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Spritz sales jumped 49 per cent: is your venue serving the right one?
The spritz has outgrown its status as a summer special. Australian spritz sales have grown 49 per cent in dollar value year on year, according to figures cited by Campari Group Australia, and two new launches show where the category is heading. Aperol has put a ready-to-serve Aperol Spritz in a 750ml bottle, with Australia…
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Why a lemon from a flood-hit farm is a bigger idea than it sounds
Zero Alcohol Is Growing Up, and Your Drinks List Needs to Keep Pace Not long ago, a zero-alcohol option behind the bar meant a single warm bottle at the back of the fridge. Today those drinks sit in supermarket aisles, bottle shops and pub taps, and a growing number of customers expect something thoughtful when…
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The $66,000 bin: what food waste is really costing your venue
Most venue managers know food waste is a problem. Fewer know how much it costs them, because the expense is scattered across ordering, labour and waste collection. Industry estimates put the average cost for a food service business at around $66,000 a year, and for pubs, clubs and hotels in New South Wales a new…
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From Mexico City to Isan: the flavours your guests will be asking for next
Menu trends travel faster than they used to, and pub, club and hotel kitchens are well placed to catch them. Recent commentary from the editors of The Age Good Food Guide, new forecasts from US food intelligence firm Datassential and a fresh Sydney opening all show where diners are heading, and how a venue can…
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The quiet reason great Melb venues are closing (it’s not the food)
Why Melbourne’s Hatted Restaurants Are Closing While World-Famous Chefs Are Moving In Melbourne’s dining scene is sending two very different signals at once. In recent weeks, several well-loved bars and hatted restaurants have closed their doors, while one of the most decorated chefs in the world has chosen the city for her first Australian restaurant.…
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What a vodka volcano and a hotel creator program have in common
Influence Is Easy to Buy and Hard to Measure: What Venues Can Learn from Hotels and a Harbour Volcano Every venue manager has been pitched a creator collaboration by now, and most have wondered the same thing afterwards: did it actually put anyone through the door? Two very different pieces of marketing this month, one…
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South Australia’s Michelin moment
For decades, Australian diners and chefs have watched Michelin’s famous red guide expand into new cities and countries while their own restaurants stayed outside its judgement entirely. That changes on 14 October, when the inaugural Michelin Guide South Australia 2027 selection is revealed at the Adelaide Convention Centre, making South Australia the first Australian destination…
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Two ways menus are winning attention
Standing out on a crowded strip or in a competitive dining precinct has never been easy, and two very different Australian food stories from the past few weeks show just how differently venues are tackling the problem. One is a slow, provenance driven win built over generations. The other is a fast, youth focused brand…
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More than paging: connecting the systems behind the venue
For many clubs, paging has traditionally meant one thing: getting a message to a staff member on the gaming floor. But as venue technology becomes increasingly connected, the role of paging is changing. Notify.Me is expanding the possibilities by integrating with a growing range of leading industry technologies through secure APIs. This means information generated…
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The moderation drinker just got a lot more choice
For years, the moderation drinking trend has largely meant one thing on Australian drinks lists: non-alcoholic beer. That is changing fast, with two recent product launches showing the category is finally growing sideways into mid-strength lagers and non-alcoholic wine, giving venues genuinely new ways to serve the growing number of customers who want to drink…
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Your regulars are worth more than you think
Two campaigns launched within days of each other this month, and both make the same quiet argument: in an era of algorithmic discovery and one-off deals, the customers who already know your name are your most valuable asset. Payments company Square has put fresh numbers behind the idea of local loyalty, while IHG Hotels &…
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The drinks list that wins every generation at once
Two data releases landed almost together this month and read side by side they offer a genuinely useful map of where Australian drink spending is heading. NielsenIQ’s latest category report confirms that ready to drink beverages have moved firmly from niche to mainstream in on premise venues, while new YouGov BrandIndex data, published through Food…
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