Tough call for pubs
by Yvette Brand
It would be a disjointed outing for anyone on a pub crawl across West Gippsland at the moment, with last week’s release from lockdown delivering a bittersweet blow to pub owners.
Limited to only 10 patrons inside and 20 outside, it was a difficult decision last week as pub owners weighed up their options.
One pub owner described the limited capacity as “cruel” and while all were disappointed with the low venue caps, some decided opening was a way to reconnect with loyal regulars and keep staff engaged.
Across West Gippsland, the majority of pubs decided to re-open, with one in Trafalgar and one in Warragul both declaring it not viable to open for limited numbers.
It is a similar scene across restaurant venues, with many keeping their doors closed until they can welcome back greater numbers.
In a 200 metre stretch of Queen St, Warragul, there are three pubs – two are open and one is closed.
After taking over the Commercial Hotel just before the current lockdown, new owner Nick Derrick said re-opening was largely about staff welfare.
“For us it was a pretty simple decision because we are doing takeaway anyway. We have Bank and Portelli’s as well so we wanted to keep the businesses open and give staff hours.
“We were disappointed with the restricted numbers but we will take what we can get at the moment.
With 20 outside and 10 inside, the numbers fall a long way short from their licensed capacity of 400 at the Commercial and 500 at Bank.
“It’s not a profitable thing but it’s about keeping our staff employed and engaged.
“We want to keep staff employed so they are still with us when we re-open,” he said.
But, in the next block of Queen St, the Railway Hotel’s Justin Dash was not so optimistic.
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“We were busting to get open but with Warragul weather and outdoor dining, it’s just not viable,” he said.
For the Railway Hotel, the low number is even more frustrating because of the multiple room layout of the venue - that normally is licensed for 650 patrons – could cater for 10 people in each separate space and still be COVID safe.
“Within 10 minutes of the announcement I had four bookings for Friday and Saturday nights and then we found out the numbers.
“The support from Warragul and Drouin people with our takeaways has been awesome…and that’s the reason we want to get open,” he said.
Trafalgar’s Criterion Hotel owner Michael Patterson also deemed it unviable to open.
“It’s quite cruel to be honest…it’s a number that’s not viable – it’s absolutely ridiculous.
“I feel they didn’t want pubs opening so they put a low number on so that people wouldn’t gather. It would’ve been better to say to us no you have to stay closed.
“We just decided we would wait until it’s more conducive,” he said.
Drouin residents were presented with choice of venues when pubs re-opened on Friday with both The Drouin Family Hotel and The Royal Hotel taking advantage of restricted numbers over multiple sittings.
The Royal Hotel’s Danny Murnane said they were booked out for Friday and Saturday nights with locals keen to get out for a meal.
He said they had decided to open for dinner only because they were already doing takeaway meals.
“I felt we shouldn’t have been locked down to be honest. We had 100 in the venue three weeks ago and now we are down to 10. But you just have to do the best you can,” he said.
Simon Appleby at The Drouin Family Hotel was pleased to see the regulars back on Friday – even if they had to sit outside.
As a gaming venue, he said they also were allowed limited numbers in the gaming room but had to shuffle patrons inside and outside to ensure they remained within the cap.
“People were ringing before he (Premier Dan Andrews) even made the announcement. “It is still a far cry from what we can normally fit in but it’s good to see the regulars back,” he said.
Many pubs used social media to let locals and regulars know their plans with pubs at Yarragon, Thorpdale, Noojee, Neerim South and The Club Hotel, Warragul also opening.