news, local-news, Chicko's, restaurant, food, eatery, Wollongong, Illawarra, chicken, cafe

Iconic Wollongong eatery Chicko's reopened on Monday morning after becoming a casualty of COVID-19 in late March. Ralph Chiaverin said after Chicko's received a huge response to a social media post last Tuesday announcing Wollongong and Figtree outlets would soon reopen they wanted to keep the actual opening a little quiet to give their staff a chance to adapt to the new systems and procedures. By not announcing the actual day and time it also meant there was less likelihood they would not get rushed amid concerns about social distancing. "We opened at 10 o'clock this morning in Figtree and Wollongong," Mr Chiaverin said. "People order from outside the shop. Not quite from the footpath. We are taking orders from within our boundaries. "People order either through the window or the self serve kiosk and then we take it to the front door and hand it through a slot in the window". Mr Chiaverin said for anyone coming down on Monday it was really important that if there is a queue that people stand a safe distance apart. Even without naming the moment the shops were about to reopen word got out quickly at the eateries were both busy by 10.15am. "We are really struggling trying ton keep up at the moment," Mr Chiaverin said. The post on Chicko's Facebook page last Tuesday read "Can you NOT keep a secret?Chicko's is opening back up. Date to be announced soon". The post said Chicko's will have a limited menu when it reopens and there will be some ground rules that will be explained closer to the re-opening. In late March Chicko's revealed on Facebook that it would close its popular food outlets in Wollongong and Figtree That post read "it is with great sadness that we have decided to close Chicko's Figtree and Wollongong at this time. In the interest of the safety of all our Chicko's team and families, we will be closing for business by the end this week. We want to let you know, we appreciate all your help and support and most importantly, your understanding in these troubled times". The message ended with the words "stay safe and healthy". The Illawarra Mercury has left messages with the popular eatery for further comment. Meanwhile Diggies posted on social media around the same time saying that after being closed for four weeks it was reopening Diggies North Beach Kiosk with additional safety measures. It said the kiosk will be available for coffee and take away from Friday. Read more: Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.

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