Upper Mount Gravatt cafe owner says COVID has given his business unexpected opportunities to grow
While some cafes and restaurants shed staff and held on to dear life when the pandemic hit, this southside favourite says it’s found unexpected opportunities to grow.
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AS a sense of normalcy begins to return to the Brisbane dining scene following two-and-a-half months of a hard COVID shutdown, the owner of a popular southside cafe says far from being pushed to the wall, his business has been made better by the pandemic.
Cenzo’s Cafe and Bar on Lumley St at Upper Mount Gravatt began life as a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in the early 2010s before moving a few shops up the suburban shopping strip to take over the lease of a fish and chips shop two-and-a-half years ago.
Why our four-legged friends are loving eased restrictions
‘Back to normal’: Cafes celebrate industry gamechanger
WATCH: Stunning drone footage shows cyclists out in force
Owner Vince Dickson said the pandemic hasn’t been easy on his family business – they had to accommodate the loss 70 – 80 dine-in tables each weekend in their pivot to takeaway, a problem common among cafes.
However, in a time of crisis, Cenzo’s has found opportunities, Mr Dickson said, and he believes any venue flexible enough to respond to the changes wrought by the virus can prosper.
Pre-COVID, Cenzo’s dinner menu consisted only of pizza and pasta, but when the virus hit and wanting to drive takeaway meal uptake, Mr Dickson purchased a smoker for the business.
“Last week, we sold 14kg of brisket,” he said.
“Beforehand, we probably had a bit of a coffee shop restaurant mentality. But now we are really driving evening takeaway meals Thursday – Sunday.
“It’s made us adapt and look for opportunities we hadn’t even thought of.”
Another positive of the virus, Mr Dickson said, is that people’s shift to working from home has exposed his business to a clientele he previously couldn’t access.
“Professionals were not our audience. They couldn’t find us. They were off and gone at 6.30am to beat the traffic, coffee and bacon and egg roll in the city. But we open at 6am and they started coming to us. And they’ve kept coming,” he said.
In response to the changing clientele, Cenzo’s has begun ordering in pastries and doughnuts popular with the grab-and-go professional crowd. He’s just purchased a new display cabinet for them.
Cenzo’s is also likely to act as an unofficial campaign headquarters for Mansfield MP Corrine McMillan’s upcoming re-election bid in October.
Ms McMillan said shops like the Lumley St strip are important in maintaining the “village atmosphere” of suburbs, especially ones with a high proportion of families like Mount Gravatt
“It’s bursting with young families, Ms McMillan said.
She notes this is driven by the abundance of local schools – “it’s also a hub of educational excellence,” she said.
“Cenzo’s can count five principals among its customers,” she said.
The Lumley St shops where Cenzo’s is located is one of 10 suburban shopping strips initially included in Brisbane City Council’s four-year, $32 million Village Precincts Projects program, announced in February this year.