Waterford’s Whitehouse restaurant has returned with new owners – one of whom has had a surprising and dangerous journey from in front of the bar to behind it.
Whitehouse partner and venue manager David Fuller said his life in hospitality began after a football-related injury put an end to his dream to join the military.
Mr Fuller decided to work as a bouncer, working all over Australia until he became sick of being a “pin cushion”.
“I was stabbed six separate times,” Mr Fuller said.
“I’ve been told I’m a glutton for punishment.”
And he’s got the scars to prove it.
“… not the biggest ones, but I do have them,” he said.
“I was in Fortitude Valley the first time I got injured on the job.
“I copped a knife to my cheek and shoulder.”
He said he became “sick of that” and went from being in front of the bar keeping “intoxicated idiots” in order, to behind the bar “making them intoxicated idiots”.
“I’ve been behind the bar, I’ve done kitchen work, and I’ve a bit of cellar work as well,” Mr Fuller said.
“Then I met Mitch and I’ve been working for him ever since, and now working with him.
“We met and clicked, and we’ve become best mates and we’ve gone into partnership.”
Mr Fuller said he and his partner looked at multiple venues in the hopes of setting up a restaurant, but the whitehouse stood out from the others.
“My mum actually gave us the idea of the Whitehouse,” he said.
“Obviously, we had both seen it before – I’d actually applied to work here quite a few years ago – but mum sent us a message saying it was up for grabs, so we had a look and jumped on it.”
Mr Fuller said he’d become “one of those twisted people that actually likes working”.
The Whitehouse opened a couple of weeks ago, but had its Grand Opening on Saturday 15 July.
Mr Fuller said there was a tonne of positive feedback from customers, and he was happy with the how the new restaurant was going.
“We try to give the fine dining service and feel, with the pub style food, portions and pricing,” he said.
