and I enjoy that no two days are ever the same- you never know what to expect!
I am excited to see where People Like Us extends in future, I am a shareholder in this Company. Working in such an innovative and visionary workplace is very special. I’m excited to see what venues we expand into in the next 5 years, and can’t wait for new and exciting adventures along the way. “ – Kate
JAY SHERWOOD
EXECUTIVE CHEF – LA RUMBLA KITCHEN LEADER
KARAN DHILLON
SLOW CUTS KITCHEN LEADER
Karan migrated to NZ in 2015 and completed my training in Culinary Arts in Auckland with the vision of being involved in the NZ Hospitality Industry. After spending some time in Auckland working in both Italian and Indian Restaurants and some time at the Langham Hotel, Karan ventured south and landed in Arrowtown. In 2016 he took the role of Chef de Partie at the first Slow Cuts owned by Sam & PJ with People Like Us Ltd.
He worked hard and now is a shareholder in this Company. With support and guidance from Sam in the kitchen and coaching from James at the Hospitality Company, he moved from chef to Kitchen Manager. I never actually dreamed of doing this, but Slow Cuts gave me room for self-learning, being creative and learning about business as well as cooking.
“ Having world-class systems such as Loaded Reports to monitor the kitchen costs makes having good business practices fun…like ‘real-time video games’.
Open Book Management is ‘the motivation’ when teaching my teams about being successful chefs, not just in their day to day excellent cooking skills and ability on a busy night, but how to make a kitchen a real success. Sharing the numbers each week helps us stay focused.
I love working and training up interested and talented chefs and junior chefs. Sending out great food to people is a good feeling. “ – Karan.
