Located on the Otago Central Rail Trail in Lauder, the cafe has been recognised by international travel website Tripadvisor — for the second year in a row.
The Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2022 award recognises businesses that consistently earn great reviews on the travel site, Travellers’ Choice award-winners being among the top 10% of listings on Tripadvisor.
Winners are determined based on the quality and quantity of reviews and ratings posted over a 12-month period, as well as an additional editorial process.
Stationside Cafe owners Darryl Jones and Helen Reid received word of their success by email in the middle of the night last week and were pleased with the news.
"For a wee place in the middle of nowhere, that’s not too bad," Mr Jones said.
"I’m not sure how common it was to get it multiple times, so to get it two years in a row ... it’s quite good for newbies."
Mr Jones and Ms Reid took over the cafe in December 2020, and while Ms Reid had a background in food technology, neither had experience running a cafe.
They quickly set about making the cafe their own, incorporating New Zealand classics and fresh meals, adapting and learning the business as they went.
Mr Jones drew on his graphic design background to create designs for the cafe, from T-shirts through to packaging, and Ms Reid introduced family recipes to the menu.
Ms Reid even made dog biscuits for four-legged trail users.
While the cafe is a labour of love, it is the people the couple meet which are the diving force.
"It’s really interesting the people we get to meet," Ms Reid said.
"Meeting the people on the trail and hearing their stories, having a laugh ... we love it."
"A lot of people comment we’re the most humorous on the trail," Mr Jones said.
"We just do it our way — we engage people and make them feel welcome."
