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Lox in a Box blasts Randwick Council after bagel chain was forced to close for this ridiculous $23,000 reason

Lox in a Box was forced to pay $23,000

It also had to close and lose a day of trade

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By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Published: 03:59 BST, 17 September 2025 | Updated: 05:24 BST, 17 September 2025

The fed-up owner of a popular bagel chain has blasted a Sydney council after she was forced to spend $23,000 on non-compliant windows.

Lox in a Box owner Candy Berger has opened her traditional Polish bagel shop in four locations across Sydney, but her latest shop in Coogee has proven to be a nightmare.

The restaurant, located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, originally featured a canteen-style window for takeaway orders.

That window, a second window, and the door each featured a large pane of glass which was lifted and locked into place every morning.

However, the venue last year received a notice from Randwick Council demanding she revert to the original bifold windows by September 15, or face closure.

It claimed the canteen-style windows posed a ‘safety risk’ and intruded on ‘public space’, but Ms Berger told the Daily Telegraph it was ‘unnecessary’.

‘We thought that we were doing something good for the street; we upgraded the building from what it looked like before to what it looks like now,’ she said.

‘[But] somebody from the community had essentially told them that we had done work to the building that wasn’t DA-approved.’

Lox in a Box (pictured) was ordered to remove its canteen-style windows by Randwick Council

Owner Candy Berger was forced to pay $23,000 to revert her new canteen-style windows to the store’s original bifold windows (pictured) and lost an entire day of trade on Monday

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Ms Berger spent $8,000 replacing the windows and a further $15,000 on a certifier and development application to meet the council’s demands.

That $23,000 cost was on top of the ‘huge loss’ from closing the store.

Ms Berger has already spent $400,000 on the initial renovations to turn a drab store into a welcoming and lively venue.

And she’s far from alone in her frustrations over councils’ red tape.

Data from Business NSW found 72 per cent of cafés, bars and shops felt existing regulations were too ‘demanding’, up from 53 per cent two years ago.

Small to medium-sized businesses spend up to 20 hours a month on compliance, while large businesses can spend up to 40 hours a week.

Those lost hours are often crippling for small businesses which can’t spare the resources to outsource help with compliance.

More than 60 per cent of business owners who dealt with the planning system in 2024 said they had a negative experience. Only six had something positive to say.

Lox in a Box (pictured) is just one of thousands of businesses in NSW that felt existing regulations were too ‘demanding’, up from 53 per cent two years ago

Do you think there is too much red tape for small businesses in Australia?

Business NSW chief executive officer Daniel Hunter explained DA fees were a massive ‘financial drain on small businesses’.

‘Small businesses aren’t asking for less accountability; they just need a fairer and simpler system that doesn’t waste hours of their week tangled in red tape,’ he said.

The Productivity Commission recently found businesses spent up to $38,360 on applications and forms when opening.

Those include plans for management, owner consent, consultation fees and environmental impact statements.

Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat AM warned policymakers the existing system can ‘discourage investment (and) constrain trading opportunities’.

A spokesperson for Randwick Council said: ‘Randwick City Council has been working constructively with Lox in a Box since January 2025 to resolve a safety issue involving their original canteen-style windows, which were installed without approval and projected outward onto Coogee Bay Road.

‘Following Council advice, the business submitted a development application and received approval in June for new, compliant windows.

‘We’re pleased to see these now being installed.’

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