Queensland restaurateurs frustrated by coronavirus rollback plans

Leading southeast Queensland restaurateurs have expressed disappointment even as the State Government announced a rollback of restrictions on eateries, saying the changes didn’t make financial sense.

DISAPPOINTING – that’s how many Queensland restaurateurs are describing the government’s planned rollback of coronavirus restrictions for eateries, saying they are not financially viable.

From next Saturday, May 16, cafes and restaurants will be able to seat up to 10 patrons at a time as part of Stage 1 rollbacks, with that number increasing to 20 patrons on June 20 for Stage 2, then 100 in Stage 3.

Retail body warns blanket rule on maximum customers in restaurants will keep some closed

Major hotels to stay closed another eight weeks as boss says COVID-19 patron limits are unfair

All guests will be required to make bookings.

While eateries in the bush were celebrating after being allowed 20 patrons, hospitality operators in the southeast said the initial restricted diner numbers would leave them worse off financially and they would be better off staying closed, or offering takeaway.

‘Disappointed’: Nick Woodward from Rick Shores restaurant at Burleigh Heads. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Co-owner of hugely popular Gold Coast restaurant Rick Shores, Nick Woodward, had been hoping for a June 1 return to regular trade and said the announcement came as a blow.

“I’m quite disappointed,” he said. “Everyone was saying things were looking quite positive to be able to open at a satisfactory capacity, but … you get ahead of yourself and then you just get disappointed.”

Mr Woodward said opening the Thai restaurant for just 10 or 20 patrons would be a waste of time and they would simply continue to serve their newly introduced takeaway offering until Level 3 restrictions kicked in.

“It might just mean that we can put some tables outside so if you get takeaway you could sit there. That would be the only thing. But it won’t change anything for us until level 3,” he said.

Co-owner of Brisbane Chinese restaurant Little Valley David Flynn said his venue could not survive with just 10 or 20 diners.

“For us to really turn the books over there we have to have one big weekend day a week, which we always do, if not two, but we’re not going to do that with the social distancing guidelines in place,” he said.

Restaurateur Simon Gloftis closed both his large Brisbane venues, Hellenika and SK Steak & Oyster, after the coronavirus lockdowns began and said he could not re-open until at least Stage 3.

“I can’t open because physically just to be operational and just to have the kitchen operational and the floor and the sommelier, it just can’t work,” he said. “I would be losing so much money that I would be broke in two weeks.”

Simon Gloftis said he supported the rollback measures, but that they wouldn’t work for his Brisbane venues. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Mr Gloftis said he supported the gradual rollback and said enabling cafes to seat 10 and 20 people would build confidence among consumers that restaurant dining was safe. However, he said for larger venues like his, the patron limits were simply unmanageable.

“Restaurants in Australia are almost broken in good times so there’s no way it could work under heavy restrictions,” he said.

“Unfortunately the government, however it works, whether it’s federal or state, they’ll have to help hospitality in other ways. I know my suppliers, my friends in the business, everyone is screaming.”

Cafe owner Amanda Scott has been offering takeaway from her Kedron eatery Farm House and Milk diner in Ashgrove during the lockdowns and said she would start seating 10 guests who made telephone bookings as per the new restrictions, but it would do little to help her financially.

“From a business point of view it’s easier just to do takeaway because it will cost us more to seat people and look after 10 people than nobody sitting down,” she said.

While she said being able to seat people out the front of her outlets would be a good way of letting the community know she was open, she revealed she didn’t feel comfortable about the new guidelines requiring cafe operators to record diners’ personal details and check they had the COVID Safe app.

“We don’t like to be police people, we’re in hospitality because we’re supposed to be hospitable, so policing our guests is not something that’s really part of our DNA, so we’re a little bit stressed about that,” she said.

Restaurant and Catering boss Wes Lambert said the planned rollbacks had been met with mixed reviews by his members.

“We absolutely understand that many restaurateurs in Australia would rather have gone to just social distancing,” he said. “As an industry we’ve been given some lemons in the number of customers and we need to turn that into lemonade.

“We understand … that some restaurants will not be able to reopen until the restrictions are rolled back further, however the businesses that are already open and have pivoted … they will welcome the addition of 10 seats in their restaurant as an additional revenue stream.