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North Shore Times
It’s just my cup of tea: Why I love my suburb
Suresh Manickam, CEO of the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association, has been in St Leonards for over ten years, enjoying its food scene and transport. His day includes managing emails, coffee at The Moody Chef, and connecting with members, while he relaxes at Naremburn Park and enjoys craft beers at Flat Rock Brew Cafe.
SBS News
From electricians to bakers: The occupations featured on Australia's skills shortage list
The Core Skills Occupation List identifies the jobs considered essential to tackle Australia's skill shortages. Here's what is included on the list — and what is not.
"The Australian government has not gone far enough to include key staff for restaurants and cafes, with managers, waiters and baristas being removed," R&CA chief executive Suresh Manickam said.
The Advertiser
Brisbane's iconic restaurants of the 21st century, top chefs put Brisbane on world stage
Over the last 24 years, Brisbane's dining scene has experienced an extraordinary evolution and is now regarded as world-class. Restaurant and Catering Industry Association CEO Suresh Manickam said Brisbane had in recent years evolved into a must-visit global dining destination that was “leading the world” in its culinary offerings.
The Advertiser
Queensland's hospitality sector requires significant reform before 2032
Queensland's hospitality sector requires significant reform, such as tax adjustments, visa modifications, and role redefinitions, to transform Brisbane into a genuine 24-hour city before the 2032 Games. Suresh Manickam, CEO of the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association, emphasized the urgent need for more accessible late-night venues in Brisbane.
Daily Telegraph
Universities claim that international student caps will worsen staffing issues in Sydney's hospitals and health services.
Residents of Sydney might experience longer waits in emergency rooms due to new limits on foreign student numbers, while the students express feeling "devastated" and rejected by the Albanese government.
Retailbiz
Online food delivery helps ease pressures in restaurant sector
Like many other industries, restaurants are still grappling with the longtail impacts that have rippled through the economy since the pandemic. Amid the dual challenges of rising costs and shrinking revenues, four in 10 restaurateurs report being in a more difficult financial position than a year ago, according to combined data from Mastercard, Uber Eats and the Restaurant and Catering Association (R&CA).
Hospitality Directory
Queensland restaurants push to expand takeaway alcohol options
Hospitality advocacy group The Coffee Commune, which represents 900 food and beverage businesses throughout Queensland, are leading the charge for changes to liquor licencing laws.
Restaurant and Catering Industry Association CEO Suresh Manickam said the proportion of alcohol should be in line with the amount of food ordered.
The Australian Business
Catering and Events in a Post-COVID Era: How Forte Catering Thrives
Catering and events faced severe pandemic impacts, but Forté Catering & Events thrived, showcasing team resilience, passion, and Mark Tallon's visionary leadership.
The Australian
Food Delivery offers fresh hope for restaurant sector
Suresh Manickam noted that Australia's restaurant and catering industries have faced significant challenges recently, but online delivery services are providing new hope for recovery.
Daily Telegraph
Australian restaurants, cafes facing collision of challenges to stay afloat, study shows.
This “unprecedented fusion” of pressures over the past year, R&CA CEO Suresh Manickman agreed, “have created one of the most challenging economic landscapes in recent history … impacting the ability for the sector to operate”.
Daily Telegraph
Not going out as much: Date-night economics leading small business insolvencies
Changes in dating habits are severely affecting small businesses, with rising interest rates, living costs, and energy prices contributing to one of the toughest times for the sector, according to Suresh Manickman, CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia.
Insolvency Insider
The Cafe apocalypse Australia had to have
ASIC data reveals that approximately 1,900 hospitality businesses went under last year due to increased food and energy costs and reduced consumer spending.
ABC Gold Coast
Hospitality sector grapples with severe skills shortage on top of cost of living spending slump
The Restaurant and Catering Industry Association urges the federal government to provide training incentives and subsidies for apprentices to attract more people to the sector.
Canberra Times
Half of small businesses not breaking even as costs soar
Nearly 50% of Australia's 2.5 million small businesses are struggling to break even, much less make a profit, according to a parliamentary committee on the cost of living.
The Advertiser
Cost of living: 49 per cent of Aussie small businesses at risk of shutting down
Mr. Manickam attributed the cost-of-living crisis to rising energy prices, interest rates, labor costs, and productivity issues, noting that cafe and restaurant owners are experiencing "IR fatigue" due to complex industrial relations law changes.
