When Dave Hamel came to Narrabri to take over ownership of The Crossroads Hotel in February 2018 he was excited to be entering a new era in a town he quickly grew to love.

The Crossroads was the popular, busy and vibrant meeting place for many, with outdoor and indoor areas to enjoy great food and drinks.

The prospects for growth improved this year as the rain fell, a big winter crop planting appeared on the horizon, the Inland Rail project gathered momentum with attendant development of the Narrabri Inland Port and the possibility of a natural gas industry.

Then the coronavirus struck.

All hotels, restaurants, clubs and other venues where people gathered were forced to close abruptly.

It was a massive ‘king hit.’

A photo in The Courier at the time showed a shocked, and very worried, Dave Hamel.

Dave remains excited about The Crossroads and its role in the community, and the future, but as for so many businesses, times remain tough meanwhile.

But while the bar is closed, The Crossroads’ take away food service is very much open and popular – with home delivery.

And The Crossroads has a jewel in its crown of take away meals.

“We have a fantastic, authentic, wood fired pizza oven,” said Dave.

“And we are finding our pizzas are extremely popular – our classics, traditional toppings or special orders.

“Just phone up and we deliver to your home – we have a special deal – two pizzas and a bottle of wine for $50.

“And we are open for lunchtime takeaways, Friday to Sunday, from 12 pm to 2pm.(See advertisement this page).

The forced closing of the pub’s doors doesn’t just mean a few months lull between a bar thronged with customers to an empty bar while staff wait patiently to resume work in a few months.

“Like all pubs and many businesses we have ongoing overheads like insurance, power, rates, maintenance and more,” said Dave.

“These are challenging times for all businesses.

“But we are certainly working at ‘business as usual’ with the popular pizza and pasta, wings and some other specials takeaway and home delivery.

“Customers are welcome to phone up and come through the Lloyd Street side door to pick up.”

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