Business Franchise Australia Only the sixth of the company’s new ‘drive thru only’ concept stores Zarraffa’s Coffee Harristown was officially opened in August and is operated by seasoned franchisee Damian Doyle The Zarraffa’s drive thru only store model was launched last year and is designed to enhance customer experience for those who are time poor and demand convenience while delivering significant expansion opportunities for the Aussie-owned company and its franchisees “Opening this drive thru only store has been a long-term goal of mine and the concept is perfect for relieving the high demand on our existing Anzac Avenue store while offering a quick and easy coffee fix for our customers,” said Damian believes the company’s drive thru only model will help the brand grow in previously unexplored ways as more sites can now be considered for the streamlined store footprint “Our Harristown store represents the future of Zarraffa’s Coffee one of many of our new store locations that will be built on smaller non-traditional sites that are more convenient for our customers and we’re excited to see the positive impact this new location will have on the Toowoomba community,” said Marnie With a remarkable history of over 15 years with Zarraffa’s Damian previously opened Toowoomba’s first Zarraffa’s Coffee location at Clifford Square Shopping Centre in 2009 before relocating the original store to Anzac Avenue in late 2023 co-owner of the Harristown store is Damian’s son who have been integral to the success of the Anzac Avenue store a number of long-term employees who have been working with Damian from his early days as a franchisee will continue to bring their invaluable experience and dedication to the new store “Having Mackenzie on board makes this venture even more special He has literally grown up around coffee most of his life and together with our team we’re committed to providing top quality specialty coffee and excellent service to our community,” Damian added Zarraffa’s Coffee Harristown is designed with customer convenience in mind The store will operate from 4:30am to 8:00pm daily and is strategically positioned to serve both outgoing traffic and those entering the Gore Highway making it easier for locals and commuters to grab their favourite coffee on the go The store will employ approximately 22 new staff members contributing to the local job market and supporting Zarraffa’s ongoing commitment to the local community “One of the most rewarding parts is being able to employ local juniors and support them as they grow into managerial roles or professionals in other industries “It’s also important to me that I build strong relationships with local schools This allows us to help students enter the workforce – we have six new school-based trainees starting with us soon.” Along with supporting team members in their respective journeys Marnie Sheldon believes it is the achievement of multi-generational ownership – fast becoming a trend among the brand’s franchisee group – that should be applauded “Zarraffa’s is almost 30 years old and it is heartwarming to see the children of our franchisees now taking their first forays into store ownership Many who started out in high school working for their parents and have moved up the ranks are now growing each business with so much experience under their belt,” Marnie added who are at the heart of what makes Zarraffa’s expansion plans possible Seasoned operators who are opening more sites alongside the next generation are only going to strengthen the growth of the brand and ensure our that customers receive the best possible experience for years to come.” Zarraffa’s Coffee Harristown Drive Thru is located at 545 Alderley St For more information about Zarraffa’s Coffee visit www.zarraffas.com Email: production@cgbpublishing.com.au ©Copyright 2021 Business Franchise Australia and New Zealand | Design This is probably not the page you’re looking for (WICS) — A devastating explosion and fire erupted in Harristown on Saturday according to the Central Illinois Regional Dispatch Center (CIRDC) The CIRDC received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting the explosion and fire prompting the immediate dispatch of the Harristown Fire Protection District and Warrensburg Fire Protection Districts also responded to the scene first responders found a heavily damaged structure engulfed in flames Firefighters worked swiftly to contain the blaze and prevent further destruction The cause and origin of the explosion and fire are currently under investigation by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal The Macon County Coroner has identified the woman who died in the house explosion in Harristown RELATED: House explosion and fire claims life in Harristown was found dead at the scene of the house explosion in the 7400 block of W The incident is under investigation by the Illinois State Fire Marshall The Harris town hall – a stand-in for the second presidential debate – will start at 9pm ET on Wednesday With 13 days until the election, Kamala Harris will answer voter questions during a live town hall on Wednesday evening CNN will host the one-hour-and-15 minute event from Pennsylvania, a battleground state both the Harris and Trump campaigns need to win to secure the White House The network previously extended an invitation to Harris and Trump for an October debate The town hall will be held in Delaware county, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, 23 October. It will air in primetime, beginning at 9pm ET Anderson Cooper will serve as host and moderator for the town hall The CNN anchor and host of Anderson Cooper 360 is no novice when it comes to live presidential events having moderated the network’s June Biden-Trump debate CNN says the audience will comprise persuadable and undecided voters from the swing state Pennsylvania The town hall will air live on CNN CNN Max and on CNN apps for paying subscribers of each platform The Guardian has reporters following the town hall and will