The aftershocks of Dan Andrews’ lockdowns continue to rumble through the Victorian economy. Despite a surprise lead showing in the Commonwealth Bank’s State of the States report back in July (the first time Victoria had claimed the top spot since half a year before Covid), the harsh reality is that Victoria is only “leading” in growth because it’s coming off such a low base.
Back in the real world, reality is still biting Dandrewstan hard — and in its softest spot.
Melbourne’s hospitality scene is bracing for a wave of iconic venues to shut their doors in coming months as “beaten down and broken” business owners finally throw in the towel, industry leaders have warned.
Melbourne has long prided itself on its cafe and bar scene. But, no matter the delusions of socialist politicians who think that they can simply switch an economy off and on at will, when you close down venues for months on end, sooner or later other people’s money runs out.
Earlier this week, two CBD institutions – Bar Americano and Pentolina – announced they were shutting their doors.
Both venues told fans on social media they had been unable to renew their leases.
The hole-in-the-wall cocktail bar on Presgrave Place and the Little Collins Street pasta restaurant join scores of other high-profile venues to shut their doors since the start of the pandemic.
They include Bar Saracen, Dandelion, 5 & Dime bagels, Charcoal Lane, Kinfolk, Ezard, Gertrude Street Enoteca, Golda, Annam, Dinner by Heston, Elyros, French Saloon, Gontran Cherrier, Kirk’s Public Bar, Miss Ruben, Lentil as Anything, Fatto, Mess Hall, Degraves Espresso, Cuckoo and Pacific BBQ House, according to a tally compiled by The Age earlier this year.
Diehard “I Stand With Dan” social media fanatics are blaming rising rents — but the fact that lease renewals should be a normal course of business. They’re only breaking the business camel’s back because it’s been brought so low by Andrews’ Covid policies.
In any case, rent increases are entirely due to rising interest rates under the Albanese federal Labor government.
After two years of Covid disruptions and lockdowns, labour shortages, soaring food and energy costs and work-from-home decimating CBD traffic, [Chief executive of the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association, Belinda Clarke] said lease renewals were proving the “final straw” for many business owners.
Rising interest rates are forcing many landlords to jack up their rents.
Thanks, Albo!
Ms Clarke said the environment was “definitely worse since the lockdowns” as there was no financial support, and more importantly, due to the disruption caused by working from home.
“You can’t plan when people are coming to work in the CBD,” she said, describing it as a “roulette wheel”.
“You prep up, staff up, and nobody goes to work.”
Dan’s shills are regaling the internet with unlikely anecdotes of the city “pumping” on a Saturday night, but one busy night a week isn’t enough to keep already struggling businesses open.
“It’s causing a huge amount of issues because no one can plan an understand what the week will look like. There are so many variables, one small thing changes and it’s going to cost that business a lot of money for opening, when another day it was worth opening.”
She warned while flexible work was “everyone’s excuse to put your trackies on and stay home”, it meant the once-bustling Melbourne CBD — already awash with for lease signs — would soon look like a ghost town.
It already is. It’s astonishing and disheartening to walk through Chinatown on a weekday lunchtime and not see another soul. And then be one of only two customers in one of the few restaurants still open.
But some people never learn.
Ms Clarke said more needed to be done.
“We need to be communicating that return back to the CBD and offices, [thinking of] ways we can make that easier — free parking, transport — what can we do to make it appealing for people to go back to work,” she said.
“That needs to be a directive from the government.”
News.com.au
It was government directives that caused this destruction in the first place.
Ronald Reagan was right.