If you’ve ever found yourself in Australia with a flat white in hand, you’ll know there’s something quietly spectacular about hospitality in Australia. After a recent stint down under, I’ve returned with a head full of ideas, a palate still tingling from Asian fusion, and a few thoughts about how we in Britain might reimagine parts of our own hospitality scene.

Let’s start with coffee, the beating heart of Australian café culture. Unlike our high streets, which are increasingly dominated by recognisable chains, Australia is proudly independent when it comes to coffee. Walk a block in Sydney or Brisbane and you’ll pass two or three buzzing, locally owned coffee shops, each with its own personality, decor, and loyal following.

There’s no Starbucks on every corner; in fact, chains are actively avoided by many Australians. Instead, there’s a deep-rooted pride in local businesses. Cafés often roast their own beans, and baristas are artisans in their own right, trained, respected, and paid accordingly. The result? Coffee that’s not just good, but extraordinary. Silky flat whites, punchy espressos, inventive cold brews. The bar is high and everyone knows it.

And it’s not just the coffee. Australian café culture is deeply intertwined with a vibrant brunch and breakfast scene, especially in cities like Sydney. It’s not unusual to see people up before dawn—having exercised, grabbed a turmeric latte and smashed avo on toast, and still making it to the office before 8am, even in the middle of winter. Brunch isn’t a weekend indulgence—it’s a daily ritual, and the cafés cater accordingly with full breakfast menus, fast service, and quality produce. It’s a rhythm that supports early risers and creates a unique space where hospitality seamlessly meets lifestyle.

This respect for the craft carries over into the wider food scene. Australia’s multiculturalism isn’t just a statistic, it’s in the food. Vietnamese pho, Korean bibimbap, Lebanese manousheh, Thai larb to name but a few. These dishes aren’t confined to niche eateries or city centres. They’re part of everyday eating, integrated into menus across the country.

The influence of Asia is particularly profound, not just in the food itself but in the service culture which is fast, friendly, and unpretentious. Dining feels less like an event and more like a fluid part of daily life. The boundaries between casual and fine dining are blurrier than they are here, and there’s a lot we can learn from that flexibility.

But perhaps the biggest surprise came not on the plate, but on the payslip. In Australia, hospitality staff are paid a living wage. This isn’t lip service—it’s embedded in the system. Waiting staff can earn upwards of AUD $30 an hour (around £15), and on Sundays and public holidays, they receive an additional 10%, a cost that’s passed transparently to the customer via a modest surcharge on the bill.

At first, the idea of a surcharge might seem off-putting, but it’s widely accepted and understood in Australia. It’s a simple equation: better pay = better staff retention = better service.
Contrast that with the situation back home, where service roles are still viewed as transient, underpaid, and underappreciated. If we want our hospitality sector to thrive, perhaps we need to look at not just what’s on the plate, but who’s carrying it.

Of course, it’s not all rosé and rainbow lattes. While the Aussies excel in cafés and restaurants, they can’t hold a candle to us when it comes to pubs.

Yes, you can find a decent pint in Melbourne. And yes, there are some good craft breweries and trendy gastropubs scattered across the continent. But the traditional pub is a British institution that Australia hasn’t quite managed to replicate.

Their pubs often feel more like sleek beer halls or hybrid sports bars, lacking the history, character, and community spirit that defines a great British local. It’s here that we hold the upper hand, and it’s a reminder that while we can (and should) learn from other countries, we shouldn’t forget what we already do well.

So what does all this mean for us? It means we can aim higher. We can celebrate independence, diversity, and authenticity. We can invest in staff, not just with training but with pay and pride in the job. We can blur the lines between weekday and weekend dining, between street food and sit-down service. And yes, we can rethink breakfast—not as an afterthought but as a cultural opportunity.
And maybe, just maybe, we can build a hospitality culture that’s less about surviving and more about thriving, where both customers and workers feel at home, valued, and excited to return.

We might not be able to import the sunshine, but we can import the lifestyle!

Woody (Edward) Barlow, founder of Bear Inns, has worked in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, opening and establishing a number of award-winning venues. Woody is a member of the voting academy for Top 50 Gastro Pubs and is passionate about creating amazing pubs that have a joyful, lively atmosphere created by people, not only its guests but those delivering genuinely great hospitality.