Gallery: The Hotplate

Since Tooradin restaurant Wings and Fins has appeared on Nine’s Hotplate series, Lozz and Nols have become local stars.

More importantly, the phone doesn’t stop ringing and the duo have been run off their feet.

“It’s non-stop. Phones, phones, phones!” Nols (pictured, top) told TV Tonight.

“We close on Monday and Tuesday and now I have to be on the phones and have it diverted, because I can’t walk into 90 phone calls on a Wednesday morning and ring everybody back.

“We got caught out a couple of weeks ago, it was ridiculous. We couldn’t wash the floors or clean the toilets. I was starting to stress with people coming in for lunch.

“We’ve had to change a lot of things because of The Hotplate.”

But it’s all for the better. The restaurant served up a delicious seafood spread for media on Friday, including crayfish so fresh it was straight from the tanks at the rear of the building.

All the customers are craving the crayfish, as seen on the Nine series.

“It shows how fresh we are, it’s amazing. At Christmas time we turn it into a shop and it takes us two days to packs the orders. It’s crazy,” she said.

Uniquely located beside an airstrip and Westernport Bay, east of Melbourne, Wings and Fins has had to put on extra staff to keep up with demand. Going on the series has been great for business.

“I did the show because a lot of people didn’t know we were here,” Nols explains.

“Now we have people coming in saying ‘We didn’t even know this place was here.’ You can only advertise so much, locally. Now all of Australia knows about us.”

But while Nols’ down-to-earth nature differs from other contestants on the Nine series, she’s managed to maintain a sense of humour.

“What you see with me is what you get,” she continues.

“No, I haven’t broadened my palate. I don’t eat rare meat. I’m not fussy. I think I just eat normal. But don’t ask me to eat rare meat, brains or kangaroo.”

The Hotplate airs 7:30pm Monday – Wednesday on Nine.