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Your favourite restaurant or cafe may be one of many that face closure in 2020. Delivery apps, cost increases and the drought are just some of the issues affecting the industry. For this episode, we talked to Wes Lambert of Restaurant and Catering Australia (RCA) who explained what’s going on and how diners can help.
The RCA regularly surveys owners of restaurants, cafes and catering companies to find out what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s always a challenging business but some factors mean the hospitality industry is facing some of its toughest times ever. Wes paints a fascinating picture of the challenges being faced, and explains why you might want to reconsider your favourite food delivery apps and get your bum on a seat in your favourite restaurant.
For example, did you know that hospitality in Australia generates 100 billion dollars every year? Yet it’s an industry in the midst of a serious crisis.
According to Wes, large restaurants are currently making just 4.7 per cent profit, smaller restaurants 4.8 and caterers just 2 per cent profit. Three-quarters of restaurateurs can’t even afford to pay themselves award wages. What’s even more shocking is that, with rising costs, delivery services taking a large chunk of profits and the unacceptability to the public of raising menu prices, within the next three to five years restaurants are looking at zero per cent profit margins.
Click here to learn all about it.
Photo by Shangyou Shi on Unsplash