Independent hospitality consultant | Melbourne & Victoria
Hospitality Consultant Melbourne
Covered Hospitality Services provides independent, hands-on hospitality consulting to venues across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Whether you're running a café, restaurant, bar, hotel or multi-site operation, we help you take control of the numbers and the systems that drive sustainable profit.
What a Melbourne hospitality consultant actually does
A hospitality consultant works alongside your team to identify where profit is leaking and where operations can be tightened. At Covered Hospitality Services, that means reviewing your food and beverage cost of goods (COGS), analysing your menu for profitability, auditing your labour model and rostering, and building the standard operating procedures (SOPs) your team needs to deliver consistency.
Unlike large consulting firms, all work at CHS is delivered personally by Shazon Perera — a Melbourne-based hospitality operations professional with hands-on experience across cafes, restaurants, bars, events and venue management. You get direct access to the consultant, not a junior account manager.
Hospitality consulting services for Melbourne venues
Food cost & COGS analysis
Identify where your food and beverage costs are running above target. We review supplier invoices, portion sizes, recipe costing and wastage to find practical savings without compromising quality.
Menu profitability review
Not every menu item earns its place. We analyse your menu mix, contribution margins and pricing strategy to help you build a menu that works harder for your bottom line.
Labour & rostering audit
Labour is typically your largest controllable cost. We review your roster structure, wage-to-revenue ratios and scheduling practices to find efficiencies that don't compromise service.
SOP development
Clear standard operating procedures reduce training time, improve consistency and protect your brand. We build practical SOPs tailored to your venue's service style and team structure.
Supplier & stock management
From supplier negotiations to stock-take processes and waste reduction, we help you build tighter controls across your supply chain.
KPI frameworks & reporting
You can't manage what you don't measure. We help you identify the right KPIs for your venue and build simple reporting habits that keep your team accountable.
Why Melbourne venues choose an independent consultant
Melbourne's hospitality industry is one of the most competitive in Australia. Rising food costs, wage pressures, changing consumer expectations and the ongoing challenge of finding and retaining good staff make it harder than ever to run a profitable venue.
An independent hospitality consultant brings an outside perspective — someone who can see the gaps your team is too close to notice, and who has no vested interest in selling you software, products or ongoing retainers. At CHS, our goal is to give you practical, actionable advice you can implement yourself.
Ready to take control of your venue?
Book a free 20-minute hospitality health check — no obligation, no jargon.
Frequently asked questions
How is CHS different from a large hospitality consulting firm?
All work is delivered personally by Shazon Perera. There are no junior consultants, no account managers and no templated reports. You get direct, personalised advice based on your specific venue and numbers.
Do you work with venues outside Melbourne?
Yes. While we're based in Melbourne and work extensively across Victoria, we also support venues across Australia through our digital consulting packages.
What information do I need to share?
For the most useful analysis, it helps to have recent P&L statements, POS or sales data, supplier invoices, menu and recipe information, and roster or wage data available. We'll guide you through exactly what's needed after your initial health check.
How long does a consulting engagement take?
Our digital packages are designed to deliver clear, actionable insights within a defined timeframe — typically one to two weeks from when we receive your information. Ongoing support arrangements are also available.
What does the free 20-minute health check involve?
It's a short, no-obligation conversation to understand your venue, your current challenges and where consulting support could make the biggest difference. From there, we'll recommend the most appropriate package or engagement.