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SATURDAY January 24, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 21, 2004 The Powderhorn A strange stop in new place Peter Hahnloser Closing a major artery like Interstate 5 doesn't seem like the kind of thing that benefits anyone. Travelers are stranded, police are out directing traffic, and there's all manner of cars driving around, knowing not where they go. But businesses close to the freeway must love it when the road shuts down. What else are you going to do in a strange town? For places that serve coffee, a closure means instant customers. "It happens within three to four minutes," said Cathy Schneider, a cook at the Wild Goose Cafe & Bar who has worked there for about two years. Not a normal morning "This time of year, it's not busy - but steady," Cathy said of the restaurant, which is nearly the first thing travelers see when they get off the freeway onto Highway 66. A normal Tuesday morning for the kitchen is orders from four or five tables at a time. This week, orders arrived 10 to 15 at a time, pushing the usual 10-minute turnaround to 20 or 25. And it wasn't just more of the usual. "People wanted lunch at 9," Cathy said. The Wild Goose usually does more breakfast business than lunch - Cathy estimated 70 percent - partly because the morning meal is served through 2 in the afternoon. Lunch is not available until 11 a.m., and that didn't change just because the road was closed. At the front of the house, the two scheduled waitresses got assistance from one who happened to stop by. There wasn't a line at any point, but that was only because the tables were being bused as quickly as possible. One of the waitresses said it was twice as busy as usual. Tips aside, 50 percent more staff for 100 percent more customers isn't the best ratio. Perhaps the worst casualty of the crowd at the Wild Goose was the specials menu: The chicken livers sold out. Rock'n and Rolla-in Just over the freeway and up Clover Lane, Rock'n'Rollas got a bump, but nothing like their neighbors at the Goose. Marty Bryant, who works all over the restaurant, said he saw a 10 percent increase. "We did good, and it was all because of the freeway," he said. Most of the increase came in the form of business travelers, who wanted mug after mug of coffee and passed the time complaining about the status of the road. "They say, 'I-5 is closed a lot,'" Marty said. And, of course, everyone in the place was eager for the road to reopen so they could get to destinations consisting of all points south. But this closure didn't really compare to the nearly two-day shutdown of I-5 between Christmas and New Year's, wherein motorists were stranded between exits among feet of snow. If nothing else, it's certainly far nicer to have a warm building, with food and drink, in which to pass the time. And though Tuesday's closure was only a few hours, both establishments are ready and willing to go the extra mile the next time people get stranded for a longer timespan. "I've heard [the Goose has] done extended hours," Marty said, noting the 10-hour discrepancy in closing time between the two establishments. "We'd stay open to accommodate them." Why wreck the best part of a bad situation? Peter Hahnloser is the News Editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. He can be reached at 482-3456 x 3021 or [email protected] DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams