Sector hit hard as new store opens

Family-run fried chicken store Fricken went from a food truck to a permanent store this weekend, a plan that had been in the works for months and wasn't upset by the pandemic.

Co-owners Marwan and Mo Saad said the decision to take up the Lonsdale St location had been made before coronavirus reached Canberra and while they were "worried" ahead of the grand opening, a strong response over the Easter long weekend had eased their concerns.

The business, run by the brothers and their wives and co-owners Heather Mitchell and Manal Jbeili, began two years ago with their mother's delicious fried chicken recipe and a food truck which quickly grew in popularity demanding a permanent store.

The transition from truck to table was an easy one given the takeaway only rules in place for food venues, something the cuisine is perfectly designed for.

"It's not too bad. I believe food makes people happy and it's something for us to do as well as a family," Marwan said.

The business is in an unique position, being entirely family run it doesn't need staff, however Mo said if demand kept up it would be a consideration down the track.

"It's great having the flexibility being able to do the work ourselves but it's a matter of sustainability. I don't think we'll be able to do that forever," he said.

"Having the confidence that people are still getting takeaway will give us comfort that we can hire staff and we can maintain them."

He said customers were glad for a new takeaway option as strict coronavirus measures had forced many businesses to close in recent weeks.

Arthur Choi of the Coffee Lab group owns several Canberra cafes including Coffee Grounds at ANU and University of Canberra which have been closed due to the lack of traffic on campus.

Mr Choi said of the cafes which had remained open, including Coffee Lab in Civic, staff had been reduced by about 70 per cent.

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He said nearly all casual staff had been stood down but he hoped to get everyone back on deck when business was able to return to normal and was "grateful" for the government's JobKeeper payments.

"It's really given me as a business owner a lot more confidence and hope," he said.

"Anyone that's eligible I've put them on the list... as long as they're on my payroll for the pandemic it means we can retain them."

Belconnen restaurant Bella Vista had to close doors temporarily to completely shift the business's focus when COVID-19 rules restricted them to takeaway only.

Manager Monique Swan said the restaurant was focused on the dine-in experience and shut for a week to create a new takeaway menu and find ways to retain as many staff as possible - despite those measures, Ms Swan said not all staff members had kept their jobs.

"We had just come out of a busy period, so we had quite a lot of staff," she said.

Ms Swan said the business had gone down many different avenues to hold onto staff including adding extra delivery drivers and rotating staff shifts.

Ms Swan appreciated community support with a groundswell of supporters rallying on social media for Canberrans to shop local.

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