Helping multi-venue hospitality group retain their chefs and continue growing.
The challenge
The group was struggling to secure skilled, qualified chefs across several busy venues. Each location had its own personality, clientele, and service demands, but the expectation was the same across the board: consistently high-quality food, every service.
Local recruitment wasn’t cutting it, and short-term fixes weren’t sustainable.
What we did
We started with a deep-dive consultation to understand the business from the ground up. How each venue operated, where their staffing pressures differed, and what “good” actually looked like for each kitchen.
Rather than treating the issue as a one-off hiring problem, we took a workforce-planning lens. We mapped current and future staffing needs and identified how the Australian migration program could be used strategically — not just to fill gaps, but to build long-term stability.
We developed a tailored workforce planning model that enabled the group to sponsor talented international chefs and offer clear pathways to permanent residency.
This wasn’t just about getting people through the door. It was about retention, continuity, and protecting standards across all venues.
The outcome
The business has been able to retain chefs for multiple years, reduce turnover pressure, and maintain a consistently high standard of food across its bistros — even in a tight labour market.
With a clear strategy in place, the group now has a sustainable pipeline of skilled talent that supports both day-to-day operations and long-term growth.
In Short
In hospitality, people are the product. By aligning immigration strategy with business reality, we helped turn a persistent staffing problem into a long-term competitive advantage.
That’s what visa law with a business brain looks like in practice.