The costs of running Sydney’s Aria restaurant

Dining at Sydney’s two hatted Aria restaurant is a real experience.

The seven course menu at the restaurant, the jewel in the crown of Sydney chef Matt Moran's food empire, costs $420 per person.

But then, the massive bill reflects the costs that go into providing the dining experience, right down to the crockery and cutlery on diners’ tables.  

According to the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide, there are hidden expenses that are reflected in the cost of dining out.

For example, it costs $20,000 to replace shattered wine glasses every year. 

And those glasses can be easily damaged as waiters hurriedly clear dishes, or as diners accidentally knock stemware off the table. 

Brent Savage, co-owner of the Bentley Restaurant and Bar says it happens.

He said he has spent $12,000 on a machine that polishes wine glasses.  

“Yes, we spent a lot of money on the dishwasher that does that, but now we don't have to pay someone to stand there to polish glasses,” Savage told the Daily Mail.

“Restaurants are ridiculous in how quickly you can bleed money and that's why restaurants go broke so easily. It's all the hidden costs where it really affects you.”

And it’s not just wine glasses.

Tables can get dirty with spills and stains and that can incur massive cleaning costs.

Sydney Laundry estimates it can cost up to $10 to wash and press a single table cloth, Napkins aren’t much cheaper either. It costs $1 to wash and press each napkin. 

So the costs add up with hundreds of diners passing through the Aria restaurant. Not surprisingly, its table linen laundry bill can reach up to $280,000 per year.

And then there is the basic cost of stocking up the restaurant. For example, the customised crockery and cutlery at Barangaroo House, another venue in the Matt Moran stable, can cost up to $100,000.     

Leon Gettler - 4th April 2018