Fried Chicken, Champagne and Wu-Tang: How Julian Cincotta Built Sydney's Most Unique Restaurant

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 [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbGwwWjFXNDExX1ZYdnlKOVEzVUtyelNjUXJ1QXxBQ3Jtc0trSElQakVHTjBRUEV5TVc0VWNCMjF4ZmNpMmphTW1DTGR2YkdoZDk3dHRFemRZeW1LUXVsSGthTkNPOVpKX1E3T1JrR0ZORkhTcVFvNFJnLWgzTGF4LTh2XzBEbDJUZjh4RHp5dTJwVW9JbkhhR0p4Yw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscover.foodiecoaches.com%2Fbac&v=vh7qGgkCLDU] Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

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 business * The 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 relief * Award 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 yourself * Rent 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

You Don't Own Your Business. The Community Does: Rabih Yanni on 33 Years in Hospitality

Rabih Yanni has spent 33 years in hospitality. Nine venues across nine different postcodes. Currently runs Botanical Hotel in South Yarra — the iconic Melbourne pub he's brought back to life since 2019. Founded South Yarra Deli during COVID and took it national. He's the kind of operator who can walk into a venue, look around, and tell you in five minutes what's broken and how to fix it. But the line that stopped Tim in this conversation was this: "You never own a business. The community does. Your role is to navigate that community expectation." In this episode, Rabih breaks down 33 years of hard-won lessons — the standards he refuses to compromise on, the way he holds team for 20+ years, why he's never bought a business from a good operator, and the one mindset shift that separates owners who survive from owners who scale. This one's a masterclass. You'll hear: 00:00 – "You either win or you learn. You don't make mistakes." 01:00 – Why a 10K week venue is harder than a 100K week venue 02:00 – The line that changes how you see ownership forever 04:00 – Walking the guest's path — how to read what your community actually wants 07:00 – How to stop being store-blind in your own venue 09:00 – Why your suppliers are part of the team, not just service providers 10:00 – Holding staff for 20+ years — what actually creates loyalty 12:00 – Non-negotiables: fingerprints, dog-eared menus, dust on bottles 13:00 – "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept" 15:00 – How Rabih's "intent" shifted from working for himself to growing his team 19:00 – Why hospitality is one of the safest industries to be in right now 20:00 – Never buy a business from a good operator — Rabih's rule for acquisitions 21:00 – "You make your money when you buy" 42:00 – Weekly stocktakes and why most owners avoid them 45:00 – "If you're at $2M with aspirations to grow, do the work or concede you bought a job" 46:00 – Act quicker, fail fast — the lesson Rabih wishes he'd learned earlier 50:00 – The difference between an opportunity and a distraction 51:00 – Advice for anyone thinking about buying their first venue Key takeaways: - You never own a business. The community does. Your job is to navigate the community's expectation. - Secondary can never become primary — but you can't get primary right if you don't get secondary right. - Everyone needs to share in the heavy lifting. Suppliers, service providers, team — not just the owner. - The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. - If you're going to fail, fail fast. Procrastination is the most expensive habit in hospo. - You don't get a second chance at a first impression. If you're ready to build something worth being proud of — and stop being a stranger to your own numbers — book a free call with the Foodie Coaches team at foodiecoaches.com Follow Rabih and Botanical Hotel: @botanicalhotel Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

Fried Chicken, Champagne and Wu-Tang: How Julian Cincotta Built Sydney's Most Unique Restaurant

Julian Cincotta grew up cooking at his family's café in Western Sydney. He went on to train under Neil Perry at Rockpool, won Young Chef of the Year, staged at some of the best restaurants in the world — and then opened a fried chicken and champagne bar in Surry Hills with a sneaker wall and a Wu-Tang soundtrack. Two weeks after they opened, Wu-Tang Clan walked in. That was ten years ago. In this episode, Julian sits down with Tim to talk through the whole decade — the concept nobody believed in, the three venues COVID stripped back to one, the emotional weight of closing something you built, and why he's now one of the loudest voices on sustainability in the Australian hospitality industry. It's a conversation about what it takes to stay relevant, stay true to what you built, and still be standing after ten years in one of the hardest industries in the world. You'll hear: 00:00 – Fried chicken, champagne, sneakers and hip hop — where the idea came from  03:00 – Training at Rockpool and what fine dining teaches you about everything else  06:00 – Winning Young Chef of the Year and what happened next  08:00 – Opening Butter and why nobody thought it would work  10:00 – Wu-Tang walked in two weeks after they opened  13:00 – Scaling to three venues — and why one to three nearly broke them  18:00 – COVID, leases and the decision to close three venues down to one  22:00 – Why closing felt like failure — and why it wasn't  25:00 – Staying relevant after ten years and through a generation of change  28:00 – The partnership lessons nobody tells you upfront  32:00 – How Julian got obsessed with sustainability  36:00 – Compostable packaging, PFAS and why it's more complicated than it looks  42:00 – Turning Mayo buckets into reusable containers  45:00 – The one thing every owner can do today to reduce waste and save money  47:00 – What ten years at Butter actually taught him If you want to go further on sustainability in your venue, Julian is part of HospoDECLARE — a movement connecting hospitality operators across Australia to share practical strategies for reducing waste, electrifying operations, and building more responsible supply chains. It's industry-wide collaboration built for people who actually want to make changes that stick. Check out https://www.hospodeclare.com/ Book a free call with the Foodie Coaches team at foodiecoaches.com Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.

From Food Truck to Full Restaurant: The Kings of the Wings Share 13 Years of Hard Lessons

Dylan and Katrina started King of the Wings from a little food trailer in 2013. They were among the first food trucks doing wings in Australia. No blueprint. No safety net. Just a gap in the market and a bet on themselves. Thirteen years later they're running a restaurant, a food truck, popups and an interstate operation. But the road there was anything but straight. A collab that went sideways on opening day. A food court concept that COVID killed two weeks in. A Commonwealth Games that turned Surfers Paradise into a ghost town. And a moment where they had to roll up in the middle of the night and take back what was theirs. In this episode, Dylan and Katrina share the real story — the hard lessons, the partnership mistakes, the pivot to bricks and mortar, and why after all of it they'd still do it again. You'll hear: 00:00 – From food trailer to one of Brisbane's most recognised wing brands  03:00 – The collab that looked like a no-brainer — and fell apart on opening day  06:00 – Rolling up in the middle of the night to take back their equipment  08:00 – COVID, a food court concept and pulling the pin after 12 months  09:00 – Going all in on their own — signing the Stafford lease  12:00 – Food truck vs bricks and mortar: what nobody tells you about the switch  18:00 – Why the food truck makes in 2 hours what the restaurant makes in 10  22:00 – The menu engineering lesson that changed everything  28:00 – How JobKeeper changed the labour landscape and why they're still salty about it  35:00 – How to find and keep staff for a food truck operation  42:00 – Hire on attitude, train everything else  45:00 – Their advice for anyone thinking about opening a food truck today If you're ready to build something that actually works — food truck, restaurant or both — book a free call with the Foodie Coaches team at foodiecoaches.com Follow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeld New episodes every Wednesday.