Kyneton Food Collective has struck a chord with a plea for people to support their local cafes, restaurants, bakeries, bars and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The group of Kyneton hospitality businesses said increased cost-of-living pressures had hit everyone hard but now was the time for people to shop locally if they could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Staff shortages, rising utility bills, relentless insurance increases, and the skyrocketing cost of ingredients have pushed many operators to the brink,” they revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Reduced hours, trimmed menus, owners working unpaid shifts, the razor-thin margins are now the reality. For families running these businesses, the stress isn’t theoretical \u2014 it’s lived every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Kyneton, this is our turning point. Supporting local isn’t about spending big \u2014 it’s about showing up. Choosing a coffee, a beer, a meal, or a small retail purchase now and then. Those small actions, taken together, keep our town vibrant.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The letter has gained more than 100,000 views online and has been shared on multiple platforms, among many communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the collective’s members, Botanik Kyneton’s Melissa Macfarlane, said it was because industry pressures were widespread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Where we find ourselves is not unique to Kyneton. Everyone is struggling,” she told the Express<\/EM>. “We know that it’s really hard and we need to band together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The idea of the letter was to explain why we may not be open seven days a week, why costs may be changing and to create awareness of costs to businesses.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kyneton Food Collective formed in response to the covid-19 pandemic when the hospitality sector faced extraordinary pressures and restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The industry continues to face challenges as cost-of-living pressures impact general business operations and customer spending capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collective member, Donkey Kyneton owner Mark James, said the hospitality sector and retailers across the board had noticed “a drop-off in business”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s hard going. Everyone is doing it tough right now,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Local hospitality businesses are asking people to please come and buy one pie, or one coffee. We don’t need extravagant purchases, just please don’t forget we’re here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We’ll end up with more empty shops if we don’t try to protect what we love.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the letter was posted last week, businesses have reported residents seem to be paying attention and visitations have slightly increased in response.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kyneton Food Collective has struck a chord with a plea for people to support their local cafes, restaurants, bakeries, bars…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":27109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[7218],"ppma_author":[5227],"class_list":["post-27118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-kyneton-food-collective"],"yoast_head":"\n