What started as a cafe for upwards of 600 staff at KF Aerospace, has quickly become a new hotspot for businesses and community members who are down in the airport district.
With its quirky airplane theme, Convair Cafe is elevating the cafe experience with not only some great specialty treats, lunches, breakfasts and drinks, but their unique style has sure captured the attention of guests stopping in for the first time.
The aeronautical-inspired space features real airplane seats, inside plane panels, overhead bins, a drink galley and all the bells and whistles of a real plane, minus the cramped space you might find when sitting in seat 16B.
“We definitely took the cue from our surroundings but the other guests that are outside the aviation world love it,” laughed Tracey Cameron, Convair Cafe manager.
“They come in and take pictures, and they compliment on the fact that this has way more leg room than you’re ever gonna get a get on a flight.”
Convair Cafe, located within a working hangar at KF Aerospace, is the second location for the popular 350 Bakehouse and Cafe located downtown on Bernard Ave and will feature similar drinks and tasty snacks.
What sets these locations apart, however, is the Convair menu that features homemade sandwiches, bowls, wraps, and salads that are made in-house by husband and wife, Andrew and Amber Estlin.
“They make everything from scratch, so we’re talking salad dressings, sauces, they even smoke their own meat so everything on the menu is made fresh daily,” added Cameron.
“I think the fan favourite sandwiches would be the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and the Montreal Smoked Meat, those two we probably sell the most of by far.”
Along with their sister location, food left over at the end of the day is donated to the Gospel Mission to support the most vulnerable in the community.
After close to a year of renovations, the Convair Cafe is now open to the public so if you’re working in the area or even spending some time on the Okanagan Rail Trail be sure to swoop in, KF Aerospace employees are even offered a sweet discount.
“You know there's a great patio, we’re still working on some sun covering there but again we'd like to have that aeronautical theme to that,” explained Ed Wouda, owner of Convair Cafe.
“If you’re dropping someone off at the airport grab a sandwich, if you got a layover for a couple of hours come on by, the rail trail is here so you can lean your bikes up against the patio and have a cold drink or a doughnut.”
The Convair Cafe is located on 5655 Airport Way and is open every day, Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 3:30 pm; although if you're looking to check it out early next week they'll be closed for a few days as Wouda will be getting married over the weekend.
Check out the Convair Cafe website for more information.
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