Foreshore Café opening approaches
17 November 2022
Things are heating up at the Foreshore Café Pod, with new operators A Little Fried aiming to open the café as early as the last weekend in November.
The final layout is starting to take shape, with many fittings already installed and final preparations expected throughout next week.
A Little Fried Owners Michele Dix and Robbie Rigg said they had been working hard to open in time for summer
“It’s exciting to have been given this opportunity – we’re really close now and can’t wait to open the beachside café and provide great food and service to the community and visitors,” Ms Dix said.
“We’ll be offering everyone’s favourite seaside café offerings – barista-made coffee; fish and chips; steak sandwiches; burgers; freshly made sandwiches, rolls and salads; cakes and ice-cream just to name a few!
“As well as utilising our wonderful team of skilled staff who currently service our other businesses, we will also aim to employ new locals to join our team, including a fully qualified chef.”
A Little Fried are aiming to open the facility from 7am to 7pm seven days a week, with the capacity to open extended hours for peak times and events. An exact opening date will be provided in the coming days.
Whyalla City Council CEO Justin Commons said it would be great to see the community and visitors alike back enjoying food and beverages down at the foreshore.
“Importantly, this pod will enable a café service to continue to operate even once redevelopment work starts on the Whyalla Surf Life Saving Club and former café building as part of our Foreshore Master Plan,” Mr Commons said.
“Without it, there could be no café throughout that construction period, which could take a couple of years. It can then be reused for other purposes, which is why we chose to invest in the pod rather than spending the allocated funds on the existing building, which is at the end of its useful life.”
Mr Commons also reminded the community and visitors that the Visitor Information Centre (VIC) pod was now open Fridays-to-Mondays 12pm-4pm and was another critical element in activating the foreshore.
“This VIC pod aims to entice further visitors to our stunning foreshore, including catering for those visiting from the west and south who may not pass by our main VIC – we’ve already seen 600 visitors to the pod since October with on average 50-60 visitors per day,” Mr Commons said.
“It’s great that we’ve already had positive feedback about the facility – including local artists gaining increased revenue from marine-themed work – and believe it enhances what we can offer tourists.”
This VIC pod is also extremely flexible and capable of being relocated and / or used for various purposes around the city in the future.