Scarf Community is transforming lives through hospitality

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One of my favourite things about the hospitality industry is that you never know who you’ll end up working alongside. My first work friend, at the fresh-faced age of 17, was a no-nonsense 40-something year old single mum who took me under her wing and introduced me to chardonnay. I’ve worked with philosophers and physicists, fitness fanatics and incredibly talented artists, people 15 years my junior and 15 years my senior, from all walks of life. We’ve always found something in common and while many drift away once you stop working together, some stick. 

This is why we talk about hospitality as a community – a lot of us have found our direction and our clan through a shared passion for putting a smile on other people’s faces.

This concept sparked an idea for Scarf Community co-founders Hannah Brennan and Jess Moran. In their mid twenties, they had been working in hospitality for a while. They met working at Trunk (now Pepe’s), and started doing some volunteering at the Social Studio, a not-for-profit working with people from refugee and migrant backgrounds in Fitzroy. 

“I loved working in hospitality and had some great mentors,” says Hannah. “I started meeting young people from refugee backgrounds and hearing firsthand how hard it was for them to get into jobs, even though they were so eager. I was also doing some events work at the time and managers were desperate for staff. Not understanding much in terms of community development, I was a little bit naive, but hopeful that a bridge could be built between the jobs and the people who wanted them but couldn’t get a foot in the door.”

Sometimes a little naivety can go a long way, and Scarf – a ‘not-for-profit social enterprise which transforms lives through hospitality’ – has been running since 2010 and just celebrated their 350th young person graduating from the program. 

The initial plan was to open a training restaurant, but they quickly realised that getting access to the necessary funding would be arduous. Eager to get started and in true community form, they turned instead to their hospitality network. “We planned out a 12 week pilot program and had a friend who was willing to lend us her restaurant space when it was closed on a Monday night,” says Hannah. 

“We had eight trainees sign up and a bunch of friends who worked in hospitality who came on board as our first group of mentors, and we did weekly training sessions followed by a dinner service. At the end of the program everybody graduated and within three months, seven of the eight grads had jobs.”

As Hannah points out, the hospitality aspect of the endeavour was more convenient than anything. “It wasn’t like we scoped out a whole bunch of industries and landed on hospitality, it was more that that’s what we knew.” At the same time they had an instinct that for people new to a country, what better way to get to know a place?

“A big employment barrier for people who are new to Australia is a lack of local references and local experience, so getting some [on your resume] can unlock a lot of opportunities,” says Hannah. “I had found a real community in hospitality and some great mentors and friendships – hospitality can really bring people together, so for people who don’t have a massive network here, Scarf could be an initial community that they were joining to start being part of the Melbourne culture.”

Hannah and the team work hard to be sensitive to the unique challenges of people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. “We’re often working with people who have had really big disruptions to their education, and there are often some pretty significant mental health considerations for people who’s background includes trauma, so that’s something we’re super aware of in terms of the way we approach training and mentoring and the kinds of job opportunities we create,” she explains.

“We know that hospitality can be quite stressful, and so we just try and be realistic with people about what they can expect when they’re moving beyond Scarf and into the industry and we don’t try and cookie cutter everyone into the same types of jobs, we’re very much working with people on an individual level.” 

Trainees are paid award wages and superannuation for all of their work experience shifts at Scarf events and through work experience partners. Alongside training in service skills (three plate carry, taking orders and the like), general customer service skills, coffee, wine, and bar and cocktails, trainees undertake their RSA certificate and attend job readiness workshops on things like writing resumes and interview skills. There is also a session called ‘Work Rights and Responsibilities in Australia’ which covers award wages, job classifications, workers’ rights and the role of Fair Work. They are looking to introduce a new module speaking to sexual harassment. 

“We don’t want to scare people off but we do have a duty of care, obviously while they’re on the program but we feel that extends to once they’ve left as well,” explains Hannah, so Scarf functions as a safety net for those who don’t have one.

While the pop-up restaurant model served them well for a long time, they are trialling a new approach this year, which is based around work experience in actual venues. The trainees still complete all the training modules, but now the majority of their work experience now happens in different partner venues, with Scarf working closely with venue owners to ensure supportive mentoring takes place. Trainees still given come together as a group and work at two special Scarf Events which run prior to graduation.

“Some feedback from graduates said that while the program was great and really supportive, the actual reality of stepping into an industry job was a big jump. So, we want to keep all the good parts and the supportiveness and building skills, but the work experience is designed to create a much more realistic experience. 

“After someone has done eight weeks of work experience, if they’re a good fit for the venue and the venue is a good fit for them, it makes a lot of sense that if there’s a job opening, they’re going to have a really good shot at it. Three recent graduates have been offered ongoing employment at their work experience venue, which we're stoked about!” As a manager, it’s a great idea – it may take some initial input in terms of having an experienced staff member paired with them in a mentoring role for those eight weeks, but trainees are paid by Scarf rather than the business for that time, and at the end you have someone who is already familiar with your venue. “It's a win win,” says Hannah.

For now they are Melbourne-focused, but if anyone reading this would like to get involved, Hannah says there are a few ways. “You can follow us on socials and come to Scarf Events, it's a good way to support and you get to see the training and mentoring up close. We’re also trying to expand on fundraising initiatives, so for instance Garden State are currently donating a dollar from every Espresso Martini sold on a Wednesday night, and we’d love to see more of that as it's a great way to get our name out through the industry and also raise money to help us pay trainee wages.”

“We’re also looking to build up our work experience partners heading into 2025, so for any business that would be keen to invite a trainee, we’d love to connect.” 

So, if you’d like to become part of the Scarf Community that’s helping to make our hospitality community more welcoming, email them at hello@scarfcommunity.org.

Around the Bars

• The Catfish are currently hosting an in-house Paloma competition – the staff member that sells the most gets a bottle of tequila and eternal bragging rights. I may be biased but I think Fred Siggins’ Hot Honey Paloma is very delicious. It's such a great local with heaps of live music, comedy and trivia so if you haven’t been in for a while it's a good excuse to get in and support.
• The Daughter’s Arms is the Indian-British pub mashup we didn’t know we needed. It has taken over Amphlett House on Little Bourke street and has spicy twists on pub classics like Mumbai scotch eggs and fish and chips with spicy mushy peas. The Curry Leaf Southside is a super clever take on the classic and I loved the Daughter In Law, a beetroot and mezcal umami bomb.
• Mel Hack and Ana Mitchell, the Australian finalists in the global Jameson Black Barrel cocktail competition, are holding an industry session next week to share experience feedback and their competition tips. They’ll also be showcasing their winning drinks through the evening. RSVP here.