... AND GC’S REBEL RESTAURATEUR STILL MAD AT PATRON CAPS

A POPULAR Gold Coast restaurant owner is calling Queensland’s new eased restrictions “hypocritical” due to a 50-patron cap keeping her business at existing levels.

When Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk fast-tracked some aspects of stage 3 restrictions on Tuesday, including boosting patrons, Costa D’Oro coowner Nuccia Fusco rang up two staff to tell them they could return to work.

Mrs Fusco and her coowner husband Michael Fusco were excited to hire more staff due to the one patron per 4 sqm rule being relaxed to 2 sqm for businesses under 200 sqm from Friday.

But they realised businesses under 200 sqm will also be restricted to a capped maximum of 50 customers at once – which is their capacity now under the old 4 sqm rule – so they had to tell the staff members they were not needed.

“We were so excited when we heard we’ll be able to have more customers under the 2 sqm rule,” Mrs Fusco said.

“Then to read the fine print and find out that we’re still capped at 50 people is ridiculous and confusing.

“It means a business could be twice the size of another and pay double the rent but will only be allowed the same amount of customers.”

Mrs Fusco has been critical of the Palaszczuk Government before when the Premier failed to clamp down on protests in the state in early June while still imposing crippling customer limits on hospitality businesses.

The frustrated restaurant owner said the latest relaxations and border date by the Premier were steps in the right direction but “inconsistent”.

Ms Palaszczuk opened up house parties to up to 100 people, twice the number for venues that are handicapped by the under 200 sqm rule.

Ms Fusco said: “We keep records of who has been in the restaurant, we clean everything multiple times a day and keep everyone social distancing. You then go supermarket shopping and see people shoulder to shoulder and someone can now have 100 people over for a party. It’s just hypocritical. It’s great the border will reopen but it could mean we’re turning more people away because tourism will pick up but our customer limit stays the same.”

A Queensland Government spokesperson said if the cut-off for the 2 sqm rule was at 100 sqm venues, a business with 101 sqm would go back to 25 patrons.

“This would be unfair,” the spokesperson said. “By placing the limit at 200 sqm, we ensure that businesses between 100 sqm and 200 sqm are not disadvantaged. A business at 200 sqm gets 50 patrons, a business at 204 sqm gets 51, so it’s an increase.”