YOU BREWTY: Coffee chain chooses North East for first Victorian store

The Fast Lane Drive-Thru Coffee recently started serving customers on the Border in the West Wodonga service centre on Melbourne Road, also home to burger restaurant Carls Jr and a 7-Eleven petrol station, under franchisees Ben Phelan and Wendy Schirmer.

Mr Phelan, a diesel mechanic by trade, has worked in the Tocumwal district for 15 years, while Ms Schirmer, who hails from Lockhart, is a radiographer with more than 10 years' experience in the Riverina.

The Fast Lane Wodonga offers espresso coffee, tea, frozen and iced drinks, along with light snacks such as bacon and egg rolls, muffins, croissants, banana bread and toasties.

It has also teamed up with Border business Miss Naked Cakes to sell a range of its cookies and cupcakes.

Along with its drive-through service, the store also includes a walk-up servery window, pre-order app and prepaid coffee cards, which offer a discounted price for customers.

Mr Phelan said there was a number of factors that drew he and Ms Schirmer to the business, including its award-winning coffee blend and the wide variety of drinks and food offered, and said they looked forward to calling Wodonga home.

"There's a welcoming and friendly atmosphere with an emphasis on providing customers with an all-round great experience every time," he said.

"Both hailing from the Riverina area, we have many family and friends in Wodonga and its surrounds.

"Wodonga offers a family-friendly environment and a strong sense of community. It's the perfect fit for The Fast Lane, and we're thrilled to be a part of it."

The Fast Lane was launched in Dubbo in 2009 and has since expanded to Wagga and Bathurst in NSW, as well as Rockhampton and Maryborough in Queensland, before it welcomed a Wodonga store to the fold in April 2024.

"Both coming from the Riverina area, we knew and loved The Fast Lane product from the Wagga franchise," Ms Schirmer said.

"When the opportunity came up to purchase The Fast Lane in Wodonga, we jumped at the chance. We cannot wait to become part of Wodonga's great community.

"We have had some beautiful feedback and our customer base is growing daily."

The Fast Lane trades from 5.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday, 6am to 2pm Saturday, and 7am to 1pm on Sundays.

Meanwhile, the service centre's developer Spectrum Retail Group has confirmed Portuguese chicken restaurant Oporto will open on the site in early June.

"We've had a bit of a staggered start. We had 7-Eleven first and Carl's Jr, Fast Lane and now Oporto is the last one to open, and that's scheduled to open the first one or two weeks of June," Spectrum Retail Group managing director Julian Ackad said.

"The date is moving slightly, but early June is the update."

Pinnacle Hospitality, a business linked to Spectrum Retail Group, will operate the Wodonga Oporto store.