Wanaka residents have the chance to support their favourite local cafes through a website that was set up as a lifeline for hospitality businesses across the country.

SOS Cafe was set up just over two weeks ago, first as a website allowing customers to purchase vouchers from cafes on Auckland’s North Shore to use at a later date, and now as a nationwide non-profit assisting hospitality businesses across the country.

Co-founder David Downs said he was in a cafe when the prime minister announced the country would go into alert level four, locking down most of the country.

He knew the impact this would have on local small businesses, so he jumped online to buy a voucher from the cafe, but quickly realised a lot of them are not set up to sell online.

“You’ve got small business owners who have had to close up and that’s their whole life and livelihood,” David said. “It’s great to be able to jump online and buy a five dollar coffee voucher, it’s a great antidote to this whole situation; being able to do some good.”

What started as a small group has now “snowballed” to more than 1,400 small businesses across the country, including 46 across Wanaka and Queenstown.

Wanaka residents can now buy a voucher for a range of local eateries, from FuDog to Francesca’s, and Big Fig to Adam and Eve's Bakery. 

Big Fig co-owner Chrissie Lahood learned about SOS Cafe via Instagram. 

The support from locals generated via the website means a lot. “Every little bit helps, especially when costs continue even when you’re closed,” Chrissie said. 

Cafes are having to adapt to an uncertain future, and at Big Fig, the team is working on its first takeaway and delivery menu, aiming to be ready to roll next Wednesday (April 22) or Thursday if the alert level allows it.  

“We’re re-thinking the way we feed people, with family or flattie packs, more deli-style takeaways like pots of hummus and bags of pita chips, take-home packs of our Middle Eastern granola and selling whole loaves of our yummy fruit sourdough,” Chrissie said. 

Helping support cafes as they navigate the uncertainty ticks a couple of boxes, David said.

“Lots of people want to support their locals and the businesses can see how much they are loved by their customers,” David said. 

By Tuesday (April 14) the SOS Cafe website had seen more than $420,000 of vouchers purchased around the country and $20,000 of donations.

Visit SOS Cafe here.

PHOTO: Wanaka App