INDUSTRY DINES OUT ON PETE’S FBT PLAN
Long lunches are back on the menu for small business, with hospitality peak bodies praising a Peter Dutton promise to introduce tax deductions of up to $20,000 for business-related meals and entertainment expenses.
“This is unprecedented pre-election policy, and we call upon the government to match it,” Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said. “It is the exact recipe that the hospitality industry needs to survive in 2025 – as we continue to see flat demand and high inflation and an uncertain way forward without these types of initiatives.”
Flat white coffee price likely to skyrocket, no matter where you live
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambered warned the cost of a coffee “could reach double digits” in some capital cities due to the high price of beans.
“It isn’t unfathomable … in some CBD locations and airports,” he said.
CBA urges Reserve Bank to scrap all card surcharges
Australia Cafe and Restaurant Association CEO Wes Lambert said all consumers would wear higher prices if surcharges were banned.
“We need to leave well-enough alone,” he said. “8¢ to 10¢ on a $5 coffee and any solution that involves banning surcharging will lead to higher prices for consumers well above that 8¢ to 10¢.”
He claimed the impost on merchants of processing card payments could run as high as 3 per cent.
South Australia leads the nation in new restaurant and cafe openings, ABS data shows
Wes Lambert, Director at the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (COSBOA) and Chief Executive of the Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association, praised the South Australian Government’s role in this growth. “The SA Government, led by Premier Peter Malinauskas, and with the help of Small and Family Business Minister Andrea Michaels, has been a tireless advocate for small business and the hospitality industry in SA,” he stated. Mr. Lambert also noted that the state’s approach should serve as a model for fostering growth and sustainability in the hospitality industry nationally.
Luke Mangan: Why chefs should go back to school to encourage next generation of culinary talent
Australia’s hospitality sector is grappling with a significant shortage of apprentice chefs, baristas and waiters – and Australians would be first choice for the 36,000 jobs advertised, writes Luke Mangan.
ARCA CEO Wes Lambert says “the upcoming budget and federal election must include apprentice and traineeship incentives, not just free TAFE”.
Top restaurant groups expand as diners feast on hot new venues
But increased spending isn’t across the board. Wes Lambert, CEO of The Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, which represents 56,000 businesses in the $64 billion industry, said conditions were either “feast or famine”.
Coffee prices expected to hit up to $12 a cup by end of 2025
Coffee lovers could soon not be able to justify buying their caffeine fix daily with experts warning single cup could cost from $8-$12 by the end of 2025.
Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said the skyrocketing costs of beans were putting direct pressure on cafes owners.
Builders, bakers, and cabinet makers: Classic small business jobs in Core Skills Occupation List
Elsewhere, Wes Lambert, CEO of the Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, said the list recognises the need for skilled workers across the hospitality industry — including small businesses.
“We argued that restaurants and cafes could not survive with any major changes to the current list,” he shared on LinkedIn.
The fact job titles like chef, cook, baker, pastrycook, and butcher remain on the CSOL is a “huge win”, he said.
Restaurants, cafes warn debit surcharge ban will increase menu prices
Restaurants and cafes across the country disagree with the Albanese government’s proposal to ban the surcharging of debit card payments and warned menu prices would have to rise to protect thin profit margins in the hospitality industry.
The Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association, in the first submission to the Reserve Bank’s payments consultation, said the move would put more pressure on inflation as costs are recovered in other ways. It would also jack up surcharges on credit cards, which are outside the proposed ban. Almost 40 per cent of restaurant meals are paid for on a credit card.
Australians don’t want to do the work’: Top restaurants slam migration crackdown
Leading Sydney restaurateurs say Australians don’t want to work hospitality jobs, voicing concern the federal government and opposition’s vocal efforts to slash migration and curb foreign students are stifling their industry.