Meshino family unites with specials
The days are numbered for much-loved St Albans cafe Meshino, which closes on August 6 – only to reopen 10 days later revamped and better than ever. Phew!
The cafe on Rutland St is housed in a refashioned character villa that suffered flooring damage in the February 2011 quake.
The floor got fixed, sort of, but over time it become a bugbear of owners Mike and Gaby Topp, who recently decided enough was enough: the floor would be redone, and while they were at it, the rest of the cafe could get a makeover, too.
‘‘We’ve got a new feature wall going in, the cabinetry is going to be upgraded, the toilets will be modernised and we’re putting in a new counter,’’ Mike says.
‘‘We’re also upgrading our till system and we’ll be introducing a loyalty app so people won’t have to carry around those cards any more. It’s going to be really cool because we’ll be able to do promotions through the new app and let people know about specials and other things happening.’’
The cafe will reopen on August 17 and during the closure will serve takeaway coffees and a limited range of cabinet foods from a temporary counter.
To appease Meshino’s die-hard fans in the meantime, a new special offer has started at Meshino’s sister cafes, Meshino Expresso, in Wigram, and LB & Co Espresso, in Ilam.
Until the end of August, visitors to the cafes who order one of the daily lunch specials will be able to collect a stamp on the newly released ‘‘One, Two, Free Special’’ cards; once stamps have been collected from both sister cafes, the cards can be redeemed for a free ‘‘welcome home’’ special lunch at St Albans.
All three of the cafes now serve Allpress coffee, and staff regularly work at the different locations to provide continuity for the Topp’s increasingly popular mini cafe empire
Regulars with a ‘‘VIP Coffee Card’’ or in the ‘‘Breakfast Club’’ can gain and redeem points at any of the three cafes. Existing points will soon be able to be transferred to new Meshino loyalty schemes.
The relaunch of Meshino in St Albans will see a number of new dishes added to the menu, as well as a new wine list featuring wines from Main Divide.
People looking for the favourites will still find them, though. Some, like the Vietnamese chicken salad, are so popular they’re virtually impossible to drop, Mike says, and other enduring classics, like the creamy mushrooms on toast, are pushing similar status.
The renovations will also retain the playground for children and the versatile seating indoors and out.
For people on the go, branded ‘‘keep cups’’ from Meshino and LB & Co Espresso can be bought as an alternative to disposable coffee cups. As well as being more environmentally friendly, the cups get users a discount on each coffee.
Meshino is located at 75 Rutland St, St Albans. Phone 03 355 2449 or visit meshino.co.nz. The cafe is open every day except from August 6 to 17 when it is closed for renovations. During this time, Meshino Expresso will remain open at 1 Stark Drive, Wigram, and LB & Co Espresso at 136 Ilam Rd, Ilam.
We’ll be able to do promotions through the new app and let people know about specials and other things happening. Mike Topp Meshino cafe