Insights

Costing, menu structure and kitchen economics — written for people who run venues in Australia, with Australian numbers.

Seasonal restaurant menu ideas built on technique, not a single ingredient, with a season-by-season Australian produce calendar to plan from.

Licences, council approval, fit-out, food safety and realistic start-up costs — the Australian version of the opening checklist.

Typical Australian restaurant profit margins, how to read a P&L, and the levers that move the number fastest.

What works on an Australian café menu, why it works, and how to build a list that's fast to execute and still profitable at counter prices.

How to calculate food cost percentage, what a good number looks like in Australia, and the three things that quietly push it up.

The menu engineering matrix explained — stars, plowhorses, puzzles and dogs — and what to actually change once you've plotted your dishes.

Tell us about your venue

Describe where the business is now and what you want it to become. Chef Gabriele reads every enquiry and replies personally.