Long-time owners Simon Mugavin and Greg Kelly have opened up a new rear entrance to the popular Italian eatery and are encouraging people to use it while the city council’s CBD renewal is underway.

“It makes sense while the construction is on and even after then too,” Mr Mugavin said.

“It’s not just my backdoor, there are others as well.

“The more people we can get using the laneways for all businesses the better. 

“There will be music in the laneway as well.

“The council are going to put speakers up for us.

“It will make it a nice environment and it might mean at certain times of the year we can do special events in the laneway.”

Mr Kelly said people would be able to make their way from the Ozone car park or Timor Street and come through the rear entrance to pick up take-away orders. 

Mr Mugavin said he had been asking for a footpath redevelopment for about 20 years, and now had a vision for an upgraded outdoor dining area at the front of the restaurant. 

“You can tell by the quality of the stone and the workmanship that it is going to be a lovely dining precinct,” he said.

“It will be nice for us being the cafe and restaurant end of Liebig Street to have a bit of a difference.

“I want to get some grapevines growing out the front and up the veranda.

“I think it will be a really pleasant place.

“It might look a bit harsh now without the trees, but when the trees come back, and there will be planter boxers, I think it will look lovely.”

Mr Mugaivn said Bojangles, which employs 36 people, was also going to introduce specialty dinner nights.

“We thought we might do regional Italian dinners,” he said.

“We will start off with an Amalfi dinner, featuring seafood, and maybe finish with limoncello.

“Things like that will help us get through what might be a cold winter. 

“You can’t just sit back and hope for people to come. You have to give them a reason to come.” 

Mr Kelly said the specialty dinners were a good opportunity to remind people Bojangles didn’t just offer pizza.

Mr Mugavin said he would love to plant a herb garden in a planter box or garden area, which all cafes and restaurants could then pick from and use.

Fishtails Cafe, Macks Snack and Darriwill Farm have also introduced rear entrances to their respective shops.