Cafe owner opens new business after closure of Grand Central site

They closed their doors last week but the owner and staff of a popular Toowoomba cafe are back in business – serving coffee and delicious treats in a brand new location.

Coffee Emporium staff and owners (from left) Lachlan Hunter, James Riwaka, Georgia Poole and Penny O'Neill serve coffees earlier this while the wearing of masks was compulsory in most indoor settings. Picture: Kevin Farmer

For two years Coffee Emporium owner Penny O’Neill and her staff did all they could to hold back Covid-19.

Despite turning over as little as $80 some days they kept the doors open because they felt their customers deserved it.

“We stayed open as much as we could during Covid-19,” Ms O’Neill said.

“We love our customers and have always appreciated their support, and we felt we owed it to them.

“Some days we made as little as $80.”

Debt accrued during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic ultimately forced Ms O’Neill to close the doors of the Grand Central cafe last week.

“We did everything we could during the pandemic. We even did charity work preparing meals for doctors and nurses just to keep ourselves busy, and the staff volunteered their time for that,” Ms O’Neill said.

“But the bills were still there. We have been working to pay them back and will continue to but we were unable to meet the timeline.

“December, January and February after they opened the borders were the worst months we have ever had.

“The change to the mask mandate helped recently, we’ve been busier than ever, but it hasn’t been enough.”

There is a silver lining of sorts to the predicament though with Ms O’Neill and her staff finding a new home – Preston Manor Village and Chapel.

“When one of our customers heard about our situation they told me they had the perfect location for us,” Ms O’Neill said.

“We’re open at Preston Manor and the community support has already been amazing.

“It’s a little bit further away for our old regulars, but we’ve been very busy and we’re doing everything we can to improve the experience we offer.”