Australian hospitality is facing a reckoning. These are four women's stories.

Ask anyone who's worked in hospitality about their experience and they're guaranteed to have a story about a seedy customer or an overly-aggressive boss.

An older customer grabbing their bum. A chef losing his cool. A colleague making a suggestive remark.

Sexism and toxic work cultures have become so normalised they're accepted as just "part of the industry."

This behaviour thrives in the shadows; unreported, unpunished, unchallenged.

But Australian hospitality is finally having its reckoning. Over recent months, industry giants have faced serious allegations of misconduct that have dominated headlines and sparked uncomfortable conversations.

Just this week, Merivale Hospitality Group, which operates dozens of high-profile Sydney venues including Ivy and Coogee Pavilion, made headlines with allegations of sexual harassment and exploitation published by the Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes. The Fair Work Ombudsman confirmed it was investigating.

It's the latest in a series of high-profile cases that have rocked the industry. Last year, Sydney hospitality group Swillhouse, known for venues like The Baxter Inn and Restaurant Hubert, faced serious allegations of sexual misconduct and workplace safety violations that prompted SafeWork NSW investigations.

In March, reports emerged that restaurateur Maurice Terzini, former owner of Bondi's iconic Icebergs Dining Room, had allegedly moved his son Sylvester between restaurants while he faced allegations of sexual and violent misconduct.

These cases have put Australian hospitality's workplace culture under intense scrutiny.

The allegations reflect experiences that countless women in hospitality know intimately. Mamamia spoke to several women about what it's really like. Here's what they told us.

Watch: Signs of workplace bullying. Post continues below.

Bridget has worked in the industry for 24 years. As a chef, the 43-year-old has witnessed behaviour that would be unthinkable in most workplaces. Yet in the kitchen, "you learn to be around that stuff".

"The kitchen is a very male-dominated area. It got very inappropriate at times," she told Mamamia.

Colleagues regularly discussed her body and appearance. Vulgar conversations about "having sex, anal sex, rating customers" were commonplace. If she bent down to retrieve something, she'd be met with "while you're down there..." innuendos.

While she never felt physically unsafe, Bridget often felt completely unsupported.

As a young chef, she was overlooked for promotions.

"I was made to feel like I'm a woman and I overreact and dramatise things," she said.

"You have to learn to hold your own and stand up for yourself. You have to get respect so you're not pushed around."

Despite everything, she still loves the industry for its "fun, social and creative" aspects.

'We have no rules here.'

Cassandra, 33, worked as a bartender for two years while at university. The power dynamics were immediately clear — men made the rules, and those rules apparently didn't include basic respect.

"I vividly remember a colleague slapping my bum and saying, 'In other workplaces that's sexual harassment but here we have no rules'," she told Mamamia. "That became a pretty constant theme when it came to touching female bartenders."

Management made inappropriate comments constantly. Customers joined in once the night wore on and inhibitions dropped.

The message was clear: normal workplace protections didn't apply here.

Sarah's six-year stint in hospitality was marked by regular inappropriate customer behaviour that management treated as an occupational hazard.

"We were regularly pinched on the bum or leered at," she told Mamamia. "It was older men and women targeting younger staff.

Management's response? A lighthearted "stop that" before moving on.

"I didn't really think too much of it, it was 'normal' then," Sarah said. "I used to avoid serving certain customers and the manager would just take over that table — that was really her way of supporting us but not really acknowledging it."

Then there were the explosive chef tempers — another "normal" part of the job.

"We also had a chef with a temper that thought nothing of screaming at staff," Sarah said.

One incident was so severe she walked out mid-shift, with her manager chasing her down the street. She only returned on the condition she'd be moved away from the kitchen.

"Bad-tempered chefs seemed to be the norm, you were just told it was normal for them to yell and to ignore it. There were rarely consequences for the chef as they were in demand," she said.

Fighting for respect from the top.

Billy owns Babajis Kerala Kitchen in Belgrave and Warburton in Melbourne's Yarra Ranges. Even as a business owner, she regularly faces customers who refuse to accept her authority.

"We will have customers who need to revert to a male," she said.

They demand to speak to her husband — a co-owner who isn't even at the same location.

"It's aggressive and wanting to get their way and not liking being told by a female what to do… it's very common."

The constant questioning makes her second-guess herself.

"Is that because I'm female? There are too many of those examples for it to be anything else," Billy said.

As a business owner, Billy tries to create a supportive environment all employees deserve.

Her advice? Back your staff and don't tolerate bad behaviour.

"Don't put your staff in that situation if you can help it," she said.

When conflicts arise, whether between customers or with co-workers, she addresses them head-on.

"Hospitality is a stressful environment… if the chefs get angry at you, it's not at you… they will always acknowledge it."

Not every hospitality experience is negative — many women find supportive teams, flexibility and genuine friendships. But the pattern is clear: an industry that has normalised inappropriate behaviour for too long.

Sarah believes the responsibility lies with everyone: customers need to be decent human beings, and the industry needs to do more to protect staff. She's absolutely right.

Real change requires action at every level. Businesses must prioritise staff safety over profits. Customers need to stop treating hospitality workers like they're part of the service — no grabbing, no sleazy comments, no crossing boundaries. And the industry's glorification of 'boys club' behaviour needs to end.

The solution isn't complex. It's about treating people with basic respect. The question is whether the industry is finally ready to demand it.

Feature image: Getty.