Make Restaurants Profitable

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1 in 4 restaurants ran at a loss last year.And if you’re honest?You’ve probably felt just one bad month away from being part of that stat.I’ve recorded a few episodes for this podcast now and after speaking with some of the best restaurant owners in Australia … nearly every single one of them has been through the same stuff that you’re facing right now.Whether it's finding staff, 80 hour weeks, rising supplier costs, struggling to balance family, no money left to pay yourself, fires, floods … you name it - the guests I’ve spoken to have seen it all.Some of them are now industry leaders and experts, with successful restaurants, franchises, turning over millions in revenue, and even stocking their products in supermarketsThis podcast is about what really made the difference.The stuff no one talks about.The mindset shifts, the messy moments, and the moves that actually worked.So if you’re: Sick of grinding with nothing to show for it Ready to finally pay yourself properly Wanting a business that runs without you there 24/7Then this is for you.Every week, we’ll break down how to make restaurants profitable againNot just with theory, but real strategies that are working right now.If you need help right now head over to foodiecoaches.com and book a call with our team otherwise hit follow or subscribe wherever you’re tuning in and I’ll see you every WednesdayCheck out the behind the scenes over at @foodie_coaches and @tim.kummerfeld

  1. 4 days ago

    Brisbane's Biggest Hospitality Group  Founder Talks the Real Cost of Scaling to 12 Restaurants: Meet Michel Tassis

    How to scale a hospitality business from one restaurant to twelve, how to build systems that let you run 750 staff across every cuisine imaginable, and the mindset shifts every restaurant owner, café owner or bar owner has to make to break through the multi-venue ceiling. Michael Tassis of the Tassis Group on 16 years of building Brisbane's biggest independent hospitality group. Michael Tassis started with one seafood restaurant in Brisbane in 2010. 16 years later, the Tassis Group runs 12 restaurants, employs 750 staff, and covers Greek, Italian, French, Spanish, Asian, seafood, steakhouse and modern Australian — with more venues opening at The Star Brisbane and the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge. He grew up in his family's iconic Sydney seafood restaurant George's Paragon. Broke away in 2010. Opened his own George's Paragon at Eagle Street Pier and spent two hard years grinding to break through. Once he did, he was running the busiest restaurant in Brisbane doing 5,000+ customers a week with over 100 staff. Then he did what most owners can't — went from one venue to two, from two to three, then kept going. In this episode, Michael sits down with Tim to break down the exact playbook. How he learned the back-office side after a career on the floor and in the kitchen. Why he refuses to carbon-copy the same concept. How his brother Peter runs the internal broker for every new site. The systems and internal contracts that let him hand every hiring decision back to venue GMs. And why the multi-venue ceiling isn't a marketing problem — it's a systems and trust problem. This is one of the most operationally generous conversations we've had on the show. You'll hear: 00:00 – From one restaurant to 12 in 16 years — the whole journey  02:00 – Growing up in George's Paragon and breaking away from the family  04:00 – Two years grinding to break through Eagle Street Pier  06:00 – Massimo: the second venue that took off from day one  08:00 – The biggest jump: going from one to two, and what changed  10:00 – Rico's: sharing staff between venues and the efficiency multiplier  12:00 – Going from three to four: trusting the team more, coaching the culture  16:00 – The 30 franchise stores that funded his group's growth  18:00 – Why he refuses to do the same cuisine twice  22:00 – How his brother Peter runs the internal broker for every new site  28:00 – Internal contracts: staff on 6 months of a new concept "before it opens"  33:00 – The hardest hire in the group and how they solved it  38:00 – Handing every hire back to venue GMs — and why it changed everything  42:00 – The culture ethos: how to build a place people fight to work at  46:00 – Michael's advice for anyone stuck at 2-3 venues Key takeaways: Going from one to two isn't about opening another venue. It's about learning the back office you never had to know.The three-venue ceiling isn't a marketing problem. It's a systems and trust problem.The best operators refuse to carbon-copy their own success. Every venue needs its own concept.Share staff across venues. It doubles their utility and halves the labour headache.Every hiring decision should live with the venue that has to work with the person. GMs blame themselves after that, not you.Great people follow great people. Culture attracts culture. Your first management hire sets the tone for the next 10 years.Systems + numbers = scale. Without either, you'll stall at three venues forever.If you're stuck at your first, second or third venue and you want to know how to break through, book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Michael and the Tassis Group:  @tassisgroup Follow along:  @foodie_coaches  @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    Brisbane's Biggest Hospitality Group  Founder Talks the Real Cost of Scaling to 12 Restaurants: Meet Michel Tassis

