Cafe pair shares beauty and the pain of COVID-hit industry

Burgled twice and put into lockdown: The tough story facing Brisbane cafe owners.

Two north Brisbane cafe owners have shared the raw reality of COVID-19 and its impact on the city’s hospitality industry.

Olympia and Antony Eaton opened Ant and Ola cafe in Everton Park a month ago.

They had previously left their careers in IT and as a solicitor, respectively, and decided to “take a chance and buy a little business and see what we can do” in what they hoped was the wake of COVID-19.

Instead, they were just in time to be hit with Brisbane’s latest COVID-19 lockdown.

“For us the misfortune came in waves that week... we were (also) burgled twice,” Mrs Eaton said.

Anthony and Olympia Eaton, at their Everton Park cafe Ant and Ola. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

“Those couple of events cost us about $10,000.

“I pretty much fell apart on that weekend.

“Saturday and Sunday is what pays the bills,” she said, sharing how the loss of income for Brisbane’s hospitality workers during a lockdown was compounded by a constant flow of bills from suppliers and overheads.

“You can gain a significant liability.

“During lockdown Saturday and Sunday we did not sell a single meal.

“All that food (prepared ahead of the weekend) cannot be used... there’s a knock-on effect.”

Now the pair have joined the thousands of restauranters wondering whether another lockdown could halt business once again.

“(There’s) anxiety — you don’t know what comes next,” Mrs Eaton said.

“All of the insecurity of the financial implications of another lockdown translate to a really bad frame of mind.”

Olympia Eaton says the constant uncertainty posed by COVID-19 is a stressor for business owners. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

The couple also lost staff members who had been retained by the cafe’s previous owner JobKeeper.

The uncontrollable financial insecurity has meant the “tired” pair work long hours daily.

“It’s an enormous strain on our relationship,” Mrs Eaton said.

The pair have even decided to give up their family home and downsize to help subsidise the outlay and the magnified financial uncertainty that comes with running a small business during a pandemic.

“Our kids are all grown and the place that we’re in is an expense and also an upkeep,” Mr Eaton said.

Despite the strain of the recent lockdown, Antony Eaton says he and wife Olympia get to enjoy the “beautiful” support of the community. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

However Mr Eaton said there was a bright side, and it came in the form of customer support.

“You get to enjoy the best of local community support,” Mr Eaton said.

“It’s been quite beautiful. It’s that kind of support that gives you the strength to get up at 5am and go clean a grease trap.”

Facebook posts from locals urging others to visit the local business had triggered an outpouring of support from community members.

Mrs Eaton, from South Africa, said she was also grateful to the city’s South African community for spreading the word about the business, which includes influences from the country.

Antony and Olympia at their beautiful new cafe Ant and Ola. Picture: News Corp/Attila Csaszar

“The unexpected upshot (is) you get to experience how simple acts of kindness can make the enormous (impact),” she said.

Mr Eaton said despite the uncertainty, the early mornings and long shifts, there was something beautiful about working in the industry which his parents had also navigated when he was a child.

“There’s a lot of good,” he said.

“We keep battling, we keep boxing on.”

More local news:

RSPCA issues warning about face masks

Brisbane cafe icon closes doors after more than a decade

New dining precinct comes to northside