Café Queen

16/05/2026

Good Food, Bright Minds is open Monday morning at Café Queen from 7am–9am 💜

Many of you have very kindly asked over the past few months how you can contribute to and support Good Food, Bright Minds, and I’m so happy to say that we now officially have an online donation platform available through Humanitix for anybody who would like to help.

This beautiful community initiative continues to support over 40 local children each week with breakfast before school in partnership with Café Queen.

The children absolutely love coming into the café each week and it has been incredibly heartwarming to see so many people quietly getting behind this initiative with kindness, generosity and care.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Good Food, Bright Minds so far through donations, attending The Giving Table mornings at Sanctuary Retreat, sharing posts, offering encouragement or simply cheering us on from the sidelines.

What started as an idea has now become something held and supported by community and that’s a really beautiful thing 💜

If you would like to contribute, the donation link is below.

https://events.humanitix.com/good-food-bright-minds-mxhc3t7a

14/05/2026

QUICK CATCH UP TIME!!

DOGS! DJ! DOGS! ABBY!

I will put another proper update post up soon, but for now, please appreciate how many photos I took of anything OTHER THAN important café stuff.

Love you!

21/04/2026

I can spell and let you know that we are CLOSED on ANZAC DAY (25th April), and ANZAC DAY OBSERVED (27th April) and I drew a pretty picture 🙂

27/03/2026

This is your warning that there are some swear words stamped into clay in these photos - so viewer discretion is advised lol

THANK YOU TO MADISON AKA Best Potter in the World for running a SICK ASS workshop for our staff do!! (missing DJ because it didn’t line up, but featuring some special guests!)

We have had such a blast hosting Madison for a few pottery workshops for others, we wanted to give it a try!

I always talk about how much I appreciate my staff, but I wanted to show them too x

Thanks gang, I appreciate all the work you do!!

19/03/2026

GOOD FOOD BRIGHT MINDS

We have been doing this since February 2nd.

Every Monday, school aged kids have been coming in and getting breakfast, all thanks to Sanctuary Retreat. We’ve merely been the boots on the ground.

In February, we fed 121 kids.
So far in March, we’ve fed 132 kids - and there are still 2 more Mondays left in the month.

Because of Lisa and Sanctuary Retreat, 253 kids have been able to have a warm, nutritious breakfast on a Monday morning.

The team on a Monday has been, myself (Max), Abby on coffees and till, and DJ pumping out the food for these kids. Our cap on a single day has to be 50, but we’ve hit 50 two weeks in a row!!

Lisa and I are working to set up a system in which to donate, the minute we know what’s going on there, we’ll let you know!!!

And for the haters who don’t understand why we’re doing this, you have the last photo especially for you - keep on giving us engagement on our posts, we love it xox

Lisa, thank you so much for funding this, we’re enjoying the “Kaos” and we’re loving helping the community

Till next time!!
Max 👑

01/02/2026

AND SO IT BEGINS!!

Sanctuary Retreat and I are thrilled to begin out Good Food, Bright Minds Initiative!

No questions asked, free breakfast for school aged kids on a monday morning.

Today we also have juice pouches and water for these kids to be able to take with them too!

Off into this new adventure, I’m excited to see where it leads xox

29/01/2026

My girls at Queen decided to donate their tips for the last few months to Waiuku Colony Cat Rescue after they so generously gave me support and advice after I found a stray I didn’t know how to help! They were so so sweet and supportive and I cannot thank them enough!

If you would also like to donate to this awesome cause, check out their website! They always have kittens up for foster or adoption, and they’re always looking for volunteers!

Thanks for helping me with “Felony” - if anyone is interested I’ll share some photos of him to the story - he was a beautiful stray with a big heart, and just some janky teeth.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to Café Queen in Waiuku and their incredible team.

Over the last few months, the team at Cafe Queen have very, very kindly donated all of their tips to our rescue, and the cafe themselves also made an incredibly generous donation. We honestly can’t thank them enough for their support.

I popped in for breakfast this morning because it felt only right to support a local business that supports us, and wow, the food was absolutely to die for. The staff were so friendly, happy, and genuinely lovely, and the whole experience was a solid 10 out of 10.

If you’re local (or even if you’re not), do yourself a favour and go check them out. Amazing food, amazing people, and hearts of gold. Thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

27/01/2026

Sanctuary Retreat and I are so excited to bring this to life.

This cause is near and dear to my heart, as someone who grew up watching classmates go hungry, and I am hopeful this will make a big change!

14/01/2026

Madison will also be back for another pottery session! Book online and we’ll see you there!

28/12/2025

A year ago (yesterday), Queen went up in flames. Still a bit of a wtf to me but I digress.

This is the most hopeless I’d ever felt. Everything I had inherited, everything I had improved on, built, created, and poured my heart into, coated in water and ash.

7 months of negotiations, arguments, and tears.
And we came back.

“Like a Phoenix from the ashes” said everyone and their mother, and they were right.

You all have showed up for us. For me. For my silly little dream of a place with good coffee and good vibes. With all the rough edges, with the mistakes, with the good days, with the bad days. You all make Queen, Queen.

Thank you all. November 9th was 3 years of Max’s Reign at Queen, December 28th was the anniversary of the newest beginning.

Please peruse this collection of photos from the last year - it’s been a RIDE!

13/12/2025

So Honoured to be apart of this beautiful initiative with Sanctuary Retreat xox

Next year we are creating something beautiful! 💛

Good Food, Bright Minds is a collaboration between Cafe Queen, Waiuku and Sanctuary Retreat and together we’re creating a great start for school kids in Waiuku because kids deserve a nourishing brekky (and sometimes families need the village to make that happen)

All the info is on the poster (thank you, Nile Design)

If you feel called to support us, we would love you alongside 💛

08/12/2025

HOLIDAY HOURS!!

Realised I never posted these on the main Facebook feed, but we’re excited to see you (almost) all holiday season!!

Reminder to support small and local this time of year, our little town needs all the loving and support it can get! The weeks leading up to the holidays are often really quiet and we all really appreciate the support xox

We are bright and ready for summer, and ready to see y’all!!

05/12/2025

WEEKEND SPECIAL FOR DECEMBER

Come on in and try out our lovely Chef’s Special this month, Bjork’s Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

For $23 this tower of delectable delight could be all yours!

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes, served with whipped cream and sliced banana, with the option to add bacon for $3

Come on in and try it, weekends only for the month of December

🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞

25/11/2025

Another cool creator joining us for the next couple months!! Beautifully talented person hosting a pottery workshop in our humble cafe!

07/11/2025

Thank you all SO MUCH for a wonderful Hallo-month!! Our trick or treat stop sponsored by Hollie Furze - Real Estate was a HUGE success! Thank you to everyone who stopped by!

Please enjoy a selection of the month’s shenanigans before my big sappy post tomorrow for our 3 year anniversary