Kaladar Station - Sometimes the timing is just right

Jeff Green | Jun 12, 2025

When Joje Cafe closed, it was missed by the local community and travelers along Highway 7, and also by Olivia Bence, who had a role in the family run business.

Olivia has been working at Bence Motors since then, but with the restaurant across the road remaining vacant, she has not stopped thinking about getting something new started there.

Finally, at the end of 2024, the timing was right. Olivia started getting the space ready, the permits in place, and all that it takes to open a restaurant\bar that can serve breakfast to local tradespeople heading to work, home cooked meals for travelers along Highway 7, and a spot for people to kick back after work, or at evening events from time to time.

Kaladar Station opened on February 3rd

“I was nervous about opening up, starting something brand new, and everything that had to be done. What if no one came? It was only afterwards that I remembered that February 3 was the date that my grandmother died. I think it is kind of neat that I opened Kaladar Station on that date, because of what she was all about. I guess everything happens for a reason.”

Olivia's grandmother was Glenda Bence, who died on February 3rd, 2007. Not only was Glenda a co-founder of Bence Motors in 1959 with her husband Robert, she became a fixture in the community over the coming decades organising community events, getting the former Kaladar Community Centre built, creating activities for kids from swimming lessons to Scamp Camp to a youth centre.

“I think about her, and I think she would be happy that I opened this new business,” said Olivia.

Olivia thought that opening in February with little or no fanfare, would give her a chance to slowly build up the business heading into its first summer.

That part of the plan did not work out, not that she is complaining.

“We have been much busier, from the start, than I ever expected.”

The restaurant’s menu is simple and reasonably priced, with a railway theme and a twist or two, including what has turned out to be the most popular sandwich, the “Railway Reuben”, served on marble rye with a smear of homemade sauce.

Salads and sandwiches are the mainstays of the Station, and Olivia feels that the restaurant has been able to make a virtue out of not having a deep fryer available, focusing on the quality of the sandwiches and freshness of the salads that are on offer.

Another feature of the restaurant, which is something they are hoping to do more of, over the summer, are theme nights and parties in the evenings.

St. Patrick's Day was a big success, as have Girls Nights, and private parties. Games Nights and opening during major sporting events are possibilities going forward.

There are currently 7 staff working at Kaladar Station, and it is quickly becoming a major employer. 

“We focus on our customers and it pays off. We now have customers who travel highway 7 regularly and say this is where they stop for breakfast whenever they pass through.”

Kaladar Station is open from 7am-7pm, seven days a week. All Aboard breakfast costs $13.50, and sandwiches, served with Kettle Chips, run from $10.50 to $20. Kaladar Station is fully licensed.