Outdoor businesses and rain

For many Coromandel businesses there was a lot of hope and optimism placed on this coming summer.

Many businesses barely made it through the past couple of years, and with Covid finally clearing, most needed a good season to allow them to stay in business.

Tour boats and other boating companies, outdoor activities, hospitality, food trucks, and many more seasonal businesses have been hugely effected by not only Covid but now the cost of living crisis( my term). Most food prices have increased and household and basic business essentials have increased, accompanied by staffing shortages, rent increases and the lack of tourists in the area. And to top that off, a wet and windy spring leading into what is now a very wet summer with no end in sight has sent hopes and plans and purchases of supplies crashing.

It is absolutely heartbreaking for those that had been hoping this summer would be the one to save their businesses and now it could be the one to really break them. For us, we barely made it through. Being outside in a food truck means it is dangerous to tow in wet and windy weather. Once we are set up, no one wants to come out in the rain and stand outside getting wet. The holiday makers return home and unfortunately the support of the locals is not enough to get us through. We have to put our staff off as we have no work for them, but we still have to pay rent, insurance, bills, eftpos, council fees, licensing, packaging, stock invoices etc. and there is no money coming in. We have to try and save any stock that we don’t lose in the days we are unable to operate due to health and safety Even if we can save some supplies, we are probably not going to be able to use them in the same way as when we originally ordered those supplies to accommodate the large numbers hoped for.

The hardest thing about all of this is, that it is out of our control. There is nothing we can do to change the weather patterns, or beg people to stay and spend money at local businesses when the weather is so torrential. Last week was the week we needed to make money and there was not a single day of trade. It’s stressful and very hard to remain hopeful. We are saying to others, please remember to remain kind towards those in these positions. Could you try and support them when you can and understand that we are trusting our livelihood to the mercy of the elements.While we can do nothing to change it, it doesn’t make it any easier. We are inviting all who read this to look out for the marketeer, the food truck, the person who provides good food and other services in a mobile way, depending on the weather. We are not fools and we work hard. We choose to be in this area and we choose to be local.

If you can support us, do so. It all comes back.