How Beloved Local Businesses Have Adapted to Covid-19

Words by Zoë Mills (she/they)

Wellington is known for its incredible hospitality culture, but ever since Omicron has hit the city, life has been flipped upside down for our local businesses. As a loyal devotee of the Wellington restaurant scene (and a hospo worker myself), I went to three local hospitality businesses to see how they’re recovering post-Covid, and to find out the best ways students can support them in this tricky time. 

Chow: Tory Street

First stop of my tour-de-Wellington was the one, the only: Chow. Chow has maintained a cult following over the last 20 years the Tory Street restaurant has been open. Known for wildly cheap deals every day of the week, tasty Asian-fusion food, and out-of-this-world cocktails, it is a must-visit. I chatted to the restaurant’s current manager, Peter Lowry, about how the establishment is doing in the current age of Covid-19.

The restaurant, while still full to the brim with loyal customers, can feel a bit odd since Covid-19 restrictions have shifted. Customers are seated, wait-staff are masked, and it’s strictly table service only. Peter’s relieved that things are starting to get back to normal—the wellbeing of his 70 staff are his priority. “With [O]micron, there’s a new set of rules, and it's something that we’re working through”, he said. Chow has quickly adapted to the new rules. The restaurant has now branched out to offering delivery across apps like DeliveryEasy, and has even offered a free-delivery-thursday deal to encourage customers to get their fix of Chow even from home. Check your Instagram on a Sunday night and you're bound to see posts sharing the restaurant’s weekly “Chow and Chill” competition, where you can win $200 worth of takeout for your flat every week. The restaurant also offers two for one cocktails every Wednesday and Saturday and two for one dinners every Monday.Taking advantage of these deals is a great way to show your love to the joint without breaking the bank—plus, it’s a great way to try items off the menu that you wouldn't usually try.

The energy in Chow is always electric—loud pumping music, a packed bar, and loud chatter sets the tone for a night out on the town. The food definitely matches the vibe, with bright Asian-fusion flavours complementing the incredible cocktails—think drinks topped with tufts of candyfloss and crowd-pleasing margaritas. It’s definitely crucial that you make a booking before you come.

On a night out, Chow is definitely a destination within itself and with their recovery post-Covid being pretty successful, I’m excited to see where Peter takes the restaurant next.

Fix & Fogg Toast Window: Eva Street

Tucked away in a corner of Eva Street hides the perfect solution to your first-date stresses and brunch woes: the Fix & Fogg toast shop. The peanut butter company has taken Aotearoa by storm and is now stocking uniquely-flavoured nut butters all over the world. It’s no exception in their home city of Wellington, where their Eva Street Toast Window has been working hard during Covid-19.

The company took a hit during Omicron, but supermarket sales kept the nut butter company afloat. “Luckily we have some amazing locals, students and visitors who pop by to see us on the weekend”, team member Shanae explained to me. The Eva Street shop popped up in Wellington a few years ago and hides away in the same location of the original Fix & Fogg factory. “Our Eva Street window is no ordinary shop: it’s a hidden gem located in the heart of Wellington City. There’s no big signage, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for our peanut butter flag to find us.”. The window is an effective way of allowing regulars in touch with staff as customers are able to purchase directly from the Fix & Fogg window. The window-service method of the shop has also served as an advantage during Covid: with the entirety of the space being outside, the shop has been able to serve multiple groups without relying on table service. It’s refreshing to be able to see a business operate in some degree of normality amidst the current wave of Omicron.

But in all honesty, I’ve never been a huge fan of peanut butter—don't come for me—but ever since my flatmate started bringing home jars of Fox & Fogg, my mind was quickly changed; the toast here is out the gate. I tucked into the blackforest toast, topped with their very own choc-berry everything butter, granola, raspberry syrup, and freeze-dried raspberries—this one is not to miss. For hot food, the staff convinced us to try their famous toastie: swiss cheese, smoke and fire peanut butter (a very spicy PB), kimchi, and pickles. It sounds weird but trust me, you're gonna love this. It was incredibly rich, so they kindly boxed it up for us and we took it up to uni. 

Fix & Fogg was kind enough to offer an exclusive Salient discount for anyone keen to try out the Eva St window and show their support: “Just pop by our Eva Street window, show this article and you can get 15% off your purchase over the month of April. Other than that, a follow on Instagram and a nice comment now and then is always nice!”

Sweet Release: Manners Street

This unassuming Manners St café is serving up some of the best vegan food in all of Wellington. After owner Kris fell ill with an autoimmune disease, she turned to baking to help her through rough times. 

“I named the company Sweet Release because of my autoimmune disorder called Graves’ disease”, Kris explained to me. “I just really liked learning how to bake while I was sick as I was housebound for a long time”. 

She seemed to be pretty good at baking too, having left her IT job to pursue Sweet Release over seven years ago. She tried veganism to help stabilise her thyroid and went on to open Sweet Release as a fully vegan and allergy-friendly joint. 

Sweet Release also places a huge emphasis on workers’ rights. Kris explained to me: “We are an accredited Living Wage company as well, which means everyone on our team gets paid at least the living wage, and we’re dedicated to making sure we keep up with that”. As well as emphasising workers’ rights, it's easy to feel welcome and accepted in the store. Pride flags peek through the overflowing pinboard advertising local events, posters line the walls; the café radiates a sense of community that is unlike many cafés I’ve visited.

Omicron has hit sweet release hard—even more so after the Parliament Grounds anti-mandate protests. The team made the choice to shut the doors an extra few days a week for the sake of employee wellbeing.

“We went from opening seven days a week to just opening four days a week”, Kris explained. “That was mostly kicked off when the protest was here because we had a lot of people abusing our team. We just kinda thought—our team needs at least a few days off to recover mentally”. 

Kris mentioned to me that, because a lot of their regular customers were immuno-comprimised or had serious allergies, Sweet Release have begun planning out how to operate at-home deliveries. She assures me that the team is back up and running and looking forward to welcoming new customers. 

Sweet Release doesn't serve the type of food you’d associate with veganism; think decadent cakes, donuts, brownies, and burgers. “We have a lot of focus on comfort food. You know when people first transition to veganism and they're like “Ugh, I don't like vegetables''? We’re kind of like the buffer for that”. 

Kris recommended I try the student special of the $10 Mac’n’Cheese, which I topped with some “Not Ribs”: crispy pieces of imitation pork rib meat made of jackfruit and vital-wheat gluten. I was sceptical, but pleasantly surprised. The way that Kris and her team have been able to recreate the taste and textures of non-vegan food is incredible—it’s not surprising that their “Not Ribs'' won third place in 2019’s Wellington on a Plate. The Mac’n’Cheese itself was incredible. We also grabbed a bowl of crispy fries and fried tofu, and finished up with one of the best brownies I have ever eaten. Louis’ Cafe up at Kelburn Campus has got nothing on these brownies.

Sweet Release has made an extraordinary recovery since the anti-mandate protests, and Kris is beaming as she welcomes new customers and new vegans into the shop. But, If I’m a broke student, how can I support your business without breaking the bank?

“Spread the word about us… support our posts, share it, that costs nothing!”