be covering the debate in a live blog and through live analysis and news After the September debate Harris challenged Trump to a second matchup I’d love to in many ways but it’s too late Get out and vote,” Trump said at a rally in North Carolina in late September Harris accepted CNN’s invitation to a second debate in late September, and later – when the deadline to accept the debate passed – agreed to the town hall. Her campaign released a statement that said in part: “Trump may want to hide from the voters but Vice President Harris welcomes the opportunity to share her vision for a New Way Forward for the country.” CNN said it also offered Trump to participate in a separate town hall The Trump campaign has so far not accepted the invitation Voters head to the polls on 5 November. Early voting is under way in some states, with Americans heading to the polls in droves in some states including Georgia Join the news democracyWhere your votes decide the Top 100 Reasons for you to sign up to our newsletter here Kamala Harris has been slammed on social media for a town hall event held in Michigan which some have claimed was "staged" A town hall event is usually where politicians speak with people they represent to hear from them about their topics of interest and to discuss what's going on along while answering unscripted questions Democrat candidate Harris attended one in Royal Oak, Michigan on Monday (21 October) which was hosted by Maria Shriver, the former First Lady of California But a viral video seemed to show Shriver denying people who attended the chance to ask Harris questions instead saying some had already been "pre-determined" an audience member asked: "Are we going to be able to ask a question?" hopefully I'll be able to ask some questions that might be in your head claiming the event was "staged" and it was not a town hall event at all One described it as a "clown show" Another said: "No doubt Harris knew about them too." "Kamala Harris was caught once again," one wrote Another said: "More staged than a reality TV show less authentic than the apology tour that'll follow it." Another said "it's no surprise" And one quipped: "Everyone watching Kamala Harris's town hall was thinking the same thing: 'Can you imagine four more years of this?'" But others were encouraged by some of the remarks Harris made during the event and one said: "Once again the American people are being called upon to save democracy from fascism." Another described the event as "brilliant" in the way Harris "articulated every policy and use with such precise but thoughtful understanding" Harris' campaign has not yet responded to the claims about the town hall event being staged How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings ABC News News HomeABC Rural End of an era for Landmark selling centre on Queensland's Darling DownsBy Arlie Felton-TaylorABC Rural The Landmark selling centre held its last sale on Monday and will move to the nearby Elders facility in 2016. (ABC Rural: Arlie Felton-Taylor) Link copiedShareShare articleThe move by livestock agency Landmark to end its lease at its current selling facility means only one saleyards will be used in the city of Toowoomba for the weekly sale. Yesterday was the last time Landmark held a sale at the set of yards located on 2.8 hectares in Harristown, bound by Condamine, Warwick and Buckland Streets. Landmark's south Queensland general manager Damon Ferguson said it had come after many years of plans to consolidate selling in the garden city from two venues to one. "Our saleyards in Toowoomba were sold in 2010 to Regional Infrastructure. Since then we've had a lease in place with our landlords and our lease has concluded this year, so we have decided moving forward that we will reach an agreement to operate in the Elders yard," he said. Mr Ferguson said he understood the owners of the site had plans for it early next year. "My understanding is that'll commence in January, so it'll no longer be a functioning and operating saleyards, it'll be remediated back into an industrial purpose." He said Landmark had negotiated a deal with Elders to sell cattle at their nearby saleyards on South Street in Harristown. "We've got a plan in place to make sure we can handle the capacity in those yards, and we've been working with the local Elders branch to make sure we can handle the bigger days." Mr Ferguson said Landmark did not expect any change in livestock numbers set to be sold in 2016, and because of that it would have a requirement for contracted staff. Southern Queensland cattle buyer Greg Iseppi was there for the first sale at the yards and said they were originally all wooden and looked very different to the ones there today. The Landmark saleyards will be redeveloped in 2016 and all livestock sales will be held at the Elders facility on South Street. (ABC Rural: Arlie Felton-Taylor) "I wouldn't say they were in real good repair but there were some smaller selling pens but a lot of big yards, because there were some fair sized drafts that used to come into the yards at that stage," he said. Mr Iseppi said he was pleased the Monday Toowoomba sale would be happening from one venue. He said the consolidation to one saleyards follows a typical pattern in Toowoomba where a number of saleyards had shut over time. "At one stage we had three very good saleyards and even the saleyards that are closing down now, they used to sell twice a week. "It's all down to one now and it just goes to show there are so many more big lines of cattle that go direct these days, and that's just the way the numbers have gone." Mr Iseppi said while the saleyards were essential for the smaller operators, it was clear over a number of years numbers had slowly been declining. A highlight of the final sale was a Limousin vealer steer, weighing about 200 kilograms, which made $5.27 a kilogram. It is understood the beast was sold to a local buyer and may be destined for a life in the show ring. CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)