It might seem risky opening a hospitality business at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is just what Dunsborough chef Tim Baarspul did, and business is booming.
Chef Baarspul had wanted to open a hamburger joint for sometime and an opportunity came up in mid-January to realise that dream.
Soon after COVID restrictions were coming into effect and Chef Baarspul was feeling apprehensive, but he took a leap of faith and decided to forge ahead with his new establishment.
He opened Burgertron on the Easter long weekend when Dunsborough is normally bustling with tourists.
"We thought bugger it, let's just open, step up to the challenge and see what happens," he said.
It was a good move, the burger joint was swamped on its first weekend of opening, they completely sold out of food in the first two days.
More on COVID-19 impacts in the South West
"It has been awesome, and has been really well received by the public," he said.
"I have been able to give jobs to a lot of local hospitality crew who were otherwise out of work and were not able to get the JobKeeper payment."
Since opening the owners have installed another cool room, bought another grill and are about to employ more staff to keep up with demand.
"I did not think it would get this big," he said.
"We have guys that come in nearly everyday and have been for three weeks straight eating their way through the menu, just loving the product.
If every dollar that's spent can be passed through three or four different places before it leaves town, that's a win in my eyes.
- Richard Moroney, Burger Baby Margaret River
"We are not trying to reinvent the wheel we are just producing great hamburgers that people want, and during this time of uncertainty good comfort food is pretty important."
It seems the region's hamburger businesses have bucked the national trend, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting a 22.9 per cent decline in trade on takeaway services throughout March 2020.
Richard Moroney, owner of popular Margaret River eatery Burger Baby said the simple message of hope was what drove his team to continue.
"Our attitude from the outset has been one of hope - and to be able to provide that hope to the guy who's about to have his first baby, or to tell my staff that I do in fact have some hours for them, that's what it's all about."
Burger Baby has become one of the most-ordered takeaway food options in the South West town, with loyal locals driving up demand and pushing wait times on busy evenings out to more than two hours.
Mr Moroney recognises the impact that loyalty has had on the business community, with customers also choosing to spend their money with other local outlets as well as his own.
"The main street is the heart and soul of every town, and these businesses are more than just the business, they're the family behind them, the staff, their places in the community," he said.
"It used to take me 40 minutes to walk up to the bank because I'd be stopping all the time to chat to people... now it's pretty depressing to step out there and see it so quiet.
"If we lose our butcher, or our greengrocer, or any of the businesses, they're not going to come back quickly.
"It's a matter of us all keeping our doors open, helping each other to keep our doors open.
"If every dollar that's spent can be passed through three or four different places before it leaves town, that's a win in my eyes."
The hospitality industry has been rocked by COVID-19 restrictions putting many cafes and restaurants to a standstill that could not provide alternatives to its regular offerings.
In WA alone, the ABS reported job losses in the food and accommodation at at a rate of 25.6 per cent since March 14.
"That's the great thing about food," Mr Moroney told the Mail.
"It's a conduit, it's an emotional thing, and it's something we all need and it's a connection for us.
"In some cases we can be the only contact a person has had with the outside world in a while, so to be able to provide that connection is also really important."
With burgers an affordable crowd pleaser on most of the region's dinner tables, Burger Baby's popularity has meant Mr Moroney has had to work to maintain the venue's high standards and not bow to temptation to increase production.
"I could change the way we do things to be able to get more burgers out, but the quality would suffer and that's not what we're about," he said.
"For me, the take away from this whole shutdown experience is that it has been a privilege, to be able to remain open and share what we can with our community.
"To see people's faces when they know they still have a job, or that we're spending money with another local business, that's they key for me."
