Rico (Onehunga)

Welcome to our next article about St. Pierre’s shop managers!

Today we’re in Onehunga, visiting a young man called Rico. Rico is from Beijing, China’s dynamic capital city… so why is he so happy with St. Pierre’s in south Auckland? Read on!

Rico came to NZ in 2016. His motivation was simple: providing a better life for his family.

“Beijing is an amazing city, but it is very polluted. The dirty air in particular worried me. I wanted to move somewhere cleaner and safer, and I heard great things about New Zealand.”

After a year in NZ, Rico started with St. Pierre’s in November 2017, as kitchen crew at the Auckland Airport shop. It was a new experience, but Rico embraced the challenge.

“I like Japanese culture and food, and I really enjoyed the variety in sushi work. Cutting, packing, service, kitchen, I did it all! I also love how organised St. Pierre’s is. I worked before in takeaways and cafés, and everything depended on getting on with the boss. But St. Pierre’s is fair to everyone. You do well, you get promoted. I like that you can see your future ahead.”

Rico clearly did well, because he was soon promoted to third in charge, assistant manager, and in March 2021, shop manager!

“I was not sure I was ready to be manager. There is so much to remember. But I learned a lot from the 2IC and area managers, who really encouraged me. Plus we have a great team at the Airport, they help me through any problems!”

Rico has not just succeeded at work, also reaching a personal goal this year – permanent residency in NZ.

“It was such a relief. It took away the stress and cost of annual visa renewals, and let me think about my next challenge.”

That challenge came around quickly, with an offer in August 2021 to be sushi manager of the long-awaited Onehunga shop!

“Onehunga is a huge challenge in many ways. It’s our first drive thru, and much bigger than Airport – 20 staff instead of 7. Honestly, when I got the offer I was a bit afraid, but it’s a huge opportunity and I want to take it. I aim to become a Shop Partner, so this is a big step toward my dream.”

Rico is justifiably proud and happy of his many achievements. At St. Pierre’s, we’re proud to have amazing people like Rico on our team! We have a strong culture of being “people first”, supporting each other as we set challenging goals. Rico shows how far the right attitude can take you, and we’re sure he will continue to reach new heights! Here’s to everyone across the St. Pierre’s Group aiming high!