Cast your mind back a few years. We are all sitting at home, watching Tiger King and playing Wordle, wondering if we will ever get to eat a meal in a restaurant or drink a cocktail in a bar again. Would habits change forever? Would it turn out that people prefer eating in their pajamas and drinking at home where no one ever practices RSA on you? You can’t mute other people IRL but you can on Zoom after all, and you don’t have to worry about trying to get an Uber home when post work drinks are in your living room.

Thankfully it turned out that the buzz of a pumping hospitality venue is something that people crave and which cannot be replicated. Every time restrictions eased, bars and restaurants filled to the brim. The problem then became… Where are the staff? After the Covid storm, some ‘lifers’ (hospo workers dedicated to the industry) remained but they seemed to be lonely liferafts in a sea of greener staff, stretched too thin to save the whole ship from sinking. Hospitality has always been plagued by staff retention issues, but the pandemic saw many experienced staff walk away from it creating a knowledge vacuum, and it felt like the industry was in troubled waters.

Thankfully, this caused pressure to tackle some of the historical problems that prompted this exodus - long and antisocial hours, patchy pay, questionable culture. Operators could no longer deny the value of skilled staff, and have nurtured a new generation who are breaking out with the enthusiasm needed to ensure that Australia retains its rightful place at the pointy end of the global drinks scene. Here, I chat to a few rising stars around their motivation for joining the industry and what will keep them there.

Eileen had some experience with a hospitality agency and at a steakhouse and pub, before joining Gin Palace post Covid. She struggled to find a job without experience or connections pre Covid, but found out about a government subsidised training programme to achieve a Certificate IV in hospitality.

What keeps you in the industry? 
The opportunity to be creative and challenge yourself constantly. It’s been less than two years since starting at Gin Palace (my first cocktail bar gig), so being able to write our seasonal drinks list is an exciting privilege. Making it into the Australian World Class Top 100 was surreal. It was my first year entering so I just saw it as a learning experience, but it really pushed me to think about my place in the industry and how I can establish myself long term.

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
The industry is so dynamic, so I think there’s lots of space to grow. It can go so many ways, but ultimately creating things/experiences is an opportunity to grow. I hope to be able to travel the world working in the industry.

What can the industry do as a whole to attract and retain passionate staff?
The industry needs to show their passion, in turn it will attract the energy they put out. It’s also important to keep standards high, and to give feedback and reward passionate staff for their hard work.

Kiamba’s first job in the city was at Gingerboy, starting in 2021, but felt more drawn to bar service rather than restaurant as she wanted to provide a more personalised and intimate style of service. She started to learn how to tend bar at Candela Nuevo before landing her current role.

What keeps you in the industry?
I am a massive extrovert, I love talking and making people laugh and smile. I adore aiding people in having a fantastic and fun night, one that they will always think fondly of. I have had many people come up to me and pull me aside as they are leaving telling me how amazing I’ve made their night and honestly it makes me so happy. Making people laugh is all I want to do. I've actually always wanted to try stand up comedy, so I guess hospitality is my practice run.

Bartending is also something that has kept the energy and interest of the industry alive in me, it's just so much fun and so experimental, and there is always something new to learn. I love being able to create a cocktail for someone that is exactly what they’re looking for.

What can the industry do as a whole to attract and retain passionate staff?
In my personal experience, the main thing that has discouraged me from staying in the industry is its lack of empathy and understanding for those with chronic illnesses. I suffer with a chronic illness that can honestly make my day to day very difficult. I will always make sure that I tell my possible employer in the interview stage that I have this illness, what it entails, and what to expect, and then allow them to decide whether they still want to hire me. Almost every single place that still decided to hire me, proceeded to discriminate against me because of my illness. I have an understanding that employers want reliable workers, that is why I will always disclose about my illness straight away, but if you still decide to hire a chronically ill person after they have informed you of that, I think it is so important to educate yourself on that illness so you fully understand what that person is going through. I do count my lucky stars for the company I am currently working for. My boss and managers are so incredibly understanding and I could not have asked for a better group to work with.

Starting work as a glassy, Jack fell in love with hospitality when he moved to the bar. “I instantly fell in love with mixing and matching flavours, creating experiences and seeing customers leave with a smile on their face. The hospitality bug bit me.”

What keeps you in the industry?
I can remember when I first moved to the bar, I was extremely green. A brand rep came into the bar and dropped off some flyers for an upcoming cocktail competition. All the bartenders were super excited and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I made a drink the same colour as the sticker on the bottle and I thought I was in with a shot (I wasn’t). Ever since then I’ve been hooked, working on different techniques and swinging for the fences. I love challenging myself and I always have my calendar highlighted with any upcoming comps. Stepping into the venue for me is like stepping into another world, whatever problems or issues fly out the window.

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
I believe there’s opportunities for growth everywhere. In the bar you’re surrounded by everything you need. I think that working on your techniques, reading the back of bottles and learning about different spirits is growing. I think meeting new people and networking with other bartenders is growing. I think that playing around with new and different flavours, combinations and workshopping ideas with other staff is growing. Also with such a fast growing industry, there’s new bars popping up all the time. I think there is always more to learn, and I don’t think you should ever be the smartest person in the room.

What can the industry do as a whole to attract and retain passionate staff?
I think that it starts from the top down. If the owners and higher management love what they’re doing and create an environment that’s enjoyable to work in, the supervisors and casual staff won’t want to leave.

Emily started out in cafes and events before landing a job in a cocktail bar and becoming involved in that community.

What drew you to the industry? 
It really just started as a high school summer job, and then in all honesty, after dropping out of university I just stayed in the one industry I already knew. And I never left! But I love that the hospitality industry allows me to learn at my own pace, with no deadlines and less pressure, which was super attractive to me after struggling at uni.

