Lines have been drawn in Sydney’s latest hospo turf war – and the Harbour City’s culinary titans aren’t shy about picking sides.
The likes of Neil Perry, Matt Moran and Colin Fassnidge have all jumped into the ring following a war of words between Perry’s former protégé Phil Wood – the brains behind Ursula’s Paddington and Cafe Cressida – and flashy restaurateur ‘Big Sam’ Young.
The source of the disagreement? The price of a full breakfast.
Young – who rules over Young’s Palace and S’more with a menu of caviar bumps, $400 steaks and overall extravagance – took aim at Wood in a snarky post about Cafe Cressida’s pricing.
He questioned why a full breakfast – drinks included – comes to over $50 at the Woollahra café, smugly comparing it to the $88 lobster ‘bargain’ he offers at S’more.
‘My friend just sent me this breakfast he is having. $36 + coffee + juice will be over $50. And you are complaining about prices of a local Chinese restaurant?’ Young wrote.
Flashy restaurateur ‘Big Sam’ Young (left) slammed the $50 price tag for a full breakfast and drinks at Cafe Cressida, owned by Neil Perry’s former protégé Phil Wood (right)
Pictured was a plate topped with fried egg, bacon, sausage, roast tomato, mushrooms and toasted sourdough, alongside a cup of tea and a glass of juice.
He then shared a photo of the live lobster dish offered for $88 at S’more.
‘Why spend $50+ on breakfast when you can enjoy a live lobster meal for only $88?’ he wrote, before bragging that he only serves up fresh and locally caught lobster.
Phil clapped back, screenshotting Sam’s posts and unleashing a lengthy response breaking down the economics of café pricing, while lamenting the fact that small hospitality players should be building each other up, not tearing each other down.
‘I’ve always believed that a stronger hospitality industry comes from supporting each other,’ he wrote, adding that negative public comments only hurt small operators already struggling under soaring compliance, rent, energy, goods and labour costs.
Explaining the price tag, Wood broke down the award wages he pays his staff – casual waiters earn between $36.18 and $52.33 an hour depending on the day – and compared café margins with those of restaurants.
‘In cafés, that $50 breakfast is as good as it gets… and many guests will still spend two hours sitting there,’ he noted, pointing out that margins only get slimmer when you pay staff fairly and use quality produce.
Wood argued that cheap-shot criticisms only push operators towards wage theft or cutting corners.
‘$36 + coffee + juice will be over 50. And you are complaining about prices of a local Chinese restaurant?’ Young wrote on Instagram last week
‘Why spend $50+ on breakfast when you can enjoy a live lobster meal for only $88?’ he wrote, bragging about the fresh, locally-caught lobster his restaurant offers as a ‘bargain’
‘At Ursula’s, I’ve probably had two candidates in almost four years ask to be paid in cash. At Cafe Cressida, by now it’s well over 50,’ he revealed.
For him, a $50 breakfast represents ‘the true cost of doing business properly in Australia in 2025’, and those unhappy with the price should ‘take it up with the politicians and government bodies’ fuelling the broader affordability crisis.
It didn’t take long for the comments section to erupt, with hundreds chiming in – including some of the biggest names in hospitality.
Hospitality legend Neil Perry (Margaret, Gran Torino) kicked things off with some words of encouragement for his former mentee.
‘There has been a lot of the big boys [put their] foot in mouth lately. Just keep doing what you are doing.’
Chef Matt Moran (Aria Sydney, Chiswick, Chophouse) similarly sided with Wood, writing: ‘You are one of the biggest supporters of our industry and a true gentleman to boot. Keep doing what you do legend.’
Nelly Robinson (Nel Restaurant) commented: ‘Mate, you don’t ever need to explain to anyone. Independent business is hard and the costs are through the roof.’
Luke Mangan (Luke’s Kitchen) also barracked for Wood, writing: ‘We certainly are in turbulent times with costs to businesses.
‘Come together as one and keep pushing on. I admire your hard work, commitment and determination. Stay on your path, my friend.’
The comments section erupted with hundreds of replies with a Who’s Who of hospitality weighing in. Neil Perry (left) and Matt Moran (right) made their allegiance to Wood crystal clear
Luke Mangan (left) also barracked for Wood, writing: ‘We certainly are in turbulent times with costs to businesses. Come together as one and keep pushing on’
Though Young did not directly address the backlash, he reshared a pointed quote to Instagram
He proceeded to take a dig at naysayers who complain about expensive hospitality overheads in a subsequent post about his restaurant’s lobster dish
Also throwing their support behind Wood was Julian V Cincotta (Butter), Laura Gonsalves Goldberg (Hurricane’s Grill) and Colin Fassnidge, who made his allegiance clear with a simple clapping hands emoji.
Though Young did not directly address the backlash, he reshared a pointed quote to Instagram on Monday.
‘Haters are like crickets. Crickets make a lot of noise – you hear them but you never see them. Then, right when you walk by, they go silent,’ it read.
He proceeded to take a dig at naysayers who complain about expensive hospitality overheads in a subsequent post about his restaurant’s lobster dish.
‘$88 bucks only per person on Wednesday night. Comes with oyster and bread. Lobster prices at the moment [are] going through the roof but we [are] still going to give you the best value,’ he said.
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