The Harrison family have a long association with good times in the Illawarra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The second-generation owner of The Lagoon Seafood Restaurant, Andrew Harrison has seen a good portion of the Illawarra celebrate birthdays, weddings and special events at the waterfront venue, but when COVID shuttered the restaurant in 2020 it was unclear whether this would continue.
"No one was sure how extreme these lockdowns would be," Mr Harrison said. "We had to pivot our business 180 degrees."
Three years prior, Mr Harrison had begun a wholesale food distribution business, ZT Wholesale.
Initially the goal was to set up a stable and reliable supplier for the family's restaurants, The Lagoon and Bourke St Burgers, however as larger competitors focused on the corporate and catering market, small cafes and restaurants turned to ZT Wholesale and the business grew rapidly.
From two staff, a truck and a warehouse in North Wollongong, in three years the business had 14 full time staff and turnover was at $8 million a year.
"When COVID first hit, we had to lay off all our staff," Mr Harrison said. "We had a meeting in the warehouse, not even knowing if we were allowed to be there. No one knew at the time what the rules were."
But, to his surprise, the orders kept coming in.
This time, however, instead of seafood or prime steaks, the orders were for potato chips and burger buns along with - of course - toilet paper and hand sanitiser.
With competitors having vacated the field, small restaurants offering takeaway to those in lockdown still needed a local supplier, and many turned to ZT Wholesale.
All the staff laid off were brought back in and more were hired.
"We went from a turnover of $7.5 million to about $12 million in 12 months during COVID," said Mr Harrison.
The business also started offering fresh fruit and vegetables brought down from the Sydney Markets to consumers and began to outgrow its warehouse in Montague Street.
Looking for a larger warehouse, Mr Harrison began talking with Michael Kollaras, the owner of the Tosti Cellars site at the top of Wentworth Street in Port Kembla and online liquor store The Good Drop.
Negotiations led to Mr Harrison purchasing the site and Mr Kollaras's wholesale and retail liquor business.
Already, the team has installed a giant commercial freezer, and Mr Harrison plans for the business to be part of the push to revitalise the area and make Port Kembla cool.
"We've got a lot of beautiful murals happening on the outside of the building and we're looking to market the area," he said. "Yesterday, for the opening we had a radio station broadcasting live."
In addition to promoting a positive story of Port Kembla, the experience Mr Harrison retells of the past two years show just how much hospitality has changed, even as diners can venture out once again.
Many of the drivers for ZT Wholesale are former chefs who have decided they've had enough of long hours for low pay.
"When we reopened [The Lagoon] when lockdown was over we filled the place, because everyone was flush with money but now people are starting to look at what's in their pocket, and they're starting to go out less," said Mr Harrison.
As the borders reopen international arrivals will fill some of the openings for skilled workers, but this doesn't address the churn in the industry.
"Margins are tight and we can't afford to pay high wages in hospitality, so we're not attracting the very good people to come," Mr Harrison said.
While the Harrison family group of businesses has remained open and are doing well, it is tough times out there for hospitality, and Mr Harrison said in providing a local wholesale and retail service, he can continue to support other independent hospitality businesses in Port Kembla and the wider Illawarra.
"I don't like to see restaurants closing and I also don't like to see an industry where it's dominated only by chains and big restaurant groups," he said.
The Illawarra Mercury newsroom is funded by our readers. You can subscribe to support our journalism here.
Sign up for breaking news emails below ...
