Angela the office boss

Angela Kane is excited about the new look she's created for The Office Cafe-Restaurant. Photo / Stephen Parker

Owning a cafe wasn't in the plans when Angela Kane quit her job. But less than a month after seeing The Office Cafe-Restaurant was on the market, she'd purchased the cafe, given it a facelift and re-opened it.

It's been a whirlwind couple of months for Miss Kane.

After being in the cafe industry for more than a decade, she left her job in a local cafe unsure of what was next.

"I didn't have a plan, I didn't have any idea."

That all changed when her partner spotted the business for sale on Trade Me and convinced her to take a look.

It had been closed for several weeks at the time, but Miss Kane said she could see the potential in the Tarawera Rd cafe.

"I'd been out here once before and I didn't really like it."

She felt it was too dark, but a fresh coat of paint has changed that.

As well as changing the menu - including adding some game meats to reflect its location next to The Outdoorsman - they'll be offering Friday night "Office" drinks from this week.

They've also kept the little offices which were a feature, with an online booking system to allow business people to book meetings in the rooms.

"We've had a lot of people using the offices for meetings."

She said they were a good option for business people wanting to get out of the office, or those working from home who wanted a place to meet clients.

Those business people, as well as Lynmore locals and people using the Redwoods, are who she is hoping to appeal to.

While owning a business was never in the master plan, Miss Kane said she was enjoying it.

"I know how tough the industry is.

"I thought I'm crazy to consider it but I'm 42, I still want to have a life and I'm not really skilled at anything other than typing, serving and selling so I thought I'd give it a go."

She believed good-quality staff, good coffee and being welcoming, as well as not being overpriced. The biggest challenges Miss Kane has found was the marketing, as well as balancing the business side while still finding time to be on the cafe floor.

Miss Kane believed there was an increased confidence in the hospitality sector locally, with several new cafes opening around town.

Relish has been reopened recently, while Eat Streat has Atticus Finch as a new addition.

Chamber of Commerce chief executive Darrin Walsh said it was positive sign for the hospitality industry and the great Rotorua business community.

"It is a sign that business owners have the confidence to launch new ventures which has to be very positive for Rotorua."

Mr Walsh said there were signs that consumer confidence was increasing and with that came increased spending.