Hospitality has a reputation for being cutthroat – with ruthless chefs, gruelling hours, stressful kitchens, under-the-table practices and overworked employees. But times and the industry are changing for the better, according to chef Marcello Arru.
He’s seen a big, positive shift in working conditions, which he says have gotten better for employees. “The legislation is changing every year making everyone’s lifestyle better,” he says. “When I started we used to just work, work, work. Back in the day we had to work like 18, 20 hours a day sometimes, no days off, seven days a week.”
As head chef of Jonathan Barthelmess and Sam Christie’s long-running Greek spot the Apollo in Potts Point, Arru makes sure every member of his team works a standard week of around 40 hours. The hospitality lifestyle is finally becoming sustainable for career chefs who want to stick around and move up the ladder. “I think we reached a point where it was just too much for everyone. Now the wages are going up … the company now [offers] a four-day roster, so everyone has three days off,” he says.
Employment Hero’s new Swag app is the place to go for those looking for a career in hospitality. And according to Arru, the time has never been better. “I think hospitality is a fun environment. Hospitality is usually working in big teams, many people coming from all different countries, and then working with food and eating good food – working every day with new products is very exciting.” Finding new staff is also easy on The Apollo’s side, with Swag’s new AI SmartMatch tool which connecting the team directly with relevant hospo candidates based on their skills, experience and location
Arru wakes at 5am to grab some time in the surf and a little caffeine before work (“As an Italian, I can’t skip my morning coffee.”). He’s at the Apollo before 9am. “My day starts with a bit of admin, so I spend the first couple of hours on the laptop, checking invoices, getting deliveries in the kitchen. I’m very fussy on quality so if I’m in the kitchen I like to touch with my hand every single delivery.”
Arru oversees the produce that gets delivered but spends little time actually cooking it. “I would like to spend much more time in the kitchen, but nowadays you need to be a good manager, managing a team of 16 chefs,” he says. For head chefs like Arru, people management is a big part of the day. “I always touch base with every single chef in the kitchen and make sure they’re happy. It’s very important.”
Managing a large team is made easy with Swag, and Arru uses the app to schedule shifts, check timesheets and receive leave requests in one easy place. It also helps keeps his team connected even when they’re not in the kitchen through shoutouts, important updates and celebrations all in Swag.
Growing up on the Italian island of Sardinia, Marcello Arru’s early world revolved around shared meals and cooking. “Food has always been a big part of our family,” says Arru. “I remember, finishing school, I was always going to help my grandfather in his small butcher shop at the market. Basically, food or butchery has always been there since I was like three or four years old.”
Although now half a world away from his Sardinian home, food never lost its significance for Arru. As the Italian head chef of a Greek restaurant, Arru gets the occasional raised eyebrow, but says he feels right at home. “That’s a question everyone asks me – how come the Apollo head chef is Italian?” says Arru. “Growing up in Sardinia, it’s very similar to many of the Greek islands and most of the products are very similar. I did a lot of research about Greek food and it was easy to nail all the flavours [and] combine all the ingredients because I’ve grown up with [them].”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Employment Hero. Download its employment superapp Swag to get invaluable assistance with hiring, payroll and much more. Or to change things up with a new career opportunity.
