Cafes, fast food outlets and restaurants mix it up to survive as coronavirus crisis unfolds

Cafes are thinking outside the box to keep their customers fed, their staff safe and their businesses afloat as social distancing curtails public dining.

TASMANIAN restaurant stalwart John Caire has been in the hospitality game through the “recession Australia had to have” and the Global Financial Crisis — but he says the challenges associated with the evolving coronavirus crisis are “something else.”

His cafe is among a number of Tasmanian food outlets taking phone orders out to customers’ cars as they try to stay afloat and provide sustenance to locals during an evolving coronavirus crisis.

“Everywhere we see small businesses getting more creative in the face of what are unprecedented circumstance and it is terrific to see,” Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Michael Bailey said.

“Now we need Tasmanians to back these businesses and buy something every day — food or a haircut or just coffee. These businesses might be changing how they do things but they are fighting to stay open, so we need to dig a little deeper before deciding we cannot shop as normal anymore.”

MORE CORONAVIRUS NEWS:

EVERYTHING CANCELLED. POSTPONED OR CLOSED

ABSENTEEISM SPIKES AS KIDS PULLED FROM SCHOOL

TASSIE MAN’S DASH TO BEAT LOCKDOWN

Manning Reef cafe owner John Caire is offering a pick up service and is thinking of home delivery if the coronavirus pandemic worsens. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

The changes come as fast food giant KFC announced eating in will no longer be available at its restaurants across Australia, offering only drive-through, takeaway and delivery options.

Mr Caire, owner of Manning Reef Cafe, has been a restaurant owner in Hobart since the late 1970s.

“I have never seen anything like this. This is going to change the shape of everything, and for now we are trying to keep our business up and running, staff working and customers catered to,” Mr Caire said.

“Taking food and a sterilised EFTPOS machine out to customers’ cars is as clean a process as possible. We have a lot of older customers. I am 73 with a touch of emphysema, so I am being very careful too.

“Our next stage, if things progress, is to move to home delivery and close the dine-in cafe until the situation eases.”

In the Devonport suburb of Miandetta, the Brown Bear Cafe is also taking orders out to customers who want to collect food from the confines of their car rather than mix with other diners.

“Trade is already down so we started the car delivery method this week and it is being received well,” owner Vanessa Belbin said.