 
One of Nick and his father’s first major accounts back in the early days was with Qantas where they supplied the airline with two dozen oysters and a pound of prawns on a daily basis. How times changed. A decade or so later and they had contracts with the majority of Sydney’s hotels, restaurants and every international airline, expanded nationally, were exporting fresh seafood around the world, and turning over around $350 million a year.
On any given day Nick could tell you where the freshest oysters were coming from, the export value of orange ruffi, and how much a pound of lobster would set you back. And he can still do it today.
When he was bought out by a South African company that is now one of the largest foodservice organisations in the world he stayed at home until his wife suggested he find something else to do. (Nick says she wasn’t used to him being at home so much when his workdays in the past began at 4am and rarely finished before eight at night).
It was good advice and when his thoughts turned to establishing a seafood restaurant in the relatively new city side of Darling Harbour, now known as Cockle Bay, he stepped into the restaurant business with all guns blazing.
“There was a lot of talk around town when I decided to do this,” he says.
“They gave me a period of six to 12 months before I went broke. And I will never forget there was one food critic, Terry Durack, who did a write-up after having dined here on three or four occasions. He gave us a so-so rating but he mentioned that he always had to wait for a table – we were so busy.”
And that, Nick says, underpinned the Nick’s Seafood philosophy.
“We create simple food, the freshest food. We don’t camouflage it with fancy ways of cooking. He ended up complimenting us by telling people how busy we were.”
The public agreed and Nick’s Seafood was and continues to be one of Sydney’s most popular restaurants for locals and international visitors, including international conference and incentive groups.
Following on from the success of the first restaurant Nick Manettas opened Nicks Bar and Grill in the new King Street Wharf area within walking distance of Cockle Bay and Darling Harbour.
He continued to grow his empire and established I’m Angus Steak House (Cockle Bay), and Casa Di Nico Italian Restaurant (King Street Wharf), again focusing on the philosophy of “fresh is best”.
With views to die for, temperate Sydney weather, attentive staff with an international flavour, and an ever-increasing knowledge of what makes a good restaurant great, the Nick’s Seafood team continues to go from strength to strength.
Possibly its flagship restaurant now is Nick’s Bondi Beach Pavilion. This, Nick says, was a little out of left field, but the international renown of Bondi was something the company felt like it had to be a part of.
And still, as the group continues expanding (with a new announcement now imminent), Nick says the philosophies remain the same.
“It comes down to simplicity. The service is important, the food is important, and it has to be simple.
“What I get great pleasure out of is that we have Consul Generals dining here, princes dining here, backpackers dining here – people from all walks of life and people from all parts of the globe.
“We still put much of our focus on the local trade, and we are very lucky where we are located that we have many of the top Australian companies all nearby, who have all been such great supporters of us.
“We continue to be amazed that we also host many visitors from other countries. That really is the icing on the cake.”
The design of the restaurants in the group (not to mention their locations), has also seen Nick’s become popular for corporate events. At Nick’s Bondi Beach Pavilion, for example, there were 12 exclusive events booked in the weeks leading up to Christmas. At the other restaurants there were something like 70 special events on the books.
No doubt the group’s 400-plus staff will be looking forward to their own Christmas parties after such a busy few months.
Visit www.nick-seafood.com.au for details on the Nick’s Seafood offerings.
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