When COVID-19 forced the closure of many small hospitality businesses, coffee shops went into a fight or flight response. Some had to halt dine-in operations and wait for the storm to pass, while others found means to stay open, stay afloat and stay in business.
For Looloo Forsyth, those decisions were tough, but necessary. When restrictions hit and governments forced people to work from home, Looloo had to look at the operational structure of her two café, Loo Loos Coffee Warehouse, and Loo Loos Coffee Shack in Kimcumber, New South Wales.
“We had to make some tough decision from a staffing point of view. It was stressful and emotionally challenging. We didn’t qualify to receive JobKeeper subsidies because our combined businesses were down by 28 to 29 per cent, not the 30 per cent required,” Looloo says. “Each
