Re-opened highway coffee shop busier than ever

The Former The Girls' Coffee bar has been taken over - and customer demand is keeping them flat out.

Barb's Kitchen Minden owner Barbara Frohloff has just taken over The Girls' Coffee Shop at Fernvale. Picture: Dominic Elsome

BARB'S Kitchen and Gifts in Fernvale is already hiring only days after opening to keep up with crazy customer demand.

Formerly The Girls' Coffee Bar, the store was recently bought by Barb Frohloff, owner and operator of Barb's Kitchen at Minden.

The refurbished store opened its doors on Friday, August 16, with Somerset Mayor Graeme Lehmann, Councillor Sean Choat, and MP Jim McDonald among the visitors.

Block bookings from car clubs, and visits from travellers and locals alike have kept staff busy during the business' first days.

The shop is open until 7pm, and the evenings have been every bit as busy as the days.

"At night, we've had the whole shop full of people just waiting for their orders, because there's so many orders we just can't pump them out fast enough,” Barb said.

"We were expecting it to be busy, but this is extremely busy. We haven't stopped, we've just been go, go, go.”

Barb said she was already seeking out additional staff, but there were limits on how much extra work the team could manage.

"I'm already interviewing, so there will be more staff. The staff are doing everything they can, but you can only do so much cooking at one time. There's no room in the kitchen for more and more equipment,” she said.

The store's unprecedented popularity was in part due to changed businesses practices and a changed atmosphere, Barb said.

The original Girls' Coffee Bar was open from 5:30am to 3pm, with reduced hours on weekends, while Barb's Kitchen & Gifts has expanded its opening times from 5am to 7pm every day of the week.

The new store also offers a wider variety of meal options, including family and kids options, and home-made cakes and other baked goods.

The pace of business doesn't seem likely to slow any time soon, with advance bookings already filling up for Father's Day.

Barb said she was overjoyed by the support from the community.

"The reception from Fernvale has been absolutely fantastic. We've had so many locals come in and say how glad they are that we're here,” she said.