But the penalty rates associated with staffing the cafe on public holidays are so great that owners Darrin and Kate Cornall have to think carefully about whether it’s worth opening at all. 

“We’ve always opened. In the eight years we’ve owned it we’ve only closed on two public holidays, but it’s got to the stage that it’s not viable,” Mr Cornall said. 

“We run a skeleton crew, but at double-time-and-a-half it’s crippling, especially if you get three or four public holidays back to back as we did last year. It’s a jaw-dropping amount of money.”

Opening on Boxing Day last year left the business several thousand dollars in the red, he said.

“We won’t be making any money this Easter.” 

The Forster Tuncurry Business Chamber is joining in a NSW-wide campaign to raise the issue of penalty rates with patrons this Easter long weekend and with candidates in the lead-up to this weekend’s   election. 

Chamber president Gary Gersbach said posters would be offered to local businesses which were changing their operating arrangements over the Easter period to give patrons information on penalty rates and how they affect small businesses. 

Penalty rates are designed to compensate employees who miss out on family time and special occasions on public holidays because of work. The NSW Business Chamber is campaigning for changes to the penalty rates system to reduce its impact on small business as part of its ‘Too Big To Ignore’ campaign. 

“People want these businesses to be open on public holidays,” Mr Gersbach said. 

“If they don’t open, then not only are staff not getting penalty rates but there are less wages going into our community, into our economy.”

Beach Bums owner Darrin Cornall said the cafe had previously tried to introduce a public holiday surcharge but found it “wasn’t worth the abuse” from customers. 

The owners of Tartt cafe on Wharf Street Forster Michael Tartt and Jack Yates have made the decision not to open the doors on the public holidays. 

“We find public holidays particularly difficult due to the higher than normal staff costs.  We opt not to open instead,” Mr Tartt said.

“It affects us all. You have to staff up for the higher levels of traffic during the public holidays, but the staffing cost isn’t offset by the take.”

Mr Tartt said, with tourists coming here to enjoy Forster and all it has to offer, it was a big problem to have many of the cafes closed or working reduced hours. 

“The husband and wife teams will open and do really well, but the bigger cafes that need more staff won’t.”