Our Story
About Cuisine Operators
A New Zealand hospitality and food operations company built on cultural identity, quality, and warmth.
The Company
Cuisine Operators Limited
Cuisine Operators Limited is a New Zealand hospitality and food operations company, registered in October 2023. We were founded with a clear purpose: to deliver memorable dining experiences through distinctive cultural and community spaces.
Our approach is built on the belief that great food should exist in great spaces — that the setting, the service, and the cuisine should all work together to create something genuinely worth experiencing. We do not operate generic hospitality. We bring cultural identity, operational discipline, and genuine warmth to every venue we manage.
Our culinary identity is rooted in the rich traditions of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Turkish cuisine, refined for the New Zealand palate and complemented by contemporary café offerings. This is not fusion for its own sake — it is authentic food, prepared with care, served with pride.
Our Flagship Venue
Lake House Cafe
Lake House Cafe is the flagship venue of Cuisine Operators, located within Lake House Arts Centre — a heritage cultural destination in Takapuna, Auckland. The centre attracts over 65,000 visitors annually through its galleries, studios, sculpture gardens, and community programmes.
Operating within this environment gives Lake House Cafe a character that no standalone café can replicate. It is a space where food, art, and community genuinely intersect — where a morning coffee can become a gallery visit, and a business lunch can happen surrounded by New Zealand art.
The café serves breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily, and is available for private events, corporate hospitality, and cultural gatherings. It is one of Auckland's most versatile and distinctive hospitality spaces.
Leadership
The People Behind the Brand
Cuisine Operators is director-led by two professionals who bring complementary expertise to hospitality operations.
Omnia Elsayed
Co-Director & Head of Culinary Operations
Omnia brings deep knowledge of Egyptian, Lebanese, and Turkish culinary traditions to every menu we create. She oversees kitchen operations, recipe development, and food quality standards — ensuring every dish reflects the authenticity and care that defines our brand.
Walid Ali
Co-Director & Head of Business Operations
Walid is a Senior Mechanical Engineer with an Executive MBA, bringing over 15 years of project management and strategic planning experience. He leads commercial operations, finance, supplier coordination, and business development — applying engineering discipline to hospitality growth.
What We Stand For
Our Values
Genuine Warmth
Every guest is welcomed with sincerity. Hospitality is not a transaction — it is a relationship.
Quality & Freshness
We source fresh ingredients and prepare food daily. No shortcuts, no compromise on quality.
Cultural Identity
Our menus are rooted in Egyptian, Lebanese, and Turkish culinary traditions — authentic, not imitation.
Community Connection
We operate within cultural and arts spaces because we believe food and community belong together.
Professional Operations
As a registered New Zealand company, we bring operational discipline to every service we deliver.
Scalable Vision
Our model is built to grow — more venues, more services, more communities served across Auckland and beyond.
Our Vision
Built for Growth, Grounded in Culture
Cuisine Operators is designed to grow. Our operating model is built to scale across multiple venues and locations, bringing the same quality of food, service, and cultural identity to new spaces across Auckland and beyond.
We are not just running a café. We are building a hospitality company that reflects the diversity, warmth, and ambition of New Zealand's multicultural community.