Melbourne cafés repurpose into grocery stores to stay afloat during lockdown

Cafe and restaurant owners are finding new ways to bring in some much-needed income during the coronavirus lockdown.

Hospitality operators saw income freefall after being ordered to shut the doors to their venues and only sell takeaways.

Some have since repurposed their venues into quasi-grocery stores selling fresh fruit and vegetables to the public instead.

Ruby Clark and Nesbert Kagonda, the owners Tanaka coffee shop in Melbourne’s Carlton, are selling boxes of fresh produce sourced from a range of local suppliers that can be picked up from the store or home delivered if the customer lives locally.

‘‘We got really good feedback on all of that, and a lot of people were coming in and kind of expecting to just pick up boxes, not pre-order,’’ Clark told The New Daily.

‘‘So we thought we should just have a constant supply and then maybe shift the whole model into more of a grocer.

‘‘It has been really well received. Everyone’s really excited about the boxes, but also just being able to come by and get little things, like not committing to a $20 box, but just picking up an avocado.’’

The duo now want to expand beyond fruit and vegetables to include bread, milk, eggs, cheese, and meat.

Another Melbourne café has gone down the same path.

Matt Lanigan has converted his South Yarra café Lucky Penny into a neighbourhood grocer serving takeaway coffee, frozen take-home meals, and groceries pre-ordered online.

‘‘We’re doing wholesale price plus 30 per cent to cover wages, so it’s really a community service rather than a commercial service. We’re not really going to make any money,’’ Lanigan told The New Daily.

‘‘The driving factor behind this is keeping my team employed, delivering a community service for the necessities and you know, providing some kind of support and connection.’’