By REBECCA BILLS
HISTORY will be made when the five millionth customer walks through the doors of the Cuckoo Restaurant to win a trip for two to Germany.
The customer is expected to walk through the doors mid-May and will be dazzled by the sound of cow bells and yodelling to celebrate the all expenses paid trip.
Marketing manager Judy Bitterman said all the staff at the restaurant were ecstatic about the giveaway which would mark a huge milestone.
“We all are extremely excited here at the Cuckoo,” she said.
“We have never done anything like this before and it’s something that has never happened in the Hills before.”
Not only is the Cuckoo celebrating the upcoming five millionth customer, it is celebrating 100 years on the site.
Mrs Bitterman said the building that housed the Cuckoo was built in 1914 and was originally called the Quamby.
“In 1958 the Quamby was sold to Willi and Karin Koeppen,” she said.
“Shortly after they moved in, Karin heard the sound of a cuckoo calling in the darkness.
“She woke her husband and said “we will call the café The Cuckoo”.”
Nestled in the picturesque Dandenong Ranges, the Cuckoo is designed in the style of a Bavarian Chalet, boasting staggered gabled roofs with scalloped edging and ornate window shutters and was the first smorgasbord restaurant in Australian.
Mrs Bitterman said the restaurant was one of the most successful in Australia.
“What makes this place so unique are the owners and all the staff that give so much love to every person that walks through the doors – it’s a very unique, warm and friendly place to visit.”
