I took a photo of the outdoor dining of one of the cafes in Albert Street, Whitianga on Easter Saturday. It was very busy and there was a line of customers to the door ready to order their menu item.
The day before on Good Friday when this café was one of the few open in Albert Street. There were very few people in the main street. It felt dreadful but Saturday came and the world changed. A few hours in the morning on Good Friday, The Informer was in Whangamata for a brief period 9.30am – 10.30am and there was a burgeoning crowd in ten cafes that I counted. That had me wondering.
The following comments are from talking with people very involved with hospitality; some of them in charge of their establishments.They are not my comments.
- There are many hospitality places in jeopardy – closure is very imminent for some of them. In this I am talking about Whitianga, Cooks Beach, Hahei. I’m not an alarmist but am aware of several factors
- Increased prices – the hospitality sector, like others is paying more to get their supplies delivered.
- Winter is coming – do we promote our winter and all-year round attractions enough? Some places will not survive the winter if we don’t do something more than we are. If we close, then the result will be devastating for employees but also for the town. Hospitality keeps them here. This can be a very rewarding industry but we need more help to be open all year round.
- Often the communications about roads are heavy on what is closed but not clear when roads are open.This is not a criticism but there is often confusion. We need to give travellers and visitors confidence in coming to our town and region.
Hospitality – Individual and Combined Action Required Urgently
- The message of “Don’t come to the Coromandel” is often the most powerful message heard in times of storms. On 22 January, ‘Don’t come’ was emanated around Auckland and Waikato but actually the surface flooding had disappeared and hospitality places, accommodation and shops were ready for people. We really needed the business. there were many cancellations. We have become better at announcing disaster than preventing it. We don’t make as good announcements about how well we have recovered and are welcoming visitors.
- We are a tourist area and there has been an increase in the number of international tourists. They love to eat late and like to have a coffee and something to eat mid -afternoon. So do Kiwis but the only hospitality places open in Whitianga after 2.00pm are Grace O/Malleys (no coffee there but there’s everything else); and The Earth Store which has great coffee and healthy snacks, sweets and salads.is there a way for neighbouring cafes to stage opening earlier and or closing later.
- To have a rush of customers on one or two very busy days is not enough for a business to remain open. There has to be a base of customers who are regular and consistent all year round. It makes sense for ordering resources and cooking and presenting food.
End of Comments
WHAT INDIVIDUALS CAN DO
For immediate action, there is the need for those who live in Mercury Bay to at least once a week be a patron of one our cafes and restaurants. Ask someone to join you. Hospitality owners and managers can never just think about themselves. It is their staff and paying them and giving them some job security that is central in their thinking. Every small town needs its hospitality services. Excellent tourism doesn’t happen without hospitality – people who provide delicious food and drink when we need it.
