Adelaide cafe closure: Plant 3 Bowden’s Little Banksia Tree set to close

Another Adelaide cafe is closing its doors, with its owners imploring food lovers to support the state’s struggling hospitality industry.

The sister cafe of a popular western suburbs eatery is closing its doors, with its owners imploring people to support the state’s struggling hospitality industry.

The Little Banksia Tree in Plant 3 Bowden will shut up shop for the final time on Sunday, just over eight months after it opened as a sibling venue to the award-winning Banksia Tree Cafe in Port Adelaide.

Its operators shared the sad news on social media, thanking everyone for their support during a difficult time.

“This is not quite the announcement that we had planned to be making but never the less, here it is,” the cafe’s owners said in a post on Facebook.

“Hospitality is a hard game and right now, it’s harder than ever. We want to thank every single person who came along to the magic little space that we have been calling home to Little Banksia over the past year, those who have liked and shared our posts, told their friends about us and left reviews.

The Banksia Tree’s owners Fabian and Halie Folghera in 2019. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“We know that times are hard right now but take this as a sign that if you have the means to, hit up your favourite little cafes, independent stores, breweries and wineries. Like and share their posts so that others may discover their magic, leave reviews if they’ve made you smile.”

The cafe’s owners confirmed their eatery in Port Adelaide will remain open for business for the foreseeable future.

“The Banksia Tree in the Port is but a short journey away so please don’t be a stranger and we hope to keep doing what we love for a long time yet,” the owners wrote.

The Little Banksia Tree is the latest in a long line of Adelaide hospitality venues to announce they are closing their doors as the cost of living crisis and increased business costs take their toll.

Among the venues pulling the pin in recent months include long-running nightspots Enigma, Red Square, Fat Controller, 1000 Island, Hades Hula House and Super California, eateries such as Gouger St’s Super Bueno, cult Hills pizza restaurant Lost In A Forest, Enzo’s Ristorante in Hindmarsh, Folklore Cafe in Port Adelaide, Morris Bakery on the Limestone Coast and one of Adelaide’s oldest pubs, The Edinburgh Castle on Currie St.

The Stag Hotel and Mr Kim’s nightclub are up for sale while Big Shed Brewing, which has been one of the leaders of the craft beer industry in South Australia for more than two decades, has been placed in administration.