After giving his all to the Hudsons franchise for nine years, owner Matt Kington said the whole team would be taking on a new challenge.
‘‘It’s going to be called Stella— if you’re at the Grammy Awards or something like that, it’s a stellar performance, and that’s what we strive for and it’s also my grandmother’s name,’’ Mr Kington said.
Hoping to open Stella’s doors in May, Mr Kington said the new premise was in a prime position next to Australia Post.
‘‘The premise is huge, it’s got all the facilities that we’ve been missing and it’s got the option of putting in a kitchen and maybe a wine bar or tapas bar in the future,’’ he said.
Mr Kington said there comes a time when an opportunity comes along that is too good to refuse.
‘‘We really like to support local businesses and stuff like that . . . I think it’s really important to be able to source things fresh and locally, which we now will have the opportunity to do,’’ he said.
Although the Hudsons brand will close for Shepparton, Mr Kington said the team will continue with the community spirit and welcome loyal customers into the new premises.
‘‘I’ve been in hospitality for 18 years now, I’ve been the owner here since 2011, so I really feel that the skills that we’ve accumulated along the way and the team that we’ve put together can quite easily do it just as good if not better in a bigger, better shop,’’ he said.
Knowing what the customers want, Mr Kington said the business will run similar to Hudsons with an added advantage of expansion possibilities.
‘‘It’s virtually going to open up exactly the same as what we do now . . . there is so many cafes doing the sit-in breakfasts and all that sort of stuff so our market is really the time-poor person that really wants a really good coffee and some good service and a quick sandwich and be in and out,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ll be sad to leave a hole here (in the mall) because there (is) a lot of good businesses around here but for us it’s a good opportunity to take on and we’re genuinely very excited.’’
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