Last drinks as Gold Coast bars and cafes brace for tough times in a bid to curb spread of coronavirus

Owners of Gold Coast businesses forced to close yesterday are desperately working to find ways to help their staff and ride out the unprecedented crisis.

DRASTIC measures to curb the deadly coronavirus, likely to decimate dozens of Gold Coast bars and businesses, came into effect as of 12pm yesterday.

Tough new measures announced by the government require all cafes and licenced venues to close, with a select few able to continue operating as takeaway restaurants only.

Cut & Grind cafe in Pacific Pines is reeling but plans to go down fighting, with owners Craig and Amanda Saward looking at ways to use their own staff, including their three adult children, to deliver their homemade food and coffee.

“We hope this isn’t the end and that we can reopen - we’re just not sure what’s on the cards for us,” Mr Saward said.

Craig and Amanda Saward from Cut & Grind at Pacific Pines have had to shut their café.

“We also desperately want to keep our New Zealand staff members employed because they aren’t entitled to any unemployment benefits.”

Mrs Saward said they hoped the quality of their meals would help attract the custom that would keep them going.

“Instead of families buying pizza and other fast foods we want to offer them nutritious options such as a roast meal with salad and veggies that are almost on par price-wise as McDonalds and KFC,” Mrs Saward said.

Surfers Paradise’s restaurant and bar Steampunk is another casualty of the new measures with director Grant Rodgers throwing out $150,000 worth of stock and dismissing 80 staff.

He said it looks like the losses won’t be covered by insurance.

“From talking to my insurance broker, no-one’s business interruption (policy) is covered because it’s a pandemic,” Mr Rodgers said.

Steampunk in Surfers Paradise owner Grant Rodgers. Picture: Jerad Williams

“We all pay tens of thousands of dollars a year in insurance. It’s heartbreaking really. The hardest thing for us is we’ll be switching the power off today with an uncertainty of not knowing when it will go back on.

“This is going to be catastrophic for Surfers Paradise. Everyone thought the Commonwealth Games was bad, but this is next level. It still hasn’t hit me yet, and even our bank manager has no idea what support from the government will look like for us.”

iToursntix closed in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Jerad Williams.

Allira Youngson worked in administration at Steampunk for a year and a half. She said the uncertainty has left her feeling very unsettled.

“(I feel) pretty lost I guess,” Ms Youngson said.

“It’s happened overnight. Last night I had to apply to get a rent assistance for the future, which the (Centrelink) site just kept crashing.

“That’s on the cards until I find another job … if other places are going to be closing or hiring. It’s going to be a lot harder to find a job.”

Staff at Charlie's Cafe & Bar in Surfers Paradise putting furniture away. Picture: Jerad Williams

House of Brews has also closed, but has promised staff will not be losing their jobs says

representative Jade Wood.

“We have such a family here, a tight knit group, we look after our own. We’ll make sure everyone’s supported and they will be here when we open again,” he said.

Ms Wood hopes to regularly video call with staff and loyal customers while the restaurant is closed.

Surfers Paradise Beach Cafe owner Arthur De Snoo pouring a beer before closing at midday. Picture: Jerad Williams

Free beer at The Surfers Paradise Beach cafe attracted crowds before the bustling beachside café shut its doors yesterday. Owner Arthur De Snoo said he would reopen but only offer takeaway, although he wasn’t totally sure what that would look like yet.

He was getting group certificates to his staff urgently so they could start getting benefits as soon as possible. But he’s particularly concerned for his Kiwi crew, who aren’t entitled to any benefits in Australia.

Cavill Mall in Surfers Paradise on the day that all bars and restaurants were made to close their doors to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Picture: Jerad Williams

“I worry for the New Zealanders who have lived here for 20 years and paid taxes and now have no jobs and can’t be able to get anything from the government, it’s not right,” he said.

Drowning his sorrows with a beer or two was Gringo Loco Cantina’s Danny Padilla, who just lost his job after two years as manager of the Mexican eatery. Keeping him company was 22-year-old Afonso Both, who is now also unemployed.

Staff at Charlie's Cafe & Bar in Surfers Paradise putting furniture away. Picture: Jerad Williams