Samoa’s first 24-hour café

By Vatapuia Maiava 20 August 2016, 12:00AM

Have you ever had a great night with some friends and wanted a coffee only to realize that this is Samoa and most restaurants where you could find a flat white closes after 10pm?

What about those times you’re sitting at home late at night and you suddenly have cravings for something sweet – dessert like sweet?  

Well those tough times are now a thing of the past with Samoa’s very own and very professional 24 hour café.

Located at the lobby area of the recently opened five star Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Hotel in Apia, the 24-hour café welcomes all with the sweet aroma of sweet and savory delights mixed with that freshly ground coffee smell.

“Our 24 hour café which is called the Lobby Lounge will definitely cater to anyone’s needs,” Sheraton Samoa’s Executive Chef, Pawel Klodowski told Samoa Observer.

“We serve a range of cakes, daily made pastries prepared by our very own bakery, sandwiches, Panini’s, Tortilla’s, sandwiches along with different beverages.”

According to Mr. Klodowski, opening Samoa’s only 24 hour café is a privilege and an honour for him.

“It feels great to be the only 24 hour café and I have noticed that it is starting to get busy,” he said.

“We are having a lot of late night customers coming over to have some food like a grilled Panini, cakes with coffee, some people also come in for just a drink and play cards with friends; it’s all about having a good time.”

“The café is open to everyone and we are happy to see the local guests becoming regular who we now know by name.”

And don’t worry, unlike many hotel based five start services, the Lobby Lounge café wont dry up your bank account.

“We don’t want to be too expensive and we want to create a good atmosphere that is welcoming to all the locals so it will be a place for everyone,” Mr. Klodowski said.

“The price ranges from cookies that are $4 to a ham and cheese or smoked Salmon Panini which is about $22; our variety of cakes served here ranges from $6 - $12.”

But running something for 24 hours straight is bound to have its own set of issues.

“Running a café like this does have its own set of challenges but thanks to the training we provide our team everything becomes manageable,” Mr. Klodowski said.

“We keep a fair rotation of staff so it gets much easier.”

According to Mr. Klodowski, the idea of having such a café was that of the people.

“The idea actually came from the guests and locals,” he said.

“When they came they told us that they are looking for something that’s open 24 hours and that’s why we decided to extend the hours and now we are open all day and night.

“We have a chef on standby every time and we have people standing in the front ready to serve 24hours.”

So if you want to enjoy a hot cup of joe with friends and family, then why not check out the Lobby Lounge, Mr. Klodowski and his team welcomes all.

“We are very happy to see everyone coming over and I want to let Samoa know that they are all welcome here.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 20 August 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>