Grit, grind and the love of food: 48 hours in an independent restaurant
Independent restaurant owners in Sydney are facing a severe economic crisis characterized by rising costs, inflation, and thin profit margins. The article highlights the daily operational struggles of small business owners trying to maintain viability in a challenging market.
Why it matters
It illustrates the broader economic pressures facing the hospitality sector, which is experiencing high closure rates due to systemic financial strain.
Bridget Raffal and Harry Hunter, co-owners of Club Claret in Darlingthurst ( ABC News: Teresa Tan )
Link copied Share Share article The work is relentless and the earnings unpredictable: So what keeps an independent restaurant owner in the game?
It's a Thursday morning and Bridget Raffal, co-owner of Claret Club, a restaurant and bar tucked into an old terrace on the edges of Sydney's CBD, is bracing for the worst.
One of the kitchen's two heat lamps has broken. Without it the venue's two chefs will struggle to keep food warm until a waiter can ferry their carefully prepared plates of risotto and quince and walnut clafoutis to customers.
"At first we thought it was just a broken bulb so we ordered one — a very expensive bulb," says Bridget, looking like she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Now we think we have to replace it."
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