He learned hospitality skills from his mother, whose own mother owned five restaurants in her lifetime.
Nicholls followed the family tradition, working in a range of restaurants from the age of 17, and later following his cousin to Australia for training as a chef.
“I never looked back,” he said.
But the downturn in the economy and repeated layoffs since Covid-19 have left him battling constant self-doubt.
“After about three times, you start wondering if you’re the problem,” he said.
Nicholls said he had questioned whether he was somehow to blame.
“I consider myself a well-grounded, mentally stable person who’s always able to seek out perspective to lessen the mental blow and feel like things aren’t personal,” he said.
“But there were times where it was really tough, because repeated occasions make you think you’re the common denominator.”
The series of layoffs had left Nicholls feeling he was failing to provide for his family, although his wife worked as a teacher and they shared financial responsibilities.
“You look to your family and start to feel like you’re letting them down. In an old school way, as a father, I believe I should be a support pillar for my family.”
Nicholls’ first redundancy came in 2020 at the University of Auckland following a post-Covid-19 restructure. He worked as the summer operations manager overseeing reservations, catering and more.
He was later made redundant from a management role with The Professional Builder in 2022 after the company shifted its business focus and restructured its operations.
His role as venue manager at Freeport with Cleaver and Co in Mount Maunganui ended in redundancy in 2023 after rising costs prompted the owners to return to hands-on operational work, he said.
“After the third redundancy, I entered Tauranga CBD, which in itself is in a severe struggle. I had been warned about that, and I thought it would be interesting to see it for myself.”
He started working as a venue manager for Nectar and said it was already “in struggle” despite it being a beautiful venue with great food.
Yorick Nicholls was left questioning himself after repeated job losses.
“It had all the things going for it but there just wasn’t enough trade.”
Nicholls was affected by the closure of the restaurant in 2025, which he said struggled for more than a year after declining trade.
“My career was in disarray. I didn’t really know what I was doing any more, and I got a bit of impostor syndrome. I knew I was good at my job, but was I the cause of all this?”
He lost his role as venue manager at Crown and Badger after the business entered voluntary liquidation in May this year.
Nicholls said he started looking for another job when he recognised signs the long-standing pub would be closing its doors for good.
The Crown and Badger’s last official trading day was May 2. Photo / Facebook
“You just learn to pick up on the signs of businesses in struggle, and you start to really become pretty good at it.
“All these jobs held the line for at least a year every time, and some slightly longer, which gave a feeling of hope that if you’re staying that long, you enjoy it and they enjoy you.”
Nicholls is now a duty manager at Clarence Restaurant in Tauranga CBD.
“Something fell into my lap, and it slowly came together, ironically, just in time. And this is where I am now, which is extremely stable.”
He said it was a “huge relief” that the business brought him on earlier than expected.
“This is the level of hospitality that I was always set to do, semi-fine dining, elegant staff, everybody’s so professional, a boss who is always one step ahead.”
He said repeated redundancies and instability were driving experienced workers out of hospitality, thinning the pool of middle and senior management talent in the sector.
His advice to anyone in a similar situation was to think like a business person, learn fast, and be more brutal with decision-making.
“It’s a noble thing to look at the greater good and think about the business being there for you, but, at the end of the day, think like a businessperson. You have to for your own sake.
“If it doesn’t smell right, make plans because there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’ve decided to be there for a business and that business wasn’t there for you.”
Kaitlyn Morrell is a journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.