Colin Fassnidge closes bistro as ban on venues over a 100 pax kicks in

Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge said he is closing his restaurants ahead of a federal government ban on gatherings of more than 100 people.

Speaking on The Morning Show before Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement about further restrictions on gatherings, Fassnidge said “we’re going in to close down our restaurants today”.

“I’m a bit worried today, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Fassnidge said his Banksia Bistro “won’t be making any money” and he will not be taking a wage for the coming weeks.

With the lockdown affecting all but small venues, Fassidnge said his restaurant served just 20 on Saturday night, a significant drop from his usual 150 customers under normal conditions.

With hospitality staff facing a worrying outlook, the Irish born chef said he was making every effort to keep casual staff employed and had already asked permanent staff to take paid leave.

“Nobody knows what’s going to happen,” he said. “Everyone’s saying restaurants could be closed for up to three or four weeks.”

Fassnidge said his restaurant would focus on takeaways and home delivery, calling on the public to support the sector by ordering meals and eating them at home.

Sheridan Randall, 19^th March 2020