Aussie restaurateurs taking over Bali

balinews

It’s not so far from Bondi to Bali. Four and a bit flying hours, or 5400 kilometres, but the psychological leap isn’t quite as profound. Head to the holiday island’s upmarket Seminyak district and things are as comfortable and familiar as can be for Australians chasing the tropical sun. Beyond the crippling traffic jams, the local touts renting motorcycles and doing a quietly healthy trade in Viagra and ‘happy pills’, a clique of Australian restaurateurs are riding a tourist wave to riches. Motel Mexicola, across the road from Petitenget Beach, could have been transplanted directly from Melbourne or Sydney with its lurid cantina fit-out and trendy Mexican menu – and indeed it does prove to have connections to Bondi’s The Bucket List and Avoca Beach’s Rojo Rocket. “I’m here for purely the lifestyle, to surf, to do less work, and to make a ****load of money,’’ is how Adrian Reed, a co-owner of the thumping business, eloquently puts it. “Everyone in the hospitality business in Australia is struggling to make money, to pay rent, to pay wages. In Australia you’re doing brilliantly if you make 10 percent profit. Here, we’re making 40 percent profit.’’ Bondi to Bali: how Australian restaurateurs are taking over the island | Travel | The Guardian

mugwump

Wait till the tax leeches find this guy...........pucker!

JohnnyCool

A facile article, IMHO. I would also like to know what airline flies from Sydney to Bali in just over [B]four hours[/B]? It could take you a couple of hours just to drive from Avoca Beach to Mascot.

Peter Ka

"Motel Mexicola appears to have found a sweet spot. It averages 500-600 covers a night." No way. Most of the time it is empty. On a good night perhaps 80 guests. Not bad for a restaurant, but the place is huge. Can't see them make a profit.

sugarbear

[b]What and Who can you believe on Bali?[/b]

Peter Ka wrote"Motel Mexicola appears to have found a sweet spot. It averages 500-600 covers a night."No way. Most of the time it is empty. On a good night perhaps 80 guests. Not bad for a restaurant, but the place is huge. Can't see them make a profit.

I've found you can only believe 20% of what you hear, 10% of what you see and nothing an expat tells you. Honestly, you have to get use to not depending on anything here, I guess that is part of the "charm" of this island!

Markit

If you look back at the original article and the comments section it's almost entirely "ooh pooor Bali", the bogans, over building, tourism, etc. Not a single one about the veracity of the original article i.e 600 covers versus the 80 witnessed. For me this is what it's all about cause how can Oz resto owners "conquer" the Bali market if they are lying about the basis of their business? As a side note; why didn't anyone here comment there about that? Too late now, the cowards have closed the comments... too much bitching?