EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
Diners might have traditionally come for the food and drinks, says new UNO columnist Rae Baker, but more so than ever, we’re staying for all the feels.
Somethin’ Somethin’.
There was a time when dining out was simple. You chose a place, ordered a meal, and if the food was good, you’d come back. These days, something else is at play. We’re not just going out to eat, we’re going out to feel something.
I’ve spent much of my career working in events and experience design, and what’s happening in our food scene feels like a natural evolution. We’re living in what’s often called the ‘experience economy’, in which people place value not just on what we buy, but also on how it makes us feel.
In hospitality, that means the lighting, the music, the story behind the dish, the welcome at the door and the company around the table matter just as much as what’s on the plate.
For operators, this creates both opportunity and pressure in an already demanding environment. It’s no longer enough to simply serve great food – the expectation now is a complete experience. Diners want atmosphere, personality, connection and something that feels memorable enough to justify both their time and their money.
It’s exciting to see how this is taking shape in the Bay of Plenty. Pop-ups and collaborations are creating space for creativity to thrive without the commitment of a permanent venue, while established operators are reimagining their spaces through one-off takeovers and themed experiences.
There’s a growing willingness to experiment and invite people to be part of something a little different. In doing so, communities are forming around food.
Leopard Boy Pizza.
Take Leopard Boy Pizza, for example. Owner Andy Bowker started out working at Sal’s as a teenager, honed his craft and began exploring how making pizza could become not just a skill, but also a business. By leaning into the Bay’s grassroots hospitality scene and collaborating with the likes of Special Mention, Blondie, Benny and Brew, and most recently Best Behaviour Rum, Leopard Boy has built a pop-up model that feels distinctly local.
Pizza is only the beginning – it’s about that unmistakable feeling of connection that defines genuine hospitality. That same thinking is showing up in different ways across the region.
Wine bar Solera recently wrapped a month long Spanish takeover, complete with Spanish wines by the glass, regionally inspired dishes woven through the menu, and lively Saturday pintxo afternoons built around sharing food and conversation.
Solera.
Somethin’ Somethin’ has cultivated a Honey Club following by using the loyalty club to engage customers beyond their daily coffee ritual and fill seats across a growing calendar of themed events. Over the coming months, they’ll be hosting Latin-inspired evenings, Ragtag collaborations and a Beaujolais Nouveau celebration, all designed to turn casual customers into an engaged community.
We’re keener than ever to invest in experiences that feel thoughtful, immersive and worth talking about long after the table’s been cleared. Perhaps that’s the real change. Forget simply consuming meals, we’re collecting moments. In a region rich with creativity, produce and passionate people, it’s a shift in thinking that opens up a world of possibility.
