Emily Chapman Laing
Lanterns Viet Kitchen is one of the many suffering from reception problems and drop outs in Clyde North.
“We had no idea what we were in for,” Lanters owner Robert Costabile said.
“We don’t have any broadband here at the moment.
“We’re just not getting any reception.”
Lanterns is a dark kitchen, where every order is take-away rather than having the option to dine-in.
The restaurant boasts “multiple cuisines”, though they specialise in Vietnamese foods.
A large portion of the restaurant’s orders are placed online and come through platforms like Doordash and UBEReats.
“If we’re not getting an internet connection, we’re not getting orders.”
Mr Costabile reported instances where customers had placed an online order which was never received by Lanterns because of the connectivity issues.
“If we’ve got no reception, the order won’t come through on the tablets.
“So the customers are waiting for confirmation and then eventually it gets cancelled.
“So we’re missing loads of orders.”
Mr Costabile is left wondering why one of the fastest growing areas in Victoria is left without crucial infrastructure.
“For the amount of growth that we’re seeing out here, Clyde North seems to be the last little pocket of Casey that’s got land and I don’t know how the infrastructure is going to keep up,” he said.
Business partners Robert Costabile and Sandra DiGrazia Cutajar bought the factory almost one year ago after running a successful restaurant in Berwick.
“We decided to buy a factory out here and try to get into the wholesale area,” Mr Costabile said.
“When we first moved in it was just horrendous, it just kept dropping out.
“We were off more times than we were on and it was just impossible to get orders.”
Mr Costabile said the restaurant’s connectivity issues “seem to have been better in the last couple of months” but the unreliable nature of the network in Clyde North creates serious problems for the business.
“Being a commercial kitchen and a dark kitchen, it’s something we rely on,” he said.
Telephones are another matter, with many Clyde and Clyde North residents having their calls drop out or fail completely.
Lanterns has been no exception.
“Telstra seems to be the only network that works out here,” Mr Costabile said.
“I’m on Vodafone and I can’t make a phone call in here.”
Vodafone was contacted but did not respond by deadline.
