Feed the Earthlings Burleigh turns to crowd-funding to pay bills

HOSPITALITY is tough right now on the Gold Coast — so tough this vegan restaurant has resorted to crowd-funding on GoFundMe to help pay their bills.

Teaki Page is calling for the public to save her from debt. Picture Mike Batterham

A VEGAN fast-food restaurant has launched an online crowd-funding campaign to help with bills and debt repayments.

Feed the Earthlings closed its Broadbeach location in May and is struggling to keep its second Burleigh Waters eatery afloat, asking for $5000 from the public to help with “back rent, suppliers and even staff wages”.

Owner Teaki Page said she was not proud of having to ask for money, but they can’t give up now as she considered the business a “social enterprise”.

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Ms Teaki Page at her Vegan restaurant at Broadbeach, Feed The Earthlings is closing down due to a drop in trade. Picture Mike Batterham

“This is absolutely a last resort,” she said.

“It’s a business. It’s not everybody else’s responsibility to keep it going.

“The only way I have been able to live with it is because we are a social enterprise, we’re not just a business, we’re part of a bigger community and a movement.

“We are an integral part of that and we are really making a difference.”

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The GoFundMe campaign has achieved $4000 of its $5000 goal.

Feed the Earthlings do completely vegan fast food that has earned them a sizeable following. Photo by Richard Gosling

The page welcomes donations from $25 to $5000.

Public relations guru Andrew Meadowcroft said the crowd-funding was “cheeky” as customers already pay for a service.

“From a PR perspective it sounds to me like it’s a bit of a Band-Aid solution and also the customers support the business when they buy food, beverage and services so to ask them to then crowd-fund is a bit cheeky,” he said.

“I certainly wouldn’t recommend that strategy.”

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SB Partners Business Advisers director Matthew Books said while crowd-funding was an unconventional solution, it had the potential to work short term.

“It’s probably the first time I’ve encountered it to get a business back on its feet, it’s not a strategy I’ve encountered previously,” he said.

“It may well be that the cause of their financial position is well behind them and they’re not continuing factors, such as a lacklustre number of patrons coming through the door, in which case it may be a solution.

“But if there are challenges the business continues to face it’s not a long-term solution to the company.

“If it does have a patriotic following then perhaps it’ll be somewhat of a call to arms for people to support.”