Look after your staff first and success will follow. That wil be the main message from two Michelin starred Perth born chef Shane Osborn when he addresses the who's who of the Australian restaurant industry tonight.

 

Osborn, who is in Australia as the guest of honour at this year's Electrolux Appetite for Excellence Awards that are being held in Sydney tonight, said one of the keys to the success of his Michelin-starred London restaurant Pied a Terre was the business's philosophy of treating staff very well, front and back of house, from the bottom up.

"As an industry we've  always talked about the customers, that they are the most important," Osborn told Hospitality magazine. "But I think staff are the most important asset of any business.

"Look after your staff and you create loyalty, consistency, and that's the way you drive your business forward and increase sales.

"And it's the way you get regular customers because if you've got regular floor staff that are in there day after day they get to know the customers - and it also makes your job a whole lot easier."

It's a flying visit for Osborn but he'll be back in October on one of the first legs of nine months of travel with his family that he's planned following his stunning announcement earlier this year that he was leaving Pied A Terre after more than ten years there during which time he became the first Australian chef to achieve a Michelin star.

Osborn's plan is to scout some countries and cities he's interested in before setting up a new restaurant.

"I've lived in Europe for 20 years and it's time for a change," he said.

"It feels like the right time to leave and do something different, travel the world and get some fresh inspiration and then set up somewhere else.

"I think Asia is very interesting as is South America and so are places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai - they are all places that we are travelling to to have a look but we haven't committed to anything yet.

Osborn said his next business will move away from fine dining and be more "approachable".

"I love fine dining and high end restaurants but I think the time is right to do something a little more approachable and affordable," he said.

"I think food should be accessible to everybody not just the wealthy and the elite."

Read more of our interview with Shane Osborn in the September issue of Hospitality magazine.