Crazy for kebabs or kebabs bring the crazy?
Local residents in Altona North have complained that customers of local caravan kebab are disrupting the suburban neighbourhood.
North Altona Lipo’s Kebabs, situated in the western suburbs off the West Gate Freeway, has become a popular stop over, especially for the more youthful crowd after a night out. Popularity of similar kebab caravans have boomed in the past few years with more than ten open within a ten kilometre radius of Lipo’s Kebabs.
Lipo’s business owner, Mr Jim Dardha said, ‘we’re usually open until two thirty or three thirty in the morning depending on how busy it is.’ Kebab caravans normally open late in the evenings and stay open till the early morning. With only a few fast food chains with similar trading hours, kebab caravans have tapped a market that many people enjoy, the late night food run.
After six years of Lipo’s kebabs’ grand opening, the popularity of the eatery has spread, it’s especially popular with people who work late night shifts and truckies passing through. Many customers have become regulars and come for a kebab and a chat a few times a week.
However, with the caravan’s popularity, local residents are now voicing their concerns and complaints, issues have included the littering, the maintaining of noise levels and the safety of the surrounding neighbourhood.
The kebab eatery is situated on the corner of Millers Road and Princess Hwy, on a car wash block of land and at the corner of a small shopping strip. Residential areas begin next to the car wash on Millers Road and at the end of the shopping strip on Princess Hwy.
Local resident, Ian Armand, whose house is quite near to the caravan is most concerned with the noise levels.
‘I have three kids and we’re a young family, you have young groups coming around three in the morning, with loud cars and usually coming back from a party, lingering outside, and on more than one occasion woken me or my family,’ he said.
A signature petition has been circulating in the neighbourhood suggesting the caravan relocate.
Local teenager, Michael Dixon, who works at the take-away food store on the opposite side of Princess Hwy, on occasion enjoys a Lipo’s kebab and believes a petition to be unecessary.
‘People will make a song and dance about anything, they’ll try to blame they’re fears and feeling unsafe or disrupted on anything. They think it’s this place and the time that is attracting unruly or dangerous people or activity, but there was a shooting at McDonalds a couple of months ago and no one’s going around sooking about that,’ he said.
The McDonalds fast food restaurant, further down Millers Road, was the scene of a drive by shooting in August of last year, where no one was seriously injured.
‘If anything it’s just the littering, but nothing a few well placed bins can’t fix.’ Santos said.
Jim Dardha, has never received any complaints from his customers. The kebab caravan has experienced such success, Dardha was recently able to upgrade his caravan to a much larger spacious model, that is more well lit and even contains a television for those lulls in between food rushes.
Dardha, has worked in the meat industry since the age of 14 and believes the move to open his own business was the best choice for him.
‘In the six years here, I’ve never had any complaints from customers. You provide good service, good food and people come back. You just try to please everyone and you keep them happy. Business here has been good,’ he said.
‘It takes awhile to open your own business, you have to go to the council for approval and they inspect and survey everything, every year, but I got it in the end.’
In light of the caravan’s six years of success, Dardha plans to use the older caravan in a new location and hopefully start a chain of Lipo’s caravan kebabs.
The petition for signature’s continues to circulate around nearby residential areas.
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