Working at Chris's
The first Chris’s Restaurant was established in 1972 and Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant & Villas was established by Chris Talihmanidis in 1979. In this time it has become an icon of the Great Ocean Road.
Chris’s employs a dynamic mix of young professionals who are dedicated to working together to learn and continue a proud tradition. They share a common love of food, wine and travel. Our staff combines many people of diverse backgrounds and experiences to engender a high level of professionalism. They are carefully selected to facilitate a productive working environment conducive to excellence and their personal development, the hallmark of which is mutual respect. Employment contracts are negotiated on an individual basis and tailored to suit our employees’ circumstances, experience and qualifications. Management work directly with staff on a daily basis to engender amity and a positive working environment.
Chris’s is largely a seasonal business, but our staff comprises a core crew that works together all year round that is supplemented by additional staff, mostly in Front-of-house, who work the summer season to Easter. In season the staff numbers around thirty, including staff associated with the accommodation side of the business.
Multi-tasking is a large part of working at Chris’s
Multi-tasking is a large part of working at Chris’s, given our broad market offering. Besides an a la carte restaurant we cater to functions, reception centre and a run boutique motel. This gives our employees the opportunity of gaining experience in a number of areas.
We prefer to employ staff that are committed to: either an entire summer season to Easter; or, in the case of core staff, a minimum one year contract. We are open all public holidays and expect staff to be available on these days including Christmas and New Years Eve.
We have employed many excellent Chefs over the years who have used their experience at Chris’s as a spring board into their individual careers.
Apprentice Chef’s have the choice of attending Registered Training Organisations, such as Gordon Tafe (Geelong) or South West Tafe (Warrnambool); or doing their training in-house with our own instructor through one of these institutes. We have employed many excellent Chefs over the years who have used their experience at Chris’s as a spring board into their individual careers.
Given that we are located in native bushland overlooking Bass Strait and are eight kilometres from the township of Apollo Bay, employees might prefer to hold a licence and have their own transport. This isn’t essential, however, as many of our staff car pool and as they are numerous there is always somebody coming up or down to town.
We have many points of difference from other employers: Staff meals are provided every shift; we offer assistance in finding both long-term and summer accommodation; tips are shared between Front-of-house and back of house staff; pays are deposited directly into your bank account each week, we are located near a premier tourism destination; there is flexibility with shifts, rostering and hours and a minimum two days off every week; and we have a management team that has extensive and long experience.
If you are thinking of moving to Apollo Bay, you are not alone.
If you are thinking of moving to Apollo Bay, you are not alone. This small regional town has been growing rapidly for many years. Despite this it still has the lowest entry-level housing of all similar coastal communities. It has also, unlike other coastal towns, retained its local sense of community. It has an excellent day care centre, a kindergarten and p-12 college. Crime rates are virtually non-existent and it has also been ear-marked in the Victorian Government’s Region Strategy as the central node for development on the Great Ocean Road. With the new ring road around Geelong it takes most locals a little over two hours to get to Melbourne via the back road- and no we don’t have to break the speed limit! Modern infrastructure exists throughout, such as with high speed internet, mobile phone networks and digital/satellite television. We also have an excellent hospital, medical centre and all services you would normally expect. We also seldom experience water shortages!
Enquire about joining the team...
We are always on the lookout for passionate staff that are keen to learn and become part of our team.
For non-residents; we are a registered sponsor for 457 Visas and often employ international staff. We often employ student Visa holders, particularly over the summer period. We are a member of the Restaurant and Caterers Association of Victoria and all employees are paid award rates.
For bookings, enquiries, conferences and events please call (03) 5237 6411 or email us.