It’s back: Cobram’s famous Beach Cafe is back open for business.
Photo by
Isabelle Harris
The Beach Cafe on Thompson’s Beach in Cobram is now back open for business after an extended hiatus.
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The cafe has been closed since the beach volleyball tournament last year and has since been taken over by Sporties management, but it will remain a separate entity and brand.
Sporties operations manager Anton Noble, who was on deck on January 28 when the cafe reopened for the first time, said it was disappointing the cafe had been closed for as long as it had.
“Everybody knows how important Thompson’s Beach is to the Cobram and Barooga communities and this is such an asset right here on the beach,” he said.
“It was an opportunity and we thought we could do a good job.”
While it may come as a surprise to some locals that the cafe is now open, management opted for a “soft launch” to ensure a smooth opening, especially in the face of issues that may have stopped it from welcoming customers on time.
“Everything that could go wrong did go wrong ... it was all really tight, trying to do anything over the Christmas and New Year period,” Mr Noble said.
They have also experienced difficulties finding chefs to work there, on top of difficulties finding front-of-house staff for the cafe and Sporties alike.
Mr Noble explained although they have no plans to change what the Beach Cafe is or change its branding, they will scale up operations over time.
“We’re going to do breakfast and lunch now at the moment, extending into a tapas-style dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights,” he said, adding they weren’t aiming to compete with other pub or bistro-style establishments in Cobram.
“Spanish-style tapas share food just seemed like a great thing to do, so a different option.”
Casual day out: Sue Cook and David Fletcher were enjoying a bite to eat and a casual drink after taking their jetskis along from Tocumwal.
Photo by
Isabelle Harris
Sue Cook and David Fletcher were making the most of the warm weather and had taken their jetskis along the river from Tocumwal, stopping at the Beach Cafe for a bite and a drink.
“It’s lovely, its a beautiful location ... you feel like you’re on holiday when you’re doing something like this,” Ms Cook said.
“I’m surprised there’s not more people here doing what we’re doing, coming here with boats,” Mr Fletcher said.
“I guess they just have to know that it’s here and it’s open.”
The Beach Cafe will be open from 8am to 5pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 8am to 9pm on Friday and Saturday.