BEING given 60 days notice to vacate the premises was a blessing in disguise for Willis Street café owner Damian Jones.
Meow Café’s landlord decided he wasn’t keen on the café being there any longer.
“The only reason he really gave was that he’d found someone willing to pay three times the rent,” says Jones.
But the pain became worthwhile when the owner of a space Jones had his eye on accepted an offer.
Meow Café is now located on Edward Street (just a block from where it was).
“The old shop was tiny and run-down,” says Jones. “It’s great to have a ridiculous amount of space. We’re going to have live jazz on Sundays, and when the liquor license comes through in March we’ll be running dinners at night.”
The jazz, which starts this Sunday, comes in the form of regular customers from the old Meow Café, who have been playing music around town.
“There’s been interest from others as well. I’m always open to people coming in and letting me know what they’ve got to offer,” says Jones.
He says because the space is so big Meow now has twice as many staff.
Jones has been able to transform the area into a funky café, similar in the style to the old one, but with couches, old-school décor, and lots of tables.
“Businessmen come in the mornings and have meetings on the couches – we can have about six groups of people here having meetings at one time.”
The menu has also changed to take into consideration the summer season, and now all meals can also be made gluten-free.
Meow Café is open from 7am–5pm weekdays and 9am–4pm weekends. From mid-March it will be open for dinner until late.