Last drinks for Louis Couttoupes – reluctantly leaving Onzieme
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The only thing tougher than building a restaurant from scratch, according to Louis Couttoupes, is making the decision to shut it down.
In a shock reel on his Instagram page late yesterday afternoon, Louis announced that he was leaving Onzieme, the award-winning Kingston restaurant he and his dad built together with their own hands and opened to immediate and lasting acclaim.
But after five years of packed houses, hats, awards, and that elusive buzz that has always surrounded the place, Louis has decided to walk away for his own sake – rising staff costs and a dwindling supply of qualified chefs have made it impossible to him to keep the restaurant and bar running.
He is currently in negotiations with some potential new owners and will consider selling Onzieme as an ongoing business, or selling the location to new operators. He is open to all expressions of interest, saying “the space means too much to me not to hand it over to the right people. I am confident it will go on in some shape or form without me.”
The question many hospitality operators may have been asking themselves last night is “if Louis can’t succeed in the restaurant business, how can we?”. And what does it say about Canberra’s restaurant industry more widely?
The highs and lows of restaurant life via an instagram grid, awards and a closure.
Since he brought the Kingston corner to life with his moody, intimate French bistro, Louis has literally been inundated with plaudits.
He has been hatted for four of his five years of operations and also earned rave reviews and a spot in Gourmet Traveller’s Top Five each year since opening.
And yet, despite the national acclaim, the crowds of happy diners, and healthy booking lists, as a sole operator up against some bigger guns in Canberra, Louis can not afford the one vital ingredient to a bustling venue – staff. “I remember driving home from these big award dinners and going straight into service,” he says.
“The simple fact is, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for independent owner/operators to compete, not only with the interstate operators of this world, but also with some of the local operators with deeper pockets who can offer more money and are aggressive in their hiring practices.”
He has watched local industry colleagues “relentlessly” poach his staff within the small hospitality community, and says Canberra still struggles to compete with Sydney and Melbourne as a career stop.
“Even with all the national exposure Onzieme has had, and for which I am so truly grateful, I can’t attract people from interstate to work here because I can’t afford to pay the rates that some chefs want.”
In fact, Louis, who works 75 hours a week on average, knows what it’s like to pay himself less than some of his employees.
Louis and his dad built Onzieme by hand
“When the big fish such as Chris Lucas come to a relatively small pond, they can throw their weight around, and while it is good to see them take Canberra seriously, I find those big groups tend to lack individuality and integrity of offering, but the small independents just can’t match what they are doing for young staff. And of course, I understand those staff want to go where the money is, but I can’t compete with paying 20-30 per cent above market rate.”
Louis is known for being an excellent boss, running an ethical operation where he goes above and beyond in benefits. For instance, he passed on the Fair Work minimum wage increases ahead of time, introduced weekly superannuation payments at the start of this year (they are required by law from July) and also brought in Menstrual Leave as a separate entitlement to sick leave for those who need it. His loyal staff have pledged to stay with him until last service.
When he made the final decision to pull the plug earlier this month, one of the first people he told was fellow chef and former restaurant owner Andrew Duong.
Ten minutes after receiving his phonecall, Andrew was at Onzieme to sit by Louis’s side. He knows exactly what it feels like, having made the shock decision to shut down his own restaurant Miss Van’s in 2024. Like Louis, staffing for Andrew was a constant issue, as was competing with larger restaurants, and rising costs. “It’s all squeeze, no juice,” Andrew said at the time.
Louis said Andrew’s advice on the announcement was “just be honest and come straight out with it.”
“We both felt the emotion. It is a pretty big gut punch. Giving up on something you don’t want to give up is truly one of the hardest things to do, but I have to accept the inevitable.”
“One of the best things about talking with Andrew was seeing him so happy, with a new daughter and able to spend time with his partner. I saw that life goes on.
“I cannot express the sacrifices my partner has made for Onzieme and a big part of this is just being able to do life with her and be present with her. I am looking forward to cooking with her and doing normal things like seeing my parents and my friends and going out to dinner at a restaurant that’s not mine!”
But most of all, Louis wants to sleep.
“Yes, yes, I am exhausted. I need a proper break.”
Last night, as word of his departure spread, Onzieme took 130 bookings. With last service on 30 May, it’s clear Louis will not be getting much sleep until June.
Would he have gone into Onzieme had he known how hard it would be?
Yes. But he also wishes the general public had more of an understanding of the realities of hospitality.
“It is a brutal, hands-on, 24/7, high-pressure environment.”
Having worked as a bureaucrat in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet before chasing his culinary dreams, Louis said he had also experienced 18-hour days in the public service and unyielding pressure of office work.
“I think if hospitality knew a little more about the Public Service and the Public Service understood a little bit more about restaurants it would be a good thing for Canberra.”
Meanwhile, he wishes his restaurant colleagues well as they juggle the looming price hikes of the fuel crisis and impending food supply issues.
“I really think this is going to be a very difficult time for many”.
He will miss his loyal locals the most.
Being a small operator means doing a little bit of everything…Photo by Ashley St George
“Canberrans are passionately loyal, and yes we get our fair share of politicians and celebrities in, but our locals have made us what we are and I am forever grateful.
Louis first caught the attention of the Gourmet Traveller judges during his time at Bar Rochford when it took out Australia’s Best Bar title (and Louis was later nominated for Best New Talent).
But just like Louis, Bar Rochford’s owner Nick Smith, has recently been more open about the challenges he is currently facing. He posted on Instagram earlier this month that the CBD Construction and Light Rail Projects were having a major impact on him and the other small businesses in and around the roadworks.
“In the last eight weeks, Bar Rochford has broken even only once,” he posted. While supportive of the changing face of Canberra, Nick was starting to question the viability of his award-winning venue.
“Anyone who has run a hospitality business in Australia over the last few years would know that right now is one of the hardest periods our industry has faced.”
Louis Couttoupes is loved in the industry. Photo Megann Evans
Meanwhile, Canberra hospitality veteran Chris Hansen warns the ACT industry is truly at breaking point – before even factoring in the impact of a fuel crisis.
Chris agrees that staffing has been a major sticking point for small operators following workforce losses during Covid and the constant lure of Public Service jobs in Canberra.
“I understand it’s hard to compete against a 38-hour-week and jobs where you don’t break a sweat.”
But he said the crisis was multi-layered.
“On top is policy that feels completely disconnected from reality. I’ve been vocal about the poorly considered portable long service leave. It might make sense on paper, but for small hospitality operators it’s just another levy, another admin burden, another cost in a model that already barely works.
“Even when the government acknowledges the pressure on the sector, it still rolls forward, hiring more public servants to administer it. For many, it’s the final squeeze. Not the only reason a place like Onzieme closes, but often the nail in the coffin. And that’s the part people miss – restaurants don’t fail because they’re not good, they fail because the system around them makes survival almost impossible.”
Chris praised Louis’s ethics, integrity and commitment to developing young people in the industry and putting Canberra on the map.
“This is truly a massive loss.”
Feature image by Tim Bean Photography.
