South-west residents and visitors lucky enough to have Friday’s public holiday off work can get their hands on a coffee, but they might have to pay a bit more than usual.
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Businesses such as cafe Brocky’s on Liebig will stay open, but a 10 per cent surcharge will be applied.
A spokesman for the cafe said the surcharge would help to cover higher public holiday pay and said the business expected the day to be busier than a normal Friday.
The wisest option for people looking for a place to eat or drink on grand final eve might be to check before heading out, with some shops and restaurants closing, some operating under restricted hours and others going about business as usual.
Proudfoot’s on the River owner Chris Grace said he had no other option but to close the restaurant on the public holiday to avoid making a loss due to high staffing costs.
The restaurant will be open during its regular hours on Saturday, but he said he expected numbers to be down.
“My prices are very fair and competitive so to work that day I either have to double my prices or cop the loss,” Mr Grace said. “There won’t be enough people around to cope that loss. It’s a lose-lose for Warrnambool.”
Mr Grace said usually his staff costs were about $1400, but on public holidays the figure increased to nearly $3500.
He said it would have been better for business owners if the public holiday had been on the day of the grand final.
Major supermarkets across the region will be open regular hours on Friday and Saturday, and Swinton’s IGA in Warrnambool will have slightly restricted trading hours.
South West Coast MP Roma Britnell said after chatting to retailers in Liebig Street, the main message she received was that the public holiday, which is in its second year, was bad for business in the region.
She said many business owners would either have to keep their doors closed, man businesses themselves or operate without enough staff.
The train timetable for the Warrnambool line has been altered for the Friday public holiday, with services running from Warrnambool to Melbourne at 5.50am, 11.30am and 5.30pm.
Melbourne to Warrnambool services will run at 7.00am, 1.00pm and 7.00pm.
Regular services will run on Saturday and Sunday.