HERE’S A SHOUT OUT TO YOUR LOCAL CAFE

There is no doubt that with the topsy turvy world we’re living in right now, café and restaurant owners and their staff are getting hit pretty hard. Financially and emotionally.

Learning to pivot from one model to another every few days is energy-sapping to say the least. But here’s a shout out to these people who’re keeping going despite the headwinds.

People who smile and greet their regulars with a warmth and friendliness despite the pressure.

We’re learning.

We see take-away windows appearing where there were none before. We see menus being flipped to offer more speed and value and minimise wastage. We see wait staff going that extra mile offering order taking and delivery of coffees outside on the pavement (to make it easier for nervous shoppers to avoid confined spaces). And we see the irrepressible merchant inclination in cafe owners coming out in the open-larder style grocery sales as they look for ways to replace lost revenue. Free range eggs. Gourmet chutneys. Mouthwatering slices. Fridges full of convenient heat-and-eat ready meals made with delicious café-style ingredients.

Alternative mylks for sale off the shelf… what a great idea! These trending products like almond, oat and soy mylks are of growing demand in our households. Cafes can add a litre of Happy Happy Soy Boy to their on-the-hop shopper’s basket and, bang, they’ve more than doubled the sale value of the initial latte.

Retail coffee beans, chocolate and chai. Homebrew kits to keep us going during long and lonely work from home hours. The list goes on.

Home delivery of meals that still taste delicious even after a half-hours ride on a bike…

Prisoners in our locked-down suburbs – we love to support our local boutique cafes on our daily exercise excursion!

And then, as the snap lockdown snaps open just as suddenly, we see the amazing ability of these legends to toggle back to quality sit down service as crowds flock back in the venues. Spaces that with open arms offer good food, relief, cheer and company with friends and family.

We owe a lot to these people in the hospitality world who are persevering against the odds. We know its tiring and disheartening for them at times, but they seem to bounce back and keep going serving the masses who love the little luxury of a fantastic cup of coffee.

We just want to say ‘good on you’ people! We love your persistence.

Because in lockdown we need more coffee, not less.