Coffee and burgers: Kiwis excited for Alert Level 3

Everywhere south of the Auckland border will move out of lockdown from 11:59pm tonight.

Cafes, restaurants, and takeaway joints south of the Bombay Hills are gearing up to serve customers again once most of the country moves to Alert Level 3.

Under the restrictions, they can only serve food and beverages via contactless pick-ups, delivery, or via drive-thrus.

After two weeks at Level 4 though, businesses around the country are excited to be open again, and Wellingtonians 1 NEWS spoke to are craving burgers, coffee, pizza, and KFC.

“We’re ready to hit the streets and get back doing what we love,” Sophie Kasoylides told 1 NEWS.

She runs The Greek Food Truck in Wellington, and said regulars have already begun messaging her with their orders.

“It’s going to be lots of souvlaki and chips”.

Cafes and restaurants will be taking orders online, via a messaging service or app, and customers must maintain social distancing while waiting to pick up their goods.

A cheeseburger and french fries.

In Palmerston North, Cyclista Espresso Bar is using a model train set to get its coffees from the barista to the customer.

“We had a little train set sitting there for 20 years, and we thought, we’ll deliver by train! The distance of the track is quite long, so we don’t have to worry – there’s quite a bit of separation between what’s happening inside the café and what’s going on inside,” owner Steven Stannard said.

To keep their staff safe, Christchurch’s Black Burger will be running at reduced staffing capacity to keep employees safe.

“There’ll be staggered shifts, obviously social distancing, and using all the correct PPE,” co-founder Mitchell Ryder told 1 NEWS.

“Everything’s done contactless, there’ll only be a couple of us on site cooking, obviously socially distanced. And using all the correct PPE equipment. We’re really lucky in this day and age with all the contactless payment options, too!”

Sparrows Café in Napier has set up a drive-thru service in order to protect staff and clients.

“The whole trick is to not get out of your car and keep it contactless, which gives people a sense of comfort,” owner Benny Fernandez said.

Coffees get delivered to customers via a long oar once they’re ready.

Despite the focus on safety from the businesses 1 NEWS spoke to, there is still concern for hospitality workers.

“We’re not particularly confident that owners will be looking after their workers. Obviously there will be some that are doing well by their workers, but not everyone,” Chloe Ann-King, founder of hospitality advocacy group Raise the Bar, said.

A barista making a coffee.

Ann-King told 1 NEWS some hospitality staff claim to have been called into work while lockdown has been in place.

“Health and safety has always been a serious issue in our industry, so often it seems hospitality employees have very little regard for the wellbeing of their workers.”

Most of New Zealand moves to Alert Level 3 from 11:59pm Tuesday evening.

SHARE ME

More Stories