Vol. No. Vol. 2218No. 48 27
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WE NEED YOU: Northern Grampians Shire Council is seeking community input as part of a plan to reinvigorate Stawell via development, attracting visitors and encouraging residents to rekindle their love for the Wimmera city. It has called on people to fill in a survey that will help provide planning direction. Cr Kevin Erwin is pictured promoting his home town in Stawell’s shopping heart. Story, page 3. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Ready to deliver BY SARAH MATTHEWS
W
hile the coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly hit many Wimmera industries hard, a Horsham business owner is capitalising on circumstances created by lockdown measures to forge ahead with a new venture.
Stewart Neighbour, who owns Nourish’d Eatery in Roberts Avenue, will launch Big Boy Burger Co on Thursday next week. Mr Neighbour said although the hospitality industry had been one of the hardest hit by government regulations to help stop the spread of COVID-19, it had forced business owners to rethink – and in some cas-
es, reinvent – the way they operated. “A lot of businesses, particularly in hospitality, have worked hard to come out of the pandemic bigger and better,” he said. The hospitality industry’s adaptation has in some ways created benefits for Wimmera consumers, with customers enjoying greater access to restaurantquality food from the comfort of their own homes. Many Wimmera hotels, cafés and restaurants have adapted their services to include takeaway and delivery options, several are making the most of online ordering and others are using their forced closure as an opportunity to complete renovations.
Horsham’s Seers Smokehouse owners are also working on an expansion project and are planning to open a drive-through café and bakery in the old Red Rooster building on Dimboola Road. Mr Neighbour, who has been a chef for almost 13 years, said his desire to grow his business portfolio had been in the pipeline for some time, however a spike in demand for quality homedelivered food encouraged him to strike while the iron was hot. “Before I bought Nourish’d, starting a burger joint was a concept I was looking into,” he said. “Horsham needed one, people were telling me that. But Nourish’d was
too good an opportunity to pass up. I’d been working in high-end cafes and it was a comfortable move for me, coming back to Horsham after 10 years away. “In my head, I didn’t think I’d start a burger joint for two years, but because of the current environment, it was time to reassess. “At the end of the day, I need to survive and I need to find gaps in the market and work out what I can do to fill them.” Mr Neighbour said a $10,000 government grant and early access to superannuation helped make his dream a reality. “I’m sinking nearly every last cent I
have into it, but I am very confident it will succeed,” he said. “Big Boy Burger Co is something I created, but it is something I would look to franchise in the future.” In its infancy, Big Boy Burger Co will be a delivery-only business. Mr Neighbour plans to operate the new venture out of his Roberts Avenue premises. “I am going to operate as a ‘dark kitchen’, which is the first time something like this has happened in Horsham,” he said. “A dark kitchen is one that operates out of a regular kitchen, but is purely delivery only.” Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Laws need clarity • Queen’s Birthday honours • Wait over for Woodbine Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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