Opening a restaurant in Bali: what Australian operators miss

I have watched Australian owners land in Canggu with a Perth roster, a Melbourne menu and a Slack full of good intentions.

Week one the labour model was wrong. Week two the costing was in AUD and the invoices were not. Week three the only person who understood both was on a visa run.

Opening a restaurant in Bali is not Perth with better weather. The guest, the staff market and the supplier reliability are different. The cost of a messy open is higher because you cannot duck back after school pickup.

What has to be true before you publicise the date

• Costings in the currency you pay, with yield, before print
• Roster matched to real trade, not an Instagram queue from another suburb
• SOPs the local team can run when you are not on the island
• A trial that is a trial

"We will figure it out on the ground" is when you are tired, the builder is late, and every decision is expensive.

What Australian habits do not travel

WhatsApp as the operations system. Owner as unpaid sous. A 40-dish board with two in BOH. Training day instead of floor sign-off. AUD Google Sheets.

Fees

Bali pre-opening and recovery include travel and accommodation. Fee quoted on the call. One on-site trip scoped up front. Zoom about culture is not a trial service.

FAQ

When should we start operations work for a Bali open?

6-10 weeks before the date, same as Australia, with less room to fake it.

Do you handle visas and company setup?

No. Local compliance support inside the operations scope. Legal and immigration stay with your advisors.

Can we copy our Perth SOPs?

You can copy the structure. You cannot copy the roster, the suppliers or the guest. Rewrite in the room.

If the costing file is still AUD guesses, talk before the date is public. Appointments.

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