The French Bench café in Lismore’s Mathers Arcade on Woodlark Street, is closed.

After three years of running the alleyway café, owner Julien Duland said he closed the café today as a result of a downturn in business, as more people are staying home and “bunkering down” in the midst of the coronavirus situation.

“Today, I’m giving the food away and my staff are packing up the business,” Julien said. 

“It’s costing me too much to run the business and our sales have slowed to the point that we can’t keep the cafe open. 

“It shows us that the community of people we love have taken the news of this virus seriously and are all bunkering down and staying safe. 

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for the incredible amount of support you have all shown our business over the years. 

“Your support has helped our family provide a good life for our three kids and we are so grateful for that. 

“Thank you Lismore - we love you and please everybody, stay safe and look after one another while we get through this crisis together.”

Julien said he is not sure what he will do next, but will “wait and see what happens”.

“Nobody really knows – it’s hitting the Lismore CBD hard and other businesses are affected too,” he said.