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. 1 g fa

    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

  2. 7 lug

    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.

  3. 30 giu

    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

  4. 23 giu

    Burnout, Modernising the Family Business & Scared to Raise Prices (Q&A Special)

    How to handle restaurant owner burnout, modernise a family restaurant business without losing what made it special, and raise your prices when you're scared people won't pay them. Four real restaurant owners. Four totally different problems. Honest answers, fast. You asked. Tim answered. In this Q&A special, four owners from around the world wrote in with the kind of problems that don't show up on the P&L — but quietly eat away at the business and the operator behind it. If you've ever told yourself the numbers are "fine" while privately falling out of love with the business — this one's for you. This episode covers: 00:00 – Is this a sell-it moment or a take-a-holiday moment? 06:30 – Am I being precious about tradition, or is she onto something? 13:30 – At what point is this a training problem vs the wrong staff? 18:00 – I freeze every time I think about raising prices. How do I change what people think my bread is worth? Key takeaways: "Fine" is the most dangerous word in hospitality. It's the trap that keeps owners stuck in jobs they used to love. You can't grow a tired version of yourself. Reset the operator before you reset the business. Modernising a family restaurant is not abandoning tradition. Standing still is what kills tradition. Most COGS problems aren't staff problems or cost problems — they're culture problems People buy your story before they buy your product. Educate the market before you change the price tag. Don't discount yourself. Lift the perception of what you're worth. If you've got a question you want Tim to answer on the show, write in and we'll pick the best ones. If you're "fine" but ready to be better than fine, book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    Burnout, Modernising the Family Business & Scared to Raise Prices (Q&A Special)

  5. 14 giu

    Wage Hike Confirmed, Payday Super Looms & Trust Tax Changes: What's Coming for Hospo | June Hospo Update

    What's coming for hospo in June: the 4.75% award wage hike confirmed, payday super landing on 1 July, and the looming trust tax changes that could double-tax small business owners. If you're a restaurant owner, café owner or bar owner in Australia, here's exactly what's coming and what to do about it. Three things landed on hospitality this month, and all three need action. 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 the confirmed 4.75% award wage rise (third-largest since the GFC), the payday super deadline on 1 July, and the trust tax changes that could quietly cost small business owners a fortune in fiscal 27. Plus the small business CGT carve-out (good news, for once), where the surcharge ban stands as it approaches end of year, and what's happening with the phase-out of junior rates. If you haven't lifted your prices yet this year, this is your last warning. You'll hear: 00:00 – The 4.75% award wage hike: confirmed, predicted months ago  03:00 – What this means for your roster, your rates, and your menu prices  05:00 – Payday super lands 1 July: what changes and how to prepare  08:00 – Trust tax changes: the looming threat most owners don't know about  12:00 – The small business CGT carve-out — and why it might actually be good news  14:00 – Where the surcharge ban stands as we head into October  16:00 – End of junior rates: timeline update  18:00 – EOFY compliance: single-use plastics, seafood labelling, payday super  20:00 – What every operator needs to do this month Key takeaways: Award wages confirmed up 4.75% from 1 July. If you haven't raised your menu prices by at least that much, you're absorbing the hit yourself.Payday super starts 1 July — every pay run now triggers a super payment. Cash flow planning starts now.Trust tax changes proposed for fiscal 27 could result in double taxation for small business owners running through trust structures. Talk to your accountant now.Not acting is a decision — and right now it's the most expensive one you can make.ARCA is your voice in Parliament. The more members they have, the louder it gets.Checkout the Payday Super Webinar Replay: https://learn.foodiecoaches.com.au/payday-super-replay Join our Foundation Programs: https://foundations.foodiecoaches.com.au/programs If you're not on top of your pricing, your labour costs and your margins right now, book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Join ARCA at arca.org.au  The people advocating for your industry need your support. Follow along:  @foodie_coaches  @tim.kummerfeld New updates every month

    Wage Hike Confirmed, Payday Super Looms & Trust Tax Changes: What's Coming for Hospo | June Hospo Update

  6. 9 giu

    "I Wouldn't Open a Burger Shop Today": James Hurlston on 11 Years Running Melbourne's Most Iconic Burger Joint

    James "Jimmy" Hurlston was studying intellectual property law when he decided he'd had enough. So he quit, ate over 800 burgers in a year, wrote The Burger Book, and three years later opened Easey's — the now-iconic Collingwood burger joint with a train carriage on the roof, graffiti walls, and a rotating cast of Melbourne's hospitality and street art scene. Eleven years on, Easey's is still standing. But James says he wouldn't open a burger shop today. In this episode, he sits down with Tim to talk about how Easey's actually survived, the failed Sydney expansion that nearly broke him, the ego he had to lose to grow, and why the train carriage on the roof has been both his biggest strength and his most expensive lease. He's also brutally honest about what he got wrong, why the next venue wouldn't be in Victoria or Sydney, and the one achievement he's most proud of after 11 years. This is the kind of conversation you only get from someone who's been in the trenches long enough to tell the truth. You'll hear: 00:00 – From law school to 800 burgers a year  08:30 – How Easey's actually survived the early years  14:30 – The Sydney expansion that failed (and the ego that caused it)  30:00 – Why he wouldn't open a burger shop today  50:00 – Building a community in burgers and what 11 years has really taught him Key takeaways: Passion is the only thing that gets you through 11 years in hospo — every operator who opened a burger shop chasing the trend is goneA unique venue can hide a lot of mistakes early on — but it also locks you into a rent you can't escape fromExpansion needs full control of the venue. Sub-letting your brand into someone else's pub is a fast way to lose it.Once you upset the locals in a tight community, you can't come back. Doesn't matter what your product is.Your greatest achievement as an owner isn't your venues. It's the team members who go on to open their own.If you're serious about building a hospo business that lasts — without burning yourself out chasing a trend — book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow James and Easey's: @jimmysburgers @easeysburgers Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

