Auckland Palace Bishop’s Kitchen reopens with changes to service

Bishop’s Kitchen reopened on Wednesday, February 18 after closing for winter on New Year’s Eve.

Kim Carruthers, head of hospitality operations at The Auckland Project, said she is excited to welcome customers back to the café and explained what will be different about Bishop’s Kitchen.

She said: “We have changed quite a bit, and we have gone back to basics. We have looked at what works and what doesn’t, and the thing we found from feedback last year was we could get hit with a lot of people all at one time, predominantly coach parties, but the wait time was quite substantial.

Kimberley Carruthers at Bishop’s Kitchen at Auckland Palace. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“You would find people were waiting 20 minutes or so for a coffee and a cake or a sandwich, so we really wanted to look at how we can reduce that.

The kitchen has listened to customer feedback to improve its offerings (Image: BEC HUGHES)

“There is now more signage in place, so the whole process from that customer coming in, they now know what to do.”

The kitchen took on customer feedback from last year, something which Kim said is “hugely important”.

“At the end of the day, we want people to keep coming back,” she said.

“Some of these people, if they are coming from far and wide may only come once, so we want that journey and that experience to be really enjoyable and for them to come away thinking it was a really nice experience.

Bishop’s Kitchen at Auckland Palace. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

“We have had feedback from people who come every week saying it is much more efficient and quicker. The people who did come to us last year are seeing those changes in place now and the feedback has been really positive so far.”

Changes have been made to afternoon teas at Bishop’s Kitchen (Image: BEC HUGHES)

As well as a change in the customer experience, Bishop’s Kitchen has also reopened with a brand-new menu.

Kim explained: “We have got a new range of products; we looked at the menu and introduced a brand-new range of cakes.

“We also have a brand-new range of grab-and-go sandwiches which are all prepacked and can be hot or cold.

“The customer will pick those themselves, by the time they get to the till, they order some coffees and then they go away to their table with something rather than having that initial wait time.

“It is just making the system and customer journey much more efficient and more improved.”

Selection of homemade pies, quiches and cakes on offer at Bishop’s Kitchen (Image: THE AUCKLAND PROJECT)

New coffee machines have also been introduced to reduce the wait time customers face.

Menus on tables have also been scrapped in favour of pop-up boards, though Kim said this can be changed if customers prefer physical menus.

In addition to the new menu, there has been a change in how to book afternoon teas at Bishop’s Kitchen.

Bishop’s Kitchen reopened on Wednesday, February 18 (Image: BEC HUGHES)

Kim explained: “We have gone back to doing pre-booking and the reason behind this is we can give a much better experience.

“We will be able to cater in advance for any dietary needs, we can expect the people coming in and we can have the tables set.

“We have launched a Mother’s Day afternoon tea, which will be Bridgerton-inspired too, for which tickets will be sold digitally.”

Bishop’s Kitchen, located in Auckland Palace is open from Wednesday – Sunday and also offers homemade pies, quiche and scones.