Popular Gold Coast eatery Burleigh Social has become victim of its own success and faces closure
ONE of the southern Gold Coast’s busiest restaurants will be forced to close within six months unless it can resolve a dispute with the city council.
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ONE of the southern Gold Coast’s busiest restaurants will be forced to close within six months unless it can resolve a dispute with the city council.
Burleigh Social has become a victim of its own success and is in a standoff with the council over a requirement to provide at least 10 on-site car spaces.
However, the council says proposed solutionse, including introducing several spaces is not good enough, putting the popular eatery’s future in doubt.
The business serves around 150 meals a day Monday to Friday and 500 on weekends, with seating for around 60 people.
GOLD COAST TASTE REVIEW: BURLEIGH SOCIAL
Co-owner Jarrod Barnett admitted Burleigh Social had become a victim of its own success.
“We have been operating under a takeaway licence but have become our own undoing by being too popular, meaning we have gradually begun to operate like a cafe,” he said.
“Parking is an issue all over, not just in the backstreets of Burleigh but across the Gold Coast.
“Council will vote on this in December and if they shoot us down, we will have to close our doors within three months, something we hope will not happen.”
The business has been operating for more than two years under a takeaway licence but has now applied to be approved as a cafe.
However, to gain council approval to operate under a cafe licence the operators are required to provide parking spaces for its customers.
The requirement, introduced in February as part of the City Plan, has proved a point of disagreement between the venue and council, which has so far refused its proposed solutions.
Fellow co-owner Rach Lich said town planners had been engaged to find a solution to the issue, with suggestions of altering its Hibiscus Haven site to allow for some off-street parking.
“They have offered us flexibility and comprise to manipulate the building and fencing to allow for some parking spaces,” he said.
“Right now there is not a food business in Burleigh that could provide enough spaces for these requirements and given the size of our location, it is just impossible to provide for 10 spaces.
“The council potentially will not renew our food licence which would be disappointing, given we have become established and are a bit of an institution here now.”
The operators have launched a social media campaign to “save the social” in the hopes of firing up its 20,000-strong following.
City planning boss Cr Cameron Caldwell said the eatery’s proposal was being assessed.
“We are mindful of balancing the need for parking with other factors whenever there is an emergence of new businesses,” he said.
“We welcome the community’s level of interest in this application and we will be mindful of that together with planning provisions when the matter is considered.”
Area councillor Pauline Young said she could not comment but called Burleigh Social a “great little business” which served the suburb well.
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