How To Build Year-Round Stability in a Seasonal Restaurant with Nick Mahlook from Soda Fish

Running a seasonal restaurant sounds dreamy - Until you’re trying to make 12 months of income in 4 months of trade.

In this episode, we sit down with Nick Mahlook from Soda Fish, a floating restaurant in East Gippsland, to unpack what it actually takes to run a hospitality business that relies on peaks, holidays, and unpredictable foot traffic.

Nick’s not just navigating seasonality in produce and tourism - he’s also had to work through family dynamics in business, team challenges, and the constant pressure to stay afloat when the town goes quiet.

Whether you’re coastal, regional, or just dealing with inconsistent trade - this one’s for you.

You’ll hear:

00:33 - How Soda Fish got it’s name

02:35 - Advice for anyone thinking about going into business with their family or giving their chef equity
05:04 - How to get your employees passionate about their work (even the Gen Z’s)
08:51 - What makes a good culture
13:36 - Nick’s take on managing seasonality and rising costs of goods
16:41 - How Nick structures his week so he gets time with family AND can still manage the restaurant
19:06 - Front-of-house strategies to generate more revenue (without burning people out)
21:34 - How he's using tech and team structure to make things more efficient, even in a seasonal setup
Watch the YouTube Version of the Podcast here

If you're currently struggling or you want to build a business you love and get more time back, book a Call with our team here so we can help you work through your biggest problem right now. 

See Nick & Soda Fish over on instagram @sodafish_ or @nickmahlook and check out their website here 

 Check out the behind the scenes over at @foodie_coaches and @tim.kummerfeld