The Runway Cafe & Store

Lisa Stove and Stephen Badham

Providing relaxed café dining, Lisa Stove and Stephen Badham opened the doors to The Runway Café and Store in Woodbourne three years ago and say it has been extremely gratifying watching the business grow to where it is today.

The couple have transformed the building from an empty shell into a diverse art-filled space with a fully licensed bar, delicious local cuisine, spacious indoor and outdoor dining areas - and a mighty Argosy Aeroplane parked outside. No stranger to hectic time schedules, running a business, raising a family and hosting evening events would be a juggle at the best of times but, for Lisa and Stephen, it is all in a day’s work. Prior to opening the café and store, Lisa used to teach and manage a swim school, umpire local netball as a New Zealand official, and play local softball, on top of managing a household. “Steve and I were relatively new to the industry when we purchased the building although both of us had experience in particular aspects. Every day has its own challenges both in the home and at the café. But when I reflect on the past three years and opening just prior to the epidemic, I feel proud that we have managed to stay operating, thanks to the local community support.”

Working alongside Steve and watching his creativity while transforming the interior of the building has been pretty awesome, says Lisa.

“Our lounge is pretty special with eclectic furniture, artwork and the new addition of ‘The Frame’ tv so we can show special art pieces, plus use it as a means of projection for meetings and functions.” But what truly drives their passion for the business is the people, says Lisa. “We set ourselves up for locals and travellers passing by. Our local community is awesome, and we have loved getting to know our regulars. The banter is well and truly alive at The Runway!” Stocking and serving up regional and local products, The Runway Café also hosts regular Night Shift events on Friday and Saturday evenings in collaboration with local food truck owners. “We know how hard it is to get staff for hospitality, especially chefs, so our thoughts for this were to offer local food trucks to come in, hook up and cook the food while we open the lounge and outside area to dine in and enjoy the full bar or ‘Fly Around the World’ on the adjoining historic Argosy Aeroplane. Something pretty cool we do, is offer a function which includes boarding the plane for short flights to destinations, before offloading to The Runway Lounge for culinary delights from that country.”

Open Monday – Saturday, follow The Runway Café on Facebook for the latest updates.