Steven Harberts Hospitality Consulting

The AI Venue Audit

Practical AI, applied by someone who has actually run the floor.

The Problem

AI should fit the floor, not force the floor to fit the software.

Most restaurants and venues know they should be “doing something with AI” — but the tools on the market are built by software people, not hospitality people. Owners end up either ignoring AI entirely, or buying tools that don’t fit how a real floor, kitchen and roster actually operate.

The result is the same handful of costs going unaddressed year after year: labour scheduled on gut feel instead of demand, menus priced without real margin visibility, and guest engagement left to word of mouth.

My Philosophy

Revenue isn’t the goal — profit is.

Most venues chase the top line while the bottom line quietly leaks away through cost, waste and inefficiency. My first rule with any venue is simple: stop spending money before we start.

In almost every case, the venue already has what it needs — the right data, the right staff, the right systems — it just isn’t in the right place yet. My job is to find what’s already there and put it to work, before recommending a single new tool or dollar spent.

The Offer

Practical support, built around your operation.

The AI Venue Audit — one-off

A hands-on operational walkthrough of your venue, in the same way I’d assess a site before an opening. I identify where AI tools already on the market — not custom software — could realistically reduce labour cost, lift margin, or improve guest experience, and hand you a practical, prioritised roadmap.

On-site review of service, roster, POS data and menu mix
Assessment against demand forecasting, rostering, menu engineering and guest-engagement tools
A written roadmap ranked by impact and ease of implementation
No obligation to continue — built to stand alone

Ongoing Advisory Retainer

For venues that want a fractional “head of ops innovation” without a full-time hire. I stay close to the numbers and the floor, oversee the tools we’ve put in place, and keep evaluating what’s worth adopting next.

Monthly review of rostering and demand forecasting accuracy
Menu and pricing adjustments based on live sales/margin data
Oversight of guest-facing AI (bookings, reviews, loyalty/marketing)
Ongoing vendor evaluation, so you’re never sold the wrong tool

Why Me

Experience that sees the whole venue.

15+ years leading front-of-house and beverage operations across premium dining and event venues in Australia and the U.S. — including opening venues for Matt Moran (Crafted, Art Gallery of NSW), Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, and AGM roles in New York fine dining including Jean-Georges and Fasano.

My training also includes back-of-house operations through the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, giving me a full-picture view of a venue rather than a front-of-house-only lens — which matters when AI recommendations touch kitchen workflow, inventory and labour across the whole operation, not just the floor.

My background spans both intimate independent venues and large-scale, systems-driven operations — including The Capital Grille (part of Darden Restaurants, NYSE: DRI) and the Eataly QSR group in New York — giving me first-hand experience with the kind of process discipline and data-driven operations that larger restaurant groups run on, alongside the guest-first instincts of independent fine dining.

Most recently, I supported the transition of The Embassy Restaurant in Subiaco, which went on to win Best New Restaurant and Best WA Chef at the 2025 AHA Awards — recognition that reflects the kind of operational foundation I help build.

Labour cost is consistently one of the biggest challenges any venue faces, and it’s an area I have a strong track record in — implementing the rostering discipline, forecasting and team structures that keep this expense moving in the right direction without compromising service.

Case Studies

Three venues, three different challenges — opening, turnaround, and operational systems.

“Crafted” by Matt Moran & MOD Dining

Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney — opening a blank-canvas venue from the ground up.

In January 2020, I came in as Opening Venue Manager for Crafted — a brand-new, multi-flagship restaurant partnership between Matt Moran and MOD Dining inside the Art Gallery of NSW. In this role I represented both Matt Moran and The Fresh Collective, the operating company behind the venue. There was no existing operation to inherit: no branding, no team, no licensing, no supplier relationships. The job was to take a blank canvas and turn it into a fully functioning, branded venue capable of serving both daily guests and large-scale institutional events.

Brand & design identity: shaped the venue’s identity and design direction from a blank canvas, positioning it as a standout offering within a prestigious cultural institution
Licensing & compliance: managed the full liquor licensing process and broader compliance requirements for a venue of this scale
Supplier & distributor partnerships: built the supply chain from scratch, negotiating beverage distributor partnerships and curating the beverage program and POS systems
Recruitment, training & staffing: recruited and trained the entire front-of-house team from zero
Institutional partnership: worked directly with Art Gallery of NSW executives and event teams to execute large-scale exhibitions and VIP functions for 1,000+ guests

Fasano Restaurant, Hotel & Jazz Bar

49th Street, NYC — repositioning an underperforming jazz lounge into a genuine profit centre.

As Assistant General Manager, I was responsible for both the high-volume, high-end Italian restaurant and the adjacent jazz bar at Fasano. The jazz lounge in particular was underperforming — sales were poor, and the space wasn’t functioning as its own destination so much as an afterthought attached to the restaurant.

Repositioned the jazz lounge’s service and menu to genuinely align with the mood, pace and clientele of a jazz venue
Led the refurbishment of the front bar, creating a new, more welcoming style and atmosphere for guests entering the lounge
Built new pathways for bar guests to discover and move between the restaurant and the jazz bar
Created an expanded host team and a clear communication pathway between guests and the events team, converting one-off visits into booked events and repeat bookings
Outcome: the jazz lounge moved from an underperforming, overlooked space to a genuine profit centre within the venue, with a functioning pipeline turning first-time guests into repeat restaurant and event bookings.

The Embassy Restaurant, Subiaco

Supporting a new WA venue’s operational foundation through its transition period.

From October 2025, I came onboard to support ownership through The Embassy’s transition period, focused on the operational systems a new venue needs to run smoothly day to day — rather than the kitchen or menu direction, which sat outside my role.

Implemented purchase order systems to bring structure and accountability to ordering and stock control
Set up POS systems to support day-to-day service and reporting
Supported the broader day-to-day operational transition as ownership established the venue
Outcome: The Embassy went on to win Best New Restaurant and Best WA Chef at the 2025 AHA Awards — recognition that reflects the strength of the operational foundation built during this period.

Let’s talk about your venue.

Available for Perth-based advisory work.

Steven Harberts Hospitality Consulting · WA Approved Manager License

Your enquiry is handled in confidence.