Harry Pearce and Missy Price have been in the hospitality business for a hot minute now, gathering up info and all kinds of tips and tricks to keep their restaurant running efficiently. We sat down with the hospo power-couple to find out more about their business ethos and the importance of staying true to you.Hiya! Tell us a bit about yourselves and what you do at Cantina. Harry: We run Cantina, which is a little place to eat and drink located in Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast. We do dishes, ordering and shopping, cooking, cocktail making, menu designing, events, social media, plumbing and painting – the whole shebang!

This isn’t your first time in business – can you tell us about the past venues you and the family have worked together in? Missy: Harry’s family has been in the business for generations, first starting work at their suburban Italian restaurant. We moved away for a few years to cook and travel to other places and when we returned, we opened a wine bar and deli called Franc’s. After we sold these businesses, we opened a restaurant called Lupo that we ran for six years and it was very successful. About a year ago we closed Lupo to split the place into two venues: Piatto and Cantina.

What lessons did you learn from the hospitality industry that have helped you bring the Cantina vision to life? Harry: Knowing what you can do with a small space and limited funds. Also, how to make the space good for you and the people working in it. Cantina is a pretty obvious extension of us and our home – most of the furniture and decorative features are literally from our home. If you're going to spend all day there, make it nice and make it you.Both the menu and the seating are minimal. How does keeping it small and simple benefit the business? Missy: We seat 12 people at the bar inside, and we have enough room outside for about 25 people. This means we are being as efficient as possible in terms of customer-to-staff ratio. You can't afford to throw things out that you don't sell, and because we are only so big, we need to limit the options on the menu to reduce the amount of low-ordered items. People do want new things to eat, though, and we want new things to make, so constantly changing the small menu helps it evolve each week, as the seasons and our taste buds change.

How do you stay grounded in your ethos and maintain your approach to the industry, free from trends that pop up? Harry: The way we attempt to separate ourselves from industry trends is massively influenced by the fact that the space is all about us. It's as personal as can be; it's our belongings from home, our food, our music playing out of our speakers from home and all underneath our disco-ball. All this, with the ethos of putting in genuine and honest ingredients, will produce a genuine and honest result.

What are the biggest challenges in the hospitality industry right now? Missy: The biggest challenge is the pressure to make money. High outgoing costs coupled with the tough times we are living in makes for troubled waters. Only do things with love and take advice from smart and experienced people, drink lots of water and always go for a walk before you make any big decisions!What's it like being in biz with your partner? Harry: We actually worked together for a few years before our friendship grew into an intimate relationship, so in some ways it's what we've always known! We love working together – who doesn't want to work with their best friend?

If you weren’t in the food industry, what do you think you guys would be up to? Missy: Throughout our time in the food industry, we’ve ventured into other careers through study or jobs, but nothing else has managed to stick. We truly love this industry and the community and I don't think there's anywhere else we’d rather be. 

Can you share your proudest moments so far with Cantina? Harry: The most special moments for us are when we have customers and friends at the bar. The beautiful and fleeting moments we get to share at Cantina with others makes us most happy and proud.

For more small-business stories like this, visit frankie.com.au/strictly-business, or sign up to our monthly e-newsletter. Have a small-business story you’d like to share? Pitch it to us.