“There’s a thing called a phone”: Kensington coffee window debacle now resolved 

Kensington dog-walkers and pram-pushers can once again order their flat whites and long blacks through Local Folk’s serving window on Bayswater Rd. 

Local Folk’s serving window was closed for two weeks but has re-opened with some changes after pressure from loyal customers and Lord Mayoral candidate and Kensington resident Arron Wood. 

Under Local Folk “coffee window 2.0”, customers can still order from the window but are asked to wait for their coffee by the tree at the front of the café on Epsom Rd.

“We’re happy. We’ve changed our ways a bit, which doesn’t bother us,” said café owner Ashley Benson, who had been serving coffee from the Bayswater Rd window for close to 10 years without an issue.

He was caught off guard in September by a City of Melbourne email ordering the window to close immediately because of complaints about customers blocking the footpath. 

“We didn’t think it was very fair and the customers were pretty upset about it because they use the window constantly,” he said. 

The beloved café window has served as a political battleground, with Mr Wood using the closure to take a swipe at Lord Mayor Nick Reece’s approach to small business. 

Mr Wood, a long-time Kensington local, wrote a letter to council urging it to reverse its decision, which he said sent “a message that the City of Melbourne is not for business and not for local communities”. 

Cr Nick Reece said he took steps to find a solution when he was made aware of the café window closure through the media. 

He criticised Mr Wood for his communication method during an election event hosted by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Committee for Melbourne on October 9. 

“There’s a thing called a phone,” Cr Reece said during his debate with Mr Wood. 

“If you had rung me, I would have jumped on it straight away.”

Mr Benson attributed the re-opening to the “people power” of customers who banded together to email the council, adding that Mr Wood’s letter had “helped give it a push along”. 

Though Mr Benson is happy now, he criticised the council for how the situation was handled, telling North West City News the local law officers had been “heavy handed”.

“They were just like ‘shut, shut, shut, fine,’” he said. 

Once a City of Melbourne manager visited the café, Mr Benson was able to work with him to come up with a solution. 

“I just wish they had have gone down that path initially,” Mr Benson said. 

“There’s no point having to close for two weeks and all of this kerfuffle.” 

Activities that hinder pedestrians from being able to move around in a public space are prohibited under the Activities Local Law 2024. •