HATTAH Roadhouse owners Robert and Ollie Stephens “couldn’t be happier” about what will be one of their busiest weekends of the year.
Fridges and shelves have been stocked and the store is well prepared for thousands of arrivals for the Hattah Desert Race.
The 2017 race was the couple’s first.
“We ended up dragging as many people as we could to work, we got absolutely smashed and virtually ran out of stock,” Mr Stephens said.
“We learnt the following years to stock it right up and be prepared. We almost triple our stock to ensure we have plenty here.”
Mr Stephens said the influx of visitors began on Wednesday.
“We usually double our daily turnover. Easter weekend is the same.
“We do a lot of takeaway food; burgers, breakfast, bacon-and-egg rolls and lots and lots of coffee.
“As well as drinks and ice and, of course fuel, they all love BP Ultimate in their bikes.”
Despite a ban on camping near the race zone, Mr Stephens said things were on track to be a lot better this year.
“We are expecting that will have an impact but pretty sure we will still get our usual visitors.
“It’s a really busy shop all year round, it never stops. It would be nothing to see people coming and going from home and there to be 40 or 50 people waiting to be served.
“Hattah Desert Race and Easter are on par — we do look forward to them as we are flat out and it’s a good little injection.
“Last year, over Easter, we shouldn’t have even opened, only doing five or six customers a day and when the race should have been on it was like a ghost town — it was terrible.”
Mr Roberts said the impact of lockdown and restrictions on small businesses such as the roadhouse had been devastating.
“The restrictions, when they do lockdowns, it really hurts,” he said.
“It just about kills you. It impacts staff too, as you can’t give them the number of shifts as they are used to.
“It costs us hundreds of thousands of dollars not having Easter or Hattah (Desert Race) but we survived and got through.”
This year is looking much brighter for the store.
“With the lakes full at the moment too, there is a lot more tourism at the moment,” Mr Stephens said.
“We are copping almost a triple whammy with a lot of people camping at Hattah now there is water.
“We couldn’t be happier, it’s going really well.”