  2. 21 Jul

    He Sold Most of His Restaurants and Says It Was the Best Decision He Ever Made

    How to scale down a hospitality business without losing what you built, why doing less can make you more profitable, and the lessons every restaurant owner, bar owner and café owner needs to hear about growth. For anyone running a venue (or thinking about opening one) who thinks bigger is always better. Scott Imlach moved from Queenstown, New Zealand to London in 1994 — and ended up running 48 venues across the UK as Operations Manager of the Outback Inn Group. He's been on the Gold Coast for 20 years. At one point he was running 11-12 venues at once. Today he runs three — Bine in Nobby Beach, Hideaway in Broadbeach, and Precinct Brewing in Miami. And he says it was the best decision he ever made. In this episode, Scott sits down with Tim to break down everything he's learned over two decades of building, opening, selling and scaling hospitality businesses on the Gold Coast. He's famously never bought an existing business — he takes over closed venues and rebuilds them. He does the numbers before he even visits the site. He campaigned to legislate the Small Bar Licence on the Gold Coast. And he had his second kid at 50, which forced him to confront the cost of carrying everything alone. This is the conversation for anyone who's chasing growth without asking what it's actually costing them. You'll hear: 00:00 – From 11 venues down to 3 — and why life got better  01:30 – Why kids at 50 forced the slowdown  01:40 – Why Scott rebuilds closed venues instead of buying running ones  04:50 – How to walk a site (and the second visit that saved him from a bad lease)  06:20 – Why location is community, not foot traffic  07:40 – How community-building beats marketing every time  09:00 – The contrarian rule: do the numbers before you visit the site  11:30 – The break-even point conversation every owner needs to have  12:00 – Why the 30/30/30 rule is dead  13:30 – How your fit-out determines your labour cost  14:30 – When architects and designers ruin a venue Key takeaways: The number of venues you run isn't the measure of success. The life you build alongside them is.Never buy a running restaurant. Take over a closed one. You'll save hundreds of thousands.Do the numbers before you visit the site. If they don't stack up, the location doesn't matter.Your break-even point is the single most important number in your business. If you don't know it, you're not ready.The 30/30/30 rule (food/labour/overheads) is dead. Every venue runs different numbers because every venue is different.Your fit-out determines your labour cost more than any roster ever will.Community beats marketing. Get involved. Sponsor the local team. Be the face. Show up.If you're carrying too much and wondering whether you should scale back to scale up — book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Scott's venues: @binebeerbar @hideawaykitchenandbar @precinctbrewing Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    He Sold Most of His Restaurants and Says It Was the Best Decision He Ever Made

  3. 20 Jul

    Cash Comes Back, Tourism Rebounds & the Acquisition Market Heats Up: What's Coming for Hospo | July Hospo Update

    Cash is back, tourism is rebounding and the hospitality acquisition market is heating up. Here's what's coming for hospo this month — for restaurant owners, café owners and bar owners across Australia trying to stay ahead of the changes. Three big things landed on hospitality this month — and for once, most of them are good news. In this month's industry update, Tim sits down with Wes Lambert — CEO of ARCA and the man in Parliament advocating for every café and restaurant in Australia — to break down what's happening now, what's coming next, and what you need to be doing about it before the next round of change hits. Payday super is live and running smoothly. Tourism is rebounding, with record weeks reported by operators from Toowoomba to Cairns to Sydney.  The surcharge ban is landing 1 October, and the RBA is encouraging cash discounts — which means ATMs may be making a comeback. CGT and negative gearing laws have passed Parliament.  Trust tax changes are looming. And the acquisition market is red hot — great news whether you're looking to buy or sell. Plus AI. If you're not using it in your business yet, you're leaving money on the table. You'll hear: 00:00 – Payday super update: no major issues so far 02:00 – Tourism is rebounding — record weeks across the country 03:00 – Cash is back: the RBA's push for cash discounts before the surcharge ban 05:00 – Why the Telstra outage proved you need alternatives to card payments 07:00 – The 10% price increase you'll need across 2026 09:30 – CGT and negative gearing laws have passed — what it means for your business 11:30 – Trust tax changes: why you need advice now, not later 14:00 – Consumer spending, interest rates and the road to 2027 15:30 – The acquisition market is red hot — buy or sell opportunities everywhere 17:00 – When it's time to restructure or exit — and why that's not failure 19:00 – The AI revolution — what every hospitality business should be adopting now LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Join ARCA: arca.org.au GSE Business Brokers: https://www.gsehospitalitybrokers.com.au/ Restaurant Revive: https://www.restaurantrevive.com/home Book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team: https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld

