Dusty Hill Vineyard, Joe’s Grand Hotel and Goomeri Bakery recruitment drive

Booming hospitality businesses in the scenic western reaches of the Gympie region are offering salary packages more than three times the region’s average wage to attract the right staff in a competitive market.

Three businesses owned by the Goomeri district’s Prendergast family are offering impressive salaries of up to more than three times the region’s average income to fill more than nine vacancies for skilled employees.

The Goomeri Bakery and Joe’s Grand Hotel in Goomeri, and Dusty Hill Vineyard at Moffatdale have positions available for chefs, sous chefs, chef de partie, commis chef, apprentice chef, front of house, bakers and more due to the impacts of Covid vaccine mandates and restrictions throughout 2020 and 2021.

A front of house team leader and front of house team member positions are also being advertised for all three venues.

The salaries on offer range from $58,000 to $65,000 a year for the baker and commis chef positions, to $70,000 to $80,000 a year for the sous chef and head baker positions.

Business is booming for Joe and Miranda Prendergast, who own the Goomeri Bakery, Dusty Hill Vineyard and Joe’s Grand Hotel, but attracting the staff to cope with demand is proving a challenge after Covid.

The salaries are significantly higher than the median annual salary for people aged 15-years-old and above in the Gympie region, which was $25,428 a year in 2016, or $489 a week.

Miranda Prenderghast, who owns and runs the businesses with husband Joe, said she hoped the attractive salaries would entice people to apply.

The family has struggled to attract the staff for these positions in the wake of Covid.

“We had to get rid of staff, or staff had to leave … because they didn’t believe in the mandates, and that’s fine, we’re not against that at all. But at the same time, we couldn’t break the law,” Mrs Prendergast said.

Business owner Joe Prendergast at the famous Goomeri Bakery – one of the biggest tourist destinations in the rural town.

“I really thought that once those mandates lifted that we would have resumes slamming through the door, but it’s just not happening.”

Mrs Prendergast said she felt the hospitality industry was seen as “insecure” after the way it was impacted by mandates and restrictions, and people were less inclined to apply for jobs fearing they would be left in the lurch.

“It’s a competitive market now. Because there are so many jobs available, people have … a choice of what they have to go to,” she said.

The advertised positions include Sous Chef, Chef De Partie, Commis Chef and Apprentice Chef for Dusty Hill Vineyard and Joe’s Grand Hotel; and Head Baker, Sous Baker, and Baker for the Goomeri Bakery.

Joe's Grand Hotel at Goomeri, also owned and run by the Prendergasts’, is the only venue they own which has not had its booking numbers reduced.

The Goomeri Bakery and the Dusty Hill Vineyard have reduced their opening hours and booking numbers to deal with the staff shortage.

Available seating at the restaurant in the Dusty Hill Vineyard, has been cut in half to 100.

But, Mrs Prendergast said in the face of adversity, the customers were still coming.

In fact, business was doing so well the Prendergasts are planning to expand the Dusty Hill Vineyard to open a new brewery and distillery in 2023.

Applications can be sent in via email to [e-mail].