Go Local! Katikati's Chrome Cafe supports local and encourages others to do same

Chrome Cafe co-owners Shelley and Trudie Robinson welcome customers for fresh brewed coffee keeping to level 2 guidelines. Photo / Chris Steel

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A Katikati cafe has been enjoying welcoming customers back for their coffee and cafe fix as alert levels move down, and is happy to have some cash flow going.

Chrome Cafe co-owner Trudie Robinson says last week was their third one open, and they had been doing drive-through coffee and food during alert level 3.

She says the second week was busier than the first, but it had slowed down when the move to level 2 was made, as everyone else was open too.

They had been lucky to have the wage subsidy as an option, she says.

Trudie says the support they have received from the community had been great - "it feels pretty great to get some cash flow going".

"It's been amazing. They've [customers] been really supportive and really appreciated being able to get a coffee.

"Lots of regulars have been coming back."

Trudie says it is important for people to support the local community businesses.

She says Chrome Cafe itself has changed a lot of its buying to local people.

Trudie says under alert level 2 there are a few things they have to do differently to normal to keep the business running and open.

These include having a sign-in guest register when people arrive, table service only, and two metre apart tables, so it would be interesting to see how these went, she says.

She says the only downfall was that it was going to take more staff to monitor and keep the drive-through open.

Business, tourism, hospitality and retail came to a standstill when Covid-19 put the country into level 4 lockdown.

Go Local! is a major media campaign by NZME, which is a call to action for people to support local businesses and organisations, helping get Bay businesses back on their feet.