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\u201cWith the first couple of lockdowns when restaurants closed our business did succeed and become a bit bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause people didn\u2019t have the option to go to a pub or restaurant and sit down for a nice meal they reverted to take away.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur community was fantastic. We had people coming in and asking us if we were okay saying \u2018we don\u2019t want to see Luchiano\u2019s go so if we need to buy vouchers we\u2019re happy to do that\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had schools that we had sponsored in the past come in and actually buy vouchers for their teachers because they said that we had sponsored them in the past and supported them, so they wanted to bring the support back during COVID.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen things like that happen it\u2019s only fair that we show the support back [to customers],\u201d Ms Kabalan said.<\/p>\n
The business was started by Ms Kabalan\u2019s husband and his two brothers over 10 years ago, and she attributes its success to her family-oriented upbringing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s because I did grow up in a big family and just knowing the value of people and what they bring to your business is what has made us successful,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community in Bendigo showed us that we\u2019re valuable to them, and they\u2019re valuable to us because we couldn\u2019t keep going without them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Kabalan said the free food offer didn\u2019t end with the circuit breaker lockdown, and is available from the restaurant at 214 McCrae Street, Bendigo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHEN Juliette Kabalan saw a Facebook post from a business offering free food to people under financial stress during lockdown, she was compelled to share her own offer with her customers at Luchiano\u2019s Pizza. Her post has reached 6000 people since being shared last Monday, and Ms Kabalan said she wanted to give back to […]<\/p>\n