Post Office Square and Wintergarden food courts in Brisbane CBD abandoned

Once bustling and vibrant, food courts in the Brisbane CBD today resemble ghost towns, with shoppers and retailers abandoning them at alarming rates. WATCH THE VIDEO

• Brutal truth behind death of food courts

Food courts in Brisbane’s CBD are struggling as eateries close and diners abandon them, with experts blaming increasing retail vacancy rates and work from home arrangements.

This week, The Courier-Mail visited both the Wintergarden food court in Elizabeth Street and the Post Office Square food court in Adelaide Street. The scenes were confronting.

Post Office Square resembled a ghost town, with much of it boarded-up amid a multimillion-dollar redevelopment. No date has been set for its completion.

The Post Office Square food court in Brisbane’s CBD was abandoned on Thursday. Picture: Isabella Pesch.

Bibimbap & Grill was the only restaurant operating, but its store front was barely visible due to the surrounding white boards.

Staff member Elina Khongcharoen said the food court became quiet as soon as the redevelopment started.

“People don’t know (we’re still operating),” Ms Khongcharoen said.

■ ‘Grotty’, ‘greedy’: What you said about food courts’ demise

Customers were hard to find when we visited the Wintergarden food court. Picture: Grace Koo

The Wintergarden food court was just as abandoned, with multiple vacant stores, while those shops and restaurants still operating were struggling for customers.

It comes as Brisbane’s CBD retail vacancy reaches a record high of 19.8 per cent, according to real estate group CBRE.

Retailers and customers are abandoning food courts in the Brisbane CBD at alarming rates. Picture: Grace Koo

Marketing and consumer behaviour Professor Gary Mortimer said retail trends in CBD shopping malls had vastly changed in recent years.

“January and February are traditionally the slower and quieter months for retailers as consumers start to deal with reconciling the costs of Christmas gifts and holidays with their family,” Professor Mortimer said.

“As the kids go back to school, families will be hit with back to school costs, new uniforms, books, and technology for school.

“And of course, the cost of living crisis continues to erode consumer confidence.”

Professor Mortimer said the underpinning challenge CBD retailers faced is work flexibility and the increasing trend of people working from home.

“But also people are continuing to return to work in general after the Christmas or January break,” Professor Mortimer said.

“So, you know generally Fridays later in the week gets busy.

“People stay behind after work on a Friday or the middle of the week. to go out, dine or have drinks and entertain. Whereas, earlier in the week tends to be quieter in the city.

“That probably is not the same for the centres. I imagine Chermside, Indooroopilly, Garden City and Carindale would be relatively busy.

‘The ongoing vacant tenancies in Wintergarden … tend to be symptomatic of … a shopper that is choosing to shop the larger super centres that are close to the home, (so they can) work from home rather than commute into the city.

Both the centre management for Winter Garden and Post Office Square have been contacted for comment.