TOUGH TIMES: A way to support your local

Pay it forward to your favourite watering hole, and help struggling licensed premises stay afloat

Yamba Shores Tavern owner Matt Muir is urging people to get behind their local.

LIKE many licensed venues throughout the Clarence Valley, the coronavirus restrictions have crippled the Yamba Shores Tavern.

Owner Matt Muir said they had seen a downturn of approximately 90 per cent in their revenue stream, and said it wasn’t a surprising number for anyone else in the business.

Despite this, they are pushing forward with a new future, and a new program from Carlton United Breweries was an excellent place for locals to help support their venues.

“It’s called Love Of Your Local, and when people go to the website, select their local, which in our case is the Yamba Shores Tavern, and buy a $10 voucher that money goes directly to the venue,” he said.

“In return, when the venue reopens they’ll get two pints of Great Northern Super Crisp, which is as cheap as chips.

“In addition, we’ll give our customers a limited-edition pint glass, which is something they can take home, and they’ll have something of significance to the period, and thanking them for helping us in their hour of need.”

Mr Muir said that venues across the Clarence weren’t just places for food or beverage, each holding a different attraction for the community.

“A lot of people come out for the experience, for us and food and our playground are a drawcard, at places like the Pacific Hotel it’s that amazing view, it’s all the things we offer,” he said.

“We’ve been checking in with our elderly regulars, and we’re finding that for a lot of them we were a meeting point for the community.

People came here daily as a home away from home and place to meet and talk about what’s happening.

“That’s been taken away, and it’s had a big effect on a lot of people.”

Mr Muir said that many of their staff are on the Jobkeeper program announced by the government, with both full-time staff and casuals who had been there for 12 months eligible.

“At the end of the day, it’s imperative for them as they’re the people who we want in the business when we reopen,” he said.

Mr Muir said that they like many other licensed venues, had to adapt to the changing conditions, offering takeaway and delivered food seven days a week for both lunch and dinner, and a bottle shop which could be accessed on-site or through online ordering.

“With the Bottlemart app they can order online, and have it delivered in under an hour. It’s been really successful,” he said.

Mr Muir said that he appreciated the positive approach that the community had taken to adhere to the new rules, but looked forward to some certainty about when restrictions would lift.

“We don’t know if it’s going to be three months or six months and we don’t have a target to work towards to figure out how we’re going to manage through that time,” he said.

“And also we don’t want there to be a green light suddenly, and we’re caught short about how we reopen.

“What we’d love to see is for locals to continue supporting their local venues and independents, because it’s those locals who are doing it tough.”

For more information on the Love Of Your Local program visit https://loveofyourlocal.com.au.

The Yamba Shores Tavern takeaway menus are available through their website and Facebook.

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