Easter bust for eateries

CAFE and restaurant owners have their eyes on a busy Commonwealth Games period after a relatively slow Easter weekend.

President of the Restaurant Industry Support group Glen Day said the quiet stint was disappointing after the promises of the what the Games would bring.

“It is very quiet, absolutely, compared to last year,” Mr Day said.

“Leading up has been horrendous, what we make in the next few weeks is only making up for what we have lost.”

However tourism bosses say it is the calm before the storm with people starting to arrive for the Games.

“There is a buzz around the city, it is all starting to come together,” Gold Coast Tourism chair Paul Donovan said. “From now we will see people arriving.”

Mr Donovan said a number of accommodation vendors worked hard to sell out in the lead up to the international event.

“Even at our busiest times not every one will be full. Tourism is not just about filling rooms,” Mr Donovan said.

“A lot of hotels are absolutely sold out.”

As an owner of multiple restaurants along the Coast, Mr Day said a number of factors have contributed to the issue.

“Easter doesn’t fall on NSW holidays, the media on traffic, and the road closures haven’t helped,” he said.

“Day trippers from Brisbane aren’t hard to deter and Broadbeach looks like a jail and locals haven’t been heading out for dinner.”

Chad Ponak, owner of Coastal Expressions Souvenirs, said trade had been quieter. “But I am seeing it as just a delay in the Easter business rush. By Monday and Tuesday I expect Cavill Avenue will be full.”

Kitty O’Shea’s bar manager April Corbett said trade had been “busy but not crazy”.