Wodonga's Delibean Cafe and Albury's Citi Cafe put community first in crisis

George Siperki, who has vast experience in restaurants and clubs and has run Delibean Cafe on Beechworth Road for almost four years, continued to operate the eatery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

He's hopeful his business has got past the worst of it and will have plenty to look forward to around the Christmas period and into the new year.

"We kept the doors open and in one respect it was good because we still looked after the customers who were always around," Mr Siperki said.

"There's the hospital around the corner and they needed somewhere to come to and there were a few teachers still working."

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Mr Siperki said a quick discussion was had between he and his staff about whether or not they should close during the first lockdown, but they were able to make changes to remain viable.

"We adjusted our hours dramatically, especially in the afternoons when school kids weren't around and parents weren't around. We went from 5pm back to 2pm or 2.30pm which was more than enough," he said.

Mr Siperki said January was a surprisingly busy month this year and he would be over the moon to see a repeat of that.

"The light at the end of the tunnel is starting to show and it's looking brighter and brighter every day," he said.

"But the other thing we're noticing is quite a lot of Wodonga people are leaving as well and all going on holidays. They couldn't go anywhere before so they stayed around in town.

"There's going to be an influx, but there will be an exodus as well with a lot of people leaving Wodonga over the Christmas break."

With a host of its staff and suppliers based in Wodonga, Albury's Citi Cafe was bleeding money at the time of the border closure in July, but owner Jeff Claxton said he had an obligation to remain open for the community.

"We went through Christmas and January and we were hemorrhaging and then into COVID in March," he said.

"But when every other business in Albury was shutting down or closing for good, we were able to stay open.

"A lot of people know that and that's why we've been rewarded.

"Citi Cafe is not just a cup of coffee, it's a cup of community."

Mr Claxton said he has had countless stories of customers who have started to support the cafe more frequently because they were there when so many others had closed.

"We've always been a high-profile cafe, but we're all about community," he said. "That's the thing that humbles me and gets me up here to do 12-hour days.

"We're a family that's certainly not rich and famous, but we've been a part of this community for over 50 years and we've got credibility.

"I feel obligated to my family that I would never do the wrong thing by this town."

Despite the immense pressure he faced to pay the bills week after week, Mr Claxton continued to support numerous community organisations with donations and also offered to provide a scholarship to James Fallon High School.