Over two decades, the owners of Kastury’s in Beenleigh have seen so much come and go.
They have made new friends, watched their children grow up, and faced incredible challenges – all from the heart of their popular Indian restaurant on James Street.
But after 24 years, Kastury’s is approaching its final day of trading.
Owners Ross Mortley and Vanitha Lang learned on 31 October that their beloved restaurant was being resumed by the Queensland government to make way for major rail upgrades.
For Ms Lang, who put blood, sweat and tears into keeping the business afloat, “resumption” was heartbreaking to hear.
“Deep down I didn’t think it would happen,” she said.
“I had tears, I was shaking – it’s not easy if you’ve put in a lot of hard work.”
Ms Lang said to run a restaurant, your heart needed to be “in the right place”.
“If you are ging to start a business, do it with your heart,” she said.
“Our kitchen is clean, we take pride in what we do, and I think that is what kept us going the last 24 years.”
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.
After Kastury’s first opened, Ms Lang said she faced baseless criticisms from the cafe and local communities.
“Beenleigh was a biased place,” she said.
“As an immigrant, you don’t belong here.”
She said judgement from the community prompted her to head to night school to become a chef.
“I just needed to get my qualification so people would know I am not a backyard cook – I am a chef,” she said.
Kastury’s first major challenge came a few years later during the redevelopment of Beenleigh town centre in 2013/14.
“It literally crippled us,” Ms Lang said.
Mr Mortley said poor management of the project, including road closures and a reduction in traffic flow, cost Kastury’s business.
“People just couldn’t find us, they couldn’t get to us,” he said.
“We would get 40kg of chicken, and suddenly we could not even use up 10kg,” Ms Lang said.
Business was so bad they were forced to take an equity loan on their house.
“You feel wounded – how much debt can I go into,” Ms Lang said.
“I would have walked away, but we own the strata title and we had a loan on it, so we were in a sticky situation.”
After construction finished, customers returned and business was booming.
But then came Covid, which rocked the entire hospitality industry, and Mr Mortley said they never really recovered.
Despite these challenges, they say every moment of the last 24 years was worth it.
“We built a beautiful community,” Ms Lang said.
“This has been our home.
“My son had his engagement here, my daughter had her engagement here, my granddaughter’s baby shower was here.”
Over the years, they witnessed local teenagers have their first dates, couples celebrate anniversaries, and families bond over a hearty meal.
Mr Mortley and Ms Lang said they cherished these memories.
While they plan to take a break following Kastury’s final day of trading on 13 December, the couple said a return to hospitality may be inevitable.
