Saint John Hostel Opens Cafe To Bring Travellers and Locals Together
SAINT JOHN– Saint John’s boutique hostel is hoping to host more locals as well as tourists with the new addition to its space: a cafe.
The BunkHaus Hostel is now the BunkHaus Hostel + Cafe. Its lobby has been transformed to include more seating and a vibe that invites you to sit down and relax with a friend, or perhaps meet a new one.
The Bunk Haus cafe serves coffee products from Java Moose and tea from the nearby Feel Good Store. The new cafe is also the official tap room for Loyalist City Brewery and also serves mixed drinks as well.
Owner Ingrid Woodhouse says the idea to open a cafe came when tourism season started to slow down in mid-October.
“I thought about what I could do to not only bring more people through the door but also to improve my guest experience. One of the things is when people come in the door, I want them to come into a cool atmosphere that’s fun,” says Woodhouse. “I already had my liquor license and I was already serving alcohol and I was already serving coffee, so I why don’t I just open this up to the public?”
The new cafe will make it easier for travelers to meet locals and vice versa.
“When you’re traveling, you always want to meet locals. That’s why people stay in hostels. That’s why you travel – to meet new people. I felt like I was cheating my guests by having them come and not get to meet locals and a lot of locals were like, ‘I want to come in and meet travelers, but am I allowed?'” says Woodhouse.
“This was an effort to really open my arms wide and say ‘come in public, meet all these cool people I get to meet on a regular basis.”
Closing at 11 p.m., the BunkHaus cafe will also provide a late night spot to work and relax. Most of the other coffee shops in the area close at six or eight p.m. But since hostel employees are scheduled to work late anyway, Woodhouse says staying open late isn’t an issue.
“I’m already paying rent. I’m paying lights. I’m paying staff to be here. So why not diversify what I’m offering?” she says. “We’re here until 11 p.m., let’s get some people in here to hang out with us.”
There are also plans for the cafe to host live music, poetry nights and movie night and other events. The cafe also serves snacks from Sankara Cusine. Woodhouse also hopes to secure a food license to serve her own creations, such as Norwegian waffles.
No matter if you’re a traveller or a local, she says the BunkHaus Hostel + Cafe is for everyone.
“It’s for everybody. It’s not just travellers. It’s for locals too,” says Woodhouse. “Everyone from students to mature working professionals. Just cool people that just want to hang out or meet travellers or just come and work somewhere.”