He Has 8 Locations & 1000+ Staff: How Rob Comiskey Runs Australia's Most Iconic Pub Empire

Rob Comiskey runs one of the biggest hospitality groups in Australia.8 venues. 1,000+ staff. And another 6-7 venues under construction, including a $250 million expansion at Sandstone Point that will bring the area's first 5-star resort.The Comiskey Group's portfolio reads like a who's who of iconic Queensland venues — Eatons Hill Hotel (where Prince, Ice Cube and Post Malone have all played), Sandstone Point Hotel, the BIG4 holiday resort that's the highest selling in Australia, plus the Dakabin, Mundy, Samford, Doonan and Eumundi.But the real story isn't the scale. It's what Rob, his brother and his father — still working at 83 — built from three pubs they took over decades ago, and the operating rhythms that keep it consistent across every venue.In this episode, Rob sits down with Tim to talk through how he actually runs a business this big — the monthly 6-hour finance meetings where every GM reviews every line of every P&L, the $500K butchery they built purely for quality, why food and beverage matters more than gaming in every pub they own, and the family decision-making style that's seen them invest tens of millions on gut feel.It's the most operationally generous conversation we've ever had on this show.You'll hear:00:00 – Inside the Comiskey Group: 8 venues and what's coming 05:00 – The monthly 6-hour open-book finance meeting every GM attends 07:30 – The $500K butchery that sometimes loses money — and why he'd still vote for it every time 10:30 – Why every pub is 5 businesses in one (and why you can't rely on gaming) 14:00 – How they built Eatons Hill: 15,000 capacity, 5 levels, $80M, and everyone said it was crazy 20:00 – How to make calculated decisions without losing momentum 22:30 – Maintaining culture and consistency across 1,000+ staff 28:00 – Why every venue needs its own personality (and one hero product) 29:00 – Weekly on-site management meetings and how Rob splits his time 35:00 – The brutal truth about hiring: you can't change personalityKey takeaways:Open-book financials with your GMs creates accountability, not exposureEvery part of your business should be self-sufficient — don't let one revenue stream carry the restQuality and consistency build the brand. The money comes from that, not the other way around.You can't make decisions without facts. Ask the questions until the answer becomes obvious.Hire for personality and work ethic. You can train everything else. You can't train those.Build with intention, but renovate constantly. The standard you set is the standard you have to keep raising.If you're ready to build a hospitality business that runs at this level — or even just the next level up from where you are now — book a free Profit Finding Session with the Foodie Coaches team at https://discover.foodiecoaches.com/bacFollow Rob and the Comiskey Group: @comiskeygroup @sandstonepointhotel @eatonshillhotelFollow along: @foodie_coaches @tim.kummerfeldNew episodes every Wednesday