A sharp rise in Australians choosing to work-from-home on Fridays is having a ripple effect on businesses in some of Australia's once-booming CBDs.
Pubs, cafes, restaurants and bars in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane's city centres are grappling with a steady decline of customers as the weekend looms, owed in part to workers choosing to work remotely.
One shopfront in North Sydney, a major commercial hub, told patrons it would be shutting its doors on Friday because of a lack of foot traffic.
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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.
"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.
"Hospitality operators in and around the CBD, they're severely feeling the pinch.
"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."
Joe's coffee shops are also lagging in sales on the last day of the working week.
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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.
"Where does that leave us?" he added.
"That's what's plaguing a lot of venues at the moment."
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.
He is unsurprised that some venues are choosing to close on weakening sale days.
The peak hospitality industry boss said owners may want to capitalise on Thursday night customers instead.
"We have seen the foot traffic diminish," Lambert said.
"Thursday is the new Friday when it comes to office workers and the CBD."
Lambert said he was "surprised and flabbergasted" to see the Victorian government push for legislation enshrining the right to work-from-home.
The number of office buildings sitting empty in Melbourne has surged to a 30-year high ahead of the state's looming employment laws.
The already-disappearing number of office workers in the CBD could thin out further if these laws pass, Lambert warned.
"It doesn't really make much sense," he added.
Workers turning to local watering holes
Rebecca O'Shea and her sisters own Bar Nina in Sydney's Darlinghurst and wine bar Arms Length in Potts Point.
Both inner-city venues have experienced the opposite impact of the work-from-home crowd.
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.
"We've got a lot of customers who might work in the city, but they live in Darlinghurst," O'Shea said.
"I would say cost of living has affected people's spending more than work from home for us."
Lambert said venues like Bar Nina and Arms Length are enjoying the diverted foot traffic from city centres.
"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.
O'Shea opens Bar Nina from breakfast until last drinks and said the extended hours had helped lure in workers.
"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.
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