All around Australia, restaurants and cafes are suffering as a result of the social distancing measures put in place by the government in an effort to flatten the curve and stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Of course, these are necessary measures, and you bet we’re complying and staying at home (day seven over here), but our hearts well and truly go out to those establishments that make up the DNA of our beloved neighbourhoods. And so we’ve been trying to help any way we can.
Most recently, it is the advice and government to shut down all non-essential services in New South Wales as we enter a lockdown period. Under these new measures, cafes and restaurants will be able to operate, but will only be able to offer takeaway and food delivery services. This means no eating in, and no hanging around other than to pick up.
If you have the means, please consider supporting your local favourites in this time, who will no doubt be feeling the continued crunch in the coming months. Here, we’re letting you in on all the ways you can support the cafe and restaurant industry in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Have we missed something? Slide into our DMs on Instagram and let us know.
Dine at home
Expand your takeaway horizons and consider ordering in from your favourite local cafe, the fine-dining establishment you’ve always wanted to try, and everywhere else in between.
Restaurants offering takeaway include:
Bella Brutta in Newtown
Big Poppa’s in Darlinghurst
Brickfields Bakery, Chippendale
Bourke Street Bakery, various locations
Chargrill Charlies, various locations
Continental Deli, Newtown
Nakano Darling in Haymarket
El Jannah, various locations
Farmhouse, Kings Cross
Fei Jai & Dumplings Next Door, Potts Point
Fishbowl, various locations
Fratelli Fresh, various locations
Kitchen By Mike, Sydney
Lucio’s Italian Restaurant in Paddington
Marta, Rushcutters Bay
Mary’s, various locations
Nomad, Surry Hills
No 92 in Glebe
Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills
Porch and Parlour, Bondi Beach
Prince of York, on the road (follow Instagram for updates)
RaRa Ramen, Redfern
Reuben Hills, Surry Hills
Ryo’s Noodles, Crows Nest and Bondi Junction
Shenkin, various locations
Shift Eatery, Surry Hills
The Unicorn Hotel, Paddington
Tokki, Surry Hills
Three Blue Ducks, various locations
Upper East Side, Bondi
West Juliett, Marrickville
10 William St, Paddington
Buy a voucher
Restaurants and cafes may be offering vouchers, some of which may even have increased value upon redemption to help staff get paid now and encourage diners to visit once social distancing recommendations have been lifted down the line.
Contact your favourite local restaurant via its contact page or Instagram to enquire.
Buy a cookbook
You’re already getting over pesto pasta every night, so why not learn how to cook new things and support your local chefs and restaurants by purchasing their cookbooks?
A vast number of Aussie chefs and restaurants that include the likes of Cornersmith and Kepos Street Kitchen have cookbooks with recipe collections and advice for cooking their beloved feasts at your place.
Bulk buy from your cafe
Buying one meal from your neighbourhood cafe is a great way to show your support, but if you have the means (and the fridge/freezer space), why not ask your local to whip up a bunch of meals for you in bulk?
Buy a batch of bolognese, a litre of soup, and a hearty vego stew, and you’ll be fed lunch and dinner for your entire week.
Buy readymade meals
Pasta, potatoes, flour; they’re all flying off the shelves. But in the flurry to secure foods for isolation, it would seem many are neglecting to choose foods that cater to our nutritional needs.
In these times, it’s more important than ever to maintain a healthy and balanced diet to keep immunity up. Ready-made meals like those from Thr1ve can help keep diet as a priority, and are particularly helpful for those not as confident in the kitchen.
Nutritionists and chefs work to design and prepare the meals using seasonal and fresh Aussie produce, which are then delivered free to your door and ready for the fridge.
Buy merch
Restaurant merch is cool! It makes you feel like part of the team, and when you buy items like T-shirts, you’re directly supporting the establishment along with the graphic designer who mocked up the design.
And if it’s not a T-shirt, some restaurants and cafes will let you purchase their secret sauces, condiments or spices. Bars like Continental Deli will allow you to buy their signature cocktails in a can, while Cornersmith lets you purchase pickled goods and preserving equipment.
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