Kapiti restaurateur selling after 30 years

The Eastern Egret at 4 Ngaio Rd, Waikanae. Photo / Supplied

The land, building and going concern business comprising Waikanae's popular Cantonese-styled restaurant, The Eastern Egret, have been placed on the market for sale. The long-time owner, Sadie Wong, is opting for retirement, says Stephen Lange of Bayleys Wellington, who is selling the property and business by private treaty.

Lange says the Eastern Egret has been a dining destination for Waikanae locals and travellers for nearly 30 years, with Wong at the helm all that time — first owning and operating the business itself and then buying the building 22 years ago.

The decision to sell has not been an easy one for Wong to make, given that it has been her life for three decades and the restaurant remains a local favourite.

"But the time has come for me to move on and I know that a new owner will be welcomed by the local community," says Wong, an avid supporter and sponsor of fundraising initiatives and community events on the Kapiti Coast. "It's a great little business and the regular customers have helped make the restaurant into the success that it is.

"They just keep coming back time and time again and tell their friends about it. I will miss the connection and contact with so many people."

Lange says the land and buildings are owned by one company, while the business is operated by another.

"The property and business arm are being sold as a going-concern and it is envisaged the new owner will simply walk in and take over where Sadie has left off," says Lange, adding that a full set of accounts for the trading company is available to interested parties on request.

"The sale includes all fixtures and fittings of both restaurant and bar — fully-operational kitchen, tables, chairs, crockery . . . even chopsticks — along with the goodwill built up over the years.

The sale includes all fixtures and fittings of both restaurant and bar. Photo / Supplied

"Sadie has become a household name locally, her takeaway banquet dinner boxes have been a "go-to" for many years. The sale leaves the door open for an energetic new owner and crew to make their mark.

The single-level 240sq m restaurant building sits on a commercial/retail-zoned 247sq m site on Ngaio Rd, close to the intersection of the main road through Waikanae and handy to railway station and commuter bus stops. The restaurant and bar has seating for 80, while the successful takeaway operates from a separate area at the front of the building.

The building takes up almost the entire site, with parking behind and in the public parking adjacent to the Countdown supermarket next door.

Lange says the nearby section of the main road was formerly SH1, but lost that designation when the Kapiti Expressway opened earlier this year.

"Some felt it might spell the demise of the Waikanae shopping precinct, however, with heavy traffic removed, it's become easier for customers to access the property; there has been no noticeable drop in custom.

"To cater to the volume of commuters crossing from the railway station, NZ Transport has proposed traffic lights at the corner ot Main and Ngaio Roads, plus more parking in front of the business."

The Kapiti Coast Council has a masterplan to revitalise the Waikanae town centre.