Hospitality specialist Quantaco recently conducted its inaugural ‘Connect’ event, bringing together analysis and hospitality thought leaders to discuss the coming year.
Aiming to be an industry collaboration, Quantaco Connect brought together some of the industry’s movers and shakers to share ideas and insights, bringing Andrew Briese (CTB&CO.), Simon Johnson (Feros Group), Jen Anderson (Welcome Hospitality), Lisa Adams (Laundy Hotels), and Judd Harvey (Brickfield Hospitality).
There were also keynote addresses from former Xero CEO Steve Vamos and change management expert Holly Ransom.
Topics discussed presenting both macro and micro challenges facing the sector in 2025 were:
- How rising costs are affecting hospitality operations
- Navigating and optimising the incorporation of physical with digital in hospitality
- Using real-time data to make better informed decisions
- An urgent shortage of apprentices in hospitality and the need for stronger collaboration with educational institutions and government to nurture the next generation of chefs
- The role of technology, leadership and innovation in driving success in hospitality
The event brought the launch of Quantaco’s new Q Insights Platform, aimed at “streamlining hospitality operations and accelerating growth”.
Q Insights is said to enable pub management to move beyond static P&L reporting by offering dynamic, real-time financial analytics and visualised data, to help leverage data-driven insights to navigate an evolving marketplace.
“By enabling them to explore real-time sales and cost trends, Q Insights empowers businesses to make timely, informed decisions with greater efficiency and transparency,” offers the company.
Last week the company issued its quarterly Hospitality Industry Update for Q1 of FY25 (Jul-Sep), with a positive adaptation to economic conditions.
“The report shows how the hospitality industry is resilient in the face of a cost of living crisis and is seeing the shift in consumer preferences from food to beverages.”
The report detailed:
- Weekly sales up 7pc against 2024 (from $153k to $163K)
- Food sales up 3pc YOY (from $38K to $39K), which is slower compared to previous quarters
- Beverage sales have reversed the decline seen in previous periods, up 4pc (from $49K to $51K)
- September saw the greatest increase in f&b sales for the quarter
- Wages as a percentage of sales remain static as operators closely track labour management
- Gaming remains a key revenue stream, increasing 12.9pc (from $782K to $883K)
- Expenses are rising across all categories:
- utilities up 17pc, driven by a 24% increase in electricity costs
- Marketing up 44pc, indicating a greater focus on attracting customers
- EBITDAR is flat, seeing only 1pc increase YOY, but down in both food and beverage, suggesting COGs are rising higher than the sales price, and-or discounting is being used to drive growth and this is eating into margins
