Restaurant Star of Greece serves up triple time wages as pub group spits chips over Aus Day debate

The owner of an iconic Port Willunga restaurant said employees should have the choice to work on Australia Day, amid a furore over a pub group cancelling celebrations of the national day.

The owner of one of the state’s most iconic restaurants said employees should have the choice to work on Australia Day, amid a furore over a foreign-owned pub group cancelling celebrations of the national day.

Nikki Govan has owned and operated the iconic Star of Greece restaurant at Port Willunga for the past 13 years.

She has traded each Australia Day public holiday in that time.

Nikki Govan, who owns the iconic Star of Greece restaurant in Port Willunga, says the venue is open in response to demand. Picture: Russell Millard

“The demand for our business on a public holiday is really strong, because people are holidaying in the area,” Mrs Govan told the Advertiser.

“So we make a decision (to trade) most public holidays as a service to the community”.

Mrs Govan said she supported people to observe Australia Day in a way that aligns with their own personal beliefs, including her staff.

She said casual and full-time employees could elect to work and earn triple time in wages.

“Work, reflect or celebrate; people should be given the choice. And we highly respect that choice.”

Her beachside kiosk would be open for breakfast lunch as dinner alongside her iconic restaurant, which is already fully booked for lunch, she said.

Despite the huge demand, Mrs Govan said there were “financial implications” of trading on Australia Day.

“Opening on a public holiday at any time during the year means you will have penalty rates to pay, which is absolutely fair to employees.”

Ms Govan’s own teenage daughter Maggie, who works about four hours a month at the family’s restaurant wants to work on Australia Day. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Cashing in on the triple-time rates will be Ms Govan’s own teenage daughter, who works one short shift a week at the family’s restaurant.

“My daughter Maggie has already requested to be rostered that day. She just wants the higher wage.”

Earlier this week, Hong Kong-owned Australian Venue Co sparked widespread fury over its plan to cancel acknowledgments of celebrations of Australia Day.

The company is the nation’s second-largest pub group and owns 18 venues in SA, including The Colonist, Brighton Metro Hotel and Robe Hotel.

While its venues will trade on January 26, it is unclear whether they will hold official events.

The group is now facing pressure to axe the 15 per cent public holiday surcharge from transactions on Australia Day amid claims it is “anti-Australian” to slug patrons if it refuses to celebrate the national day.

As previously reported, SA pub baron Peter Hurley, the managing director of Hurley Hotel Group, which owns 10 venues across the state said governments set the date, not pubs.

“We’re in the fun business, not the political correctness business,” he said.

The nation’s largest pub group, ALH, operating 35 pubs across SA and about 350 nationwide, says the decision to host events will be left to individual outlets.

Many venues are not open on public holidays because of high penalty rates and lower patronage.