EPISODE 54

From Council Red Tape to Wine Shortages:

Restaurant Opening Chaos

Listen: ON SPOTIFY

Watch: ON YOUTUBE

Opening a restaurant is never as simple as flipping the lights on and setting the tables. It’s months—sometimes years—of planning, stress, and problem-solving that all come down to one opening night.

In this episode of the Behind Podcast, we take you deep into the chaos of launching a brand-new 300-seat restaurant in Bokarina, showing the side of hospitality most people never get to see. From council red tape delays and equipment failures, to training hundreds of staff, building menus, and managing suppliers, this conversation pulls no punches.

You’ll hear how a team that runs some of Queensland’s busiest venues handles the pressure, balances adrenaline with exhaustion, and fights to keep standards high when every second counts. We talk about the true costs of opening a restaurant, why staffing is always harder than it looks, and how to create demand without burning out your kitchen and floor team.

This isn’t glossy food TV. It’s the real story of what happens in the trenches—late nights, early mornings, peanut M&Ms for morale, and a relentless push to get it right the first time.

If you’re a restaurant owner, hospitality entrepreneur, chef, or someone dreaming of opening your own venue, this episode is a masterclass in the reality behind the hype. Learn how to navigate liquor licensing, council permits, menu design, supplier relationships, and the sheer logistics of scaling to 600+ staff.

This is hospitality at its rawest. The lessons, the stress, the wins, and the weight of opening a restaurant that can make or break your reputation.