Struggling Hog's Breath Cafe Set for a New Chapter Under New Management's Guidance Amidst a Series of Challenges in Australia
Bouncing Back: New Puppy at the Helm for Hog's Breath Café
The new guy steering the ship at the legendary Aussie eatery, Hog's Breath Café, promises a revival after an absolute battering of setbacks. It's been tough seas for the once-bustling steakhouse chain.
The new man in charge, Tom Elliot, a ex-executive from Retail Food Group, is hopeful the brand can ride the waves again. Admittedly, the previous few years haven't been a walk in the park.
Hog's Breath Café has experienced one helluva storm — a near-merciless string of pandemics, recessions, staffing woes, and insane operational costs.
"This company's gone through the perfect storm in the hospitality industry over the past few years," says Tom, speaking with Daily Mail Australia. "Hog's Breath was a brand that needed an overhaul, and that smash-up with the chaos of Covid-19, a labor surge never seen before, ongoing inflation, and a cost-of-living crisis that's flipped how Aussies spend money."
Tom Elliot eagerly steps into the CEO role amid the chaos, 80 locations in 2017 down to a mere 23 in 2025.
The soaring cost of commercial real estate has been a massive snag for franchise survival, with many locked into ancient leases with yearly rent increases that pushed costs through the roof.
"When you mix that mess with shifting customer tastes and surging operating costs, some stores couldn't hang on," Tom explains.
Despite the challenges, Tom remains upbeat about Hog's Breath's future. He intends to rejuvenate the brand by revisiting its heart – the authentic, laid-back Western dining experience – all while cashing in on the brand's nostalgic appeal. He'll also modernize the eatery to fit today's dining scene.
His vision doesn't stop there – he aims for the brand to grow to over 50 locations by 2030, targeting both big city and regional areas across Australia.
"Folks want Hog's Breath more than ever," he says. "They've grown up with the brand and have fantastic memories of dining with friends and family. Domestically, we know there's demand for a Hog's Breath experience."
Tom's also got global aspirations, eyeing expansion opportunities in New Zealand and Asia, where there's strong interest in authentic, laid-back Western dining.
He's casting his eyes towards the feds for help, calling for clearer labor policies, investments in vocational training, and strategies to make hospitality a viable career again.
"What small businesses need most from government is long-term certainty and practical support that addresses the structural issues we face," he says. "Better access to funds and tax benefits for small business reinvestment, especially in rural areas, would boost growth and restore confidence in the sector."
The brand's struggled in the past, but after a dozen locations closed in 2019 alone, with owners declaring bankruptcy or losing assets, ceo Ross Worth felt it was the "toughest environment we've seen in 30 years."
The challenges stretched from consumers spending less, eating habits changing with new food service options like delivery and meal kits to increased operational costs, including wages, food costs, rent, and electricity.
Still, new CEO Tom Elliott's optimistic, promising, "We're gonna weather this storm, mate."
- Tom Elliot, the new CEO of Hog's Breath Café, is hopeful that the brand will resurface in the business world, having faced a series of setbacks.
- In the past few years, Hog's Breath Café has endured a perfect storm in the hospitality industry, including pandemics, recessions, staffing woes, and escalating operational costs.
- The finance sector has been particularly troublesome, with soaring commercial real estate costs exacerbating franchise survival issues, pushing many locations to close.
- Despite these challenges, Tom Elliot remains optimistic about the future of Hog's Breath Café, aiming to rejuvenate the brand and expand its presence across Australia, even targeting international markets like New Zealand and Asia.
- Tom believes in the power of reviving the authentic Western dining experience that Hog's Breath Café is known for, while modernizing the brand to fit today's dining scene.
- To achieve this growth, Tom calls for support from the government, urging for clearer labor policies, investments in vocational training, and tax benefits to boost small business growth and restore confidence in the sector by 2030.
