The increased volume of highway traffic has encouraged a Childers business owner to extend her food outlet operation to include a sandwich bar and in the process utilise an empty shop and create two new jobs.
Margaret Hauptli, who has operated the Childers Hot Bread and Cake Shop for more than nine years, has extended the reach of the main street bakery to the former Mamminos Icecream building opposite McDonalds.
Childers Bakery Salad and Sandwich Bar will provide coffee, bread, cakes, and pies but with an added emphasis on fresh sandwiches, wraps and rolls.
The shop opened its doors on Tuesday and already staff are convinced that tapping into the fresh food requirements of the niche highway market is a winner.
Margaret said she had wrestled with the idea of a salad and sandwich bar simply because the main street bakery was somewhat overwhelmed dealing with day-to-day customers concentrating on the main bakery items.
“It was getting to the stage that we simply did not have the time to make sandwiches without really impacting the time other customers may have been kept waiting.
“There has always been a demand within Childers, both from locals and travellers, for this style of fresh food.
“It was a bit of a midnight whim to finally discuss the details and to come up with a workable idea for the salad and sandwich bar.
“The three of us, Kristy, Holly and myself sat around discussing the possibilities and we knew the Mamminos building was available, so we went from there.”
Margaret said the building and location is perfect for the business.
“It’s right on the highway so has great exposure and we have lots of off-street parking and toilets which are real assets.
“The undercover area also caters to those who want to sit and enjoy their food. Social distancing requirements are observed and are not a problem,” Margaret said.
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