‘Death by a thousand cuts’: Why Australian restaurants are facing closure
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive officer Wes Lambert said the industry was facing a “tsunami” of challenges.
“Most restaurants and cafes have reported that their overall costs each year since Covid have exceeded what they feel they are able to pass on through menu price increases,” Mr Lambert said.
“Now in 2026 they are facing a tsunami of issues that uniquely affect them, ranging from a drop in tourism, customers resisting higher prices and significant increases in overhead costs.
Business owner defends $8 coffees as Aussies told to brace for fresh price hike: ‘Not greed’
Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, told Yahoo Finance he believes venues will need to add at least 10 per cent to menu prices this year in order to combat increased costs and still be in the same position, “not going forwards or backwards”.
Prices to rise in restaurant ‘bloodbath’ as wage hike hits
Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, said the pile-up of additional financial demands from the wage rise, Payday Super changes, the phase-out of junior pay rates and removal of credit card surcharges meant establishments would need to add at least 10 per cent to menu prices this year to maintain profit margins.
Minimum wage increase a relief for workers, a ‘complex’ puzzle for businesses
‘Job-destruction mechanism’
The Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association (ARCA) said the increase in the minimum wage and all award rates from July 1, “falls dangerously short of balance between business and employee needs”.
The Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association (ARCA) said the increase in the minmum wage and all award rates from July 1, “falls dangerously short of balance between business and employee needs”.
ARCA chief executive Wes Lambert said the “hardest truth in hospitality is that restaurants do not print money”.
Migration ‘central’ to keeping restaurants open, says industry
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said only 2500 apprentices and trainees in the year to September completed a Certificate 3.
“Our position is straightforward, Australia needs a smarter skilled migration framework, one that is faster, more responsive, regionally aware, integrity driven and better aligned with workforce shortages, housing capacity and long-term productivity goals.”
Mr Lambert said the industry accounted for 14 per cent of all skilled visas in Australia, including 9.33 per cent going to chefs.
Michelin Guide arrival may boost Australian hospitality
This offers a significant opportunity for SA’s hospitality scene and could eventually pave the way for a national rollout, Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said.
Michelin is coming to Australia, following suspected multimillion-dollar deal
Hospitality-industry body Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association praised the South Australian government for recognising hospitality as a major economic driver at a time of immense economic pressure.
“At a time when restaurants and cafés continue to face enormous pressures from rising wages, energy costs, rents, insurance and workforce shortages, announcements like this are critically important because they reinforce hospitality’s value to Australia’s economy, tourism sector and cultural identity,” said chief executive Wes Lambert.
Lambert called for a national rollout of the Michelin Guide to cement the Australian hospitality scene as an international dining destination.
Takeaway coffee sales plunge as fuel and living costs dent Australian spending. Is the economy next?
“We are hearing from cafes and restaurants around the country that they’ve seen a slowdown in what patrons are purchasing,” says Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association.
‘Drowning’: Absurd steps just to pour a coffee
Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) director Wes Lambert says local companies are “drowning” in red tape.
“The government says things are getting better but actually when you speak to small businesses around the country they just tell us things are getting worse,” he said
Why your morning cup of coffee now comes with a ‘fuel surcharge’ levy
Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association (ARCA) chief executive Wes Lambert said the fuel surcharges were leaving cafes and restaurants caught “between a rock and a hard place” – unable to keep absorbing the costs but wary of passing them on.