93 JINDI CAF – Challenges and change

Challenges & change

SUE WITH HER DAUGHTERS TARA AND JULIA

Jindivick’s Jindi Caf situated in the heart of Gippsland dairy country, is known for its old- fashioned food and charm. The small business however, has faced various challenges over many months including Covid lockdowns, the threat of closure, moving and being effected by local flooding, yet it has survived and thrived.

Proprietors, Sue Goodwin and her husband Bryan initially purchased the café/restaurant business in 2013 while operating the town’s general store alongside it. Unfortunately the store struggled to make money and eventually had to close. To compensate, the couple opened the café seven days a week and provided bottled gas, postal services, papers, milk, bread, drinks and lollies for the Jindivick community.

The venture was, and still is very much a family affair with Sue at the helm, which creates an atmosphere that is warm, casual, friendly and energetic. The couple have four adult children who have all worked in the café at different times. Julia, their youngest, continued to work full-time while the others moved on to other careers.

The business thrived for several years until it faced the first Victorian lock down. “Two days before it, our eldest daughter was married in a paddock because, due to Covid, we couldn’t use the community hall,” Sue said. ”Although we had to quickly compromise on many things, it was still a nice wedding. Then on the Monday we had to lockdown and we survived it by providing for the needs of the community and selling takeaway food and drinks. Sadly, I had to cut back on staff but Julia was still here and was able to come back to work and Tara started a little while after she lost her job (due to Covid) in Melbourne.”

Sue said not long afterwards their landlords decided to sell the property. “The new owners wanted to convert the building back into a house, so we had to find another home and in a small country town like Jindivick there weren’t really any options.” Fortunately, directors of Atticus Health, who had purchased the Old Jacks Restaurant, The Barn and the old nursery for their business, agreed to let them lease The Barn. “We would have had to permanently close the doors otherwise so we were lucky. The doctors, and I think many people since Covid understand how important it is in small towns like this to have a community base.”

She said they moved the business to the new premises during the second Covid lockdown. “We stopped serving and closed the doors of the old café at 2 o’clock on Sunday, August 31st. Then local farmers, residents, family and friends brought up tractors with buckets and forks, and utes and trailers to help us move. We managed to get everything we needed into the new premises by 5.30 and then it poured with rain.

DEVONSHIRE TEA FEATURING LIGHT HOUSE-MADE SCONES

for the Jindi Caf Words & Images by Wendy Morriss

THE POPULAR JINDI BURGER

“The local support has been fantastic and when we reopened for dining our customers from over the metro border came back again as well.”

The new venue has plenty of parking and plenty of room for buses. The kitchen and work area is larger and they have outdoor table space front and back with picturesque rural views. They transferred the BYO licence from the old premises and are currently working on getting a full licence.

As they were bringing in more staff and preparing to operate with full capacity again with the lifting of restrictions, they were faced with another challenge when the Victorian storm came through flooding the local tourist areas and local roads. “We would normally have a lot of tourists coming through that head on through Neerim South to Noojee and Mt Baw Baw but several local roads are still closed and tourist attractions along the way are also closed for the clean-up.”

She said all their meals were takeaway during lockdown and they adapted the menu. “We are still only allowed to have limited seating so we aren’t open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights yet, but we still offer takeaway meals. If we are booked out on a Sunday people can still order a takeaway roast.” The business still provides bottled gas, postal services, papers, milk, bread and drinks for the Jindivick community and the community noticeboard.

OLD-FASHIONED PASSIONFRUIT SPONGE WITH TEA

“We keep the local Jindivick newsletter and sell a few products for local producers and traders. It includes free-range eggs and chutneys that we also use in our cooking, and fresh organic flowers. We stock Gippsland Jersey Milk and we source all our meat from Jindi Pig Butchers, so it’s mostly locally produced.”

Regardless of the recent challenges, the Jindi Caf is still a strong family business. Sue, Julia and Tara work in the café and Sue has employed two local casuals. Her son Michael works a few days a week and her father and her husband Bryan help out as well, while her mother has now retired.

Sue is very passionate about the business and loves her customers. “The customers are absolutely beautiful and they have been very supportive. We have bike clubs, garden groups, senior citizens, all sorts as well as all the locals. Over the years we’ve been able to watch their kids grow up and get older and it’s just a lovely community.”