From Christchurch to London and now back to Sydney, Qwan-Ling Chew’s hospitality journey has given her broad experience in the industry. In partnership with Merivale, we find out how she became the restaurant and bar giant’s group operations manager.
Like many in hospitality, Qwan-Ling Chew hadn’t originally planned for a career in the industry.
“I was studying economics and law in New Zealand and working in a craft beer bar at the time,” Qwan says. “I ended up loving the people and the industry so much and was having relative success in my hospo career, so I decided to move to London where I worked in restaurants for the next six years.”
Originally from Christchurch, Qwan cut her teeth in London working at restaurants in Chelsea, Shoreditch, Notting Hill and more. Seeking a move back to the Southern Hemisphere for new opportunities (and better weather), Qwan was encouraged by colleagues who had worked at Merivale in the past to apply at the company. Then, she moved to Sydney and took on a role as assistant restaurant manager at Mr. Wong, Merivale’s modern Cantonese-style restaurant. That was nine years ago.
“Some days it’s felt like a long journey, but other times it’s felt incredibly short,” Qwan says. “I’ve always been driven and ready to say yes to the next thing, and in my time here I’ve been fortunate enough to have people around me who saw the potential in me before I realised it myself.”
Qwan says she’s had a number of mentors at Merivale who have helped her rise through the ranks, but one person in particular stands out.
“Frank Roberts, the group’s food and beverage general manager, has really been the driving force throughout my career. A couple of big steps that I’ve taken, he had seen the potential there before I had the confidence to back myself, which was great,” she says.
Following a successful initial stint at Mr. Wong, Qwan became general manager of Pott’s Point restaurants Ms G’s and The Fish Shop before moving back into the city to look after Merivale’s intimate CBD sushi restaurant Sushi E and Hemmesphere, one of Merivale’s cocktail bars.
From there, Qwan progressed into the general manager role of Establishment, a precinct housing seven venues, including a hotel, four bars and two restaurants, each with different offerings. Impressing again in this role, Qwan was offered a position as group operations manager for a portfolio of Merivale venues.
“Merivale puts a lot of coaching into place for anyone who wants to move up through the ranks, and that was the case with my progression,” Qwan says. “The breadth of opportunities across all facets of hospitality is amazing here. You can start as a bar back, work your way through and become whatever it is that you really want to be here.”
These days, Qwan takes on even more responsibility as group operations manager for some of Merivale’s biggest brands, including Mr. Wong, Ms G’s, Work in Progress, Queen Chow in both Manly and Enmore, and three Totti’s venues. Qwan says she credits some of her career progression to calculated risk-taking.
“People can often mull things over for a long time or don’t feel ready to take on new career challenges when they pop up,” she says. “Taking a bit of a risk or making a jump is what rounds out your hospitality experience and takes you to a different level.”
And those jumps are easier to make in a group such as Merivale, with multiple venues with different crowds, cuisines and experiences to be immersed in.
“Restaurants are my passion, but if I hadn’t done some of the high-volume bar work, late-night cocktail venues or run some of the pubs, I’d be worse off. I didn’t know if I could do it at the time, but it ended up playing a huge role in my progression.”
Eclectic progression pathways are common at Merivale, something Qwan puts down to the culture within the group.
“We’re always looking for new people with unique ideas or backgrounds to bring fresh perspectives to what we do. We’re really cultivating a culture of development because we care about our team here,” she says. “The opportunity to create careers for people is something that’s really exciting in hospitality at the moment, particularly at Merivale, because you still get to keep your finger on the pulse and be in service if that’s what you love about hospitality.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Merivale. Merivale is currently recruiting for roles all across Australia. Visit the website to kick-start your career in hospitality.
Photography: Chad Konik
