Vic's Fat Pizza owner Vic Issa is no stranger to the role home-grown hospitality businesses play in local communities.
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From the prominent Lygon Street precinct in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton to Bathurst, Mr Issa has taken his hospitality craft across Australia, making sure to share positive rapport with numerous customers along the way.
And in these times of COVID-19, Mr Issa said it's more important than ever to ensure customers are well looked after.
"We've taken away the delivery fee for any orders over $30 and are running specials every night as an extra incentive to invite people in for a chat," he said.
"It's a tough time for everyone, us included, but we want to give back to a local community that has been so supportive of us."
Mr Issa said the business has also extended their support to people under severe financial strain.
"We have homeless people coming in food all the time and it breaks my heart, so we're happy to help them out with a meal," he said.
Mr Issa said his staff members have responded well to the situation in the face of such uncertainty.
"This situation has strengthened our morale as a business, and we're constantly looking out for everyone's mental health," he said.
Vic's Fat Pizza manager Rhonda Davis said customers have responded positively during the COVID-19 period.
"We get a lot of older customers who use their 'five-minute outing' to pick up an order, and we can tell they value the conversation," Ms Davis said.
"We're closely following COVID-19 precautions to ensure that piece of mind."