OVERVIEW

Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) is the national association that leads and represents the interests of restaurants and catering businesses in Australia. The members of R&CA nationally are the State Associations, who represent individual restaurant and catering businesses. In any 12-month period, these members total 7,200, representing 70% of overall industry turnover.   In addition to actively pursuing national issues and projects of relevance to its members, R&CA is committed to ensuring that the industry is recognised as one of excellence, professionalism, profitability and sustainability within its broader social and economic contribution.  This includes promoting and advocating the value of the restaurant experience to the public.    In 2005, R&CA set an ambitious goal to stimulate industry growth by 15% from $12 billion to $13.8 billion in 2008 by encouraging consumers to eat out more often and spend more when they do.  To achieve this and become more relevant when communicating with the dining public, R&CA developed, launched and now utilises ‘Savour Australia’.   Savour Australia™ was born out of significant research on dining trends and customer behaviours, attitudes and beliefs. This research showed that dining was an aspirational activity and people are motivated to dine out more by the concept of the entire experience than expectations about just the food, beverages or the quality of service.  It also showed that five clearly defined segments exist and that key strategies can be developed to influence behaviour including frequency, spend and loyalty. For more information on Savour Australia, please visit the Savour Australia page of this website.   The R&CA was formally incorporated in November 1995 as the association representing the national interests of restaurants and caterers. Members of R&CA nationally are the State Associations which represent restaurateurs and caterers. See the State Associations Section of this site for more details. The mission of R&CA is to "Lead and represent the Australian restaurant and catering industry". R&CA is a member of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Through ACCI and in its own right, R&CA actively pursues issues and projects of relevance to its members including: Taxation Education & Training Employment Small Business Issues Industrial Relations Health and Food Safety For specific policy matters please refer to the Association Policy Documents at the bottom of this page.

Restaurant & Catering Australia aims to: ·        Encourage Australian dining consumers to eat out more often and spend more when they do; ·        Operate within the financial resources of the Association; ·        Run a profitable national awards event; ·        Undertake research to inform State Association members, Governments and regulators of the current state of the industry; ·        Administer the RACES (Restaurant And Catering Evaluation Systems) so as to enable the operation of the Awards for Excellence program - run throughout Australia using 520+ trained & anonymous judges, judging 2200+ restaurants and caterers annually, that results in 19 awards events (regional, state & national) with 11,000 attendees; ·        Work with Government and regulators to effect a regulatory environment that is consistent with the Association priorities; ·        Articulate agreed policy positions on behalf of the industry in such a way as to progress the Association's priorities; ·        Foster funding arrangements that assist in progressing the Associations priorities in line with the State : National Agreement.

^Top

The Board of Restaurant & Catering Australia

Restaurant & Catering Australia is governed by Board made up of representatives from each State/Territory. The National Executive meets four times a year with an Annual General meeting usually taking place in October to coincide with the National Awards. The current office Bearers are:

^Top

President - Peter Doyle OAM In addition to his role as President of Restaurant & Catering Australia , Peter is Vice President of Restaurant and Catering NSW, on the board of Tourism Training Australia, the Sydney Tourism Advisory Board, the NSW Liquor Industry Consultative Council, the Sydney Tourism Culinary Board and Deputy Chairman of SA Seafood Industry Advisory Board.   His substantive position is Managing Director of Doyles Seafoods. Doyles Seafoods owns and operates four restaurants and 2 hotels. Currently they employ 350 staff and the restaurants serve over 1.5 million people annually. Doyles Seafoods is a private company wholly owned by the Doyle Family. In 2003 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the restaurant and catering industries, to the development of tourism, and to the community, particularly people with disabilities.

Immediate Past President President - Con Castrisos A dynamic individual and raconteur of note, Restaurant & Catering Australia's Immediate Past President Con Castrisos is blessed with an infectious bon vivaone. As a lawyer and partner in a successful city law firm, Con has specialised in commercial law. Con's involvement in the food industry extends many years and he has been an owner of the award winning Cafe San Marco situated in South Bank Parklands since its inception in 1992.

Senior Vice President - KevinGulliver                                                                                                                 A tireless advocate for the Hospitality Industry, Keven has been Food & Beverage Director of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre for the past 15 years where he has been responsible for building the Centre's internationally acclaimed reputation for its catering. Through his key positions in industry groups including as Vice President Academie Culinaire De France, Secretary of Restaurant & Catering Queensland and National Board Member of Restaurant & Catering Australia, Kevin is committed to improving and promoting the professionalism of Food & Beverage within the hospitality industry.

Junior Vice President - Terry Soukoulis Terry has owned and operated Auge Ristorante since 2001.  He won the R&C SA Employee of the Year in 1999 and was Manager of Eros Ouzeri in 2000.  At Auge, he has been a mentor for many young entrants into industry in South Australia.  He continues to invest in training, ensuring the highest level of service and customer care. For hospitality in South Australia, he has become the epitome of the young brigade of hospitality professionals, continuing to invest in quality in produce, shop fit, crockery, cutlery and glassware and most importantly, in training to sustain the high levels of service required for fine dining Italian fare. One of the few restaurants in Adelaide to invest in a sommelier to ensure a diverse and high quality wine list, he is a highly regarded member of the Association and the restaurant community and is highly deserving of the accolade of Restaurant of the Year in 2005 and 2006, as well as Best Italian Restaurant in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009.

^Top

Chief Executive Officer - John Hart John came to the Association from Tourism Training NSW where he was Executive Officer for some 5 years. He has spent 18 years working in the hospitality industry, trained in food and beverage management at the Ecole Hotelliere Lausanne, in Switzerland, and educational administration at the University of South Queensland.   Throughout his time at Tourism Training NSW, John forwarded many important initiatives for the industry including the Cooks Employment and Training Project, Australian Contemporary Cuisine and the Tourism Business Skills Program.

^Top

People and contacts Administration Manager - Diane Woods Training / Education Projects - Karen Jack Marketing Consultant (Partnerships, Savour Australia, Food & Wine Atlas) - Joanne Sanderson  Savour Australia strategy - Jessica Keen Restaurant & Catering Australia Magazine Editor - Engage Custom Media             Immigration Officer - Norberta Pereira

^Top

Policy Platforms As a federation of state associations that all work together on national issues on behalf on their members, Restaurant & Catering Australia has clearly stated positions on matters of Federal Legislation and Regulations. The position statements on the current areas of concern are able to be downloaded below in the complete policy document or individual positions:- Complete Policy Document Workplace Relations Employment, Education & Training Taxation Treatment of Business Meals GST Simplification Superannuation Domestic Tourism Food Safety Other Key Issues

^Top

Restaurant Bites Fortnightly Email Newsletter   Restaurant Bites is a fortnightly email newsletter covering National Initiatives, Technology Updates, Programs, competitions and surveys. To subscribe to this newsletter, please email Diane Woods  Previous Restaurant Bites Newsletters are available in the Members Intranet section of this website. For access, please register your details, by following the link in the page contents on the left of the site. Copies are also available here:-http://www.emarketsolutions.com.au/send/rss.php?List=189