The story behind The Hungry Tum

WHEN Lockie and Gelinda Hawkins bought the business four years ago, they appreciated that everyone in Bundaberg knew of The Hungry Tum.

NEW ADDITION: Lockie and Gelinda Hawkins in the Hungry Tum café that has the option of delicious sit down meals. Photo: Mike Knott / NewsMail. Picture: Mike Knott BUN100215TUM2

IT'S been a long welcome to Bundaberg for The Hungry Tum Cafe, which continues to get better.

When Lockie and Gelinda Hawkins bought the business four years ago, they appreciated that everyone in Bundaberg knew of The Hungry Tum and had more than likely been there over the past 25 years.

But with simple visions and ambitions they also appreciated that this local favourite needed a facelift so quickly set about redesigning the exterior to make it more eye-catching and cleaner.

They added footpath dining, new menu boards, extra drink fridges, ATM services, phone accessories, convenience items, slushy machines and more.

Asked what set Hungry Tum cafe apart, Lockie said it was simple - atmosphere.

"Because we are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the atmosphere continues to change depending on the time of day,” he said.

"During the day we have our cafe section open and this enables people to meet in the mornings for sit-down breakfast and coffee before work or travel. This is also

a busy time for takeaway coffee and breaky on the go.

"There is a different atmosphere when it is

the dinner shifts, where

it's all systems go with burgers, chips and Golden Fried Chicken flying out

the door.

"The next atmosphere change is from about 10pm to 5am on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night and we love our night-time patrons who are out on the town having fun.

"We hear all the night- time stories and have a laugh and a joke with many and for me, personally, I

love these late-night shifts as its all 'a little bit looser' and that suits me to a tee.”

Since Lockie and Gelinda expanded, leasing the corner shop next to Hungry Tum for their cafe, business has definitely been on the up.

"Gelinda has taken on the cafe side of things and focuses on the morning coffees and breakfasts,” Lockie said.

"I take my hat off to her, she really knows her stuff and is very focused on customer satisfaction which is what she wanted the cafe to be about.

"She has a wealth of regular return customers, some visit every day and some every week.

"We have created a really nice breakfast atmosphere in the cafe which is exactly what we set out to do.”

When you ask anyone in Bundaberg what food they think of when you mention Hungry Tum, chances are they will reply chips, cheese and gravy and schnitzel sandwiches, because Lockie and Gelinda have worked hard to provide the best tasting and most filling menu in town.

In November last year they introduced Golden Fried Chicken to their menu, which has certainly been a hit.

The chicken is ordered in fresh and seasoned in store and cooked in cholesterol- free oil.

Of course they also have a very popular burger range, with a whopping 16 different burgers on the menu to choose from, including plain burgers, steak burgers, chicken burgers, bacon and egg burgers, spinach and ricotta burgers, chicken chilli burgers, veggie burgers and different combinations of these made to a customer's liking.

You can really taste that the burger patties are all made in store, with the mince, steak and chicken brought fresh from local butchers.

"Gelinda and I really enjoy the fact that the Hungry Tum is a real Bundy icon, and has been for many years serving the Bundaberg area,” Lockie said.

"We love the fact that the locals know that we are really the only 24-hour takeaway shop in Bundaberg, seven days a week, 365 days a year - we just never close,” he said.

"We are not connected to a large takeaway chain in any way, we are just locals looking after locals and because of that we always buy locally when it's available and employ local people.”

During the hotter months, the team at The Hungry Tum Cafe can appreciate that families enjoy a quick takeaway option.

Thankfully the cafe can cater for the whole family with a huge range of cool drinks and so many menu choices.