<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A sharp rise in Australians choosing to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/working-from-home-victoria-update/dd113d96-ede1-47a7-aaf6-a191901d4fc3" rel="" target="_blank" title="work-from-home"><span>work-from-home</span></a><span> on Fridays is having a ripple effect on businesses in some of Australia's once-booming CBDs.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/sydney" rel="" target="_blank" title="Sydney"><span>Sydney</span></a><span>, </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/melbourne" rel="" target="_blank" title="Melbourne"><span>Melbourne</span></a><span> and </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/brisbane" rel="" target="_blank" title="Brisbane's"><span>Brisbane's</span></a><span> city centres are grappling with a steady decline of customers as the weekend looms, owed in part to workers choosing to work remotely.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One shopfront in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/sydney" rel="" target="_blank" title="North Sydney"><span>North Sydney</span></a><span>, a major commercial hub, told patrons it would be shutting its doors on Friday because of a lack of foot traffic.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/noosa-houseboats-queensland-man-sells-boat-for-one-dollar-after-being-forced-off-river/7a97cae6-7ce5-4509-aa07-c27922a61f5b" rel="" target="_blank" title="David sold his home for $2 after 'traumatic' new rule forced him out"><strong><span>David sold his home for $2 after 'traumatic' new rule forced him out</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Restauranteur and cafe owner Joe, who runs multiple businesses in Brisbane's CBD, told nine.com.au that Friday night staff drinks had become a distant memory.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Once upon a time, Friday afternoon drinks was a real iconic outing, that's now shifted to Thursday, but not in the same volume," Joe said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Hospitality operators in and around the CBD, they're severely feeling the pinch.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/work-from-home-trend-hurting-cbd-pubs-bars-and-restaurants/57f2e84c-0e68-4ecf-a468-cf238a8d19c3" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I still think there'll be a few more venues that either completely close altogether or start to review Fridays as a standard close at 4pm or 5pm."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Joe's coffee shops are also lagging in sales on the last day of the working week.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Do you have a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter April Glover at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="mailto:april.glover@nine.com.au" target="" title="april.glover@nine.com.au"><em><strong><span>april.glover@nine.com.au</span></strong></em></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He said Fridays are "well and truly over" by lunchtime, resulting in some business owners shortening hours or simply not opening from Friday until Sunday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Where does that leave us?" he added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"That's what's plaguing a lot of venues at the moment."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association (ARCA) chief executive Wes Lambert warned it might be too late for CBD businesses to claw back pre-COVID-19 foot traffic.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He is unsurprised that some venues are choosing to close on weakening sale days.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The peak hospitality industry boss said owners may want to capitalise on Thursday night customers instead.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have seen the foot traffic diminish," Lambert said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Thursday is the new Friday when it comes to office workers and the CBD."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lambert said he was "surprised and flabbergasted" to see the Victorian government push for legislation enshrining the right to work-from-home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/office-vacancy-rates-in-melbourne-surge-to-highest-rate-since-1997/857ca46b-d7f0-4a29-a3ff-ffaffbdee511" rel="" target="_blank" title="The number of office buildings sitting empty in Melbourne"><span>The number of office buildings sitting empty in Melbourne</span></a><span> has surged to a 30-year high ahead of the state's looming employment laws.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The already-disappearing number of office workers in the CBD could thin out further if these laws pass, Lambert warned.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It doesn't really make much sense," he added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Workers turning to local watering holes</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Rebecca O'Shea and her sisters own Bar Nina in Sydney's Darlinghurst and wine bar Arms Length in Potts Point.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Both inner-city venues have experienced the opposite impact of the work-from-home crowd.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>O'Shead told nine.com.au that the bars, because of their location outside of the CBD, attract locals who are knocking off early from home or are popping in to work or a meeting over lunch.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We've got a lot of customers who might work in the city, but they live in Darlinghurst," O'Shea said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I would say cost of living has affected people's spending more than work from home for us."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Lambert said venues like Bar Nina and Arms Length are enjoying the diverted foot traffic from city centres.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Consumers are choosing to not be in the office on Fridays, and hence, they're more likely to go to their local pub or the restaurants and cafes around their home, rather than in a CBD," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>O'Shea opens Bar Nina from breakfast until last drinks and said the extended hours had helped lure in workers.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We've sort of adapted our business to hit the local community to make sure that we're a nice space for everyone," she added.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><em><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><strong><em><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google 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