The hospitality and tourism sector have undoubtedly been among the hardest hit during the pandemic. In September, during the second lockdown and Stage 4 restrictions that we are still experiencing in Melbourne, we spoke with one of our new members, The Hof Group. Philipp Hockenberger is the brand manager at the Hof Group, which includes Hofbrauhaus in Melbourne’s CBD.
Casual workers traditionally make up a big part of the hospitality workforce. Many of those staff are temporary visa holders – who are not eligible for the JobKeeper program. In our interview, Philipp talks about what his restaurants can do – and have done – to survive while taking care of their staff at the same time.
“We want to make sure our team stays in a positive mindset.”
“Bread for Change“, opening a pop-up restaurant and introducing cook-at-home meals have been some of the initiatives happening at the Hof Group. With a massive, sold-out Father’s Day special early September, only to hear about the extended lockdown on the same day, Philipp still not only managed to stay positive but puts the wellbeing of his staff front and centre of all his endeavours. Listen to the podcast below, where we talk about city planning and naming our sourdough starters.
