Tony McGeorge

Tony McGeorge is an Auckland hospitality entrepreneur, co-founder and director of Comensa, the restaurant group behind Cafe Hanoi, Ghost Street and Perch and director of hospitality development at Templeton Group, New Zealand’s largest private property developer.

McGeorge co-founded Comensa alongside his wife Krishna Botica and executive chef Jason van Dorsten. The trio opened Cafe Hanoi in Britomart in 2010, introducing a modern take on Vietnamese cuisine that made it one of Auckland’s defining restaurants. The group expanded to three restaurants within five years and now employs more than 100 staff. McGeorge has also co-founded Xuxu Dumpling Bar and Saan and in 2008 co-founded Ponsonby Social Club, one of Auckland’s most enduring bar venues.

Cafe Hanoi has been a perennial presence in Metro’s Top 50 Restaurants list and was a finalist for Metro Restaurant of the Year. McGeorge brings a marketing and financial background to the partnership, complementing Botica’s front-of-house expertise and van Dorsten’s culinary craft.

Beyond hospitality, McGeorge serves as director of hospitality development at Templeton Group, which has a development pipeline of around $10 billion. During COVID-19, he was a vocal advocate for the hospitality sector, writing an open letter to Auckland’s mayor demanding wage subsidy guarantees, the removal of MIQ hotels from the CBD and streetside dining facilitation.

McGeorge’s profile is noteworthy because he and Botica have helped define how Auckland eats, building restaurants that are genuine institutions, not fleeting openings. His dual role across hospitality and property development reflects how dining, place-making and urban life are increasingly intertwined.

Sources: Comensa · ANZ Bluenotes · RNZ