Hervey Bay Gossip

Martin Fraser from Fraser Coast Business Brokers thinks that some local Hervey Bay businesses need to improve their customer service.

Like many other businesses we spend a lot of money encouraging people to move to Hervey Bay, we meet and greet them and want to show off the best of our city. I fear we are going back to the days of old Hervey Bay  “where the coffee will kill a brown dog, and if you dont like it P off!”
 
Wife went to a well known Esplanade Thai restaurant with a small group of school mums a couple of nights ago. Service was very slow, to the point of total indifference. The wine was corked (why serve a 2006 Chardonnay in a warm climate anyway?). After the term “corked” was explained, waitress took it to the kitchen where they tasted it and agreed. Another bottle was ordered an delivered with the blunt statement: “If no good, bad luck!”

Next night I went as well, I think it was to punish me. The service was again slow, with the waitress just wandering and when a request was made, continuing for quite a while until she had finished her routine tasks . Only two tables were occupied, the place used to be packed out. Plates on the table setting were removed after we ordered and set on the sideboard for reuse, not washing: we had been sitting before those plates for half an hour or more. A common soft drink was not stocked. The mandolin music was just too loud. Plates were removed from two diners while the third was still eating.

As wife had to wait for the bill the previous night, we asked for the bill early and were told “Go to the counter” This was not a takeaway, it was a licensed restaurant!

So we queued while takeaway customers ordered. No smiles, no thankyou, no courtesy. We weren’t difficult customers, perhaps we should have been.
 
We eat out a lot and get great service from a really friendly little Asian restaurant in Bideford St. Even though we know the menu backwards, guess where we are going back!

Sadly we’ve encountered similar poor levels of service from some local eateries and from comments made to us from time to time we’re not the only ones who are disappointed in the level of service that some Hervey Bay businesses seem to think is adequate.

Another small home-based business has opened in Hervey Bay this week. Trades Keeper brings tradies bookkeeping and admin services to Hervey Bay. So if you’re a small business and you need someone with plenty of experience to look after your books then follow the link to the people who can keep your books for you.

Bellavista, a new cafe in Hervey Bay has opened at 352 The Esplanade Scarness … in the same building as the old Soul-sa site. Bellavista is run by the same people who run the very popular Santini’s Italian restaurant.

Bellavista is open Wednesday to Sunday from 8am to 4pm

In these tough financial times it’s more common to see businesses closing rather than opening but here’s one Hervey Bay business that opened it’s doors in the last week.

Jeff and Tiff Barratt have decided to take their very successful online lawn bowls equipment shop out into the real world and have opened for business at Shop 3 564 The Esplanade3 Urangan (behind Viva Italia).

Fraser Coast Lawn Bowls is open Monday to Saturday and if you’re a bowler then you should check out the range and prices … you will be pleasantly surprised.

It’s interesting to look around Hervey Bay at all the small businesses that are in operation in the town. There’s an incredible variety of businesses and some that produce rather unusual products and are not to be found in any of the shopping or light industrial centres around Hervey Bay

Here I’m not talking about the get-rich-quick scam merchants who are out there busily peddling pyramid schemes that so obviously are … even though they claim they aren’t. Here I’m talking about people who produce a genuine product and the latest that we here at the Gossip have come across is Rhasdala Soaps.

Rhasdala Soaps are makers of boutique hand-made soaps and you’ll find them online by following the link. So if you’re looking for a unique gift that you won’t find anywhere else then buy online from their website and keep your money in your local community.

Despite the current economic climate there’s another office block on the drawing board for the Hervey Bay CBD.

Fraser Place, a three-storey development will be built at 73 Main Street Pialba and will feature over 1,000 square metres of commercial and retail space. An artist’s impression shows plenty of parking so it will be interesting to see close to reality the impression really is.

These days you can hire just about anything and the latest in Hervey Bay is a real live cocktail maker.

Hervey Bay Cocktails can make alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails for you or for your party and they have a range of other services too. You can find their contact details on the party hire page at the Hervey Bay Business Directory.

Scrappers Haven in Liuzzi Street Pialba is another small business in Hervey Bay that has seen the value in taking their business beyond the local community and out into the wider world. Total Website Management is pleased to announce the launch of Scrappers Haven new online store.

Stop by and check out the huge range that Scrappers Haven has instore or online.

Looking for a provider of security services in Hervey bay? A new list of security service providers has just been added to the Hervey Bay Business Directory.

The Independant had an interesting write up on one of the business success stories of Hervey Bay. It coincided with the launch of the first stage of their new website so if you’re looking for a pre-made healthy gourmet dinner then follow the link to their website and look at their menu - the prices are very reasonable.

Personally I’ve got to tell you that their meals are great - they might be a client of our web design business but even if they weren’t I would still be telling you how good their meals are.