A Taranaki church has opened a café with prices kept low to encourage families to eat out together. The Bridge on Fenton opened about three weeks ago in the former Stratford RSA restaurant, which the Mountainview Vineyard Church has leased.
“We’re trying to keep costs down so people can come. We are living in difficult times and not everyone can afford to eat out,” noted Pastor John Sheed, adding that the aim of the new café is ‘creating community with food’.
“Most people should be able to eat here for $10 a head.”
The cafe has several paid staff, assisted by volunteers from the church. Recipes for some food on offer had been gathered during a trip to Europe, others were church members’ family favourites.
Church volunteers had spent about a year refurbishing the old restaurant, which had not been used since the Stratford RSA closed its doors in 2015 and had needed extensive work.
“We’ve kept it the same so people can still have their trip down memory lane, but at the same time have brought it into the 21st Century,” said Sheed.
