The Story of Rustic Edge Café
When I first reached out to Katie from Rustic Edge Café & Takeaway, this blog was a dream. The website was merely a shell, and from memory I had only published one blog, a recipe I believe.
As a customer, I had previously met Katie in person, but my vision, explained via email, came out of the blue. Without hesitation, Katie agreed to sit down and have a chat, which was a huge delight to me!
Honestly, that alone says a lot about her character.
I already knew Katie was someone who genuinely loves people, but during our discussion I realised how much she values the community and the simple joy of serving others. I am truly honoured to share her story…
Rustic Edge Café & Takeaway may feel like a natural part of town now, but the journey to opening it wasn’t exactly straightforward.
Katie opened the café right in the middle of COVID, at a time when no one was allowed to sit down inside – at all.
Opening a business during such an uncertain time might seem daunting to many people, but Katie made the decision knowing exactly what the situation was. Instead of waiting for things to return to normal, she moved forward with the plan and opened the doors anyway.
From day one, everything had to operate as takeaway.
Originally, the vision had been to open a café. But with the COVID restrictions in place, takeaway quickly became a central part of the business and even influenced the name. This is the reason why “Takeaway” was added to “Rustic Edge Café”.
As restrictions gradually eased and limited seating was allowed again, the café slowly grew into the space many locals know today, but takeaway remains a large portion of the business.
Owning a business had always been something Katie wanted. In fact, she had considered buying the business that previous operated in her space about ten years earlier. Although it didn’t work out, the idea stayed and when the space became available years later, Katie jumped at the opportunity with a clear vision.
I was curious about where the inspiration came from.
Before opening the café Katie had spent 25 years working at Coles (she started there when she was just 15 and stayed right up until she opened Rustic Edge!).
Growing up, Katie always imagined herself serving customers in some way. As a kid she used to play shop using her grandmother’s jewellery box as the “till,” carefully handling pretend money.
Food had always interested Katie too. She once thought about becoming a chef, but the intense hours of commercial kitchens didn’t appeal to her. Low and behold, she found just the right blend with Rustic Edge. Running the café gives her the best of both worlds — food, people, and control over life outside work.
Of course, like any new business owner, Katie has learned plenty along the way.
One thing she wishes she’d known more about in the beginning was equipment and the technical side of setting up a commercial kitchen. Electrical limitations in the building created a few challenges, and over the years she has slowly adjusted the layout and equipment to make things work better.
But that’s part of the process, she said as well as figuring out what sells, what doesn’t, and shaping the business as you go.
Katie offered one piece of advice she feels strongly about for anyone thinking about running a business: take breaks.
From the beginning she set a rule for herself: three days off every three months (which happily coincides with most Public Holidays), plus two weeks in January. She’s stuck to it consistently. Burnout is real in hospitality, and having clear boundaries has been part of the café’s success.
One of my favourite stories from our conversation involved the café’s milkshake maker.
Not long after Katie opened, she served a milkshake to a customer who happened to be the original owner and had even built the shop many years earlier. After trying it, he rang her and told her there was a lump in it and that she needed a better machine. Then he casually mentioned he had one sitting in his shed and gave it to her. That milkshake maker is still part of the café today, a small piece of the shop’s history living on behind the counter (and as a lover of Vanilla Malt Thickshakes, I can assure I have quality tested several times and there are no lumps!).
Though, she admitted, there are still challenges.
Nighttime staffing is tough, and the pace never really slows down. But the team she has built has made all the difference.
Many of the staff have been there for years. Opening during COVID gave Katie the chance to train slowly and thoroughly. Many current staff settled into the business from the beginning, and they found their feet together.
Now, they also spend time together outside of work, and there’s a genuine family feel in the shop. It’s one of those local community situations you miss in the cities, and I wasn’t surprised to hear Katie knew many of them, via her kids or their parents, long before they worked for her.
The café has had a bit of a visual refresh recently.
While originally leaning into the “Rustic” side of its name, Katie recently updated the furniture and introduced a fun 1950s diner feel that highlights the “Edge”. When you visit the café now, you get a real combination of Rustic and Edge!
Katie has always loved old diners, classic cars, and that retro atmosphere, so this new look reflects that side of her personality. Car enthusiasts already drop by, and Katie hopes it can become a regular meeting spot that isn’t centred around a pub.
SPOILER ALERT – a jukebox is on the way!
That sense of community runs through everything at Rustic Edge.
The idea has always been for Rustic Edge to be more than just somewhere to grab food, it’s a place where people can meet up. There’s a constant stream of locals, workers, families and visitors moving through the doors. Katie enjoys seeing families come in year after year, watching kids grow up and friendships form across tables.
Reliability matters too and consistency is something she takes seriously. Even in a small country town, people depend on local businesses being open when they say they will be.
A great example is the simple coffee card system for regulars. Katie mentioned that sometimes she remembers a coffee order before she remembers the name!
The café has also quietly become a catering option for the region.
Katie told me about preparing antipasto platters for council events and picnics at the Nimmons Bridge opening, which received fantastic feedback. It’s a side of the business she hasn’t pushed too heavily yet, but it’s there when people need it — whether it’s a birthday, baby shower or local event.
Another role the café has quietly stepped into is something Katie calls the town’s unofficial “tuck shop.” With local schools not having one on their premises, Katie collects the orders the “old school way” – in little brown paper bags with the orders written on them and coins inside. While this system could be automated, Katie is not interested. She loves being able to give the kids the kind of experience she remembers from her own childhood (something I also remember fondly!).
People might assume a small-town café is quiet or sleepy, but Katie says the numbers would surprise them. Each week the café goes through more than 250 kilograms of chips and over 300 pieces of fish.
Of course, if you’re visiting Rustic Edge Café & Takeaway, there are a few menu items that locals already know are hard to go past.
In summer, fresh salad rolls and iced coffees are favourites, while kids love the frappes. In winter, the burgers are a winner, especially the classic “Hamburger w/ the lot”. It comes stacked with everything without charging extra for each topping.
A word of warning, if you walk in hungry, be prepared to walk out having bought half the menu! We’ve come to fondly refer to it as “Katie’s”. As in, “Shall we just go to Katie’s?” or “Why don’t we pop into Katie’s?”, and once you’ve been, you’ll understand why.
Our personal favourites are the Souvlaki Wrap, Schnitzel Roll, Triple Choc Muffin and Potato Gems & Gravy (Parma Thursday’s are also great!). But take it from our frequent visits (we may have almost tried the entire fish and chips menu) and EVERYTHING has been fresh and satisfying! We haven’t tried the pizzas yet, but whenever we’re in store they’re raved about, so we’ll have to give them a go before we leave Smythesdale.
Before we finished chatting, I asked Katie where she takes visitors when they come to town.
Her answer was exactly what you’d expect from someone who clearly loves where she lives — places like Devil’s Kitchen with its old mines and swimming holes when the water is up, or Fraser’s Hill in the evening for a beautiful view. Perfect picnic spots, she said. Even better if you bring the dog.
By the time we wrapped up the conversation, my original feeling that Rustic Edge is more than just a takeaway shop or café was reiterated.
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