“Providing a quintessentially New Zealand dining experience”

Logan Brown

Established: 1996

Location: Wellington

Website: https://www.loganbrown.co.nz/

Business vision and mission:

To share our love of our craft, our culture and our country and to be proudly recognised and loved for giving people a foretaste of what makes a great New Zealand welcome – Kia Ora, Kai and Kaitiaki

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Steve Logan always enjoyed cooking from a young age but was initially on the road to becoming a vet. After completing secondary school his mother one day handed him a hotel brochure and he found his calling in the restaurant business.

Extensive travels overseas in the UK, the USA and Scandinavia gave Steve a taste of other cultures which would help him to realise what makes New Zealand culture so unique in comparison. Steve met Al Brown while managing the Western Park Tavern in 1985, but it wouldn’t be until 11 years later that they would create Logan Brown together.

Steve opened his first restaurant – Brer Fox cafe in 1988 and Cafe Laffite followed 5 years later.

Logan Brown differed from the previous businesses: it was created with international standards of dining in mind. Whether the customer was a local Wellingtonian or a visitor from abroad, Logan Brown was to offer a premium quality dining experience while retaining the laid back and fun atmosphere that attracts tourists to New Zealand in the first place.

The experience is very much grounded in the local community and culture of New Zealand for every member of staff to deliver high quality throughout every dish and beverage served. Steve has strong environmental ethics which he practices in his business: Logan Brown is averse to using seafood that is on the endangered species list due to over fishing or dredging techniques and so the restaurant will not serve tuna, whitebait or scallops.

Steve and chef partner Shaun Clouston, are also famous for their sense of humour, which they bring to the menu.

When first looking for a premises for the Logan Brown restaurant, Steve and Al found an old bank building that would make the perfect space. The only problem was that it was located in the seedier part of town: Cuba Street. The area today is a thriving hotspot for music, local shops and markets, restaurants and bars and alternative fashion, but at the time one in every five shops along the stretch was unoccupied and it was a place most Wellingtonians avoided.

Since Logan Brown was not going to attract many people off the street, its reputation would have to attract its customers to the area. Together, Steve and Al put together a great team and weathered a downturn in the economy when the premium-end of the market was at its most vulnerable.

Today, many companies are relocating to Auckland and this is taking business away from the area. Logan Brown continues its success through a visual presence both online and offline, its exemplary reputation and the creativity in its menus.

The social nature of hospitality allows Logan Brown to take up many opportunities to support a variety of social and environmental causes and to share the messages with its community to influence positive change.

Logan Brown invests in audited environmental practises and holds a Gold Environmark certification.

Over 20 years Logan brown has hundreds of excellent hospitality professionals who work in some of the best restaurants in NZ and the world.

Logan Brown has earned a number of 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor, but the one Steve is most proud of is:

“Having dined at Logan Brown experienced the food wine and hospitality, I am so proud to be a New Zealander”

They have won a number of awards throughout the years, including:

  • 2 Cuisine Hats – Good Food Guide (2013-2015)
  • The Welly’s Best Business Restaurant of the Year 2010
  • Wellingtonian of the Year 2010, and
  • Restaurants Association Wall of Fame 2010

After 20 years, Logan Brown is still a thriving business and has maintained a high standard of service throughout this time. The restaurant has created 35 jobs and has a target of using 95% NZ produce with as much as possible from with in the region.

With a strong emphasis on staying connected to the community, Logan Brown sponsors a number of events and charities, including:

  • Brain Injury Association
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • Churton Park School Home
  • Women’s Refuge
  • Wellington SPCA
  • NZ Ballet
  • NZSO
  • Wellington Tennis

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