Still recovering from the effects of COVID, Bean Central announces it’s closing
Owners of the much-loved Bean Central cafe Matt Morrissey and Katie Hancock have announced they’re closing their doors to the public this December for the very last time. The couple says playing “COVID-19 catch-up” has become too difficult for the small business.
The venue at 111 Monaro Street has been an iconic Queanbeyan cafe location for decades, and was once home to the long-standing Central Cafe and its cult meal the ‘mixed grill’. Matt and Katie opened Bean Central in early 2020, taking over the lease on the building currently owned by Riverside Plaza.
“We opened a big, 120-seat venue in the middle of the first lock down, takeaway only. So for two months we were takeaway only in a full rent, fully billed venue, and we just never caught up,” Katie says.
“When we ran the GoFundMe in April we were kind of at the point where we were going to have to close. We raised $25,000 which paid two and a half months rent and gave us some more time. We managed to squeeze another eight months out of that, and that did make a massive difference to those people that we employed, but ultimately it just delayed the inevitable.”
Bean Central has become well known in Queanbeyan for hosting educational ‘food for thought’ talks, networking events, live music and comedy nights.
But it was the cafe’s stance on offering employment to people with disabilities that enamoured the venue with locals. Matt and Katie appeared on Seven’s Sunrise earlier this year, talking about their focus on inclusion and their partnerships within Queanbeyan’s disability community.
“We started with three staff from Valmar and now we’ve got 17 staff with disabilities out of 23,” Katie says.
“Most of the 17 have worked with us for the entire time we’ve been open, so for those guys to have gotten two-and-a-half years of real employment and upskilling has been amazing.”
“All of the families have been incredibly grateful that they had that opportunity, obviously we hope that they’re going to get more work with us.”
Matt’s diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease earlier this year also impacted the couple’s decision to close the cafe for good.
“Neuropathy has crept up in his hands and fingers – we did’t think that would happen for quite a few years but it’s happened this year,” Katie says.
“So I have no doubt that the stress is part of that, and he works seven days a week; every time a staff member calls in sick he has to go in.
“So I think running a big commercial cafe on top of working with people with disabilities is starting to take a toll – we didn’t know that because we didn’t open the cafe to support people with disabilities, we just fell in love with them, it just kind of happened.”
Bean Central will close just before Christmas, with Matt and Katie continuing to support their staff in 2023 through their catering business. They encourage the Queanbeyan community to continue to support the cafe and their staff over the coming month.
“Our final day will be Friday December 23, we’d love for people to come into the cafe between now and then and support us, that would be amazing, and if people want to look at hiring us in the future for catering they can find us on the Embrace Disability Group website,” Katie says.
“Our vision now is for Matt to focus on his health. Maybe in future we’ll be able to run a smaller operation and continue to employ people who would otherwise find it incredibly hard to find a job.
“Anyone who’s been a small business during COVID will tell you the same thing, it’s been hell for everybody, and we’re no different, our only difference is we probably should have closed 18 months ago but we didn’t because of our staff, and I don’t regret that at all. We know the difference we’ve made for those families.”
For more Queanbeyan news, like Q! News on Facebook and follow us on Instagram