A Wānaka cafe owner has challenged the minister of tourism to visit his cafe to see the reality of current hospitality conditions.

Ritual Cafe co-owner Chris Hadfield wrote to Stuart Nash on Wednesday (January 4) asking for a personal meeting with him, after he took exception to the minister’s comments about the impact of visitor numbers on hospitality.

In a story first published on Radio New Zealand, Stuart said more than 20,000 working holiday visa holders had arrived in New Zealand since the border fully reopened last July and businesses were working hard to give summer tourists that "famous New Zealand experience".

"We are working as hard as we possibly can to fill the gaps, even though there are some areas - Queenstown comes to mind - where the labour shortage is reasonably acute," Stuart said.

"If it takes people five or 10 minutes longer to get a coffee, or 15 minutes longer to get a meal, then so be it. I still think the level of service received will still be done with a smile and people will still have the experience they've come over here for."

Chris told the minister his comments “astound me with your apparent acceptance of customers waiting times for coffee and food”. 

“As wait times increase then the number of customers that we can serve directly decreases and obviously our income is directly affected,” he wrote.

On social media Chris was less careful with his words, saying the minister was “completely out of touch with how hospitality works”.

“If every coffee takes 15 minutes longer then with every passing minute we get further and further behind.

Chris (who is also a member of the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board) said he has been running Ritual Cafe for over 15 years and “this has been the most difficult period ever and relates to the inability to find staff”. 

He told the minister he has a good feel for how local businesses are coping and “it does not paint a pretty picture”.

Chris told the Wānaka App he wants to speak to the minister face to face. However, that’s unlikely to happen soon as the minister is on holiday until January 16.

Chris has been outspoken about his criticisms of the government’s changes to visa requirements, and in May last year he told the Wānaka App staff shortages were “worse than ever”.

Read more: Businesses in ‘survival mode’, concerned about new visa

This past Boxing Day was the busiest ever for Ritual Cafe, as it was one of only a few cafes open in Wānaka.

PHOTOS: Supplied