If you went to pick up your morning coffee from the Black Russian Caravan Bar today and could not find the van, fear not.
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The mobile cafe has now moved to a permanent location, just around the corner, at the Visitor Information Centre courtyard.
Usually the cafe is closed on public holidays, but owner Brogan Hanrahan said she was too excited and wanted to reopen and show off the new spot to the community, so decided to open today.
“We have been doing a lot of painting and gardening to get everything ready. I think the space is really great, it wasn’t really being utilised before,” Ms Hanrahan said.
“We moved here for a few reasons, firstly better access to power and water, to establish more of a permanent presence in the community and also so we would be able to accommodate more customers.
“We were limited as a mobile site because we could only provide for a certain amount of customers.”
The cafe owner keeps herself busy preparing the menu each day.
“Everything is made in house, and a few of the cakes we source from local bakers,” Ms Hanrahan said.
“I stay very busy, it is a long day with a lot of food preparation. I work about a 16 hour day, it is long but I love it.”
Ms Hanrahan said the Black Russian will be paying higher fees to council now they have moved to a permanent site.
“We will be paying more, similar to the fees paid by Pop Rocket Cafe,” Ms Hanrahan said.
The fee for this type of structure is set by council at about $4000 per container unit per year.
Pop Rocket Cafe operates a single container shop near the Katherine Hot Springs car park and is in the process of obtaining a liquor license.
Ms Hanrahan said the Black Russian has no plans to apply for a liquor license anytime soon.
“We have no intention of running a night time trade and we are not looking for a liquor license,” she said.
Ms Hanrahan moved from Darwin to Katherine about two-and-a-half-years ago and opened the caravan cafe in May last year.
“I have always had a passion for cooking and coffee, when I moved to Katherine I noticed a gap in the market and I thought I would set up a food van because they were trendy,” Ms Hanrahan said.
“Originally I was just going to work in it by myself and my intention was to stay mobile, but it was so well received.”
The Black Russian now employs a staff of seven.
“Part of the reason for starting up the business was community engagement, to liven up a space and get everyone out and involved,” Ms Hanrahan said.
The new site allows the Black Russian to remain open during the wet season.
