Hospitality is screaming out for staff. From local cafés to neighbourhood wine bars to fine dining restaurants, staff shortages are rampant. Many international workers went home during the pandemic due to the lack of government support and they haven’t returned.

While the big-name hospitality groups are incentivising would-be staff with hefty sign-on bonuses, Andy Ashby of C’est Bon in Brisbane believes small businesses can offer something the big guys can’t.

“We can’t compete with bigger businesses to offer additional money, but what I can do is offer staff experience in running a small business and give them exposure to operations,” he says. 

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“A young chef out of college is going to run his own function. He came up with the concept, he’s going to sell the tickets, he’s ordering the produce and he knows what the break-even point is. If he makes a profit, he keeps it.

“This is my way of giving back to the industry. Chefs might have the cooking certifications, but they don’t know the fundamentals of ownership and operations. We can give you that.” 

Ashby believes Brisbane’s dining scene is on the cusp of booming. C’est Bon added a rooftop bar in the middle of COVID-19, there’s a wine bar, restaurant and a space for private functions. All of which need staff.

“The business is taking off in multiple directions, the hardest part is getting the staffing onboard,” he says. 

Ashby is used to thinking outside the box. During the pandemic, C’est Bon teamed up with Peugeot for delivery orders, cutting out the middleman because he had overseas workers he needed to retain, but his inventiveness has a limit. Hospitality needs legislative help.

“The fear as we emerge closer to the busy summer period is that we don’t have enough government support. I have multiple staff that would love to be sponsored, but I can’t,” he says.

“It’s not the money side, it’s the red tape. If I have a great person from France who’s been with the business for over two years, why can’t I sponsor them?” 

C’est Bon
Tues-Thurs 7–11am, 5–11pm, Fri 7am-11pm, Saturday 8am-11pm, Sun-Mon closed
609/611 Stanley St, Woolloongabba QLD 4102
cestbon.com.au 

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