Coolangatta Pie Shop to close after 62 years as rising costs force iconic Gold Coast bakery to shut

A beloved institution feeding generations of locals, surfers and holidaymakers is preparing to serve its final pie after more than six decades in business.

The Coolangatta Pie Shop first opened it’s doors in 1964 and will close this week after 62 years serving the southern Gold Coast.

For many, the tiny shop is more than a bakery. It’s a fixture of Coolangatta’s — Cooly’s — identity, woven into childhood memories, beach days and late or better early morning feeds after a night out.

Full-time baker Darcy Hyde, who has worked at the shop for eight years, said the decision to close came down to the mounting costs small businesses face nowadays.

“Basically, it’s just the cost of everything has gone up way too high,” Hyde told 7NEWS.com.au.

“After COVID hit, that actually really took a toll on the business and even just Coolangatta itself.”

“It’s just not cost-effective to keep running.”

Rising rents, increasing ingredient costs and competition from larger operators are squeezing margins.

Hyde said the price of meat, flour and other ingredients had steadily climbed over the years, forcing the bakery to increase the cost of its pies.

“We went up by about a whole dollar or so since I’ve been there,” he said.

“There was a point where there was a little bit of a shortage in the flour because of the seasons and the crops. So that increased as well.”

The bakery has continued making its pies fresh on-site, sourcing ingredients from Australian suppliers.

While Hyde said customers regularly told staff the shop’s pies were the best, he acknowledged the broader challenges independent operators face in a changing local landscape.

“There’s a new pie shop that’s on the beach side that’s come in this year,” he said.

“It’s just not busy enough anymore.”

News of the closure sparked an outpouring of nostalgia online, with many sharing memories stretching back decades.

“Why are they closing... had many a good pie there after the Jet Club,” one customer wrote.

Another said they had been told it came down to “rent too expensive and not enough trade”, while others lamented the loss of another independent business from the Coolangatta strip.

“Farewell to a legendary institution,” another customer wrote.

One former customer recalled surfing all day before heading across the road from the now-defunct Jet Club and finishing the night with “at least two of the best” pies.

“Sitting here this morning thinking how good it was,” they wrote online.

And the bakery’s signature yellow surfboard sign, impossible to miss from hundreds of metres away, became almost as famous as the pies themselves.

Others have praised the bakery’s steak pies, sausage rolls and gluten-free range, with one customer describing it as “everything you expect from a pie shop”.

Another said the bakery’s bacon, cheese and beef pie remained one of their favourites despite recent price rises.

For Hyde, the reaction from customers has highlighted just how much the pie shop means to the community.

“I’ve heard everyone tell me stories about when they first came to the pie shop,” he said.

“Some people even back in the ‘70s are now saying they’ve been coming since they were a child.”

“It makes me think about how much it means to all the locals.”

The timing of the closure was delayed to allow one final rush of customers during the annual Cooly Rocks On festival.

“We stayed open just so everyone could get themselves one last pie,” Hyde said.

While staff are focused on winding down operations, Hyde said the mood inside the bakery remains positive.

“We’re still positive because we’re moving on to something else.”

After eight years making pies at the iconic shop, Hyde said he would miss the familiar faces who dropped in every day.

“There were customers that would always come in very regularly over the years, and the ones that would just walk past and wave hello every day too.”

“It was just good to see the locals coming in.”

The baker has already lined up a new role with a smokehouse business, where he will continue making pies.

As for his favourite from the Coolangatta Pie Shop menu?

“The bacon and cheese is probably my favourite one,” Hyde said.

“And close after that would be the curry beef.”

The Coolangatta Pie Shop is expected to officially close mid June, giving customers one final chance to savour a pie before the ovens are switched off for good.