The new deli is open!

The espresso bar is open four days a week – Tuesday through Friday – from 9 AM to 2 PM. During these times, you can get an espresso drink or a hot item to go – like a slice of pizza, a grilled cheese sandwich, or a spanakopita. Instead of waiting in line, you take a ticket and you can continue to browse what we offer until we call your number. Then you can place your order and purchase all your items from the store and the deli at the counter (limit of ten items).

The deli may be open even though the espresso bar is closed. On Tuesdays through Fridays, we will have someone available to serve you from 2 PM to 6 PM; on the weekends and Mondays, we have someone available from 10 AM to 5 PM. You can come and get a hot coffee or bowl of soup, and you can shop all of the breads, baked goods, sandwiches, wraps, prepared foods, meats, and cheeses. During these hours, you will take all of your items to the store counter for purchase. If you need assistance, just ring the bell and someone from the kitchen can help you. 

We decided to try this new format because, like so many other businesses, we’ve had to pivot in order to remain viable. The cafe had shown a slight decline in sales in 2019 and a huge decline in sales in 2020, largely due to the pandemic. At the same time, the store has shown a huge increase in sales and, thus, we decided to expand the varieties and types of food available by following a deli style. 

We have a great number of new items available. We’re making many of the items in-house – such as quiche, granola, hummus, macaroni and cheese, and soup – and we’re working on more new recipes as time goes on. Our deli survey showed that people are especially interested in salads and dips and we’ll focus on those this spring. We’re also bringing in meats and cheeses from places like Oyama Sausage from Granville Island, Farmhouse Natural Cheeses from Agassiz, and Haltwhistle Cheeses from Duncan. Our deli survey showed that people were excited about new cheeses, so let us know if you have any more favorites. Finally, we have a new drink cooler too, and we’re filling it with Zen Moment Kombucha from Courtenay, Salt Spring Island Kombucha, and a variety of drinks from Philips Brewing in Victoria, such as sodas and sparkling waters.

We will continue to build what we offer in the coming months. We will add products that we make in-house and we will try new lines of meats, cheeses, and grocery items. Our deli survey showed that people felt the most important priorities were origin (local) and quality. As you can see from our choices so far, we are focused on the highest quality food from BC. If you have product ideas, let us know! We intend to fill the space with the best foods available from our region. And, as always, thanks for your continued support. We’re off to a great start and we look forward to serving you better with this new model!