In the chaos of lockdown 1.0, the hospitality industry was forced to reinvent itself – almost overnight. Sadly, there have been casualties. Among them: Nhu Lan Bakery’s outpost on Victoria Street, Richmond, which quietly closed its doors in April after 12 years.

The Vietnamese bakery, a fierce contender for Melbourne’s best banh mi, opened in Footscray 25 years ago. And, thankfully, the original outpost is still going strong.

Khanh Ziccardi, whose parents own the business, says the decision to shut the second shop was two-fold, spurred by the mounting pressures of the shutdown and a soon-to-end lease.

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“In hindsight we think it worked out okay – trying to operate two businesses in the middle of a pandemic would’ve been crazy,” she says. “But it was so sad having to say goodbye to the staff.”

And it’s been hard for Richmond locals to say goodbye, too. “We were there for a fairly long time … so a lot of people still come and are upset that it’s closed,” says Ziccardi. “But what can you do?”

So, for now, those on the eastern side of town can’t wrap their hands around a flaky Nhu Lan baguette loaded with tender pork meatballs, barbeque chicken or cold cuts (for the popular mixed ham roll). But we have a reason to head west as soon as the five-kilometre rule is rolled back.

And if it’s already in your radius, lucky you.

Nhu Lan Bakery is at 116 Hopkins Street, Footscray. It’s open daily from 5am to 6pm.