    "I Wouldn't Open a Burger Shop Today": James Hurlston on 11 Years Running Melbourne's Most Iconic Burger Joint

  7. 2 giu

    He Has 8 Locations & 1000+ Staff: How Rob Comiskey Runs Australia's Most Iconic Pub Empire

    Rob Comiskey runs one of the biggest hospitality groups in Australia. 8 venues. 1,000+ staff. And another 6-7 venues under construction, including a $250 million expansion at Sandstone Point that will bring the area's first 5-star resort. The Comiskey Group's portfolio reads like a who's who of iconic Queensland venues — Eatons Hill Hotel (where Prince, Ice Cube and Post Malone have all played), Sandstone Point Hotel, the BIG4 holiday resort that's the highest selling in Australia, plus the Dakabin, Mundy, Samford, Doonan and Eumundi. But the real story isn't the scale. It's what Rob, his brother and his father — still working at 83 — built from three pubs they took over decades ago, and the operating rhythms that keep it consistent across every venue. In this episode, Rob sits down with Tim to talk through how he actually runs a business this big — the monthly 6-hour finance meetings where every GM reviews every line of every P&L, the $500K butchery they built purely for quality, why food and beverage matters more than gaming in every pub they own, and the family decision-making style that's seen them invest tens of millions on gut feel. It's the most operationally generous conversation we've ever had on this show. You'll hear: 00:00 – Inside the Comiskey Group: 8 venues and what's coming  05:00 – The monthly 6-hour open-book finance meeting every GM attends  07:30 – The $500K butchery that sometimes loses money — and why he'd still vote for it every time  10:30 – Why every pub is 5 businesses in one (and why you can't rely on gaming)  14:00 – How they built Eatons Hill: 15,000 capacity, 5 levels, $80M, and everyone said it was crazy  20:00 – How to make calculated decisions without losing momentum  22:30 – Maintaining culture and consistency across 1,000+ staff  28:00 – Why every venue needs its own personality (and one hero product)  29:00 – Weekly on-site management meetings and how Rob splits his time  35:00 – The brutal truth about hiring: you can't change personality Key takeaways: Open-book financials with your GMs creates accountability, not exposureEvery part of your business should be self-sufficient — don't let one revenue stream carry the restQuality and consistency build the brand. The money comes from that, not the other way around.You can't make decisions without facts. Ask the questions until the answer becomes obvious.Hire for personality and work ethic. You can train everything else. You can't train those.Build with intention, but renovate constantly. The standard you set is the standard you have to keep raising.If you're ready to build a hospitality business that runs at this level — or even just the next level up from where you are now — book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Rob and the Comiskey Group: @comiskeygroup @sandstonepointhotel @eatonshillhotel Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday

    He Has 8 Locations & 1000+ Staff: How Rob Comiskey Runs Australia's Most Iconic Pub Empire

  8. 26 mag

    He Runs His Café From 1,700km Away: Cam Henderson on Building The Winey Cow

    Cam Henderson and his wife Jill opened The Winey Cow in Mornington, Victoria in 2014. For nearly a decade it became one of the Mornington Peninsula's most loved cafés — Cafe of the Year, Best Breakfast Restaurant Victoria, the lot. Then COVID happened. Three years of opening, closing, opening, closing. By the end of it, Cam was mentally beat up. So he turned to Jill and said: "I think we need to move." Two weeks of quarantine in Cairns later, they landed on the Gold Coast — into a house they'd never seen, a school they'd never visited, with Mornington still running 1,700km behind them. Eighteen months after that, they opened a second venue in Main Beach. Brought their long-time staff members in as co-owners. And nearly broke themselves doing it. In this episode, Cam sits down with Tim to talk through what it actually takes to run a café from another state — the systems, the weekly rhythms, the team culture that holds it all together, and the hard lessons from a second venue that nearly took them out. This is the conversation for anyone wondering if you can actually step back from your business without losing it. You'll hear: 00:00 – How to move interstate without losing your café 09:30 – How to run a café remotely (the systems that hold it together) 21:30 – How to track the right numbers across multiple cafés 28:00 – How to recover when a second venue is losing money 40:00 – How to step back from your business without burning it down Key takeaways: - You can run a venue from anywhere — but only if the systems, the culture, and the weekly rhythm are non-negotiable - Always have a strong 2IC ready to step up. It's the difference between a hiccup and a disaster. - Your regulars don't only stay loyal to you — they become loyal to the team you build - Standards drift the moment you stop showing up for them. Weekly meetings are how you hold the line. - A new venue is not a copy-paste of the last one. Arrogance in expansion is what nearly took Cam out. - The best way to keep your best people is to invite them in as owners If you're ready to build a business you can actually step back from — without losing what you built — book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bac Follow Cam and The Winey Cow: @thewineycow Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday

    He Runs His Café From 1,700km Away: Cam Henderson on Building The Winey Cow
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Descrizione

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

Informazioni

  • Canale
    TBC Studios
  • Creatore
    Foodie Coaches
  • Anni di attività
    2025 - 2026
  • Puntate
    57
  • Classificazione
    Contenuti espliciti
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Make Restaurants Profitable
  • Sito web del podcast
    Make Restaurants Profitable

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