The Gold Coast Bulletin

‘Appyness is meter maids delivering food to beach

- ANDREW POTTS AND JACK HOUGHTON

METER Maids are set to deliver food and drink to sunbaking tourists on Gold Coast beaches whether council likes it or not.

The glitzy Surfers Paradise girls have partnered with Airservice food delivery specialist­s and will sign up restaurant­s and food stalls across the city.

Because the transactio­ns won’t be completed on the beach, the council is powerless to block the concept.

Airservice CEO Dominic Bressan said more than 20 restaurant­s had signed up to the app and confirmed meter maids would deliver food and non-alcoholic drinks.

“People will be able to order food from the app and then the meter maids will pick it up and bring it to their towels on the beach,” he said.

“It has been hugely successful internatio­nally and we have had a lot of interest from restaurant­s here.

“We welcome all legislativ­e changes in our industry because sometimes the law hasn’t kept up with technology.”

The council voted in June 2014 to allow beach commercial­isation but laws have yet to be put in place.

The council’s community and cultural developmen­t committee yesterday voted to introduce the law, subject to the approval of the State Government and community consultati­on.

If approved

all beaches from Paradise Point to the border will be open to commercial activity.

Committee chairman Bob La Castra voted against the motion but said it would be up to locals to have their say.

A Bulletin survey this year revealed Gold Coasters were overwhelmi­ngly in favour of some commercial enterprise­s. The move has been backed by business and tourism leaders, including promoter Billy Cross and Dreamworld commercial general manager Paul Callander.

 ?? Picture: SCOTT FLETCHER ?? Giverny Oryl, 20, and Nicole Schneider, 21, from Brisbane sip their coffees on Main Beach.
Picture: SCOTT FLETCHER Giverny Oryl, 20, and Nicole Schneider, 21, from Brisbane sip their coffees on Main Beach.

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