FEMALE FLAVOUR IN SALES
WHEN it comes to outdoor expertise, and business sense necessary to survive in a pandemic, this female-fronted barbecue retailer has kept ahead of the curve.
Nina Ogier and Sarah David are the management duo at Barbecues Galore Cairns in Manunda.
The pair has reported a solid start to the year for sales, despite initial fears COVID-19 would cost them.
“We thought we’d lose a lot of business, but that turned out not to be the case,” Ms David said. “People who used to eat out are learning to cook for themselves. People that love smoked foods are buying smokers, so we’re teaching them how.
“With the right equipment, you can have the quality of what you’d get in a restaurant at home.”
“We’ve become a very useful service for people cooking at home,” Ms Ogier added.
“Aside from barbecues and smokers, we also sell outdoor heaters, and we’re a cheap place to get a gas bottle refilled.”
Ms Ogier started out as assistant manager just over two years ago, and quickly rose to become the store manager.
“My family used to own a barbecue shop in New Zealand,” she said.
“I came to Cairns nine years ago and had been working in the retail industry, so when this position came up, it was a natural fit because of my previous experience.”
Ms David previously worked at Barbecues Galore in Darwin seven years ago and spent the past six years in marketing, before become assistant manager last December.
“I’ve always been a little bit butch; I grew up on a farm and like the outdoors,” she said. “This combines the expertise of outdoor knowledge with not having to work outside in the heat.”
Ms Ogier and Ms David said it was unusual for two women to be working in barbecue sales, which occasionally made for a challenge dealing with the predominantly male customer base.
“If there’s a boy working, customers will always ask him questions first before they go to us,” Ms David said. “It’s like that until they start talking to us and realise we know what we’re talking about.
“It’s a little bit sexist in that way, but we love to educate people about how to make the best of their barbecue and what the right products are for their needs.”
Ms Ogier said they expected sales to stay even until the Christmas rush. “All things considered, we’ve coped exceptionally well,” she said.