New Farm Deli won’t offer dine-in service during phase one of lifted restrictions

From Saturday, restaurants, cafes and pubs will be allowed to offer dine-in services to 10 customers at one time. But the owner of one of Brisbane’s most popular eateries has weighed in on why she won’t be reopening to dine-in customers yet.

THE easing of government restrictions on dining-in is far from a panacea for many Brisbane cafes and restaurants that are struggling to survive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Farm Deli won’t reopen for dine-in during phase one of lifting restrictions, which allows 10 dine-in customers at one time from Saturday.

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Owner Maria Anello, 59, said the cafe would normally seat more than 100 people, and it’s not worth reopening the cafe under the “one size fits all” ruling.

New Farm Deli owner Maria Anello says dine-in is not economically viable for her business, despite the lifting of restrictions. Picture: Peter Wallis

“We’ve been tossing that over and over, we had a meeting with a lot of our admin staff and kitchen staff as to how to make it work and we feel that it won’t work for us,” she said.

“Whether it’s 10 people or 100 people, you still have to staff and you have to open and have the operation going … you have to create the ambience, you have to have the core staff.

“We’re Italian and hospitality is in our DNA, and you just can’t push people out after and hour and a half, especially if it’s the first time that they’ve come out.

“Economically it just wouldn’t work.”

New Farm Deli owner Maria Anello with her staff. Picture: Peter Wallis

It’s tough news to swallow for the Brisbane institution that was forced to closed for five months last year after the premise was destroyed by fire.

Takeaway food, coffee and deli sales will be their focus over the coming weeks.

“Once Monday comes round we’ll revert to our normal hours and open our coffee takeaway and our food takeaway again but without the seating,” Mrs Anello said.

“We’ll just accommodate people with the food they can takeaway; whether that’s hot, or we can give them deconstructed meals with minimal preparation, we’re going to offer picnic boxes, and of course sweets.”

Originally published as New Farm Deli won’t offer dine-in service during phase one of lifted restrictions