Lost Cafe, formerly Joes Garage, will launch its new menu tomorrow, and aims to be "family friendly" and provide a "community service".
Manager Clark Carmody said the new menu - which starts at noon and will be presented seven days a week - had a distinct "American-style diner" flavour, with a focus on burgers, including options for children.
"Town is quiet and there's a lot of competition, but John and Susanna [Martin, Lost owners] see it as a community service, essentially.
"They have two 5-year-olds ... they want to go somewhere it's friendly and kids are welcome and they can tear around and have some fun."
Mr Carmody said the change in menu had been in the planning for six months and included gutting the existing kitchen and a new fitout to fully commercialise the area.
Included was a large hot-plate and a salamander to cook nachos, with more classic New Zealand take-aways to come.
"All of it is going to be take-away [as well as dine-in], but we'll start adding more deep fried items ... and become a bit more of a fish and chip take-away, as well.
"We're in the process of getting a liquor licence. We've applied for one and we're about six weeks away from getting that. It will be beer and wine only. We're not trying to be a bar ...we're here to cook food."
The cafe would continue to open at 7am seven days a week with its existing breakfast menu, before the alternate menu would become available after noon.
Its licensed hours would allow it to stay open until 11pm, but Mr Carmody said the cafe would probably close at 9pm.
"It's 90% locals business.
"Everything we do is for the locals.
"We've had great feedback. People are just really saying that the town needs something like this.
"It's missing something for the kids, it's missing something good quality ...
"I think it's been a bit of a myth around town for the past four months that we're actually doing something.
"This will reassure a lot of people in the community it's happening," Mr Carmody said.
