With lockdowns now likely a thing of the past as the market opens up once again, foodservice professionals – particularly those in Melbourne and Sydney – are breathing a collective sigh of relief as they welcome customers back to dine-in.

This brings a fresh set of challenges – at the top of the list, coping with the staff shortages caused by the exodus of casual workers from the industry over the past 12 months; and being able to accurately estimate ingredients requirements from one day to the next, in an environment which has played havoc with the usual consumer dining habits and made it difficult to judge how many bookings one is likely to have even during peak periods.