Plateau Epicure.

Alstonville has a population of 5000 which comprises of many who cashed up and cleared out of the big smoke. They left behind the hustle and bustle, but certainly not their appreciation for fine food, the Sunday morning hit of good coffee, and a place to read the local paper.

With the emerging trend of sidewalk cafes catering to those in search of exquisite - coffee, conversation and food, 'Plateau Epicure' was born. The name says it all - a Cafe/Deli situated on a Plateau where you Can Enjoy Eating And Drinking For Pleasure.

Owners Don and Penny Braby tell their story:

"The dictionary defines success as: Achievement, accomplishment; fulfilment; realisation; satisfaction; etc.

These days, success in small business is more likely to be also described as a miracle.

After more than 3 years, we are able to look and reflect on the growth of our gourmet food business and occasionally feel just a tinge of smugness in the knowledge that we recognised a niche market and capitalised on it. In fact, our success has prompted others in town to try and do likewise.

We observed a flood of newcomers to Alstonville who seemed to sorely miss their city comforts of gourmet deli delights and good expresso coffee. One may argue, that this slice of paradise needed to be complete so, we decided to fill the gap. We studied all the operators in the local food industry, and observed the good and not so good techniques applied. From here our journey began. Before our dream became a reality, market research was our first hurdle. The Australian Bureau of statistics indicated that the market of people we were looking to target was right up our alley and virtually untapped. This research was then extended to include.....

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