    Cash Comes Back, Tourism Rebounds & the Acquisition Market Heats Up: What's Coming for Hospo | July Hospo Update

  4. 14 Jul

    He Was Ready to Sell. Now He's at 267% Profit Growth: Brad Fitzgibbons on Saving His Own Pub

    Brad Fitzgibbons is the fourth generation of Fitzgibbons in the family pub trade. His parents handed him and his sister Anita the keys to Fitzy's Toowoomba — a 25-year-old iconic Queensland venue with restaurants, bars, gaming and retail across one massive site. By late 2021 he was running the whole thing into the ground. Trading was a mess. He was pouring drinks behind the bar to save $30 an hour. He'd hidden the numbers from his own team for so long that when his hotel manager finally found out, he said, "Boss, I didn't realise. We could have helped." His relationship with his head chef had broken down to the point where they were passing each other in the hallway without speaking. And his plan was to sell the business, exit, and walk away. He called Foodie Coaches looking for someone to save him. Three years later, Fitzy's is 267% more profitable. He projects 400% by end of financial year. He's barely on the roster anymore. And his entire core team — including the chef he wasn't speaking to — is still standing beside him. In this episode, Brad sits down with Tim to talk through the turnaround in his own words. The mindset, the team, the spreadsheets, the gym at 4:30am, and the brutal honesty about how he himself was the biggest problem. This one is for anyone reading the numbers at midnight and wondering if they should just sell. You'll hear: 00:00 – Generational pub: taking over from Mum and Dad  03:00 – Where Brad was when he first called Foodie Coaches  05:00 – 267% profit growth — and the call that was meant to be an exit plan  08:00 – Why his entire core team stayed through the turnaround  11:00 – The chef relationship that had completely broken down  13:00 – How working on himself changed everything in the business  21:00 – Diversification, bottleshops and the next chapters at Fitzy's Key takeaways: No one is coming to save you. The first move has to be yours. Hiding the numbers from your team is hiding the problem from the people best placed to fix it You can't lead a business out of duress if you're not leading yourself out of duress first The team you have right now may be more capable of the turnaround than you think Spreadsheets aren't boring once Monday is the day you find out you made money If you're reading the numbers at midnight and wondering whether to sell, book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Brad and Fitzy's: @fitzystoowoomba Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    He Was Ready to Sell. Now He's at 267% Profit Growth: Brad Fitzgibbons on Saving His Own Pub

  5. 7 Jul

    He's Spent 41 Years in Hospitality. Here's What Simon Sandall Wishes Every Owner Knew.

    How to last 41 years in hospitality, build a career across the world's most iconic restaurants, and learn the lessons every restaurant owner wishes they'd been told earlier. Simon Sandall on consistency, ownership, hospitality and the standards that built one of Australia's most respected culinary careers. Simon Sandall came to Australia from Rugby, UK, 31 years ago for a six-month working holiday. He never went home. For 41 years he's been in hospitality. 17 of those as Matt Moran's Group Executive Chef — running Aria Sydney, Aria Brisbane, Chiswick, Chiswick at the Gallery, Opera Bar, North Bondi Fish, River Bar and Aria Catering. 21 New Year's Eves at the Sydney Opera House. Hat-rated kitchens, three-figure covers a night, every level of the industry. Then he walked away to build his own. His restaurant Boronia Kitchen in Hunters Hill. A catering company. A consultancy. And a quieter, deeper relationship with the craft. In this episode, Simon sits down with Tim and gives away the kind of hard-won wisdom you usually only get from someone who's done four decades at the top. Consistency. Ownership. Standards. Vulnerability as leadership. And why — after losing 20% of his pancreas, 9 years sober, and one year off the cigarettes — he believes the only thing that matters in hospitality is how you make people feel. This is one of the most generous masterclasses on hospitality longevity we've ever recorded. You'll hear: 00:00 – Rugby to Sydney via Sweden, Boston and Paris  06:00 – 17 years as Matt Moran's right-hand man  14:00 – Why losing a chef's hat became one of the best things that ever happened  22:00 – Consistency: the biggest killer in hospitality (and the one thing he wishes more owners protected)  30:00 – The night he signed the Boronia Kitchen lease from intensive care  38:00 – Tell people you love them — and why that's a leadership skill, not a soft one  46:00 – How to walk into someone else's business and actually help them  54:00 – The standards that separate the operators who last from the ones who burn out  1:02:00 – What 41 years in hospitality taught him about himself Key takeaways: Take ownership of everything that happens in your business — the good, the bad, and the ugly. The owners who last are the ones who don't pass the blame.Consistency is the biggest killer in hospitality. The dish that's incredible on Friday and average on Tuesday loses you the customer.Hospitality is a feeling. People don't go back for the coffee. They go back for how you made them feel.Tell the people around you that you love them. It costs nothing and changes everything.Standards aren't a culture statement. They're a personal discipline that everyone else takes their cue from.You don't need to be the loudest in the kitchen to be the most respected. Quiet authority, built on craft, lasts the longest.If you're building a hospitality career — or running a venue and wondering how to make it last — book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Simon and Boronia Kitchen: @simonsandall @boroniakitchen Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    He's Spent 41 Years in Hospitality. Here's What Simon Sandall Wishes Every Owner Knew.

