How you can help Brisbane eateries battered by floods and Covid

After two years of Covid hell, dozens of Brisbane’s most popular cafes and restaurants have been hit by massive damage bills after the flood disaster. Here’s how you can help.

“You know how people say your heart breaks, well I can’t explain what happened inside me but I felt something snap when I walked into the venue. From that moment I thought that’s my worst ever. I can’t get further down than that. It was 11 years of creating something so beautiful,” owner James Rennell says, recounting the moment he walked into his coveted Albion cafe and event space Collingwood Black, in Brisbane’s inner north.

The stunning industrial building that Mr Rennell and wife Kirstie had spend more than a decade building by hand was submerged in 1.5m of pungent, murky water – destroying everything from coffee machines and kitchen equipment to precious ornaments and decorative touches that made the venue one of the city’s most unique and popular function spaces.

The damage bill Mr Rennell estimates as close to $1 million, plus revenue losses of around $50,000-$70,000 each week they are closed – and that’s not even including his recently launched new culinary precinct Craft’d Grounds next door.

Owners of Collingwood Black and Craft'd Grounds cafe, (front) Kirstie and James Rennell alongside their clean up crew (L-R) Remy Harman, Jo Sterritt, Kimberley Bruce, Tom Metcalfe and Jacqui Erbel. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Housing the Seven Miles Coffee Roasters headquarters, Brewtide Brewing and K.I.S.S. Burgers, the venue, which was built to withstand one-in-100-year flooding, had water come through 400mm above the timber floorboards, wiping out all their stock and equipment, including a $60,000 coffee grinding machine – with at least a two-month wait for it all to be replaced.

“Everything that was in this venue had to be thrown, so all that stock is gone, we threw it and we don’t even want to put a figure on what that meant to us,” he says.

But just when Mr Rennell says he felt at rock bottom, clean-up volunteers began flooding through the doors.

“From there I just thought, well there’s only way and that’s up, so let’s get on with it,” he says.

While to be fully functioning will take months, Craft’d Grounds is already open for coffee, and hopes to transform into a temporary liquor store, with a small range of cakes, to keep the venue ticking over. As for Collingwood Black, Mr Rennell is on a three-week deadline, after promising a bride her wedding will go ahead there in less than a month.

Across the road at recently opened distillery Granddad Jack’s, everything has also been lost. Water shin-deep swamped the bar and spirit making equipment rendering it useless, but owners David and Luke Ridden have vowed to rebuild.

Brisbane culinary icon Jocelyn’s Provisions down the road is another heartbreaking story, their major production kitchen in Albion supplying their four stores has been wiped out, with the entire business and every outlet having to close as they simply cannot make product.

Next door, Brett Hutley’s voice shakes, he is audibly close to tears as he looks around his submerged business, brown and muddied from flood waters.

Botanica Real Food was the work of he and wife Alison, starting as a single store selling salads and cakes out of Red Hill about a decade ago, before blossoming into a successful business with five outlets across Brisbane, and a major production kitchen at Albion, which supplies all venues.

On Sunday, that four-month-old production kitchen became filled with water around knee height – destroying all their equipment, stock, their delivery vehicles and rendering their entire business inoperable.

“We spent so much money down here and it’s just devastating. I can barely speak,” he says, fighting back tears.

“It’s just destroyed everything. I don’t think we’re going to have insurance to cover it. We’ve got about 60 staff.”

While the newly built building was constructed to sit above the one-in-100-year flood levels, it was still inundated with water, and despite the couple’s best efforts to lift things to higher ground, they were too late.

Now the pair is left assessing the damage, unsure how to start again, with only their Greenhaus Coffee shop in Teneriffe operational.

“This will be close to wiping us out,” Mr Hutley says.

Equally heartbreaking stories can be heard from all corners of the city.

There’s Peach Cafe in Auchenflower, which went under, with the young owners devastated and unsure when they can reopen, while their almost completed renovation out the back has been significantly pushed back.

