Cafe closure felt by community

AFTER almost a decade in operation, a fixture of Bannockburn’s old shopping centre has shut its doors.

The owner of the Red Dog Cafe, Sue Herbert, held her final days of trade in late February in what was set to be her milestone year.

She said she was “overwhelmed” by the support from the community.

“It was like saying goodbye to family,” she said. “We had lots of regular customers, some of them I didn’t even know because I was usually cooking in the kitchen.

“It was really humbling, the amount of people coming through and saying goodbye. We weren’t able to hold any sort of send-off, the last few days were so full-on.

“I really want to thank Lois Hoad who I wouldn’t have been able to do this without.”

Having started in hospitality as a cook at Geelong’s Bon Appetit when she was 16, Ms Herbert said opening the Red Dog was a long-held dream for her.

She worked at the venue during its previous incarnation, and jumped at the chance to buy it when the owners moved on.

“I always loved cooking and always wanted to do my own spin on things,” she said. “I liked the homemade side of things and that’s what I wanted to do with my own place.

“Anyone can buy food and resell it but not everyone can cook and sell.”

Herbert was set to close the cafe in December later this year following the 10th anniversary, but finished up earlier, not wanting to move to the new Bannockburn Central Shopping Centre established late last year.

She said saying goodbye to her customers made her realise the cafe’s importance in the town.

“When I took the place over, it was this dark, dingy cafe that no-one went into,” she said.

“I counted the 65 chairs we had and thought we’ll never fill that. When we did I was amazed and it just grew from there.

“This was right outside the supermarket and a real meeting place for people. I saw kids when they were babies coming in grown as kids.

“It was a real asset for the community. Groups would meet there all the time. People were saying their lives weren’t going to be the same without us.

“It never felt like going into work. You go in to put a smile on people’s faces and that’s what I went out of my way to do.”