Cafe staff on front line
No-shows, rudeness piling on the stress
DAILY abuse, last-minute cancellations and walkouts – these are the heart-breaking realities for business owners and workers on our hospitality frontline as they struggle to keep their heads above water.
Diners might be champing at the bit to return to normality, but restaurateurs are pleading with the public for understanding as they ride the restriction rollercoaster, working around the clock and dipping into their own pockets to keep their doors open and staff in jobs.
Hospitality was a hardwon dream for Gabrielle Hows and Brendan Hill, who had just revealed a renovated Refinery Coffee when the world as we know it ground to a halt.
“We never could have predicted that we would then be faced with a global pandemic that would nearly shut our business down,” Ms Hows said.
“Some days were completely paralysing as we saw other businesses closing their doors left right and centre and so we didn’t know if we should be doing the same.
“Although it might seem like it’s back to normal, behind the scenes we’re all still scrambling to give that normal dining experience like people are used to.
“We’ve been lucky that we could get back to normal relatively quickly, but for others their venue might not be suited to reopening back up with the current rules, or they might have lost half of their team, so you can’t just bring that back overnight.
“For us personally it has taken a massive mental toll having to change our business’s operations with every single change in rules and legislation.
“Just trying to survive has been tough to say the least and others are probably feeling extremely burnt out too.”
The smiles haven’t slipped from the faces on the frontline at Southport cafe Tap & Grind, but the reality behind the scenes is a different story.
The Australia Fair eatery had barely reopened after pouring its piggybank into renovations when restrictions pulled the rug from underneath the small business.
“I feel like I am going to cry when I say this because it has been so tough,” owner Vanessa Rubini said.
“We put a smile on our faces and we want to make people feel welcome and give everyone a fair turn but we were having to let go of staff, reducing hours and we’re worried about rent and heaps of bills to pay.
“The unknown has been daunting and letting staff go was hard because they are like family. We dropped from seven staff members to two.
“We have been lucky that there have been locals who want to support local businesses, which means the world.”
While eased restrictions have put bums back on seats, they have also created a new set of problems for already strained operators.
“Having 10 or 20 customers to dine in is more work than having our normal 64 people,” Ms Rubini said.
“You have some people who are completely understanding and have a bit of a soft spot for us, but then you have people who don’t want to abide by the rules or they really don’t want to listen to your way of doing things.
“When people come up to place an order, we have a table saying ‘please wait to be seated’ but they barge straight in and take a table that isn’t theirs.
“We have to tell them to
GABRIELLE HOWS – REFINERY COFFEE
wait and they absolutely crack it and cause a fuss in front of other people. We have been yelled at a lot.”
Policing the numbers is almost a full-time job for businesses like cosy Clear Island Waters brunch base Goji Cafe and Granola Bar.
“We have lost one staff member on the floor trying to keep under the restriction numbers,” owner Monica Tjong said.
“Instead of serving food, their job is to wrangle people and make sure they are doing the right thing so we don’t get in trouble.
“On the weekends it’s especially hard. I don’t think people realise we get in trouble if they do the wrong thing.”
While operators are optimistic about boosting staff numbers as Queensland enters Stage 3 restrictions, refilling the ranks is proving easier said than done – a juggling act with the expense of responding to ever-changing rules.
“We’re working seven days a week to trade like we are at the moment,” Ms Hows said.
“It’s hard to hire at the moment, with everyone being on JobKeeper. We’ve got ads up but we’re not having people come through.
“It’s also a lot of logistics and organisation in the background to sort of reopen.
“It’s a big investment in stock. It’s a couple of thousand dollars to reopen your kitchen.
“You’ve got to really hope you won’t be shut down again, like what’s happened in Victoria.”
With businesses on both sides of the border, Burleigh Pavilion owner Ben May has been grappling with Queensland’s “blanket approach” to restrictions.
“I have venues in Queensland and NSW and the difference has been extraordinary,” he said. “To be honest, I think NSW and (NSW Premier) Gladys Berejiklian have handled it extremely well.
“In Queensland, they’ve had a blanket approach and I don’t understand why the two states have been so different.
“I am not the only operator pulling their hair out and the restrictions have come at a big cost.
“I think the thing I have struggled with is the fact there has been no update. NSW has treated operators, who are reliant on parts of the economy that has been decimated … they have seemed more concerned about us.”
With restaurateurs working gruelling hours to keep the doors open, and many failing to break even with limited capacity, nothing hurts quite as much as a no-show.
“Everyone is glad to be out, but last Saturday we had six cancellations,” said Grant Madgwick, owner of sumptuous Sanctuary Cove restaurant Artichoke. “Our seatings are $99 for a six-course degustation, so when you have a high amount who cancel you lose half the restaurant. It’s so hard.”
Mr May said some diners ducking out on their booking did not even have the grace to let the restaurant know.
“We had a few no-shows last Saturday, which was disappointing,” he said.
“We had a big group that didn’t notify us. It was just plain rude really.
“We have a waiting list and we will be able to fill the spot.
“To book and not turn up, when we are so limited, is hard.
“Anyone who does do that, we have their number and they won’t be getting in again.
“But look, no-shows are a real minority and people on the whole are really understanding and understand the value of a seat at the moment.”
Mr Madgwick implored diners to continue to support restaurants that might be offering a more limited menu or service.
“I would love people to understand why we don’t have BYO at the moment. It is already tough as it is and people are getting really aggressive on the phone,” he said.
“You are on linen, on the water and I can only have 20 people – it’s pretty rich asking for BYO too.
“The people who have been really hard to deal with are the wealthy customers.
“I had a table of four men on Wednesday who said if we didn’t BYO, they wouldn’t walk in, but people like this make up 2 per cent of my clientele. The rest are cool as cucumbers.”
While operators have been heartened by a show of support from loyal locals, they all have one message for those who do not get it: they aren’t the ones making the rules.
“At the end of the day, we are all in it together,” Ms Rubini said.
“If people want to come and dine in, they have to be patient and calm. Getting angry isn’t cool.”