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Local cafes, bars and restaurants were keen to get their doors back open as soon as Level 2 came in last week, but continue to face more pressures than most as a result of lockdown.
Only the wage subsidy has kept many businesses afloat, as income disappeared while they weren’t allowed to trade, and many fear it will take months for life and takings to return to anything like the pre-pandemic normal.
Owner of the Chocolate Brown and The Oaks cafes in Warkworth Susan Vize says it has been very challenging so far, and the challenges will continue. While they have continued making and selling some chocolates, and have been doing delivery and takeaway food and coffee from Chocolate Brown in Level 3, she says volumes are down by up to 90 per cent.
“In this in between space it’s really hard to exist,” she says. “There are important decisions to be made now. We need to know what’s happening with that wage subsidy – is it going to continue after June 18?
Because business won’t pick up overnight and that’s the challenge we face.”
She says that once hospitality businesses open their doors again, landlords will be wanting normal rent payments, and councils have not reduced any fees or extended licences while they have been closed.
Leigh Sawmill Cafe general manager Susan Kaiser was looking forward to opening up from Friday to Sunday in Level 2, but agrees that it will still put pressure on an already slammed budget.
“We’ll maybe still do takeaways on Thursday, but we’re trying to keep our wages down as everyone has to be seated and served, and we need front of house, too,” she says. “We totally understand the precautions and levels of not contacting, but having less people in the venue and having to have more staff will be quite a leveller for hospitality.
“There’s lots of uncertainty. We don’t know what’s going to happen after the subsidy period ends, whether there’ll be another one. Without that wages subsidy, it definitely wouldn’t be worth it. If we didn’t have those wages covered, there’s no way we could do it.”
She says the Sawmill is looking at how soon it can get live music gigs going again and has put a survey up on Facebook to assess local demand.
“The majority of people are really keen to come out, and we have the space to do table service. But with a maximum of 100 people, including more staff? Making money out of that … well, it’s going to be interesting.”
On a more positive note, both women say it has been good to try new ways of working, such as delivering direct to customers, and having supportive staff and customers.
“Staff have been great, doing over and above what they need to do,” Susan Vize says. “Most people have rallied and come in to do extra work for the business. It brings tears to your eyes.
“And customers want to give you a big hug, they’re so pleased to see us – not that we can do that yet!”
