Nathen Doyle

When I joined the industry nearly 20 years ago, hospitality felt limitless. It was a place you could grow, not just professionally, but as a person, and within a supportive community.

From my start in 2008 and into the early 2010s, there was an infectious energy among my peers. We had a hunger to be better, learn more, taste more, experience more. We were witnessing the birth of incredible micro-hospitality niches: the specialty coffee movement was revolutionising how we approached coffee as an art, craft beer was exploding with creativity, Australian gin was making its mark on the world stage and the classic cocktail scene was experiencing a beautiful renaissance.

There was always a passionate community ready to embrace and support new ideas and the industry had the space and margins to support innovation. As young hospitality enthusiasts, we could become specialists, and with that came a deep sense of pride. And businesses could invest in larger teams, which meant we could execute elevated experiences without pricing out customers. It was a time of abundance – abundant creativity, abundant opportunity, abundant growth.

Recent years have tested hospitality the resilience of operators. The pandemic brought significant shifts, with many experienced professionals opting to explore new career paths. While this created space for fresh faces and new perspectives, it also meant we had to rebuild our training systems to incorporate more of the foundational knowledge that was lost when senior staff left. The challenge became less about innovation and more about ensuring consistent quality and service standards. And in 2025 we’re operating with razor-thin margins in a challenging economy.

But here’s what I’ve realised since opening Residence at the Potter Museum of Art in Melbourne earlier this year: we might actually be right where we need to be. A new generation of hospo pros in their late 20s and early 30s are returning to the industry with maturity, experience and renewed passion. They’re combining solid foundations with fresh ideas from their time in other industries, which is creating a whole new dynamic.

The future of hospitality isn’t just about adapting to change, it’s about consciously leading it. Right now, we have the opportunity to redefine what this industry looks like, to create sustainable businesses that support our teams and our communities, and to continue providing the spaces where people come together to celebrate life’s moments, big and small.

During the pandemic, we all realised something important: Melbourne without the pulse of its famed hospitality scene was a great city without a heartbeat. Our local cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants give daily life its texture and depth. They’re where connections happen, communities form and stories unfold. But what energises me most is the sense of possibility. Challenging times present an opportunity to innovate, do things better and create something meaningful.

The way I see it, the way forward is to embrace professional standards that match other industries. When we invest properly in our people – fair wages, professional development, reasonable work-life balance – we create an environment where talent wants to stay and grow. This isn’t just good for our teams, it’s essential for our industry’s long-term sustainability and success.

Restaurant margins typically sit at around 10 per cent, which is slim, and the risks are real. But I believe this reality is pushing us toward something better. As operators, we’re becoming strategic, creative and intentional about creating value. We’re learning to communicate the story behind our sustainable practices, carefully sourced ingredients and skilled craftsmanship. We’re remembering that hospitality isn’t just a transaction – it’s about the joy of great service and experiencing something that elevates us beyond the everyday.

We’re operating in a very challenging economy now, one where transparency and fair pricing are expected by patrons. As industry leaders, we need to commit to honest communication with our guests, staff, and peers about what quality hospitality actually costs to deliver. We’re not just selling people coffee or wine, we’re providing a meaningful narrative, connection to community, and daily moments of comfort, belonging and joy.

I’m so grateful to be at a point in my career where I can give back and help inspire the next generation of hospitality professionals. This is exactly what Residence – where every 12 months an aspiring restaurateur can test their own concept with our support – represents. It’s a space that proves that hospitality is alive, thriving and essential to the fabric of our communities. We’re creating strategies and systems around transparency and education that empower our team to build a better understanding of our business, the industry and how important everyone’s role is. It’s the people that make the hospitality experience, by giving them more information into how their successes help the business to thrive we are seeing a stronger buy in from our teams.

There are wonderful people doing remarkable things in our industry every single day and I’m genuinely excited about what lies ahead. At the same time, across Australia, hospitality workplace culture is being pushed to embrace radical change, an overdue shift that should be welcomed by all. There’s still much work to be done but if not now, when? And if not us, who? I believe the next chapter will see us evolve toward something built on stronger foundations – something we can all be truly proud of.