Coffee delivery Melbourne: Brother Alec, Moon Rabbit cafe open
Cafes and restaurants across the city are battling as customers are told to work from home and stay inside. Here’s how some are trying to stay open and support their staff.
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Cafes are getting creative to deliver Melburnians their caffeine fix, offering contactless service and take home meals as they struggle to stay open.
With workers at home and people asked to stay inside, restaurants and cafes have been struggling without their usual foot traffic.
Brother Alec owner Malia Sloman said they had stopped serving customers in house and were exclusively serving an expanded take away menu.
They’re also offering take home meals for customers.
“I reckon nine and out 10 customers are very, very supportive of what we’re doing,” Ms Sloman said.
“It’s hard for us because I’ve been here for 10 years.”
“Our main focus is the health of our staff and community and the wellbeing of our staff in terms of their employment.”
The Thornbury cafe was already on Uber Eats when the coronavirus hit and has had an increase in traffic over the past few days.
Ms Sloman said it was important for the community to support their local business and show appreciation for their staff while they could.
“Business owners are looking for creative ways to create revenue,” she said.
“I’ve had some people come in twice today and I feel like they’re going out of their way to spend money with us.”
Ms Sloman said customers could call the cafe directly to order food for pick-up.
At Moon Rabbit cafe in Preston, manager Sam Fisher said they were going out of their way to avoid using single use plastics.
While cafes across the city have started to refuse reusable coffee cups, at Moon Rabbit they pour the coffee directly into your cup without touching it.
They’ll also be introducing a pre-packaged meal and delivery service to keep the doors open while customers stay at home.
“The streets out here are dead but the customers who are coming are coming to support us,” Ms Fisher said.
The social enterprise, which trains people trying to find employment, also offers a bulk food store with staples including rice, pasta and flour.
You can reach Brother Alec on 9416 9428 or on their Facebook page.
Moon Rabbit will be posting their menu on their website.
To find out how you can help your local cafe during this tough time, give them a call.