Olive undr its current owners will close at the end of January. Photo: Google Maps
Popular Wellington cafe Olive is being sold after 20 years and is set to be revamped by new business owners from the Thistle Inn in Thorndon.
It comes in a string of closures across the capital including bakery Myrtle and Burmese restaurant Mabel's.
Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull
Olive is owned by its head chef Jamie Morgan and brothers Ferdi and Carlo Petegna who also own Fratelli on Blair Street.
The cafe has previously turned away former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her husband Clark Gayford because it was at capacity in 2020.
Ferdi Petegna said - after 10ears running the cafe - they are keen to step back from the pressure of the business and focus on family.
"Just thanking Wellington really and thanking all the customers. It's about the customers and the staff and we've had a heap of staff over 10 years that are always messaging us. And a lot of them want to come back and do cameo shifts over the next six weeks for fun which is pretty awesome," Petegna said.
Ferdi Petegna said Thistle Inn owner Richard Walshe will revamp the location but has not told them his plans for the business.
He said the decision will may shock Wellingtonians.
"The people that we have told already are like 'aw no' but they also know us and they understand that we have made Olive into more of a restaurant compared to what it used to be and next people can do whatever they want and they're going to come and try it and give it a go.
"When we took over, we got a lot of flack from the regulars at the time from changing it from a cafe to a restaurant but it paid off in the end. People just get used to it, you change your cliental slightly. The Olive we are now is definitely not what it was 10 years ago at all, it's quite different," Petegna said.
The cafe will close at the end of January.
The Thorndon pub is the oldest bar in Wellington and was established in 1840.
New owner drawn to Cuba Stret location
Thistle Inn co-owner Richard Walshe said he decided to buy the cafe because it was in a prime area and he was passionate about making Cuba Street thrive.
"It's just a great location, obviously Cuba Street is awesome, the premises is awesome, there's such a rad hidden courtyard out the back, it's just a great little spot," Walshe said.
The new establishment would enhance the Wellington hospitality scene.
"We want to create something that's really rad, vibrant, community focused and something where people just own themselves and love good food and good drinks," Walshe said.
He wouldn't reveal its new name but said they were still hashing out plans for it to open around either late February or early March.
He was also encouraging Olive's current regular customers to come along and try it out once it got off the ground.
"Olive has been an institution in Wellington and they've done an absolutely amazing job but everything changes from time to time. We're passionate about hospitality, we're passionate about food and beverage so please come on in and give us a try when we re-open," Walshe said.
He has also been meeting with staff who are currently working at Olive about keeping them on when the revamp happens.
Public servant Mel Ansell hoped it would not change too much and put the city's hospitality closures down to tough financial times.
"I think that it's a difficult economic environment at the moment and so that is probably the reason why a lot of places are closing," Ansell said.
Caroline Mosser, left, and Freya Wood. Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull
University student Caroline Mosser was saddened by the closure.
"I'm going to miss it, this is a cafe I come to very regularly and I really enjoy their food," she said.
Today was the first time her and friend Freya Wood, also a student, had visited Olive and was disappointed her time to enjoy it was now limited.
"I think it's a shame, Wellington's such a good place for people to really enjoy food and the culture around it," Wood said.
Dance teacher Gabby McElwee has been to Olive up to 10 times and loves its atmosphere.
Gabby McElwee loves the cafe's atmosphere. Photo: RNZ / Ashleigh McCaull
"Good food, still a nice ambience. The thing I like about Olive is it's always quite quiet, has a nice courtyard out the back so it's quite a peaceful place to go in the city with an oasis...I hope that it retains some of that," McElwee said.
A Wellington bar owner said the current economic state was the toughest he had to contend with in 25 years in the industry.
Jeremy Smith, who owns bars Lulu and the Arborist told Midday Report more businesses would likely have to close during summer.
"I think its inevitable more businesses will go under. It's when you're hanging on by your fingernails, you don't need much more to push you over the edge and what we've seen is there are some people who have built up a fair amount of debt that, unless things improve dramatically, won't be able to survive," Smith said.
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