Tara Murray
One of Hume’s premier dining facilities is calling on the state government to reopen the Victorian hospitality industry.
Marnong Estate, in Mickleham, has been open for just 13 weeks this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was forced to close their restaurant and all function spaces, resulting in a loss of 92 per cent in general revenue.
While the café is open, offering grab and go and home delivery service, and Marnong Estate converted its cellar door into a farm shop and adapted the business online with an e-commerce shop, it can’t provide the same services as normal.
Marketing and sales manager Paul Boyko said the lack of information around being able to reopen the restaurant and function rooms had been frustrating.
“None of us ever thought there was going to be a second shutdown and so we reopened and brought in millions of dollars of food and beverage,” he said.
“For Marnong Estate being in the City of Hume, we were shut down again after one week, so we traded for a total of four days in June.
“This was a bitter pill to swallow after heavily investing in our re-opening schedule and COVID-19 plan.”
Restaurants can start serving patrons outdoors under step three of the state government’s reopening roadmap, which could be introduced as early as October 19 if the metropolitan Melbourne reaches an average of five daily cases over the previous 14 days.
Mr Boyko said Marnong Estate felt the reality of outdoor dining and the investment by the industry as a collective is unrealistic and inconceivable.
“We’ve got one of the greatest food cities in the world, and right now we’re on the brink of losing that,” he said.
“There is no doubt the Victorian hospitality industry is already well equipped to commence re-opening and poised to do so.
“We call on the Premier to give our people more hope… we want to know when we can all go back to work, because the hospitality industry can’t just switch the lights on at 24 hours’ notice.
“All of us will need time to plan.”
Despite concerns about the outdoor dining policy, Marnong Estate will expand its alfresco dining options.
Normally it runs seasonal alfresco dining options on The Terrace, with the weather too unpredictable to run them all the time.
“Activation of these spaces will be serviced separately by the café and Bankvale Run Restaurant as distinctive open-air dining spaces,” Mr Boyko.
“This isn’t ideal for Marnong Estate because our indoor dining room is already recognised as such an integrated part of the estate.”
Mr Boyko said the flow on effect from not being able to serve more people in the restaurant and function rooms will be felt by suppliers.
