Brisbane’s Flour and Chocolate closes sandwich section at three stores

It’s official – the nation is toast and the cost of living crisis is out of control as a bakery is forced to kill off a classic Aussie staple just to survive.

Lachlan and Kylie Scott owners of Flour & Chocolate. Pic: Lyndon Mechielsen

A top Brisbane bakery has made the difficult decision to remove a core meal offering from its menu, due to rising operating costs.

Flour and Chocolate have made the decision to remove the sandwich section from their stores at Morningside, Northgate, and Redcliffe, with the last toasted sandwiches to roll out the doors on Saturday June 22.

The removal of the staple bakery menu item comes amid a challenging time for the bakery industry in Brisbane following the shock collapse of leading bakery empire BCN Events Group, as well as the closures of Brewbakers at Albion and Cake and Bake in Newstead.

Flour and Chocolate have made the difficult decision to close the sandwich section at each of its three stores. Picture: Facebook

Bakery owners are reporting staples such as sugar, milk, eggs and butter have risen by as much as 77 per cent since before Covid, crushing their profits and forcing operators to close or adapt to survive.

In a statement, Flour and Chocolate co-owner Lachlan Scott advised that they would be closing the sandwich section at the three stores to “ensure that we continue to remain operating throughout this challenging economic climate”.

Flour and Chocolate have made the difficult decision to close the sandwich section at each of its three stores. Picture: Facebook

“We have made the difficult decision to reduce the variety of items we offer, based on their current sales,” the statement read.

“Most recently, costs including ingredients, rent, electricity, insurance, and other major operating costs have skyrocketed.

“We expect eggs will be the next ingredient along with chocolate to rise significantly.

“As a consequence, Kylie [Scott] and myself have made one of the most difficult decisions throughout our time as small business owners-to discontinue our sandwich section.”

While sandwiches are no longer a financially sustainable option for Flour and Chocolate to provide, Mr Scott said attention will be focused on its remaining core products.

“We will continue to focus on excellence in our core products- the items that we have been providing since opening in 2012, including our croissants, breads, pastries, cakes, and biscuits,” the statement read.

“As a team, we will ensure that impacted staff members will be offered positions to the best of our ability.

“Flour and Chocolate will continue to supply filled croissants and all our other savoury items like our quiche, pies and sausage rolls moving forward …. as we continue to manoeuvre through these difficult times, impacting us all.

“Thank you for your loyalty and understanding.”