In the post-pandemic world, as hotels and hospitality venues rebuild their trade and restore their previous profitability, I regularly see publicans prioritising their profit recovery through focusing on the immediate ‘quick wins’ within their pubs trade. While understandable - laudable even - it can really miss an opportunity to embed the hotels’ role in the community. Having come into the world of pub brokering after 30 years running pubs across Australia and internationally; from publican through to State Manager, I have seen pubs from many perspectives. My passionate belief is that this short-term focus can be at the expense of providing a dependable food offering, and that it can miss an opportunity.

Publicans often tell me about their frustration with the food side of their hotels: Chefs and cooks can be too challenging, bistros can be the hardest part of the pub to get right (and the quickest to go wrong), and when the trading performance of the hotel is reviewed bistros are often the least profitable part of the hotel. So, they ask, “Why bother?”

I would argue that these challenges don’t paint the whole picture. Bistros and pub food operations are often crucial to a hotel’s connection to their local community. It is the one part of a pub where you will reliably see every slice of your customer base; from kids’ birthdays to a Sunday lunch, from sporting groups to anniversaries, from Melbourne Cup events to a parmi in the front bar; it is truly the one part of your hotel that everyone uses. No other part of your hotel has such a cross-community appeal; Bar, Gaming, Bottle shops all have a much narrower field of clientele, but everyone eats! It doesn’t have to be a beautiful ‘paddock to plate’ or gastropub menu; often a great steak sandwich or burger is just as good, but if you want your hotel to be the hub of the community there is no better focal point than providing great pub food. Get food right and people will happily sing your praises far and wide – much more than other parts of your business.

There is no doubt that the industry is experiencing a severe shortage of chefs and staff willing to cook, and there are no signs of an easy fix on the horizon, yet for so many reasons your communities are calling out for a reliable pub meal. They’ve been locked down, missed birthdays, need to catch up with mates over a schnitzel and a beer. Whatever the reason, there is no better time to put energy back into this often frustrating, highly challenging, but ultimately vital part of your hotel business.

My hope is that our industry doesn’t neglect food because it has become too hard, because of staffing issue, or cost issues. Food should be seen as the key to community engagement, and one of the most rewarding aspects of any hotel operation.