Glenn Malycha from Winepro has worked in just about every facet of hospitality since 1985. He’s right when he says he can talk with a mouthful of mangoes, but it’s understanding people and knowing what to say when that has clearly served him well.
Asked what drew him to hospitality in the first place, Glenn’s answer is a trademark quip. “I just wanted to become a bartender and meet girls,” he says. It might not have happened overnight, but the plan worked, and he’s still happily married to the girl he impressed.
Glenn got his first job at 15, working at Sizzler, a chain of restaurants famed for its cheesy toast, sizzling steaks and all-you-can-eat salad bars. “I was a dishie, and when the guy on the fries melted his hands and we were asked who wanted to take his place, I said I’d give it a shot. I worked my way up to cooking steaks.”
By 17, he’d bluffed his way into a bartending course in North Adelaide and applied for the still-under-construction Hyatt. When they took him on in 1988, he began three years of five-star training, got his cocktail “groove on” at Waves nightclub, and learned a defining lesson in leadership.
“One day, while bartending, we were called to help the banquet team. They had 400 guests and were five minutes behind schedule, which wasn’t the Hyatt way. It was all hands on deck. I was dusting a chocolate cake with cocoa and icing sugar. The guy beside me added strawberries, and then Jon Richards, the original General Manager, stepped in, took off his jacket, and asked the Executive Chef where to begin.
As Glenn explains, this is a guy who played golf with Nigel Mansell, knew Kamahl, and lived on deck. He says it’s the moment he realised he’d always do the dishes without blinking, and still mop up vomit, even when in charge. “You never ask someone to do what you wouldn’t do yourself. That’s how you get respect.”
It’s the connection that counts
When Glenn followed colleagues to the Running Man on Hindley Street, he was lured out from behind the bar and discovered that, as a waiter, he could share the love with everyone on the floor. “I’d look them in the eye and say hello, even if they weren’t in my section,” he says. “You don’t just have fun with one table because they’re spending more. You want everyone to leave happier than when they got there because of you and your team.”
Here he served the likes of Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons, Daryl Braithwaite, The Comedy Company Crew and Russel Crowe (who he played slot cars with after hours). None of which fazed him. His grin is part mischief, part earnest when he claims, “You’ve got to say they were lucky to meet me, because I looked after them.”
As Rundle Street and O’Connell Street took off, and Running Man sadly met its demise, Glenn held a variety of roles before hitting his peak, as Assistant Manager of Boltz Café in the mid-90s. “One of the owners, Paul Cazneaux, handed me $20, then told me ‘to p*#$ off and walk around Rundle Street until I found its essence and could blend in. I nailed it with the blue tint glasses, techno-colour tie and soft pack of Peter Stuyvesant ciggies! And it was a great lesson in empathy.”
He received a similar tutorial some years later, working at Vintners in the Barossa Wine region. “When I arrived, Ian Bickford told me to shut my mouth. ‘Everyone knows everyone, or they’re related, or both. Just watch’.” Before long, Glenn realised the magic of the place.
“We were in a winemaker’s playground and a tourist mecca at the same time. To appeal to everyone, we had to blend fine dining with friendly service, greeting everyone like a long-lost friend, whether they’re Bob Hawke on his first visit, wine royalty, or a regular coming through the front door.”
Swings and roundabouts
Working at Vintner’s was a career highlight for Glenn. His face lights up as he speaks of it, even the part when he missed out on becoming Manager when Ian Bickford left.
“I said yes to becoming a TAFE instructor in the Barossa and worked with the acclaimed chef Mark McNamara, delving into the pairing of food and wine, a crisscross that hadn’t been done much before. That time also taught me a lot about how to deliver the message of service excellence to the next generation. People vary greatly in how they absorb information.”
Plus, not long after, Vintner’s wanted him back. The subsequent managers had brought too much city with them. They missed the essence, you could say, and because he loved the place so much, he went against the usual advice and returned.
There’s a whole other story in what happened to Glenn when the hospitality hours started to take their toll, and the late great King of Merlot, James Irvine, made some introductions. It kickstarted a new career path in wine that’s veered from getting Ross Estate Shiraz on cruises in the US, to working with millionaires in China, and back to where he is today, running Winepro, which supports family-owned boutique wine makers to get traction in a “deep sea full of big ships”.
With the impact of COVID somewhat diminished, meaning we’re no longer running home to drink, Glenn’s enjoying servicing restaurants and wine bars again. His advice to them extends well beyond his wine list. He talks about pairings, the importance of everyone on staff knowing their products, and why the people-first approach is always a winner.
“Neither science nor whiteboard lecture will sell anything on a busy Friday night to a young couple exploring your restaurant or wine bar for the first time. But romance will. Entertain them with stories and make a connection. Then make sure they know where all the toys are in the sand pit. They can choose to play with them or not.”
