Cafes and restaurants can sit 10 people from tomorrow but cafes split on whether they will
From Saturday, cafes and restaurants can sit up to 10 dine-in customers, but Brisbane venues split over whether it’s worth it with many fearing it’s unsustainable until further restrictions lift in June.
Southeast
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BRISBANE venues are divided on tomorrow’s Stage 1 reopening of cafes and restaurants, which can now seat up to 10 people – some say they are booked out while others say it’s “not financially sustainable” to operate under those conditions.
Holland Park cafe The Rare Pear is one of hundreds of cafes which will leap into the post-COVID world on Saturday.
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Owner Frank Lau says his business has struggled in the two months since the lockdown was put in place.
He has managed to retain all his staff at vastly reduced hours but tomorrow there will be the first tender shoots of renewal – there will be two extra weekend shifts moving forward, to serve the cafe’s dine-in customers.
Mr Lau said he has more than 20 bookings into early next week and is “pleasantly surprised” at how locals have shown their desire to reclaim brunch.
While The Rare Pear is looking keenly ahead to tomorrow’s Stage 1 easings, other venues say they will wait until 20 patrons are allowed under Stage 2 easing, which is scheduled in Queensland for June 13.
Moorooka’s Todd & Pup owner Kate Whitlock posted to Facebook saying they will continue with their “amazing takeaway systems and wait until Stage 2.
“Keeping everyone safe is our priority and unfortunately it is not financially sustainable for us to open up again while maintaining our table service standards,” she said.
“We will begin to prepare to re open one day soon with many new safety features in place.”
New Farm Deli’s Maria Anello told the Courier Mail also said they would not be opening for dine-ins tomorrow.
“We’ve been tossing that over and over, we had a meeting with a lot of our admin staff and kitchen staff as to how to make it work and we feel that it won’t work for us,” she said.
An analysis of 24 pubs, restaurants and cafes on Brisbane’s westwide, meanwhile, revealed that 17 would be reopening in some way tomorrow while seven were cooling their heels to wait for Stage 2 easing or further.
Botanicafe | Beaudesert Rd, Moorooka
Todd & Pup | Tarragindi Rd, Moorooka
Macondo | Tarragindi Rd, Salisbury
Cups and Wells | Lillian Ave, Salisbury
The Lovewell Project | Mt Gravatt Lookout, Mt Gravatt
Hallowed Grounds Espresso | Logan Rd, Mt Gravatt
Acacia Coffee Co | Elizabeth St, Acacia Ridge
Parkinson Cafe | Algester Rd, Parkinson
Stomp Espresso | Holland Rd, Holland Park
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