Australians warned over $140,000 cost if card surcharges are banned: ‘Deathly afraid’
Small business hit out at the government’s plan to ban surcharges by the end of the year. Labor announced a plan to end debit surcharges before the election to help ease the cost of living.
Why do cafes charge extra on holidays? Baristas get $70 an hour
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said that with profit margins of 3.3 per cent, restaurants “don’t have the ability to absorb penalty rates” which he said “punish” them for opening.
Albanese’s comments seemed “out of touch with small businesses, restaurants and cafes struggling to break even or in many cases losing money on weekends and public holidays, so that Australians can dine out” when they want.
Pubs say Albanese’s weekend surcharge comments aren’t so simple
Responding to Albanese’s comments to the AFR, Wes Lambert, head of industry group Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, said the Prime Minister’s comments were out of touch.
“This is a glaring example that the current Government has no idea of the cost of doing business pressures and customer demand issues that the hospitality industry is drowning in at the moment nor the effects of penalty rates on the profitability of restaurants and cafés on the weekends and on public holidays,
Neil Perry’s minimum wage rise warning on menu prices
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association argues the projected rate of inflation should act as a ceiling on minimum wage rises awarded by the industrial umpire.
With inflation expected to stabilise in the Reserve Bank’s 2-3 per cent target band, a 2 per cent pay increase “ensures that minimum wage earners experience no real wage erosion while allowing businesses some flexibility”.
“The minimum wage increase should not be viewed as a performance increase, rather as a cost-of-living increase, thus should not outpace future inflation under any circumstance.”
Labor’s pre-election promises were leaving small business, including restaurants and cafes, a little hungry, Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert CPA, FGIA, CAE, MAICD said.
Election 2025: Unions and bosses clash as ACTU seeks $41 a week increase for low-paid
The Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association said the increase should be limited to a below-inflation 2 per cent rise, warning its members “cannot absorb wage increases without price hikes”.
“The minimum wage increase should not be viewed as a performance increase, rather as a cost-of-living increase, thus should not outpace future inflation under any circumstance.”
“A Seat at the Table”: Stokehouse’s General Manager on the State of Hospo – and the Group Lending a Hand
With the cost of living – and doing business – still in crisis, Hugh Van Haandel sees an industry that needs more support than ever. In partnership with the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, he tells us how they’re working towards a better future for everyone in hospitality.
‘Won’t make a difference’: What can the $5 tax cut really get you?
With a small coffee costing $4.88 for a hospo business to make in 2025, is the Albanese government’s $5 a week tax cut of any help to Aussies, or is it very “underwhelming”, as a top economist has claimed? It certainly won’t buy you a sanga and milkshake.
#67: Building an Advocacy Powerhouse: Wes Lambert’s Recipe for Association Advocacy
In this episode, Olena Lima chats with Wes Lambert to uncover his bold strategies, sharp focus, and unwavering determination in association advocacy. Wes has been making waves in Australia’s restaurant and café sector, achieving policy wins in just 10 months that others have chased for decades.
Melbourne hospitality sector ‘fighting for life’ amid remote work shift
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert reported up to 30% revenue drops from pre-COVID levels. “Demand for restaurants and cafes has remained flat since 2023,” he said.