THE owner of Mildura fast-food restaurant Phatty Boombah has started a fundraising campaign to support local businesses doing it tough in the latest lockdown.
Josh Hamdorf, whose business has thrived through takeaways and deliveries since COVID-19 hit 16 months ago, has already raised nearly $4000 and aims to “meet and smash” his target of $20,000 “as soon as possible”.
He has already personally kicked in $500 and matched it with another $500 from his business.
“I just thought that I’ve done pretty well since we changed our business model to mainly deliveries, so why not help other businesses struggling to pay their bills in yet another lockdown?” Mr Hamdorf said.
“It’s especially tough now for sole traders, not just in the hospitality industry.
“It’s people who work in the wedding industry, photographers and others like electricians and hairdressers where there is not a lot of government funding.
“Most business people will be too proud to ask for a handout, so we’re calling on their mates to let us know if their friends are close to shutting for good.”
He said the money would go towards paying some of the embattled businesses’ rent, bills, staff wages or “even putting a bit of food on the table” for traders.
“Off the top of my head, I can think of five places that have closed in recent times – and this is just cafe-type businesses,” Mr Hamdorf said.
“There are many others who are on the brink, and it’s these ones that we need to support as soon as possible.”
To donate to Mr Hamdorf’s fundraiser, go to bit.ly/PhattysCovidSupport.
