Chill at Portofino to come back with renewed vision

Chill at Portofino owner Tony Moore has exciting plans to reinvigorate the Palm Cove venue hit by Tropical Cyclone Jasper, but has met a frustrating obstacle along the road to recovery.

Chill at Portofino owner Tony Moore has exciting plans to reinvigorate the Palm Cove venue impacted by Tropical Cyclone Jasper, but has met a frustrating obstacle along the road to recovery.

Mr Moore is still waiting on approvals to repair a major ceiling collapse, severe water and electrical damage and inadequate plumbing at the popular beachfront venue as a result of TC Jasper but he remains hopeful of reopening before long.

“It’s overwhelming, we’ve got a mission ahead of us,” Mr Moore said.

“We’re trying to control what we can, we’ve sanded back the timber decks and pressure washed the pavers and sails so the exterior is looking fantastic.”

The restaurant owner expressed his frustration at the lack of co-ordination between key stakeholders which had slowed the rebuild.

Chill at Portofino owner Tony Moore is still unable to open his Palm Cove restaurant after the recent floods severely damaged the building's roof. He is currently dealing with insurance and his body corporate, but estimates the repair work will take at least a month. Picture: Brendan Radke

“The worst killer for any business is uncertainty,” Mr Moore said.

“We need to respectfully turn up the heat – it’s been a month and it’s really time now – we need a clear picture for a timeline to reopening.

“Bloody hell, let’s get this done and get back to trading.”

He added, while speed was a factor, care needed to be taken along the way.

“We had a big failure of our internal plumbing, the pipes responsible for rain waste were 40mm wide and four different plumbers have now said they should be at least 100mm,” Mr Moore said.

“We can get another cyclone event later this week, if they rush things and use bandaid solutions we will go through this whole thing again.”

He estimated, if all was to go to plan, they would likely be able to reopen in four to five weeks.

Once open, Mr Moore hoped to win local’s hearts.

“We have some wonderful repeat holiday makers and I certainly want to be here for them but I want to come back with a strong local focus – bring in local beers and sharpen our prices,” he said.

Chill at Portofino owner Tony Moore is still unable to open his Palm Cove restaurant after the recent heavy rain severely damaged the building's roof. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I want to bring some value back into the menu across food and beverage and give people a reason to come and enjoy themselves.

“This is a great opportunity to reboot and be the best we can be.”

Mr Moore said he had found solace in the fact they were now able to support their key workers.

“So many people in hospitality live week to week,” Mr Moore said

“The best thing that has happened is being able to ring all our team and say we can [back] pay them.”

Mr Moore added that the support from family, friends and community had been uplifting.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of positive community support,” he said.

“We hold onto that; otherwise it can get pretty bleak.”

Originally published as Chill at Portofino to come back with renewed vision