Hospitality Consultants · Melbourne
You’re not losing money because business is slow.
13 years · Melbourne hospitality · café owner & consultant
After 13 years working in and owning hospitality businesses — alongside some of Australia’s most respected chefs — I’ve seen the same patterns repeat in café after café. The problem is almost never what the owner thinks it is. And the solution is almost always already there. You just need someone to ask the right question.
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SODA
Hospitality Consultants · Melbourne
“Hospitality is one of the greatest industries in the world. It’s also not for everyone. Part of my job is helping you figure out which one is true for you — before it costs you everything to find out the hard way.”
Sound familiar?
Is this you?
Before you read any further — answer these honestly.
- Your café is open, the tables are full, and you’re still not paying yourself properly.
- You’ve tried new menu items, longer hours, more marketing. The needle barely moved.
- You lie awake thinking “I know something is wrong — I just don’t know what.”
- Someone mentions cutting costs and your first instinct is to fire someone or drop a supplier — but you’re not sure that’s even the real problem.
- You’ve been meaning to look properly at the numbers for three months. You haven’t.
- You’ve had good months and still felt broke. You don’t understand why.
If you said yes to two or more of those — you’re exactly who we work with.
Not because your business is failing. But because you’re good enough at what you do to know something isn’t adding up, and smart enough to want a real answer instead of another marketing campaign.
You don’t need more customers. You need clarity on what’s already there.
Three hard questions
Sit with these. Be honest.
Most café owners can’t answer all three. That’s exactly the point.
Do you know your food cost percentage this month — and is it where it should be?
Not roughly. Exactly. A food cost that drifts 4% above benchmark in a café doing $60k a month costs you $2,400 every single month. That’s $28,800 a year. Quietly. Without a single bad week of trade.
If you had to take two weeks off tomorrow, would your business run — or fall apart?
This isn’t about holidays. It’s about whether you’ve built a business or a very stressful job. The answer tells us a lot about where the real work needs to happen.
When did you last make a decision based on your actual numbers — not your gut feeling?
Gut feeling built your café. Numbers will sustain it. The owners who cross from struggling to stable are almost always the ones who made that shift.
How we work
Two ways to work with us.
We start by understanding your business before committing to anything long term. No lock-in contracts. No generic advice. If we can’t genuinely help — we’ll tell you that too.
Business Review
A deep diagnostic of your business — numbers, operations, margins and cash flow. You’ll walk away with a clear written report showing exactly what to fix first and why.
- 2–3 hour in-depth session
- Cost of goods and labour analysis
- Roster structure review
- Cash flow pattern assessment
- Menu profitability overview
- Written report with prioritised actions
- One follow-up call to walk through findings
Monthly Advisory
For café owners who want real accountability and consistent progress — not just a one-off report. A focused monthly cycle that compounds over time.
- Monthly 1-hour strategy session
- 3 focused action items per month
- Key metrics review — COGS, labour, wastage
- Mid-month check-in and support
- Priority email access between sessions
- Quarterly business health summary
About Fabian
I didn’t come to this from a business school.
“I came from the industry itself.”
Since 2013 I’ve worked in, around and inside hospitality in ways that most consultants simply haven’t. I’ve worked alongside Dan Hunter — the chef behind Brae, one of Australia’s most celebrated restaurants — and Paul Wilson, the acclaimed chef behind the legendary Botanical in Melbourne.
These weren’t courses or case studies. These were real kitchens, real pressure, real standards.
I’ve owned and operated my own hospitality businesses for more than 13 years. I know what it feels like to sign the lease, hire the first team, watch the numbers not add up, and make the hard calls nobody warns you about.
I’ve helped entrepreneurs get businesses off the ground. And I’ve helped owners do something far harder — step aside. Sometimes that saves a business. Sometimes it saves something more important than that.
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The conversation nobody wants to have
Sometimes the most valuable thing I can do is tell you what nobody else will.
Not every café should stay open. Not every owner should stay in their business.
That sounds harsh. But I’ve watched people pour three more years — and three more remortgages — into a business that the numbers told us clearly wasn’t going to work. Because nobody in their life was willing to say it out loud.
Their family was supportive. Their friends were encouraging. Their accountant was filing the returns. Nobody was asking the hard question.
I will ask it. And I’ll help you answer it honestly — whether that means fixing what’s broken, restructuring how you operate, or making a clean exit that protects what you’ve built.
“I’ve helped owners step aside from businesses that were costing them everything. Every single one of those conversations was hard. Every single one was the right call.”
— Fabian, Lulo & Soda
Live workshop · Melbourne
Why your café is busy but not profitable — and what to fix first.
A practical 3-hour session for Melbourne café owners. We show you what healthy numbers actually look like, what the industry benchmarks are, and where most operators are unknowingly losing money.
No fluff. Real numbers. Real case studies. You’ll leave with a clear picture of where your business stands — and what to do next.
We don’t talk about marketing. We don’t talk about social media. We talk about the numbers that determine whether a café survives.
Workshop details
In-person, Melbourne
3 hours
Max 20 attendees
$120 per seat
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Register to be notified
Not ready to talk yet?
Start with the numbers, free.
Two free tools — a practical guide and a break-even calculator — built for café, takeaway, and restaurant owners who want to look at their own numbers first.
Get in touch
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you reach out.
The first conversation is free. If there’s something I can genuinely help with, I’ll tell you how. If there isn’t, I’ll tell you that too. Either way you’ll leave clearer than when you started.
7/4 Kireep Road, Balwyn VIC 3103
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