NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Melbourne restaurants and bars booked out after end of lockdown

By Rohan Smith
news.com.au·
28 Oct, 2020 12:15 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Melbourne restaurants are getting ready for the busiest time in months. Photo / Getty Images

Melbourne restaurants are getting ready for the busiest time in months. Photo / Getty Images

Melburnians desperate to head out for dinner and drinks after months in lockdown could be bitterly disappointed over coming weeks.

On the locked front door of Melbourne institution Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, under the neon lights that did not glow, read the following message from management.

"Pellegrini's Espresso Bar would like to advise our valued customers that due to Covid-19 we are closed until further notice."

That sign, which was attached to the door at 66 Bourke St for the entirety of Melbourne's lockdown, has today been lifted.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

For the first time in months, Melburnians are allowed to sit and talk with the Italian owners of one of the city's first real coffee shops — a place that has grown to mean so much more than espresso in recent years.

Owner David Malaspina told news.com.au he was ecstatic to see his customers again, even if things were different now.

"I've got a few happy faces in here this morning. It's wonderful to see their faces. It's hard to see the smiles before they take the masks off to sip their coffee. But it's wonderful."

He can't have as many people inside as he'd like, and he's still waiting on deliveries of fruit and vegetables, but the kitchen is up and running again.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He said the last 24 hours was chaos.

"Sanitise was the magic word. We cleaned everything. We ordered all our produce and I'm still waiting on my orders, but I imagine deliveries are backed up today.

"We're a bit limited, but we're cooking bolognese sauce and napoli sauce so we're right for lunch."

He said Bourke St was a "ghost town" over the last few months and will take some time to return to normal.

Discover more

World

Kmart and beer: Victorians rejoice as restrictions finally lift

27 Oct 08:22 PM
Retail

Costco starts building $100m NZ debut but opening delayed

28 Oct 04:45 AM
World

Covid 19: Victoria crushes second wave, lifts restrictions

27 Oct 05:19 PM

"A lot of the offices were closed down. We're waiting for theatres to reopen and people to come back into town but people need good coffees."

At the Post Office Hotel in Coburg, the phones are running off the hook. Punters were so keen to get back in for a meal or a beer in the garden that they didn't even wait for the Premier to finish his announcement on Monday.

Tristan, who manages Coburg's Post Office Hotel, says punters didn't even wait for Andrews to finish his announcement before calling to book. Booked out completely for dinner all this week and next week. "It was insane. After 12 weeks, folks are champing at the bit." @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/vYmnvDOy8X

— Rohan Smith (@Ro_Smith) October 27, 2020

Manager Tristan Jallais told news.com.au bookings for dinner have been reserved until the end of next week, and it's only Wednesday. He called the response "insane".

"Midway through Daniel Andrews' announcement, the phone started lighting up and we were getting email requests. By 10.30am Tuesday morning, we had booked Thursday, Friday and Saturday dinner out completely. It was insane. Folks are champing at the bit to dive in."

He said the venue, which can hold a capacity of 70 people under Victoria's new dining rules, would open at different hours to make sure everybody gets a go.

"We're throwing open the gates from 3pm for a once-off drinks type thing today before we get into the normal routine tomorrow.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We'll also open earlier each day so people can come in on the way home from work and have a beer. And we'll stay open a bit later for the same reason, so accommodate everyone."

It's the same story at The Stolberg in nearby Preston where management told news.com.au they were booked out every night for the rest of the week.

"I'm not sure if you'd say it happened faster that you might think or slower than you might think, but it was quick," a manager said.

On the foreshore in Elwood, business is ramping up again. Pete Coutet, the general manager of Elwood Bathers, said staff survived on adrenaline on Tuesday to work 14-hours shifts getting the place ready for diners — and there are plenty.

"Yesterday was a very busy day. It's like doing a new restaurant. We've been trading for seven months, takeaway only. So it was a long day. The phone didn't stop ringing. Two phones were going off all the way from 8am to 9pm.

"We're booked out now for the next three weeks. And that's purely for walk-ins."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The establishment had 120 staff when they closed and had been operating with just 25. So yesterday, they called those who were out of work and asked if they could come back.

It's much needed help ahead of the first meals served in house at 11.30am today.

Coutet said he was on board with plans to reopen responsibly with restrictions on the number of customers in the venue at any one time.

"You want to do the responsible thing. We wanted to make sure everyone's safety is paramount," he said.

"It's baby steps at the moment, we'll be making sure they're wearing face masks when they're not eating and drinking. We're just doing the best we can to make sure Victoria is safe for everybody."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

How Trump's workforce cuts could impact US diplomacy

11 Jul 08:50 PM
World

Rain hits NZ, Trump in Texas, more children bombed in Gaza | NZ Herald News Update: July 12, 2025

Premium
World

I lost half my body on 7/7 – but every day I remind myself how lucky I am

11 Jul 07:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

How Trump's workforce cuts could impact US diplomacy

How Trump's workforce cuts could impact US diplomacy

11 Jul 08:50 PM

The Supreme Court allowed mass firings of federal workers to proceed.

Rain hits NZ, Trump in Texas, more children bombed in Gaza | NZ Herald News Update: July 12, 2025

Rain hits NZ, Trump in Texas, more children bombed in Gaza | NZ Herald News Update: July 12, 2025

Premium
I lost half my body on 7/7 – but every day I remind myself how lucky I am

I lost half my body on 7/7 – but every day I remind myself how lucky I am

11 Jul 07:00 PM
Missing German backpacker found alive in Aussie outback

Missing German backpacker found alive in Aussie outback

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP