The Gold Coast's hospitality sector is taking its first steps towards business as usual — with one venue doing it in rather an unusual way, by transforming the business into a drag queen drive through.
Miami Marketta is a night market venue that usually hosts food vendors, but has adapted to restrictions by converting its laneway to a drive through, headlined by drag queens Natasha St James and Violet Velvet.
"I normally host the bingo here and so when Miami Marketta had this drive-through idea I said 'oh my goodness we have to be a part of it and stay united thorough such a traumatic and perilous time,'" Natasha St James said.
"I'm going to get down on my hands and knees, change the wheel, give you your food and you're good to go."
Like many in the hospitality sector, restrictions have resulted in creative ways to attract customers.
Hibernation a chance to reflect
Founder of Miami Marketta, Emma Milikins, said the shutdown in recent months has made her reflect on new ideas.
"We have always been reactive because we have been so busy over the last two years just chasing our tails literally every month," she said.
"What do we want to work on in our business? We've had time to renovate, we are just about to open a new champagne bar."
The business usually has 60 staff and caters for around 1,500 people a night, but Ms Milikins said only nine staff have been retained on JobKeeper.
"Our landlord has been amazing, we obviously have rent in hibernation," she said.
"The scary thing is after that, when rent hibernation stops and we have to be caught up from accrued rent — that's when there will be a lot of pain in business."
'It was out of my control'
Natasha St James said rejoining the workforce as an entertainer had been "good baby steps" to an eventual return to business as usual.
"It [coronavirus] hit our industry first," she said.
"We were the first to go essentially, however it was good knowing that it was out of my control — it wasn't something that I had done or Miami Marketta had failed to do, it was literally a global pandemic.
Natasha said the hospitality industry has to "think outside the box".
"If something is not working or you are placed in a predicament, it is like, 'what can I do differently, how do I take advantage of the situation?'" she said.
