Owner and chef of Les Bistronomes Clement Chauvin prides himself on high quality service, but says it’s getting harder to find trained staff. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Recent figures from ASIC show the hospitality industry has a 48 per cent rate of insolvency – and one Canberra restaurateur isn’t surprised.
Chef Clement Chauvin, owner and chef of French fine-dining establishment Les Bistronomes in Campbell, says there’s a range of factors contributing to the closure of businesses and government apathy is hurting the hospitality industry.
“The situation right now in hospitality is really the perfect storm: the pressures of growing business costs, weak demand and sourcing suitable staff are making businesses really struggle,” Chef Clem told Region.
“And local and federal governments are doing very little about the situation.”
Costs are rising for businesses across the board. Ingredients are more expensive, wages, rent and utilities are increasing, and alcohol prices are going up as the excise tax rises.
On the flip side, customers save money by cutting luxuries such as dining out or drinking in cafes.
Business owners are unable to raise their prices to a rate which will actually reflect the cost of doing business because as Clem puts it: “There’s only so much we can increase the price, without losing those customers altogether.”
Like many in the industry, he’s caught between a rock and a hard place. But he has a few ideas about how we can turn the tide.
Les Bistronomes staff at the Restaurant and Catering Association Awards. Photo: Ben Calvert.
The first is simple: invest in people.
The hospitality industry in Australia relies on international workers to fulfil demand because many Australians don’t see it as a viable or even respectable career path.
Prestigious training schools across the world provide students the opportunity to become a sommelier, maitre d, wait staff and manager. Meanwhile, an Australian TAFE education will get you an entry-level certificate, nowhere near the standard required for gaining Michelin stars.
On the subject of Michelin stars… What started as a ploy to sell more tyres is now an internationally recognised standard of hospitality, food and service. You can find Michelin-starred establishments across Europe, the UK, America and Asia, but not in Australia.
Michelin relies on governments or tourism boards to sponsor their expansion into a new region, and it appears the Australian government doesn’t see the merit in having Michelin stars awarded to local restaurants.
But Chef Clem argues international recognition of our exceptional food and dining scene will encourage tourism, increase the perceived prestige of Australia’s hospitality industry (for workers and customers), and reduce the ‘brain drain’ of talented professionals leaving the country for opportunities.
“When staff reach a certain level of hospitality, [they have to] move internationally to pursue their dream and level up their skills,” he said. “There’s a bar you reach in Australia and then you can’t go past it.”
For now, Chef Clem encourages diners to support their local cafes and restaurants, and have compassion for the staff. He’d also love to see more government action on the issue.
“It would be very nice to see the government acknowledging the situation at least. Contact me: I would be more than happy to have a conversation about what we can do on a national scale to help the industry at large.”
Les Bistronomes is located at 18 Blamey St, Campbell. Follow Les Bistronomes on Facebook or Instagram.
