Pipit has become the first NSW and regional Tweed Coast restaurant to achieve three stars in the internationally recognised Food Made Good Standard certification.

Pipit is one of just three Australian restaurants to achieve the highest three-star certification, alongside excellence demonstrated at Brae (Victoria) and The Salopian Inn (South Australia)

The Food Made Good Standard uniquely assesses restaurants across areas including ingredient sourcing, food waste, environmental impact, people, community and responsible business.

The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) operates in more than 50 countries with over 15,000 professional kitchens to date including Australia since 2025.

Twenty-one Australian venues are now either working towards or have completed certification.

SRA CEO Juliane Caillouette-Noble said: “Australia’s ambitious and innovative hospitality sector makes it a natural market for the SRA, with businesses increasingly looking for credible ways to measure, improve and communicate their sustainability performance.”

For Pipit owners Ben Devlin and Yen Trinh, the certification reflects a sustainability ethos that has been embedded in the restaurant since opening in Pottsville in 2019.

“This measures the work that happens behind the scenes every day, from the fishermen and local farmers we support, how we use every part of an ingredient and how we think about waste, our team and our place in a wider Northern Rivers region,” Mr Devlin said.

The Food Made Good certification builds on Pipit’s ongoing sustainability work, previously recognised through in the Tweed Shire Council Sustainability Awards, National Seafood Excellence Awards, North Coast Tourism Business Leadership Awards and as chef ambassadors to the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Project.

From a small coastal town in Northern NSW, Pipit is demonstrating how regional restaurants can lead the conversation around sustainable seafood, responsible hospitality and the future of Australian dining.

A key part of Pipit’s open kitchen, dining experience and sustainability ethos is transparency. Since 2021 the restaurant has publicly shared its full Sustainability Restaurant Policy, documenting its actions in seafood, local sourcing, waste, energy, staff and community to also help encourage other restaurants and diners to also share the same.

“Sustainability has no end point,” said Ms Trinh. “It's about continually asking better questions, looking at systems and finding creative ways to improve.”