Brisbane businesses that were just starting to get going post pandemic have been hit by floodwaters setting them back to square one

Brisbane business owners still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic that took an immense toll on the hospitality industry are preparing to assess the extent of the damage caused by floodwaters.

Businesses that were finally getting on their feet after the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions have been faced with another massive blow and intense flooding inundates Brisbane including Ascot and the Eagle Street Pier.

Brisbane restaurateur Andrew Baturo said the flooding was “another whack in the face” the industry did not need after Covid lockdowns and other restrictions.

Restaurants and walkways along the Brisbane River inundated. Picture: Gabriel Baron

Mr Baturo, who owns Naga Thai on level one in Eagle Street Pier, said it would be days before businesses could assess the extent of the damage.
“Massimo, Riverbar and Opa went completely underwater, my heart’s broken for those guys.”

Local city residents watching flood waters go pass Eagle Street pier Picture Supplied

He said 2022 seemed far worse than the 2011 floods, with the water rising higher and faster.
“We’ve all lost stock and a tonne of bookings, and coming off the back of the last couple of years it’s particularly scary.

“Surely, we’ve got to have a win soon.”

Flooding in Brisbane. Photo: News Corp Australia

Hospitality businesses were some of the hardest hit industries over the course of the pandemic with capacity restrictions, lockdowns and vaccination mandates all placing a toll on the industry.

Mr Baturo said restaurateurs were “part gambler, part optimist and probably a bad combination of both”.
“But we keep pushing on and we’ll get through this.”

David Moore of OMG! Decadent Donuts is crushed after losing two businesses to floods in 11 years

Revisiting the horror of the 2011 floods is something David Moore never expected, but his current business has fallen victim to Brisbane’s damaging deluge.
The retail shop of OMG! Decadent Donuts, in Ascot’s Oriel Markets, flooded on Sunday, just four months after opening.
Mr Moore said it was a massive kick in the guts.
“Never one to play victim, but for f …’s sake give me a break,” he said.

David Moore of OMG! Decadent Donuts is crushed after losing two businesses to floods in 11 years

On January 12, 2011, Mr Moore’s beloved Drift restaurant was lost, and the white sails of its adjoining Jetty cafe seen floating downstream and crashing spectacularly into the Go Between Bridge.
He would spend years recovering from the financial and emotional toll.
In 2019 he and his partner Andrew Clarke established a doughnut company that now has 65 licensees across Australia.

David Moore of OMG! Decadent Donuts is crushed after losing two businesses to floods in 11 years

OMG! Decadent Donuts began as a market stall but friends – lawyer Steve Morris and marketing consultant Di O’Reilly – came on board and convinced them to expand.
It’s been a whirlwind ride ever since and Mr Moore said he would get through this latest setback, with cleaning up already underway.

David Moore of OMG! Decadent Donuts is crushed after losing two businesses to floods in 11 years

“I think I’m getting good at rebuilding my life,” he said.

Ms O’Reilly said the shop would reopen next week and on the first day they’d be offering free donuts in exchange for a donation to charities supporting people affected by the floods.

David Moore of OMG! Decadent Donuts is crushed after losing two businesses to floods in 11 years.

The floodwaters stopped just millimetres from the top step of Tocco Italiano on Oxley Road at Graceville.

Owner Mahoney D’Alterio said she was grateful the floodwaters had spared the business but said her home two streets away had not been as lucky.

“It’s three storeys and we think it’s up to the second one,” she said.

“We had no time to get anything out, we just tried to put some things a bit higher.

“We’re hoping the upstairs level should be fine but we just have to wait and see.”

Despite the waters not making it inside the restaurant, the outdoor area was under inches of water.

“It will be a bit of a cleanup,” Mrs D’Alterio said.

“But we’ve got a great support network and we hope to be open and back serving coffee and pizzas very soon.”