Hospitality rolling with the punches
IT is in the nature of hospitality businesses to just make things work. Keeping a smile on your face and taking care of issues as they arise is in their DNA.
But the shifting sands of government restrictions in this rapidly changing environment, and the host of unknowns in the days that lie ahead, are making it hard to plan for even vastly reduced services.
On an online forum last week, Geelong hospitality leaders recounted some of their key issues such as diversifying services, managing staff and communicating with their team, accessing relief and how to use this time to working on, not in, their businesses.
Hosted by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, the optimistically-titled ‘Adapting for success in hospitality’ webinar included Gillian Costa from the Pier Geelong, Ty Simons from Driftwood Cafe in Ocean Grove, Westend publican Cam O’Keefe, Deb Nash from Truffleduck and Mark Butcher from Bear & Scoobs cafe in North Geelong.
In general, the businesses reported they were doing what they could to keep trading while prioritising support and communication to staff, assisting them to register for benefits and in some cases to find other work.
At Truffleduck, Ms Nash said after including full-time staff in discussions, the catering and wedding venue business jumped “full bore” into preparing take-home meals, which was keeping five of her team employed.
But she was worried about how the next stage of restrictions might impact the business further.
“I wish I had the crystal ball because we are set to go ahead with lots of innovation,” Ms Nash said.
“But if the government shut us down, there is no point doing it.
“I wish I knew …”
She said her “gut feeling” was that take-home meals might not be considered essential for too much longer.
However, Mr Symons, who is also the president of the Ocean Grove Business Association, was more optimistic, provided social distancing was observed.
“I think what has happened in other places, they have kept the take-home element alive,” he said.
“Whether you have to deliver it to them or people are still allowed to come out and get it; they are allowed to leave their homes to do their shopping.”
He said if cafes, restaurants and catering businesses can operate without too much interaction between people, the government might keep it going because it was keeping people employed.
“We are all sitting on stock, we all have to order things in advance, we have to make things ahead of time, if all of a sudden we get shut down with 24 hours’ notice, then there’s not much freezer space left,” he said.
The business leaders noted that support from financiers, landlords and suppliers had been very supportive and one of the more positive things to come out of the crisis.
The webinar is the second in a series being conducted by the chamber in response to the coronavirus.
The chamber has also collated a range of special resources on its website to help business navigate the supports being offered.
Those resources include links to government, council and business group supports. Go to www.geelongchamber. com.au/covid-19.
The chamber’s next webinar is on managing staff.