Business owners make drastic changes to keep their doors open

Small business owners across the Moreton Bay region have made some big changes in a bid to keep their doors open and staff employed. But they need our help.

Cafe Diversity at Redcliffe has introduced a number of changes following the COVID-10 outbreak.

Shop local – that is the key to keeping local business across the Moreton region afloat.

Some have already reported having to lay staff off, others are struggling to keep theirs doors open due to the flow on affects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The region’s Chamber of Commerces say it is now more important than ever for residents to continue to shop local, to visit their local cafes and to dine-out at restaurants.

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Many Moreton business have changed the way they operate to meet the constantly changing health advice and guidelines.

Some have adopted new ways of operating to cater for customers’ needs such as home delivery and takeaway.

Here is what small business owners from around the region had to say:

Redcliffe

Peninsula business owners are changing they way they operate to ensure they can stay open during the COVID-19 outbreak.

With residents urged to keep a 1.5m distance from one another and gatherings of more than 100 people indoors banned Redcliffe business owners have been forced to make some changes.

But Pilpel Restaurant owner Adiel Ben-Karmona said he would rather make the changes than have to fire his staff.

Owner of Pilpel restaurant Adiel Ben-Karmona. PHOTO: AAP/Richard Walker

Mr Ben-Karmona has sectioned off his function and main dining areas so he can have 100 guests in each – he has also spaced the tables out so they are 3m apart.

He is offering dinners 2-for-1 meals and from Monday will start a home delivery service.

“This is a devastating time,” Mr Ben-Karmona said.

“I don’t know what is going to happen but the worst thing I can think of is having to fire staff.

“I’m not making no money from it. If I shut my doors I’d make more money.

“Every cent coming in is going to pay bills. I have more than 20 staff, local suppliers we are using all the time, everything has come together.”

Mr Ben-Karmona said if local businesses start closing the economy would collapse.

“We will be in bigger trouble than just the coronavirus, it is not what we want to see,” he said.

To help Mr Ben-Karmona said he and his family were dining out at a different Peninsula restaurant once a week.

Kris De Silva, who owns and runs Redcliffe’s cafe Diversity with his wife Emily, said the impact has been significant.

“This has really affected us; the streets are very quiet and the consumer confidence is completely blown,” Mr De Silva said.

“People aren’t going out or doing anything so have to adapt to this changing world.

“We’ve gone from beachfront dine-in cafe with really pretty food and we’re trying to change it to a takeaway format for dinner and lunches just in case we do have a lockdown, because that is the fear that everyone has got.

Cafe Diversity at Redcliffe is known for its very pretty meals.

“That is not our business model, we don’t ever do takeaway because you can’t take poached eggs home and reheat it and pancakes and all those pretty dishes.

“So we are really suffering because we are not a takeaway market and that is the only thing surviving at the moment.

“It is a real mess because we don’t have the structure for takeaway.

“We don’t have Menu Log or any of those programs to keep tabs on what was sold; we don’t have an e-commerce website so it is all balls up in the air and we’re trying to catch them.

“And this all costs money and we don’t know how long this is going to take; the government is talking six months.

“I have had to let our dishwasher go; we have given him two weeks’ notice today because we just don’t have the work.

“So we have to start culling from the least skilled to the most.”

Flock Eatery announced via its Facebook page it had also made some changes to keep staff and customers safe.

These include going cashless, switching to takeaway compostable cups, no longer keeping salt and pepper shakers and cutlery on the table and reducing the number of tables.

“We’re also a small business and are depending on our customers to keep us afloat during this crisis. If you feel comfortable to do so and are healthy, please still come and support us,” the Facebook post read.

Flock Eatery owners Geoff and Lexie Abel at the Redcliffe cafe. Photo: Kylie Knight

Redcliffe RSL has taken similar precautions and is only allowing members in to dine.

Redcliffe Leagues Club says it is open for business as usual but has cancelled postponed its live music events, theme nights, poker and bingo events.

Redcliffe Peninsula Chamber of Commerce president Brad Flynn said there would be a flow-on effect to local businesses, especially with the cancellation of the Redcliffe Festival of Sails.

“It will hurt a lot of businesses,” he said.

“Some will close.

“It is an opportunity for us to really come together as a community and really focus on buy local.

“This is a finite thing. Businesses need to bunker down and get through it and come up with a plan to recover afterwards.”

Bribie Island

Bribie Island Chamber of Commerce President Rhonda Cockinos has urged locals to keep going to their local businesses.

“Businesses’ are not closed. We have little cafes that have always been packed and now they are getting one or two people but we need people to keep going out,” Ms Cockinos said.

“All the businesses are following the protocols and they are doing everything that is required – that includes all Clubs in our region.”

“Clubs and restaurants are doing everything – everything that needs to be done and what we need to do is continue to support them.”

Bribie chamber of commerce president Rhonda Cockinos is urging people to shop local.

She confirmed local business was being hit hard with tourism businesses affected heavily.

“Everything is changing on a day-to-day basis. It is an unprecedented time. We haven’t seen anything like this,” she said.

“We are a small community but united we stand.”

She said if businesses needed support to reach out to the Chamber, to the State and Federal Government’s support lines.

“The community has to remain vigilant but there are things we can do. We are not going to run out of things and we can support our local businesses by buying local,” she said.

Ms Cockinos said she had been ringing businesses and gauging the impact of the coronavirus restrictions.

“Any business needing advice or looking for support I am available [e-mail],” she said.

She said businesses were already adapting to the fast-changing environment.

“They are doing things differently. They are adapting. Various food outlets and restaurants are doing home delivery,” Ms Cockinos said.

Petrie

Petrie catering business Moreton Bay Kitchen (MBK) has joined forces with Sunshine Coast catering business Thistle in the Woods during this difficult time.

MBK owner and North Lakes resident Suzie Mills said as caterers they were uniquely placed to respond nimbly to grocery-poor customers’ needs.

“You’ve got to smile in the face of adversity and if you sit with your head in your hands then nothing is going to get done, so you just have try and turn things around with the skills that you have,” she said.

“As off-site caterers we are very used to responding to what people’s needs are, whether they are vegan or dairy-free or whatever their dietary needs may be.

“Whereas other people think ‘what on earth can I do with a lentil?’ we are quite good at adjusting.

“And we have to be quite resourceful with our ingredients because there are now waiting times from our wholesalers for things like beef mince and so forth.

“But we can get it, we still have those supply chains which is something that the public doesn’t have.

Hot smoked salmon salad with watermelon radish from Moreton Bay Kitchen.

“I think it insane how people are reacting to this whole coronavirus thing with their panic buying.

“And the more people post online about it, the more they panic buy so it is self-perpetuating.

“If people are in quarantine I can just drop the food at their door and I don’t even have to see them and vice versa.

“So our business is quite useful for people who are totally stuck.”

The caterer said despite their advantageous business model it was early days and a trying time nonetheless.

“I have always been quite a resourceful human being but this has tested me to the limits of my abilities,” she said.

“But I am quite satisfied that we can deliver something that suits everybody.

“The response has generally been very positive; a lot of my immediate friends have already put orders in so my first delivery day will be next Friday.

“My online post with the new menu has been shared quite a lot but we will just have to see – it is quite nerve racking.

MBK also considered doing smaller portion sizes at reduced rates for concession card holders.