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.
Payments Forum on attack on interchange
Interchange will be in the spotlight in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s upcoming review of payments fees and payments regulation.
One influential lobby group has placed interchange front and centre in its submission, one the Independent Payments Forum sums up as “a plan to cut $3 billion in card and mobile payment fees.”
Neil Perry AM and Wes Lambert MAICD lead hospitality sustainability effort
Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association CEO Wes Lambert MAICD and its chair, renowned chef Neil Perry AM, are on a mission to ensure a sustainable future for the hospitality sector.
The Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association has warned tens of thousands of Victorian businesses will suffer if the state government pushes ahead with its plan.
The Australian Restaurant & Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert said the industry “supports sustainability” but warned tens of thousands of businesses would suffer if the state rushed the move to phase out gas.
“Any changes could be disastrous for Victoria’s hospitality sector,’’ he told the Herald Sun.
“If they plan to ban gas by 2030 we believe it will be nearly impossible for businesses to convert to electric, it will require lengthy council approvals and in addition could lead to clashes between landlords and businesses about who will bear the cost of converting.”