Peach Cafe was inundated at Auchenflower. Picture: Zak Simmonds

At South Bank, The Spaghetti House was just starting to get back on track after Covid had dampened trade, when the carpark housing their power was flooded, causing them to lose all their stock. With the power issue still not sorted, they don’t know when they’ll be able to reopen.

In New Farm, popular cafes Joedy’s and Miss Jones were both damaged, amassing big bills on lost supplies and lost revenue.

“Financially, it’s been difficult. I’ve dipped into all my savings to keep afloat with the hope we can turn the corner,” says Tam Pham of Miss Jones.

In Wilston, popular cafe Willow & Spoon has been without power for a week, unable to clean up and watching the mud dry on its walls.

In Bulimba, the rain damaged the roof so badly at Melrose restaurant and bar it lead to internal destruction, with the venue now forced to close for two weeks for repairs. While popular Brisbane caterers Cuisine on Cue and Wine & Dine’m were both affected and have been in clean-up mode.

In Zillmere and Newstead, tiny family owned business Banh Mi Factory were inundated with flood waters, losing stock and fridges. Family and friends pitched in to clean up and upon reopening at Zillmere were met with long queues of customers desperate to dine in and support them.

But the support needs to keep coming, hospitality operators say.

Compounded by two years of Covid hell, business owners are asking for people to dine in with them and keep dining in with them after the clean-up finishes.

They want the community to support the industry that employs the most Queenslanders in the state.

And for those venues, which are yet to reopen, to buy a gift voucher for a future visit, support their GoFundMe if they have one, or to buy from their online store like Fonzie Abbott in Albion.

“Come out, give us a go,” Mr Pham says.

REOPENED VENUES

Show your support by dining in, taking away and spending up big

Fonzie Abbott, Albion (temporary operation)

The Albion Marketplace, Albion

Ciao Papi, Brisbane City

Felons Barrel Hall, Brisbane City

Felons Brewing Co, Brisbane City

Gigi’s Homestyle Cooking, Brisbane City

Greca, Brisbane City

Mr Percival’s, Brisbane City

Stanley, Brisbane City

Yoko, Brisbane City

Let Minnow Cafe, Clayfield

Joedy’s, New Farm

Miss Jones, New Farm

Rogue Bistro, Newstead

Range Brewing, Newstead

Ping Pong, Newstead

Rosalie Gourmet, Rosalie

Hello Please, South Brisbane

Julius Pizzeria, South Brisbane

Kiki Kiosk, South Brisbane

Southside, South Brisbane

The Jetty, South Brisbane

Parched, West End

Banh Mi Factory, Zillmere

CLOSED VENUES

Show your support by buying a gift voucher, writing a positive online review, supporting their GoFundMe initiative, or making a future booking

Breakfast Creek Hotel, Brewtide, Albion

Collingwood Black, Albion

Craft’d Grounds, Albion

Granddad Jack’s, Albion

Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters, Albion

Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, Albion

Wineism, Albion

Peach Cafe, Auchenflower

King St Bakery, Bowen Hills

Coppa Spuntino, Brisbane City

Massimo Restaurant and Bar, Brisbane City

Mica Express, Brisbane City

Naga Thai, Brisbane City

Opa Bar + Mezze, Brisbane City

Riverbar and Kitchen, Brisbane City

Will & Flow, Brisbane City

Wild Canary, Brookfield

Melrose, Bulimba

Milton Common, Milton

Newstead Brewing Co, Milton

Elska, New Farm

Doughluxe, Newmarket (they are working on a temporary kitchen in the CBD)

Kafe Krave, Newmarket

Banh Mi Factory, Newstead

Entice Me, Newstead

Golden Pig, Newstead

Mica, Newstead

Smoked Paprika, Rosalie

The Spaghetti House, South Brisbane

Bar Brutus, South Brisbane

Botanica Real Food, various locations

Jocelyn’s Provisions, various locations

Crust & Co, Wilston

Willow & Spoon, Wilston

Sunny Side Sandwiches, Windsor