Albert Park, Port Melbourne cafes join growing list of coronavirus business closures
Cafes in Albert Park and Port Melbourne are among the latest victims of a hospitality industry decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, with an administrator appointed following the closures.
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A popular Port Melbourne cafe has gone bust, joining a growing list of economic victims of the COVID-19 crisis.
Punchbowl Canteen on Fennell St, known for its extensive all-day breakfast and lunch menu, has been listed on ASIC’s administration list.
The team’s other venture, Fat Albert Cafe in Albert Park, has also gone under.
Stephen Dixon, partner at insolvency firm Hamilton Murphy, has been appointed administrator.
Neither cafe’s website mentions the closures and the Punchbowl Canteen Facebook page has not been updated since March 19.
Fat Albert’s Facebook page was last updated in December 2019.
Online customer reviews praise the “great service” and “amazing food” at both venues.
A post on Punchbowl Canteen’s Facebook page states: “The food and staff are spectacular in equal measure. The joint might be the best cafe in Melbourne”.
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The Leader understands the cafes shut amid coronavirus restrictions and will not reopen.
ASIC this month revealed more than 130 Victorian businesses had plunged into liquidation or voluntary administration since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with Treasurer Tim Pallas saying the current upheaval is just the calm before the storm.
Mr Pallas last week told a parliamentary inquiry into the government’s response to COVID-19 that the tourism, major events and international education sectors had suffered major damage.
“I suspect that what we will see as a consequence of these events is substantial economic trauma,” he said.
“Unfortunately we expect things, quite frankly, to get much worse before they get better, and we’re expecting an unprecedented fall in activity over the next six months.”
The Leader was unable to contact the owners of Punchbowl Canteen and Fat Albert Cafe.