It’s a big year for The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, with the latest edition marking the 40th anniversary of the annual restaurant guidebook. It’s a bittersweet celebration, though, because for hospitality, 2024 has been incredibly tough. Guest spends and bookings are down, costs are skyrocketing, and despite a stream of openings, there’s also been a wave of operators closing their doors for good.

All the more reason, then, to give a shout-out to some of the restaurants in this year’s Good Food Guide that have stood the test of time.

The remarkable thing about almost all the venues is that either the original chef or owner is still at the helm, or members of their family. (The exception is Berowra Waters Inn, opened by Gay and Tony Bilson 50 years ago, but now owned and operated by husband and wife Brian and Victoria Geraghty.) We asked these operators to reflect on the ups, downs and in-betweens they’ve experienced on their path to institution status.

50 years

Berowra Waters Inn

What has made Berowra Waters Inn so enduring?

GeBrian Geraghty (current owner-chef): The Inn is much more of an experience than a restaurant. It’s the sum of all its parts, even the fact of the pilgrimage-like journey that needs to be endeavoured upon to arrive, then the backdrop being the Hawkesbury, to add to that the architecture – Glenn’s work is timeless.

Glenn Murcutt (original architect): What I realised was that on that site, at lunchtime, when the sun hit the western escarpment opposite, it became the most beautiful piece of landscape. And then with boats plying backwards and forwards up the river, with the louvres open, you get a reflection of the water, and all of a sudden, the water almost comes into the room through the louvres.

What have you learnt about operating in a legacy site?

Geraghty: I am merely a custodian of a building, and when that building has a legacy, it is hard to create your own identity. I have moulded to the building. If I was cooking anywhere else, I might not have gone down the all-Australian road.

What are some of the things from the restaurant’s history that still stand out to you?

Geraghty: The fact that many guests have dined through the iterations of the Inn, from Gay [original owner-chef Gay Bilson] all the way to myself. The restaurant has a very special place in our dining heritage.

How does what you offer differ from what the original offered?

Geraghty: We are very much trying to identify an Australian cooking philosophy, built around produce and ingredients, cooking techniques, and heritage. Before my custodianship, the Inn was, all things considered, a French restaurant.

In what ways is it similar?

Geraghty: I would like to say, if not too arrogant, we still pursue quality in the same way all other caretakers of the Inn have. I do, however, say this humbly – I very much stand in the footsteps of giants.

35 years

• Abhi’s Indian Restaurant, North Strathfield
• Chat Thai, various locations

What’s made your restaurant so enduring?

Kumar Mahadevan, Abhi’s: The focus for Abhi’s has always been on consistency. My head chef has been with me for over 25 years and my manager, more than 20 years. We have all grown with each other. We also pride ourselves in sourcing quality produce, from Claudio’s for our seafood, to a goat from a butcher in Auburn, and our Indian spice supplier, who has been the same for 22 years.

Anderson: All experiences are potential learning platforms. We try to make decisions based on what we know at the time, and if that doesn’t work, then you need to pivot. Financial loss can be a breaking point for many businesses, and if you dig your heels in too deeply, you might never be able to recoup that loss.

How has what you’ve offered changed, and how has it stayed the same?

Mahadevan: Customers’ awareness of Indian cuisine is now very high. This makes them more adventurous. For example, goat curry was not popular in the earlier days; now it’s our top seller. Still, the traditional dishes – palak patta chaat, chicken makhni, beef ambotik – continue to anchor our menu.

Anderson: More or less everything on our menu has changed. We’re 10 years into our regenerative farming practice [Boon Luck Farm] that supplies our restaurants. In that decade alone, we’ve seen market prices skyrocket. Having our own market garden farm has definitely helped alleviate the pressure of maintaining our quality offering and prices. It’s also influenced how we write our menu, which changes significantly seasonally.

30 years

Catalina, Rose Bay

What’s made Catalina so enduring?

Judy McMahon: Owning a successful restaurant for so many years is about much more than putting a beautiful plate of food in front of someone (although that’s very important). It’s about all of us having a collective memory about that customer, where they like to sit, what they like to eat and drink, what their child’s name is, the special occasions that Catalina has been part of. We’re part of the community.

Any regrets?

I can’t think of any regrets, except wishing I’d been a lot more involved in the decision-making in the early days. But we had young children, so I left a lot to my late husband Michael. That was the way things were 30 years ago, but I wish I’d questioned it. I’ve made up for it now, but I don’t think I realised until recently how differently I do things. Whether it’s because I’m a woman, I don’t know, but I do know that we have a happier team and happier customers under my watch. (We have a better bottom line, too).