The Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association (ARCA) has been established to respond to economic challenges facing the hospitality industry.
The association gives voice to a sector that numbers more than 54,000 venues, employs more than 450,000 people and contributes up to $64 billion to the Australian economy.
Set up by prominent industry figures such as Neil Perry and Chris Lucas, with Wes Lambert as CEO, ARCA aims to influence government across areas including taxation, skilled worker shortages, rent and dining restrictions.
The foundation of ARCA comes on the back of figures released by Australian credit reporting firm CreditorWatch, which predicts one in 11 Australian hospitality businesses may fail within 12 months as the nation’s cost-of-living crisis worsens.
In Australia, Accor operates more than 223 cafes and restaurants and 167 bars across its network of hotels, resorts and apartments.
“The current situation of rising costs and restrictions on discretionary spending is impacting hospitality venues across the industry, [ranging] from five-star signature restaurants to cafes, and from capital cities to regional areas,” says Accor Pacific’s chief operating officer, PM&E, Adrian Williams.
Accor Pacific’s director of food & beverage, Ben Creek, believes it is essential to partner with ARCA to present a united voice.
“We look forward to working with other ARCA members to collaborate and advance the hospitality community as a whole,” he says.
“We invest considerably in training and development, which benefits the wider hospitality industry.
“Committing such high levels of investment relies on the profitability of our venues, but the current regulatory framework is not providing the support we need.
“The industry as a whole is looking for a fairer deal.”
ARCA CEO Wes Lambert is pleased to be joining forces with Accor.
“As the hospitality industry faces unprecedented challenges, ARCA is dedicated to providing a strong, unified voice to advocate for the support and reforms needed to sustain and grow this vital sector,” he says.
“We are thrilled to have Accor, a leader in the industry, join us as a founding hotel partner.
“Together we can drive meaningful change that will not only help businesses survive these tough times, but thrive in the future.”
