Episode Details

Rabih Yanni has spent 33 years in hospitality.

Nine venues across nine different postcodes. Currently runs Botanical Hotel in South Yarra — the iconic Melbourne pub he's brought back to life since 2019. Founded South Yarra Deli during COVID and took it national.

He's the kind of operator who can walk into a venue, look around, and tell you in five minutes what's broken and how to fix it.

But the line that stopped Tim in this conversation was this:
"You never own a business. The community does. Your role is to navigate that community expectation."

In this episode, Rabih breaks down 33 years of hard-won lessons — the standards he refuses to compromise on, the way he holds team for 20+ years, why he's never bought a business from a good operator, and the one mindset shift that separates owners who survive from owners who scale.
This one's a masterclass.

You'll hear:
00:00 – "You either win or you learn. You don't make mistakes."
01:00 – Why a 10K week venue is harder than a 100K week venue
02:00 – The line that changes how you see ownership forever
04:00 – Walking the guest's path — how to read what your community actually wants
07:00 – How to stop being store-blind in your own venue
09:00 – Why your suppliers are part of the team, not just service providers
10:00 – Holding staff for 20+ years — what actually creates loyalty
12:00 – Non-negotiables: fingerprints, dog-eared menus, dust on bottles
13:00 – "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept"
15:00 – How Rabih's "intent" shifted from working for himself to growing his team
19:00 – Why hospitality is one of the safest industries to be in right now
20:00 – Never buy a business from a good operator — Rabih's rule for acquisitions
21:00 – "You make your money when you buy"
42:00 – Weekly stocktakes and why most owners avoid them
45:00 – "If you're at $2M with aspirations to grow, do the work or concede you bought a job"
46:00 – Act quicker, fail fast — the lesson Rabih wishes he'd learned earlier
50:00 – The difference between an opportunity and a distraction
51:00 – Advice for anyone thinking about buying their first venue

Key takeaways:
- You never own a business. The community does. Your job is to navigate the community's expectation.
- Secondary can never become primary — but you can't get primary right if you don't get secondary right.
- Everyone needs to share in the heavy lifting. Suppliers, service providers, team — not just the owner.
- The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
- If you're going to fail, fail fast. Procrastination is the most expensive habit in hospo.
- You don't get a second chance at a first impression.

If you're ready to build something worth being proud of — and stop being a stranger to your own numbers — book a free call with the Foodie Coaches team at foodiecoaches.com

Follow Rabih and Botanical Hotel:
@botanicalhotel

Follow along:
@foodie_coaches
@tim.kummerfeld

New episodes every Wednesday.