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Humans of Applejack: Holly Mcmahon
We sat down for a chat with Holly Mcmahon, Operations Manager at Applejack Hospitality.
Holly has been a Oracle since her arrival here at Applejack… literally; recently taking home the coveted Applejack Oracle award at our annual Staff party & Awards!
Holly’s rise at Applejack has been a sight to see; working across a number of different roles before now taking the reins as Applejack Operations Manager, overseeing her beloved Forrester’s Surry Hills, Taphouse Sydney, and SoCal Neutral Bay. We are so excited for Holly to bring her positive vibes and passion to the Applejack Head Office team.
Keep reading to discover more about her experience, why she loves working in hospitality, her favourite Applejack memories, and so much more.
Let’s Chat…
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your experience in hospitality?
“My name is Holly McMahon, originally from North England in the UK, moved to Australia in 2014 and am now a proud Australian Citizen. I started my career in hospitality at the age of 16, inspired by my mother and father who both worked in the industry. Initially a side job while studying but as with most, I just loved it. I have worked in a range of venues from 5 star hotels to nightclubs and quaint village pubs.
I originally joined Applejack as Events Manager at Taprooms in The Rocks 3 years ago, before taking the reins of Forrester’s as General manager. After just over a year in this role, I am now taking on the task of Operations Manager, overseeing Forrester’s, Taphouse, and SoCal.”
What do you love about being in the operations team in the hospitality industry?
“What I love about hospitality is that every day Is different, full of surprises and I get to work with a variety of amazing people. Moving into a Group Operations Role brings flexibility, even more variety and a larger group of people to learn from and develop. It allows for me to be more creative and in turn have a bigger impact on the company as a whole.”
What are you most excited to bring to your new role?
“I am most excited to work with some new minds, find out their passions and goals for the venues and make some magic happen.”
Why Applejack?
“I was recommended Applejack by my friend Maria who had been working with the company for a year. After working for many hospitality companies throughout my career, Applejack’s values and goals were exactly what the industry was missing and I couldn’t wait to be a part of it. They did not disappoint.”
Favourite Applejack memory?
“Favourite memory, there are so many but recently winning the Oracle Award and just hearing so many kind words from my colleagues was very touching.”
Go to order at your three venues?
“Go to order at SoCal, tough one: Vegan Nachos and Eggplant Main (need a friend to share).
Taphouse: Vegan fried rice and vegetable dumplings.
Forrester’s: The Vegan Burger just hits the spot.
If you can’t already tell.. I’m vegan!”
Catch Holly in her three venues hosting, running the plates, behind the bar or anything in between!
Explore career opportunities to work with Holly or at our other venues across Sydney.