Playing to Win with Bella Venezia
For more than four decades, Bella Venezia has been dishing up more than fine Italian fare. John Caruso learns of the masterclass in consistency, culture, and customer experience.
It’s late-afternoon and from Bella Venezia’s alfresco tables, the view takes in the sweep of ocean and the hum of the Mooloolaba Esplanade. Waiters weave between guests, delivering plates from the kitchen, Spaghetti, Moreton Bay Bug Tail, Chilli, Noosa Reds Tomatoes, Prawn & Crayfish Bisque for example, the kind of dish that makes diners pause mid-conversation.
While some restaurants come and go with the seasons, Bella Venezia is the opposite of fleeting. It’s a fixture, a place where the food, the service, and the atmosphere are as reliable as the tide.
Kristine Young, who owns and runs the restaurant with husband Todd, attributes that staying power to one thing above all: consistency!
“We have the most amazing team and it’s about delivering what I refer to as The Super Bowl every single day,” she says. “That’s a lot of pressure, but it’s what keeps us at the top of our game.”
With 50 staff, many of whom have been with Bella for more than five years, the restaurant’s culture feels more like a well-drilled sports team than a transient workplace. It’s an analogy Kristine uses often, with Todd as ‘Head Coach’ and herself as ‘Assistant Coach’.
“We coach, encourage, and motivate,” she says. “The players are our team, from front of house to back of house, and everyone has an important role.”
That stability is rare in hospitality, an industry known for high turnover and short-term contracts.
Kristine says it comes down to creating a workplace people want to be part of, one that values individual strengths and fosters purpose.
“We find our staff’s hidden talents and give them the chance to shine,” she says. “If someone is passionate about wine, they might move from waiting tables to working as a sommelier. When people feel fulfilled in what they do, they deliver their best, and customers feel it.”
It’s a customer-first ethos, but not in the vague, corporate way the phrase is often used.
At Bella Venezia, everything is built around creating memorable moments: the way a sommelier might match a Barolo with the Eye Fillet; the pacing of the courses; the way staff seem to anticipate a diner’s need before they even ask.
“The happiness that comes from the customer’s experience is what motivates us,” Kristine says. “It’s about creating happy memories, and that motivates our team, too.”
Discipline underpins the passion.
Bella Venezia is open 364 days a year, which means there’s no “off” switch for standards. Kristine calls it “polishing the pearl”, a daily process of fine-tuning systems and execution.
“Systems”, she says, “are one of Bella Venezia’s keys to success. Strategy is another.
“We’re very strategic in our approach. That’s my strength. We know what we want to achieve, and we have a plan to get there,” she explains.
That focus extends beyond the Sunshine Coast. Bella Venezia has been nominated for the 2025 World Luxury Restaurant Awards in three categories: Italian, Fine Dining, and Beachside Luxury Dining, representing Australia on the global stage.
“Why can’t we take on the world with some of the big players?” Kristine asks with a smile.
“But it always comes back to the day-to-day discipline and consistency.”
Kristine’s path into hospitality wasn’t a straight line. With a background in media and marketing, and earlier experience in the wine industry and as a singer, she initially envisioned a career in entertainment.
But when the opportunity to buy Bella Venezia came along 10 years ago, she and Todd threw themselves in.
“The biggest risks you take have the biggest rewards,” she says. “I’m the creative and strategic one, Todd’s the spreadsheet guy.
“It’s the perfect combination. We back each other, and that’s a huge part of our success.”
It’s a partnership that has transformed Bella Venezia into more than a restaurant, it’s a destination.
Diners travel from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, even Auckland, to spend an evening at the Mooloolaba institution.
From the outside, that might look like glamorous but Kristine is quick to dispel the idea.
“It’s not for the faint-hearted. It’s hardcore,” she says. “But if you’re passionate and love what you do, you never work a day in your life.”
Never one to rest on their laurels, Todd and Kristine are the proud owners of a new project, Fish House (formerly Fish on Parkyn), turn the page to discover their plans and what it means for the Bella Venezia team and diners.
Hint: more delicious moments!
WANT MORE? Download the interview with Kristine or Todd from our podcast.
