Wellington's Prefab opens new coffee bar offering after staff redundancies

Prefab, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

High profile Wellington café Prefab has "slowly started" a coffee bar offering after shutting its doors and making staff redundant.

Prefab Eatery, the 180-seat flagship café for the ACME brand, was founded in 2013 by Jeff Kennedy and Bridget Dunn.

But Delta level 2 proved too restrictive for Prefab to reopen after the latest Covid-19 lockdown. The decision was made to cease operations immediately and café staff were given notice of redundancy.

Kennedy told the Herald at the time they hoped to reinvent themselves at some point and open again. He was unsure when that would be.

But he said there was "no confusion" and they were closed.

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Since then, level 2 Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed. There are now no restrictions on the number of customers that can be seated inside or outside at a cafe, as long as people can safely stay 1m apart.

Customers must be seated at a table to eat or drink.

Dunn confirmed to the Herald they have "slowly started" a Prefab coffee bar. She said it would be open 7am to midday only, Monday to Friday.

The new menu listed online is simplified and offers the likes of eggs on toast, granola with Greek yoghurt and fruits, and toast and spreads.

It's understood some former Prefab employees have found jobs elsewhere in Wellington's hospitality industry.

Dunn did not respond to questions about why Prefab had chosen to open a coffee bar or whether any staff who were made redundant have been employed again.

Staff were informed that all positions at Prefab café would be made redundant in a letter sent by Dunn and Kennedy in early September.

The pair said they had reviewed the financial position of the business and that the new Delta level 2 rules were "not conducive" to the way they operated.

Dunn and Kennedy said they knew the decision would not be easy for staff.

"But this was an inevitable outcome of this global crisis and we believe this will be the best for the business. Therefore, regretfully all the positions at Prefab café will be redundant."

"This was a very hard decision to make. We would like to thank you for your hard work and commitment to Prefab Café."