It’s a hive of activity in the crowded head office of Rockpool Dining Group in Sydney. Chefs, finance, marketing and reservations people toil away with a sense of urgency alongside the senior leadership team. The office feels more tech start-up than one of Australia’s biggest restaurant groups whose brands include Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple, Saké, Fratelli Fresh, Bavarian Bier Café and Burger Project.

Perhaps it’s the rapid expansion of the group in the past three years, and its brassy global ambitions, which give it that growth-on-steroids tech vibe. Or maybe it’s the goal to be a $1 billion listed company on the Australian sharemarket by the end of next year. “I want Rockpool Dining Group to be one of the premier dining groups across the world,” enthuses Tom Pash, Rockpool’s chief executive, who’s sitting in a small room at the group’s office in The Rocks area of Sydney. He adds there’s potential to develop the organisation into “a two, three, four-billion dollar company over the next five to 10 years”.