Popular Maroochydore cafe weathers turbulent festive trade amid Coast Covid spike

A Maroochydore cafe owner has adapted his business to see through a tough Christmas trade period following the recent influx of Covid cases on the Coast.

In the three years Flinders Lane cafe owner Leon Russell has operated his popular Maroochydore cafe, the recent Christmas which was hoped to be a booming trade period has been one of the most testing for his business.

It comes after venue restrictions were tightened amid growing Covid case numbers across the Coast which has caused a slump in festive season turnover for many local businesses compared to previous years.

“Leading right up into Christmas it was pretty horrible and you were feeling pretty nervous, you felt like there was going to be no positive impact of tourists coming up, that was the underlying feeling,” Mr Russell said.

“In some ways it was unfortunate timing as well with the way public holidays fell, it’s Christmas Day, Boxing Day then you get two public holidays following, so I know for a lot of people in the hospitality industry, ourselves included, it was the first Christmas we closed, just for four days – it felt like the easier thing to do.”

Flinders Lane Cafe owner Leon Russell says he's adapted his business to reflect the unpredictable Christmas trade. Picture: Anthony Dodd

To adapt to the fluctuating business environment, Mr Russell said he reverted his service solely to takeaway as well as bolster the changes he made to his business during the first year of the pandemic.

“We’ve tried to convert into a bit of a grocer and throughout the last 18 months and we’ve figured out what sells in that format and what doesn’t,” Mr Russell said.

“I think now it’s more about resilience and how you build a business model that isn’t as impacted by closures, borders, all that sort of stuff and so that’s probably our focus now, becoming a lot less reliant on waiting to see what will happen and build a business that works no matter what.”

With rising Covid cases and venue restrictions in place for the foreseeable future, Mr Russell said he aims to continue to find ways of improving his food and beverage offering, wholesale coffee, and boutique grocery.

Flinders Lane Cafe owner Leon Russell says he's adapted his business to reflect the unpredictable Christmas trade. Picture: Anthony Dodd

“I can only speak for myself, but you focus chefs onto building something that is more resilient and that’s leaner, smarter,” Russell said.

“The Coast is set up quite uniquely in that we’re not very centralised, we’re spread out along the coastline and so you have these pockets of community and I would say unless you’re in Mooloolaba or Noosa, then that’s what has probably been reinforced is that sense of community and I think you become more dependent on that, so the outlook going forward for the months ahead is how you nurture that.”

Originally published as Popular Maroochydore cafe weathers turbulent festive trade amid Coast Covid spike