What keeps you in the industry?
I love making guests laugh! Great service and making guests smile is one thing, but I believe there's something special in making guests laugh. It not only adds an element of entertainment to their experience, and if either of us is having a bad night it can completely turn it around, so it's a win-win. In addition, hospitality can be so fun and social; for example the camaraderie and banter in a team is always a highlight for me, and there's always some kind of fun industry event on. [You can grow through] asking questions, participating in events/tastings/competitions etc, getting out of your comfort zone, and a little healthy debate! 

Ana worked as a waitress and barista before finding her passion as a host at 18th Amendment. 

What drew you to the industry?
The social aspects and the community are a big part of why I love the industry. Everyone is incredibly supportive of each other and often feeds off each other's creative energy. I've also found that hospitality celebrates innovative and creative thinking which makes me feel supported and encouraged when I'm experimenting and exploring ideas. Last year I started exploring bartending, learning as much as I could while taking a swing at any competition that sparked my interest. In my first year I was lucky enough to design the new Fernet Branca coin, win The Blend's 'Competition to Clearmont', and was nominated for Rookie of the Year at the Australian Bartender Awards as well as Bartender of the Year at the ALIAs. It was a massive year, but I feel like I'm only just getting started.

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
Collaborations with other industry talents, there are so many people I'm dying to work with and learn from. We can learn so much from each other and the best way to do that is by working together, sharing ideas and spreading knowledge. In 5 years time I think I’ll still be behind a bar but ideally abroad, just not sure where yet! My goal is to work my way around the world so I can learn from different cultures and bring a wider knowledge back home.

What can the industry do as a whole to attract and retain passionate staff?
To retain staff, I think we need to provide ongoing accessible training that is relevant and interesting, to keep them engaged and excited about what the industry has to offer.

I also believe we need bigger consideration for mental health support as we are often working long/irregular hours, late nights and deal with confronting or challenging social situations. Prioritising the wellbeing and mental health of our community will allow people to feel recognised and cared for, putting them in the best mind state to reach their potential and encourage them to pursue a long and fulfilling career in hospitality.

Hailing from Mexico, Jarah started his career in Mexico City before moving to Australia to experience another country and challenge himself in a different environment.

What keeps you in the industry?
I think I have been fortunate to share with people who, beyond being co-workers, many of them have become friends, even family and who share the same passion as me. 

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
I think the bar industry continues to grow and [thanks to] social media I think we are more likely to discover and share new flavours and knowledge. I want to be open to opportunities, I would like to keep learning in order to share my culture and flavours with anyone I can make a cocktail for.

What can the industry do as a whole to attract and retain passionate staff?
I believe that a good leader can make a difference. I have been lucky to work with people I admire and they have motivated me to grow, improve and hopefully one day become someone who inspires others.

After working at the cellar door of a local winery, Jacob moved to Brisbane in 2021 and worked for the Ghanem Group before moving to The Gresham.

What drew you to the industry?
Like most bartenders I imagine, growing up I was quite often told I could talk underwater with a mouthful of rocks. Whenever I had a hard choice in life I just went to what I knew I was one of the best at: talking. I chose bartending because it suited my personality. My passion didn't come until later, through working in the industry I began to appreciate how a cocktail, so seemingly simple, could be so creative and complex and when done right can make someone's day.

What keeps you in the industry?
People - working in bars you get to interact with some absolutely fantastic people whether they are colleagues or customers. With all these interesting people comes so many interesting stories and experiences and the best part about it is you get to hear them all over a beer at the end of your shift. When it comes to customers, for me bars are this awesome place that can always shift their mood in a positive direction. I think it’s pretty special and unique to the hospitality industry.

Constant improvement - something I heard in a Ted Talk recently that really resonated with me was ‘you're only as good as your last shift’, which might sound harsh if you were terrible on your last shift. To me it means that no matter what happened last night or how good or bad you were, you get another opportunity to show up and prove yourself today. It is so ruthless yet forgiving and even if you make a mistake there is always a shift that you will smash just around the corner.

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
I think there are more opportunities now for bartenders than ever before. I think it's no longer a case of bartending for a while then becoming a rep or a bar manager. Now if you have another passion alongside bartending you can almost always use them side by side and grow. For example, if you’re a great bartender and have a passion for writing you can start writing articles on the industry or if you have a passion for art you can bring out a sick line of T-shirts that every bartender will wear. I am lucky enough to work alongside a person who embodies this, Millie Tang, who is an absolute weapon behind the stick and with a camera.

Keeley previously worked at the Duke of Clarence before helping to open Huelo this year.

What drew you to the industry? 
The people! I used to bar hop on a Friday night with friends, and we’d always sit at the bar and chat to the staff. It made me realise that I wanted to do what they did! I’ve always worked in jobs that had me talking directly to people, so jumping to the other side of the bar felt like a natural next step. 

What do you see as opportunities for growth?
Competitions and industry events! Hospitality is the business of people, and the more people I meet, the more opportunities I’m given to improve my skills. Industry training is such a valuable and cost-effective resource for getting familiar with the products we use. It also helps fatten up my bar cart at home, so I can play around when I’m crafting new cocktails! 

What can the industry do as a whole to attract and retain passionate staff?
Recognise that it is the people that make a bar, not just the menu. I’ve worked with so many talented and dynamic individuals that, when given the resources to improve their skills, create the culture of a successful venue. 

Collaboration between venues also strengthens our sense of community. This is what first attracted me to the industry, and what continues to attract the next generation of Sydney bartenders. 

A final note from me; the themes of passion, creativity and respect that run through the answers from all of these young professionals paint a very hopeful picture for the hospitality craft that we all hold so dear. If we, as an industry, can make sure that they and their peers are supported and their thirst for knowledge satisfied, the future looks very bright indeed.