  6. 30 Jun

    Inside One of the World's Best Bars: How Stefano Catino Builds World-Class Hospitality

    How to build world-class hospitality, train a restaurant or bar team that wins awards, and run a hospitality business that gets onto The World's 50 Best Bars list. If you're a restaurant owner, café owner or bar owner who wants to understand what separates the best in the world from everyone else — this is the episode. Maybe Sammy isn't just one of the best bars in Sydney. It's one of the best bars on the planet. Seven years running on The World's 50 Best Bars list. Five-time winner of Best Bar in Australasia. The inaugural winner of the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award — a category that exists solely to recognise the world's single greatest service experience. In this episode, co-founder Stefano Catino sits down with Tim to talk about how he and business partner Vince Lombardo actually built Maybe Sammy — plus Maybe Frank (their pizzeria), El Primo Sanchez (tequila bar in Surry Hills), the Maybe Sammy Cocktail bottled cocktail company (now on Qantas flights), and consultancy work with Dina Group and Accor Hotels. Stefano grew up in a small touristy town in Cinque Terre, north Italy. He treats his team like a football squad. He refuses to sit down in his own bar. And he says hospitality isn't a word — it's the centre of everything he does. This is one of the most generous masterclasses on hospitality culture and team-building we've ever recorded. You'll hear: 00:00 – Three venues, a cocktail company, and a Maybe Group empire  03:00 – How Stefano and Vince split roles to run multiple venues without burning out  06:00 – Why he treats his team like a football team — players, coaches, fans, the lot  09:00 – The two-way trial: "I want to see if I like you. I also want to see if you like me."  15:00 – Why he'll never sit down in his own venue  22:00 – The hospitality philosophy that won the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award  30:00 – Working with hotel groups: why most hotels under five stars get F&B completely wrong  40:00 – The cocktail bottle business: making world-class cocktails accessible at home and in pubs  48:00 – Building Maybe Sammy in the middle of a quiet Sydney street — and why location wasn't the issue Key takeaways: Hospitality isn't a word. It's everything you think about from the moment you wake up to the moment you finish your shift.Lead by example so hard your team can't stand to disappoint you.A two-way trial protects your culture better than any HR process. If they don't like you and your team, they're gone — fast.Your venue is a football team. Owners, coaches, players, fans. Every role matters. Every role needs care.Integrity is easy to say. It's hard to do. The bars that win awards are the ones that do it every day.The fancy stuff (cocktails, design, theatre) gets the press. The hospitality is what gets people back.If you want to build a hospitality business with culture this strong, book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Stefano and the Maybe Group: @maybesammy @maybefrank @elprimosanchez_ Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    Inside One of the World's Best Bars: How Stefano Catino Builds World-Class Hospitality

  7. 19 May

    Food Truck Trouble, Empty Sports Bars & Teams That Don't Care (Q&A Special)