The Australian
Australia hospitality, retail industries fail at record rate in 2024 as energy, spending hurts
Suresh Manickam, CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia, highlighted that the sector is facing severe challenges due to rising costs and reduced consumer demand, with factors like higher interest rates and increased living expenses exacerbating the situation.
The Australian
Twice as many hospitality businesses going under versus a decade ago
Restaurant and Caterers Association chief executive Suresh Manickam said many of his members “were saying it’s the toughest they have seen in their years of doing business, and many have been in business for 10 or more years”.
Restaurant & Cafe Co NZ
Minimum Wage Concerns
Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA), the leading organization for restaurants, cafes, and caterers, has voiced worries about the Fair Work Commission's decision to raise the modern award minimum wage by 3.75% starting July 1, 2024.
Business Times
As diners economise, Sydney’s top restaurants are shutting their doors
Suresh Manickam highlights rising operational costs and reduced consumer spending as major challenges for eateries.
ABC
Unions to campaign against 'discriminatory' junior wages
Trade unions aim to abolish junior wages, which pay younger workers less than older ones for the same jobs, while industry groups, including Suresh Manickam of the Restaurant and Catering Association, support maintaining the current system due to concerns about small business impacts.
PubTic
MINIMUM WAGE HIKE: HEDGING THE INFLATION BET
The Fair Work Commission's decision to raise wages by 3.75% from July 1 is deemed "unsustainable" by the R&CA, potentially increasing unemployment and under-employment.
Herald Sun
Hospo industry is struggling, but how many new fees and charges can consumers take?
Restaurant and Catering Australia chief Suresh Manickam said at the time he was unsure why Melbourne restaurant prices had risen more than most other states in the past year, “but it may be as simple as Victoria (having) higher cost of living pressures than other states, proportionally”.
ABC Sydney Breakfast
Should you be tipping and where does it go?
Tipping in Australia is changing, with card tips becoming more frequent. Suresh Manickam discussed this trend on Breakfast with Craig Reucassel.
Hospitality Magazine
R&CA slams Federal Government’s Budget: “Inhospitable”
Restaurant & Catering Australia has commented on the Albanese Government’s Federal Budget, stating it has “missed an opportunity to assist a sector that is already in pain”.
The Guardian
Feeling the pinch: why are so many Australian businesses failing?
Suresh Manickam notes that consumers are reducing their spending by opting for fewer drinks or courses when dining out.
ABC Online
More than 10,000 businesses to go insolvent
Australia is experiencing a surge in business insolvencies, with over 10,000 companies expected to enter administration this year due to inflation, rising costs, and reduced consumer spending.
ABC News
Your favourite cafe or restaurant might be the next casualty of high inflation as insolvencies surge
Suresh Manickam, CEO of Restaurant & Catering Australia, highlights the current challenges facing the sector and assures that they are not profiteering. He calls for subsidies to help hospitality businesses manage rising power bills.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Dock tax cuts from increase to minimum wage, employers say
The business lobby plans to request the Fair Work Commission to lower the minimum wage increase, considering the Albanese government's tax cuts for low-income earners. Suresh Manickam of Restaurant and Catering Australia confirmed these tax cuts will be included in their submission to Fair Work by March's end.
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Media Releases
Restaurant & Catering Associaiton
The Release of Core Skills Occupations List is Undercooked
Australia’s peak body for restaurants, cafes and caterers, Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) expresses concerns regarding the Australian Government’s release of the Core Skills Occupations List (CSOL) specifically the removal of key hospitality staff like Managers, Bar Attendants, Waiters and Baristas.
Night Time Industries Association
Hospitality and business peak bodies unite to launch new industry resource hub
For the first time, leading hospitality and business organisations have come together to launch RespectInHospitality, a microsite offering resources, training, and templates for hospitality businesses.
Independent Food Distributors AUS
Hospitality Businesses Plead for Governments to Act on Red Tape
Hospitality businesses urge governments to reduce red tape, which is hurting small business profitability, costing $50,000+ in time, and increasing food costs for consumers.
Restaurant & Catering Industry Association
2024 Annual Wage Review
Australia’s peak body for restaurants, cafes and caterers, Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) expresses concerns regarding the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase the modern award minimum wage by 3.75% from 1 July 2024.
Restaurant & Catering Industry Association
Fair Work Ombudsman Secures Second Highest Penalties in History Against Restaurants
The Fair Work Ombudsman has secured $4 million in court-ordered penalties against the former operators of three Taiwanese restaurants for deliberately and systematically underpaying vulnerable migrant workers and using false records.
