Father’s Day is just one of the big special occasions the hospitality industry counts on. However, those who make others’ days often don’t get to enjoy the day themselves.
Jim Symeonakis, a former chef and now semi-retired food truck owner of Jimmy’s Cruisin’ Kitchen, knows this all too well. “Kitchens don’t run on a 9–5 schedule – they run on lunch and dinner service, weekends, and holidays. While I was in the kitchen making sure other families had their celebrations, I was missing out on my own. Now that both my parents have passed, I can’t get back those Christmases I didn’t spend with them. Looking back, those are the moments that stay with me, the ones I wish I’d been there for.”
It’s just one of the sacrifices hospitality workers make. Symeonakis says, “The biggest pressure was the constant tug-of-war between the job I loved and the family I loved.” It means children are taken along for the ride as well.
Children of hospitality
After qualifying as a chef while working at the local hotel pub in Renmark, South Australia in the 1990s, Symeonakis eventually became head chef and worked there for the majority of his career.
Symeonakis also worked at the fruit farm owned by his Greek migrant parents. His daughter Chrissy says he would wake up at 6am, juggle work on the farm and split shifts at the hotel until 10pm, while taking her to and from school. He also had a third job, working security at a nightclub. “He was also studying TAFE. So, when he was not cooking, he was studying.”
Family holidays with her dad were near non-existent, as was the case for James Sun, founder of the Wannian Alliance hospitality group. His father Wan Jen Sun opened the Korean restaurant Arisun in Sydney in 1995. James now carries on the legacy of his father, managing various cult buffet venues including Butchers Buffet and Gyunuiku Buffet.
“However, the weekends were when we spent most time together, as I would go to the restaurant with my parents.” There was a makeshift sleeping and playroom, and his parents would spend time with him in between services.
The sacrifices and their toll
Symeonakis says, “With family, it meant missing out on those everyday moments that build closeness. I’d get home late, knackered, and the kids were already in bed. Days off never lined up with anyone else’s. That distance builds whether you mean it to or not.”
“Balancing being present as a Dad when I was physically and mentally drained was one of the hardest parts. After a 12–14-hour shift on my feet, giving my best to customers and staff, I’d come home late, exhausted, and sometimes short-tempered, and that wasn’t fair to anyone.
“But I never stopped being Dad. It was always the most important role I had. I worked my arse off to make sure the kids had what they needed and more. And whenever I was home, I tried to make sure they knew they came first.”
He helped pay for Chrissy’s degree, which she took in the US, in International Hotel Management. She now runs a marketing agency, Creative Little Soul, in the hospitality niche.
At the time, it was hard for Chrissy’s dad’s work life in hospitality not to affect her. “I understand now, as an adult, but as a teenager, I felt like, ‘My dad’s never here. He doesn’t love me.”
Family support in these situations is invaluable. Symeonakis says he wouldn’t have made it through his career as a single dad without his family. Chrissy says, “I was mostly raised by my grandparents when my dad was at work.” My aunties chipped in too.
Michael Veloutsos migrated to Australia at the age of 16 and began his career as a chef in Melbourne’s CBD in the 1960s, later running a small sandwich bar with his wife. Veloutsos says to his daughter Kathy, “I know you remember your grandparents more than me.”
His daughter Kathy Roussos says, “He provided for us, but he wasn’t emotionally connected in my early years. The one memory I hold close is of him reading with me, something he enjoyed as it also helped him improve his English.”
Involving children brings beautiful moments
Veloutsos can recall moments when his career brought him closer to his daughter. “When we opened the sandwich bar, she helped us communicate when our English wasn’t strong, and helped with menus, signs, and ideas.”
Chrissy has three siblings and says, “We all have this crazy work ethic because of my dad. We’ve all worked with him at some point.”
One of her brothers, Andy Symeonakis, owns the KALA Greek restaurant in Ocean Grove. Chrissy says, “That was a really nice family moment last Christmas, when my brother got to cook for my dad in his own professional space.”
Chrissy helped her dad set up the food truck as a family business. Symionakis says, “All of my kids are involved in some way, and I want it to be my legacy when I move on. I love that now, as I’ve stepped back from busy kitchens, I can enjoy this time in my life and spend time with them.
Lessons and inspiration
Symionakis has some words of wisdom after juggling all he did: “Don’t fall for the trap of thinking you’ve got endless time. Kitchens will chew you up and spit you out if you let them, and your kids won’t stay little forever.
“Yes, work hard, but don’t confuse providing with parenting. Money and career matter, but they don’t tuck your kids in at night or cheer them on at their school play. Find the balance earlier than I did. Draw your boundaries, take the days off when they really matter, and don’t let guilt trick you into thinking you’re being selfish.
“The restaurant will survive without you for a night. Your family only gets those moments once.”
These days, Sun says his relationship with his dad is more professional than personal.
His dad Wen Jen says: “It is a little more complex to teach your own child in business and to separate personal and professional.” He recommends that children learn and grow their careers from a place with good training, good leaders, and mentors, prior to getting involved in the family business.
For Kathy, it’s her dad’s relentless drive and strength that inspire her every day. “Coming to a new country, not speaking English, and still managing to buy a house, raise a family, and carve out a future. He taught me that success comes through discipline, resilience, and sacrifice. But he also showed me what imbalance looks like.”
She created balance by employing managers in her business on the weekends. “That balance is my greatest achievement, raising my kids with love while building my successful cafés, The Quarter Cafe and Degraves Espresso Melbourne.”
