AFTER almost a decade in operation, a fixture of Bannockburn\u2019s old shopping centre has shut its doors.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She said she was \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by the support from the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like saying goodbye to family,\u201d she said. \u201cWe had lots of regular customers, some of them I didn\u2019t even know because I was usually cooking in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really humbling, the amount of people coming through and saying goodbye. We weren\u2019t able to hold any sort of send-off, the last few days were so full-on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really want to thank Lois Hoad who I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do this without.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having started in hospitality as a cook at Geelong\u2019s Bon Appetit when she was 16, Ms Herbert said opening the Red Dog was a long-held dream for her.<\/p>\n
She worked at the venue during its previous incarnation, and jumped at the chance to buy it when the owners moved on.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always loved cooking and always wanted to do my own spin on things,\u201d she said. \u201cI liked the homemade side of things and that\u2019s what I wanted to do with my own place.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone can buy food and resell it but not everyone can cook and sell.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
She said saying goodbye to her customers made her realise the cafe\u2019s importance in the town.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I took the place over, it was this dark, dingy cafe that no-one went into,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI counted the 65 chairs we had and thought we\u2019ll never fill that. When we did I was amazed and it just grew from there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was right outside the supermarket and a real meeting place for people. I saw kids when they were babies coming in grown as kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a real asset for the community. Groups would meet there all the time. People were saying their lives weren\u2019t going to be the same without us.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt never felt like going into work. You go in to put a smile on people\u2019s faces and that\u2019s what I went out of my way to do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AFTER almost a decade in operation, a fixture of Bannockburn\u2019s 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 \u201coverwhelmed\u201d by the support from the community. […]<\/p>\n