After more than 31 years in hospitality, Karen Hattaway wants to popularise tools to help keep patrons protected from drink spiking and abuse.
At her Manu Restaurant and Bar, she has introduced drink protector covers, staff training to recognise and assist patrons in unsafe situations, and code words patrons can use to get help or a ride home.
She has owned and operated seven restaurants across the country but the most notable were her three Queenstown establishments - Blue Kanu, Pier and Captains.
Her success earned her the nickname ‘Queen of Hospo’ among many in the industry, with Blue Kanu in particular regularly winning awards and consistently ranked in the top 1% of restaurants worldwide on TripAdvisor.
She believes hospitality should be about joy - but if patrons do not feel safe, then the joy is hollow.
Hattaway is a survivor of childhood sexual harm.
“I understand that not being safe is quite harrowing, not only as a child, but as a person, anybody, whether you’re male, female or otherwise. When you’re not safe, it’s a terrible feeling. It has been my quest to do all I can in my power to reduce harm.”
The drink protectors are reusable, flexible covers which stretch over the top of a glass, leaving a small opening for a straw.
They are ordered online and made available to patrons at Manu. Hattaway also sees a commercial opportunity to help subsidise their cost, with sponsors putting their brand on the covers.
Recently, she met with staff from Aviva, a Christchurch-based family and sexual violence support service, Health NZ, and the city council liquor licensing authority to present her ideas.
“We demonstrated the drink protectors and everybody was really, really keen. They create a physical barrier that prevents substances from being dropped into a drink unnoticed.”
Hattaway hopes the meetings will help foster communication and collaboration between bars and restaurants and introduce the initiatives citywide.
“We feel like it’s just the right time for something like this, with the city getting busier and incredible things like Electric Avenue and the new stadium will be bringing lots of people out into the city’s nightlife.”
She expects to have another meeting soon with city council staff.
Hattaway said drink spiking is a problem in every city, but it came into sharp focus in Christchurch after the Mama Hooch brothers case.
Danny and Roberto Jaz were convicted of drugging and violating more than 20 women between 2015 and 2018 at their family-owned Mama Hooch bar and neighbouring restaurant Venuti.
In 2023, Roberto was jailed for 17 years and Danny for 16-and-a-half years. The brothers’ appeals of their lengthy prison sentences were dismissed on March 16 this year.
“It has been on the radar more in Christchurch. It doesn't mean every person is out there to spike your drink or to do some harm, but for us it’s about being aware and managing that proactively,” Hattaway said.
Her journey and survival of sexual harm has led her to devote her life to helping others and raising awareness.
“I don’t want any other woman to feel unsafe and have that feeling I’ve had in my life. And so I do my very best to try and give back to my communities,” she said.
Her first restaurant was Zanzibar in Grey Lynn, Auckland, in the mid-1990s before her move to Queenstown.
“It was great fun and hard work which hasn’t really changed. I remember singing jazz in the restaurant to try and get people to come and have dinner with us,” Hattaway said.
“I used to wait tables at the same time because I couldn't afford to pay staff, and then quickly clearing tables and taking orders. But you know, that’s what you do in the industry.”
As an avid skier, Queenstown felt like a natural fit for relocation. There she met her partner, John Nicholson, an architectural designer - a perfect complement to her talent for creating unique, high-quality restaurants.
Hattaway didn’t always imagine herself in hospitality, starting out as a hairstylist and hairdressing educator for Delorenzo in Auckland after studying in Invercargill.
But a glance at the stylish decor of Manu shows a strong curatorial eye remains, now applied in a different industry.
It took Hattaway and Nicholson many long hours to get the restaurant ready for opening, with a full interior fit-out inspired by Pacific, Asian and Māori culture.
She said one of Manu’s key strengths is its shared meals, which help create an interactive atmosphere. The venison and pāua spring rolls are a particular customer favourite.
“It comes with this lovely seafood mayo and it’s pretty crunchy. Very tasty.”
Staff are hired first and foremost for their attitude, along with their skills, experience and emotional intelligence.
Manu is off to a strong start in the city’s dining scene being one of the top-rated restaurants on TripAdvisor with a 4.9-star rating.
Returning to Christchurch felt like a homecoming for Hattaway.
“I feel lucky. I think of Queenstown as my home, and Christchurch as my home too.”
She had planned to take time off from hospitality, but couldn’t resist getting involved in the planning for Manu once she saw the new Cambridge Tce site.
“After what I had been through as a child and the trauma I’d been through, I really related to Christchurch, and to the resilience the city has shown.”
She also sees an exciting city on the rise and wants to be part of it.
So what sets Hattaway’s restaurants apart?
“Nothing but hard work,” she said.
“I can cook, I can wait tables, I can bartend. I clean, I can sing, I can be a receptionist. I can be every part of this restaurant if I wanted to.
“I think any good operator knows their tools. So when you are talking to your team, you actually know what they’re going through.
“It’s also a passion of mine. If you don’t love what you do, you shouldn’t be doing it.”
