Spaces
Cantilevers keep local foodies returning to popular coastal café
If you visit Noosa in Queensland, Australia and you're anything like us, you'll soon find yourself scoping out the local eateries and boutique cafes, planning your next brunch spot while making the most of sunny days and beaches the coast has to offer. Whether you're heading out for lunch or dinner, there's also a chance outdoor umbrellas like the stunning Shadowspec Cantilevers you'll find at Chalet & Co top brunch spot in the Sunrise Beach area. No wonder it's a favourite spot for relaxed outdoor dining.
Chalet & Co makes all its food and has a contemporary dining complete with a laid-back vibe. We run on sunshine and seasons–including our own cantilevers adding to the relaxed atmosphere.
“My wife and I opened Chalet & Co 8 years ago we've been operating then since very successfully. The best dish on the menu? I'm pretty old school, our eggs Benedict is pretty good with bacon, and we make everything in here.”
Situated right on the beachfront, between residential apartments the café's location creates an interesting challenge for seating, outdoor space is at a premium. By pushing out of the building into the patio Chalet&Co can create a warm, comfortable space for people, and their pets, to visit and enjoy. At Shadowspec, we’re big fans of this use of space.
“The majority of our seating is outside the umbrella is really good quality and isn't affected by weather as much so when it's quite windy, we can leave it open when it's raining, we can also leave it open. It keeps our customers dry.”
When pushing into the outdoors for seating shade needs to be the main consideration. The Shadowspec Unity™ Quattro cantilever umbrella is the perfect hospitality umbrella, providing all the shade you need without any of the fuss or faff associated with awnings, shade sails or other permanent structures. A top choice for cantilever umbrellas in Australia, it combines practicality with style for a seamless outdoor experience.
“We're right on the beach so having the umbrella provides really good shade for them. Prior to us having the Shadowspec Umbrella we had a folding arm awning; folding arm awnings are great when it's not windy or not raining but as soon as it gets windy or there's rain happening you generally have to bring the awning in as it can't handle all weather conditions.”
Umbrellas are also better than awnings in some council constituencies as you don’t need a permit for them as outdoor umbrellas aren’t classed as permanent structures enabling you to install and maintain them without going through council processes, and delays.
“We would have to apply for a council permit to get any permanent structures and with this product, we can get the benefits of a permanent structure without having to get formal approval from our local Council.”
The Unity is loved by staff. They are so easy-to-use and designed to be ergonomic and fast to deploy in approximately 5 seconds. Saving time for staff to focus on looking after customers. Designed and made in New Zealand, the umbrella is purpose-built for coastal conditions.
“It folds up easy, like our staff can put it away quite easily and, they can put it up very easily, as easy as the videos look. My favourite feature would be the quality of the umbrella it's sturdy it's all hand built in New Zealand, so the quality is good.”
Our top menu recommendations
Chalet&Co have a delicious health-conscious menu packed full of nutritious and allergy friendly options including gluten free, dairy free, vegan and vegetarian choices. When we stopped in for a coffee, a chat and to see how the team were going these menu options caught our eye immediately:
- Chilli Scramble: Chilli scrambled eggs on organic sourdough with smoked chorizo, spring onion, parmesan and sriracha.
- Farmers Harvest: Roasted pumpkin, cauliflower, red onion and chickpeas with quinoa, spinach, Green Goddess hummus and za’atar.
- Chalet Smashed Avocado: Smashed avocado on organic sourdough toast with fresh zucchini, peas, fetta, herbs, lemon oil and dukkha.
It’s great to see customers of all kinds parking up and enjoying their moment in the shade or finding protection from elements of all kinds as the seasons change.
“If you've got an outdoor space that needs good coverage from weather and you struggle when it is wet or when it's windy and then definitely consider a Shadowspec product as it really will benefit your outdoor seating anyway if you want to come and check out a great café come down to Chalet &Co at Sunrise Beach just outside of Noosa.”
