How popular eatery came to thrive during COVID

When other restaurants were cutting hours, this Ipswich joint launched seven-day trading

Bakehouse steakhouse co-owner Nicholas Stevenson. Picture: Cordell Richardson

THE KEY to keeping afloat during 2020 is found in “thinking outside of the box”, according to an Ipswich business owner who nabbed an award celebrating the success of his enterprise.

Nick Stevenson, who co-owns Steakhouse Bakehouse with his two brothers Alastair and Chris and head chef Josh Lawson, was named Young Business Person of the Year at Saturday night’s City of Ipswich 2020 Business Excellence Awards.

Mr Stevenson said, if it wasn’t for the team’s willingness to innovate, the business “probably wouldn’t be in the position” it was.

When COVID restrictions banned dining out in Queensland, the team brainstormed how to stay afloat.

READ MORE: Popular Bakehouse Steakhouse to reopen in Ipswich

“The head chef and I basically didn’t sleep for that first week,” Mr Stevenson said.

“We got in straight away and went straight into takeaway on the Tuesday … For that first week, we came up with a game plan and executed it as quickly as we could.”

Though they lost two thirds of their staff, the pandemic forced the owners to try new approaches to trade it would otherwise never have considered.

“It was initially very hard for the team but in a way it has been good for the business because it has made us do some things we probably wouldn’t have done unless we were forced to,” Mr Stevenson said.

They launched a takeaway burger menu, Bakehouse Buns, and take home hampers to tap into new revenue streams.

READ MORE: ‘Bad drivers’ spur truckie to open driving school

“We were shut down on a Sunday night towards the end of March and we were fully operational by Tuesday as a takeaway,” Mr Stevenson said.

“We just learnt on the go and that first couple of weeks were very difficult.”

While plenty of hospitality establishments shut down or reduced trade hours, Steakhouse Bakehouse did the opposite.

“We went to seven days a week lunch and dinner to maximise whatever we could,” Mr Stevenson said.

The restaurant is up for another award tonight, at the Restaurant and Catering 2020 Awards for Excellence, where the Best Casual Steakhouse Queensland award is on the line.

“Fingers crossed. If we win that, we become national finalists,” Mr Stevenson said.

Read more news by Ebony Graveur.

Originally published as