Sam Bratton owns and runs popular Devonport eatery, Vondel, an all-day dog friendly eatery in Devonport. Sam was born and raised on the Kapiti Coast near Wellington and has had stints living in Melbourne, Madrid, Amsterdam and London before coming to Auckland. Sam talks to Channel about his refreshing approach to socials, where he finds inspiration and how being a dog friendly café seems so standard to him.
Tell us a little bit about your restaurant and how it came about…
Sam Bratton: The restaurant is called Vondel, named after Vondel Park in Amsterdam. It’s turning into a ‘home away from home’ kinda vibe. I wanted a place that people just don’t have to think about, they just can turn up and get looked after. There’s so much in life that requires thought and organisation and stress – Vondel is the place you can leave all that at the door and just relax.
Is Instagram a source of inspiration for you? What other chefs or food spots do you recommend following and why?
Yes and no. Yes because it’s cool to see what others are doing and trying with food/drink/design etc and be inspired by how we can develop ideas into something that has our feel to it. And no because Instagram and social media is essentially a fabrication and not always accurate for what is going on in real life. Atmosphere is a good example, I’ve seen a lot of accounts that have a big following and portray an atmosphere through their posts but then you go there and it feels vacant and cold.
Which other local businesses/restaurants do social media well?
I think Paulie and Lisa of Ockhee, Swings and Nami record bar do a great job. Their social media game is bang on and I think you get the same warmth and quality of product in their businesses in real life as you do online. Coco’s Cantina is another big inspiration – they’ve been around for over 10 years and still operate with a big community focus. Hospitality is so much more than just making money; anyone operating under that ethos is a big inspiration for me.
You guys are dog friendly. Why is that important to you?
Honestly I don’t know where it started. It’s obvious now because I have a dog and he’s turned into such a massive part of Vondel. But previous to that, I think maybe it was years living in London where it’s just normal that dogs are taken everywhere. It was so weird to me that a country so dog friendly (Aotearoa) could be so anti having dogs in cafes and restaurants. We used to get people sitting outside in winter in the cold because they had their dog with them; they would be so surprised when I told them to come inside. Making them sit outside in the cold just because they had a dog seemed so antithetical to the reason I opened in the first place.
IG @vondel_akl • vondel.co.nz • 8 Victoria Road, Devonport
Brunch and the company of our furry friends, sign us up! Honey loves seeing their four legged customers.
@honeycafetakapuna
The food here is amazing and we love enjoying their outdoor tables with our dogs all year round while eating some of the yummy cabinet food or anything on the menu.
@patchsunnybrae
This place feels like the natural end to your dog walk or a good midway pitstop. The team bakes fresh doggie biscuits you can buy.
@takapunabeachcafe
