Chapter Too Heathmont owner Sam Agha says coronavirus dining restrictions hurting business
Many eateries across Melbourne are celebrating the return of diners this week — but for one Heathmont cafe it's not all good news, with the owner saying the ease in restrictions is actually proving worse for his business.
Outer East
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A Heathmont cafe owner says the lifting of coronavirus restrictions has made it harder for him to make ends meet due to the cap on the number of dine-in customers.
The state government allowed dining to resume at cafes and restaurants on Monday, with a limit of 20 customers per enclosed space.
Venues also have to record contact details of all guests for tracing of any virus cases which could emerge.
Chapter Too owner Sam Agha said while he was glad to welcome back loyal diners, the restrictions meant larger overlays for the cafe which were harder to recoup.
“We made more money during the (dine-in) closure than we are now,” he said.
“It’s actually working against us … it costs to refill fridges, put on a full menu and more casual staff, and the electricity costs are exorbitant,” he said.
“It becomes a much higher expense just to seat 20 people and provide all those services.”
Mr Agha, whose cafe has capacity for 120 diners, said while he supported the state government’s health advice, he hoped the cafe could resume trading at full capacity before a predicted busy summer period.
“I want it to lift, but I don’t want to get sick either,” he said.
“I still want to have 20 in there, but it is difficult to maintain that bottom line and keep your head above water in such a big place.
“I hope we get out of this sooner rather than later, and if everyone does the right thing, December, January and February will be huge for the cafe industry.”
At the other end of Heathmont Village, Milk and Wine Co part-owner Derek Hitt said his cafe had relished the chance to welcome dine-in customers.
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The cafe opened in late March during the coronavirus outbreak and had been restricted to takeaway service.
Mr Hitt said the easing of restrictions had “revitalised every part of our business”.
“It’s amazing to see all the furniture being used instead of being put in the corner, and great to see people enjoy having a coffee from a cup instead of a piece of paper,” he said.
“We are hiring people again and there’s energy in the building.”