VIRUS NAKED TOOTH
Melbas margin plunges
DENTAL surgeries are being slugged up to $227 for a box of 50 masks as the fallout from the coronavirus crisis hits small business.
Before Christmas, the boxes could be bought for $20. The Bulletin has been told dental stockpiles are expected to last four weeks.
The Australian Dental Association said it was aware of significant price increases and that one supplier had been referred by the Pharmacy Guild to the ACCC for investigation.
Elsewhere, a Chinese restaurant said it was losing up to $35,000 a week because of the “mass hysteria”.
“Don’t forget about us, we’re all here ready to serve you with a smile on our faces and it’s business as usual,” the manager said.
MELBAS Asian Seafood restaurant was turning over $40,000 a week before the coronavirus was declared a global threat. That figure has plummeted to $5000.
“The impact has been immediate,” said Chris Gibson, operations manager for Melbas Hospitality.
“This is potentially devastating for us and if the condition doesn’t change in the foreseeable future – it’s not looking good at this stage.
“For the past 12 months we’ve worked hard on building up Melbas Asian Seafood restaurant, running local and tourist campaigns and focusing on customer service and getting the food absolutely perfect.
“When we started the revamp, the restaurant was taking in between $5000-6000 a week but over a period of six months we managed to get it churning over sales of about $25,000-30,000 a week.
“And in the last two weeks before the WHO (World Health Organisation) declared the coronavirus a global threat we were doing $40,000 every week.”
Mr Gibson said the negative impact on the burgeoning restaurant was swift and immediate.
“We’ve plummeted straight back to square one, now we’re lucky to take $5000-8000 a week,” he said.
“Unfortunately one of the things that this virus has created is an element of mass hysteria.
“There’s a stigma on the local market and because people think it started in China they are not supporting local businesses because they’re scared.
“The way it’s sort of festered has not only affected every Chinese food business, but any and all businesses associated with Asia in general being impacted.
“If locals don’t help support small businesses, when all is said and done there might not be any businesses left.
“Don’t forget about us, we’re all here ready to serve you with a smile on our faces and it’s business as usual.”
He said the Gold Coast City Council had a role to play in helping to “drum up some local consumer confidence in the industry”.
“There’s dozens of for sale signs on the Gold Coast Hwy, but not all of these are new, businesses on the Gold Coast have been suffering for a while,” Mr Gibson said.
“The council needs to get on board with local businesses and think about how it can focus its attention on helping Chinese and Asian restaurants who are suffering.”
Half-a-dozen Chinese restaurants contacted by the Bulletin confirmed numbers were significantly down, with one operator saying “everywhere is struggling”.