Rito’s Cafe and Continental on brink of closure, owner launches fundraiser

Her cafe is an institution in Adelaide’s south – but now this single mum has been forced into a move she’d never thought she’d have to consider.

A southern suburbs cafe owner who emptied her entire life savings to keep her beloved business afloat is pleading with the community to give her another “chance to fight”.

Single mum Ayesha O’Neill, the owner of Rito’s Cafe and Continental, has been given until just Friday to settle a $20,000 debt with her landlord – otherwise the Christies Beach business will close for good.

Ms O’Neill, 34, hasn’t taken a wage from the business for nearly a year – and as a last resort, has now launched a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of the fees.

“It’s definitely the last stand,” she said. “I’ve always been quite a proud person, and any problems that I’ve had I’d always just keep them to myself, so it was quite difficult to put a GoFundMe out.

“I haven’t been taking away from the company at all – I’m just trying to make sure that Rito’s and the employees get everything before I get paid.

Rito's Continental & Cafe is a staple of the Christies Beach community. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“As long as the bills are paid and my two boys can go to school, I’m happy. I’ve never really been a hugely materialistic person – I don’t need things, I’m happy to get by with what I have.”

Rito’s is on the brink of collapse. Picture: Supplied

Ms O’Neill took over the business two years ago, but has a long history with the cafe, frequenting it with her late father as a child.

Early this year, she said the rising cost-of-living crisis had led to increased financial strain on the cafe.

In early February Rito’s fell behind on rent, with the landlord locking Ms O’Neill out of her business for almost a week, a situation she described as “heartbreaking”.

Ms O’Neill is pleading for the community to help her keep the business alive. Picture: Brett Hartwig

To get the business back up and running, she took a leap of faith and used her life savings to pay the overdue rent.

On Wednesday, Ms O’Neill told the Advertiser she wasn’t “asking for handouts” – just a “chance to keep something real and good alive”.

“Beach Rd businesses are struggling – and I didn’t want Rito’s to be another empty shopfront,” she said. “We’re part of the community, and we want to stay part of the community.

She has just three days to pay off her debts. Picture: Supplied

“I would like to be taking a wage of course, but the reality is I can’t let Rito’s close. I’ve put too much into it.

“Every dollar raised will go directly toward covering urgent legal costs and landlord fees, keeping the cafe open while we push through this critical time, giving Rito’s a real fighting chance for a strong 2025 and beyond.”

You can help the GoFundMe hit its $5000 target here.

Originally published as Rito’s Cafe and Continental on brink of closure, owner launches fundraiser