Stockist Spotlight Series ; Hayes Common
Today on the journal we chat to the team at Hayes Common - a neighbourhood eatery in Hamilton East with a focus on honest flavours and seasonal food. Conceived on the notion that every good community needs a common hub, Hayes Common is all about keeping it local.
Q : What is the story behind the name of your business?
A : Brent and Lisa took over the lease of The Hydro Cafe in mid 2016. They wanted the eatery to reflect the history of the Hayes Paddock area which was founded on socialist policy that a quality housing/environment should be a common goal for all New Zealanders.
The design of Hayes Common taps into the notion of these values. The houses in the area are founded on a colour palette of terracotta, muted blues and greens and no one is the same. We wanted to bring materials and colours into Hayes Common that spoke of it’s past heritage..
Q : What lies at the heart of your business?
A : Our community - we are fortunate to have a really unique location in the heart of Hamilton East with amazing support from our local community.
Q : Do you have anything exciting going on that you’d like to share?
A : We are opening a new cafe Weave Eatery at Ruakura’s Innovation Park - we were mid fitout when we went into lockdown. Seems like a crazy thing to be doing in the middle of a pandemic, but we’ve never been shy of a challenge!
Q : Do you have a favourite Forage and Bloom tea?
A : Salvation - we’ve been consuming lots of it over lockdown.
Q : What is one important piece of advice that you can give those in your industry?
A : Keep focussed on the big picture not the small hiccups along the way; prioritise some time weekly to work on your business from afar - it’s easy to get stuck working in it and miss opportunities; breathe!
Q : Do you have any words of encouragement for other businesses dealing with the impacts of lockdown?
A : We’ve tried to look at how we can work smarter, prioritise our health and that of our staff, and simplify things - the mental health implications of this in our industry is huge. There is so much work that happens behind the scenes, and it’s easy to let it get on top of you. We’ve reduced our hours and are focussed on quality over quantity.
Q : Favourite quote or words to live by?
A : “Nothing changes if nothing changes”
Thanks Hayes Common! We love your community approach and words of wisdom ☆