    You asked. Tim answered. Four real owners. Four totally different problems. And the kind of straight-up answers that come from someone who's worked with over 2,000 venues across the world. In this Q&A special, Tim breaks down what's actually broken — and exactly what to do about it. This episode covers: 00:00 – How do you build consistent revenue when your fixed location is unpredictable? 05:00 – How do you manage labour cost during quiet periods without gutting service? 09:00 – What do you do when your team doesn't care anymore? 12:00 – How do you measure true profitability when multiple brands share one kitchen? If you've got a question you want Tim to answer on the show, send it through — details in the comments. If you're stuck, plateaued, or on a growth trajectory and you need someone in your corner, book a free call with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    Food Truck Trouble, Empty Sports Bars & Teams That Don't Care (Q&A Special)

  8. 17 May

    Federal Budget, Surcharge Ban Update & Wage Rises Ahead: What's Coming for Hospo | May Hospo Update

    The federal budget just dropped. The surcharge ban is creeping closer. And the next round of wage rises is about to land. In this month's industry update, Tim sits down with Wes Lambert — CEO of ARCA and the man in Parliament advocating for every café and restaurant in Australia — to break down what's just happened, what's coming, and what you need to be doing about it right now. It's the most direct conversation we've had yet. If you're already break-even, you need to hear this. You'll hear: 00:00 – Wes is back from the US — what he saw in New York and why credit card surcharges are on every menu there  03:00 – The federal budget: tax, spend, broken promises and the one tiny piece of good news for small business  04:30 – Instant asset write-off made permanent at $20K — what it means for you before EOFY  05:30 – The surcharge ban update: why the banks have gone silent (and what it might mean on 1 October)  07:00 – The fear nobody's talking about: you could end up paying the same merchant fees with nothing in return  08:30 – Why you must be planning a menu price increase before 1 October 09:00 – The next interest rate rise expected before 1 July  09:30 – Award wages likely up mid-5% — and how the Fair Work Commission calculates the jump  10:00 – Payday super lands on 1 July: what it actually means for your weekly cash flow 12:00 – Why operators already at break-even are the ones most at risk  13:00 – "If your only excuse for not raising prices is 'I'll lose customers,' you'll say that until the day you close"  14:30 – What ARCA is fighting for right now: rent renegotiation, tourism spend, red tape reduction  16:00 – Why rent should be 8-10% in restaurants — and what to do if yours has crept beyond that  17:00 – The case for doubling tourism advertising and bringing Michelin Guide to Australia  19:00 – Why fiscal 2027 needs to be a reset period for the industry Key takeaways: The federal budget is a tax-and-spend budget — there's no relief coming for small businessThe surcharge ban is on track for 1 October — but the banks haven't moved on merchant fees, so you may end up absorbing the cost with no reliefAward wages are expected to rise mid-5% from 1 July. Payday super hits on the same day.If you haven't raised your prices by 10% this year, you're absorbing every cost increase yourselfRent is the largest negotiable line item on your P&L. If yours is above 10%, it's time to negotiate.ARCA has put together a rent renegotiation pack for members and non-members. Use it.If you're already at break-even and worried about what's coming, this is the moment to book a free call with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Join ARCA at arca.org.au — the more members ARCA has, the louder the voice in Parliament. Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld

    Federal Budget, Surcharge Ban Update & Wage Rises Ahead: What's Coming for Hospo | May Hospo Update
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About

1 in 4 restaurants ran at a loss last year.And if you’re honest?You’ve probably felt just one bad month away from being part of that stat.I’ve recorded a few episodes for this podcast now and after speaking with some of the best restaurant owners in Australia … nearly every single one of them has been through the same stuff that you’re facing right now.Whether it's finding staff, 80 hour weeks, rising supplier costs, struggling to balance family, no money left to pay yourself, fires, floods … you name it - the guests I’ve spoken to have seen it all.Some of them are now industry leaders and experts, with successful restaurants, franchises, turning over millions in revenue, and even stocking their products in supermarketsThis podcast is about what really made the difference.The stuff no one talks about.The mindset shifts, the messy moments, and the moves that actually worked.So if you’re: Sick of grinding with nothing to show for it Ready to finally pay yourself properly Wanting a business that runs without you there 24/7Then this is for you.Every week, we’ll break down how to make restaurants profitable againNot just with theory, but real strategies that are working right now.If you need help right now head over to foodiecoaches.com and book a call with our team otherwise hit follow or subscribe wherever you’re tuning in and I’ll see you every WednesdayCheck out the behind the scenes over at @foodie_coaches and @tim.kummerfeld

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