The Gayndah cafes ‘flourishing’ post-lockdown

Two Gayndah cafes are busier than ever, despite the off-season and border closures with one even having to expand its workforce.

BUSY: The team at Nourished Cafe Gayndah are busier than ever, despite the off-season and border closures. Picture: Kristen Camp

THE post-lockdown period has been difficult for businesses, especially in the hospitality industry, but two local cafes are seeing more customers than usual.

Nourished Cafe manager Julie Zahl said despite the border closures and the off-season, her business has been “flourishing”.

“I’ve put extra staff on because we’ve been very busy … we have four or five working every day,” Ms Zahl said.

Despite reports of businesses currently struggling to hire staff, Ms Zahl said she has been able to find workers easily.

“We’ve been really fortunate that we haven’t had an issue,” she said.

During the lockdown, Nourished remained open to the locals, selling takeaway beverages and food.

Post-lockdown, Ms Zahl said the number of customers visiting Nourished started to build and has continued to grow through the fruit picking off-season.

“I think because of where we live, it hasn’t actually really affected us.”

The team at Nourished Cafe Gayndah.

Owner of Gayndah’s Big Orange Cafe Neil Richards said his business has also been able to come back stronger than ever, after losing a couple of months during the lockdown period.

“We’re burning and we wouldn’t normally be,” Mr Richards said.

“We normally do about four days a week in the off season: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and limited hours, but at the moment we’re open seven days a week.”

Mr Richards puts the unusual activity down to Queenslanders travelling throughout the state to the more rural regions.

“There are a lot more people on the roads and we’re in a position where we tend to get travellers here,” he said.

Winter is typically the busy season for Gayndah’s Big Orange, as the citrus fruit is in full season.

“We’ve got the orchard here so that’s our busiest time, that’s when all the grey nomads are travelling,” he said.

Famous for their burgers and fresh-squeezed orange juice, the cafe is owned by Mr Richards and his wife, who are the primary workers.

“We take care of it ourselves – my wife and I do it throughout the week and our daughter helps on the weekend, at the moment that’s working out for us,” he said.

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