Ballandean Estate Wines forced to cut staff hours after losing 90% bookings in one day

The popular winery reported the huge plummet in customers after the southeast’s snap Covid lockdown, saying it even forced them to cut staff hours to minimise their losses.

Ballandean Estate Wines’ Leeanne Puglisi-Gangemi and Robyn Puglisi-Henderson.

Ballandean Estate Wines reported a record number of cancellations following the lockdown announcement last weekend, forcing the business to cut casual staff hours to align with the limited demand.

Winery manager Robyn Puglisi-Henderson said the business had 90 per cent of bookings cancelled from 4pm on the day the snap lockdown across southeast Queensland was announced.

“It has completely gone quiet at our cellar door and Barrel Room restaurant. It’s just locals coming in but a very limited number,” she said.

Ms Puglisi-Henderson said she has been forced to reduce her casual employees’ hours to accommodate for the decreased number of visitors.

“It’s hard to manage staff, last week I had lots of staff in the cellar door, and this week I needed none,” she said.

“On a Saturday we normally have six casuals working and this week we will have just two.”

Ms Puglisi-Henderson is hopeful the lockdown will ease as expected on Sunday so visitors from Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast can return to the region.

“For me our expectation is it’s very short term, after any lockdown has lifted the people from the city will come to us again,” she said.

The estate called on the locals for support following the excessive cancellations.

The Ballandean Estate Wines Facebook post read: “Calling all Granite Belt foodies. We have experienced a large number of cancellations for the upcoming week which means for the first time in a long time we have lots of space available this week.”

Ms Puglisi-Henderson said it was important for the community to support local business in anyway they can, especially during difficult periods.

If the lockdown was extended Ms Puglisi-Henderson said the winery would potentially offer food deliveries and takeaway as well as online wine sales.

“A decision will be made on Sunday about in the long-term having takeaway,” she said.

Originally published as Ballandean Estate Wines forced to cut staff hours after losing 90% bookings in one day