Restaurants disappointed over Victoria’s last minute backflip on patron numbers
Restaurants and cafes in Victoria are upset over the lack of warning given of the state’s backflip on maximum capacity numbers for venues.
The Andrews Government gave them less than 48-hours notice over a hospitality backflip that cancelled a planned relaxation of restrictions which would have allowed up to 50 patrons in hospitality venues from Monday.
Instead, venues will be allowed no more than 20 patrons until at least July 12.
Maha group founder and chef chef Shane Delia called it a “pathetic double standard” given the government’s relaxed approach to the mass protests that saw 10,000 people attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Melbourne‘s CBD.
“People have a right to protest and express themselves and the (BLM) cause is absolutely justified, but we’ve also got a broader responsibility to the Australian public based on the sacrifices that everybody has made,” Delia told The Australian.
“My grandmother passed away three weeks ago and I couldn’t even attend her funeral, and then to see tens of thousands of people putting it all at risk, and now we’re bearing the brunt, it just makes me so angry.”
Delia had planned to open his restaurants to up to 50 patrons from Monday after being closed since March.
“We‘d just lifted our staff’s hopes that they were going to be back working on full wages from Monday,” Delia said.
“We made an educated decision to reopen our venues based on the instruction given by the government, and we don’t take those decisions lightly. We’ve got limited resources.”
Franz Madlener, who runs the Arcobar restaurant in Moorabbin, in Melbourne’s southeast, said he had hired five extra staff members for the planned opening on Monday, none of whom qualify for JobKeeper but who would still have to paid under the Fair Work Act.
“This is an industry on its knees, and there‘s been no thought from government about the impact of this,” he told The Australian.
“Why is 20 patrons still safe but 50 isn‘t, when the Bunnings across the road from us is chock-a-block, when (shopping centre) Southland is chock-a-block?”
Chef Scott Pickett, who owns South Yarra restaurant Matilda and Northcote restaurant Estelle, also saw the hypocrisy of limiting venue numbers but allowing protests.
“It’s ironic that it’s two weeks after the mass protest,” he told The Australian.
“We all agree with the (BLM) cause, but everybody’s had to make sacrifices.
“Imagine if my personal protest was I’m just not going to worry about the 20 people rule. I’d be fined straight away.”
Sheridan Randall, 23rd June 2020
