The background music is always upbeat, including anything from Shirley Bassey through to Barry Manilow or Nana Maskouri, and while the decor also screams retro 70s, the food on offer is definitely contemporary cafe style. Café Kaos has moved from Tuakau to a new base in Pukekohe.

Anyone who has had earlier dealings with the Kaos crew will know they didn’t just slip quietly into Pukekohe, but made a big impact on the rural town when they opened for business on August 8.

And the local community has welcomed Kaos with open arms.

“The first day we opened the oven malfunctioned and when some of the locals realised this, they did the baking for us and even wanted to pay for their own muffins,” explains Elton Dobson-Raitt.

Elton and his partner, Stuart Dobson-Raitt, were first in business in Tuakau back in 1999 with a furniture restoring business. Being outgoing and friendly as well as very entertaining, they were always making coffees for their customers. “It got to the stage we were making more coffee than we were doing furniture restoration. So at first we brought a coffee machine into the shop and then opened Café Kaos in 2000. Now the business has evolved and in Pukekohe we plan to base other projects – such as continuing our out-catering and opening a small movie house,” explains Elton.

When the FBT writer called, Elton, Stuart and two of their four staff members (they plan to hire more staff soon) were handling a very busy lunch crowd. “Now you know why we called it Kaos,” Elton called over his shoulder as he dashed between the kitchen and customers. But, it all seemed very organised chaos – albeit with lots of laughter prompted by the zany Elton.

He decided on the retro theme largely because he sees music from the 50s, 60s and 70s as all about love, happiness and the beach. “It’s great music which can really alter the mood in a cafe and create a happy atmosphere. In the 80s we got into rap and the theme of music became depressing – all about crime and oppression.”

  The food on sale at Café Kaos is “typical cafe food,” according to the partners. But, they know they are already famous in Pukekohe for their BLTs, corn fritters, and their very decadent-looking brownies are big sellers. There were also lots of generous platters of golden chips being sold and the good old-fashioned plastic tomato-shaped sauce dispenser was there too on the traditional 60s Formica tables.

It was a sunny day and customers were outside seated on old armchairs – the style which many Kiwis will remember either from Great Aunt Agatha’s or their student flatting days – and inside there are a couple of welcoming little “snugs” set up with comfy chairs and lamps. Kaos is big on lamps with a big collection of 60s and 70s beauties as well as some fun chandeliers.

The selection of artwork is also very retro and while one wall is covered in a colourful collection of old record covers, another has old albums covered in a variety of very typically 70s fabrics. Old vinyl records are used as plates and will also be made into lamps soon, while the colour scheme is bright (with a great striped wall at the back of the counter) and all very reminiscent of the 1970s.

They sell Roma coffee (roasted at nearby Drury) at Kaos and all their food is prepared on site in a spacious kitchen. Elton and Stuart also handle a variety of out-catering jobs and were busy planning the menu for an engagement party when FBT called.

Food is the focus of their business, but they are excited about their plans for expansion. “While the locals have been promised a cinema forever, they still have to travel to Manukau or Hamilton to see a movie,” Elton explains. “So we are now working on developing the large room behind the cafe for a small movie house, Doghouse Productions (also in the classic retro style) to seat about 35 to 40 and plan to open in October. We will show Rialto-type art movies and old classics such as ‘Casablanca’ as well as the odd bad-taste film,” Elton says with his hallmark humour.

Kaos is currently open seven days a week from “when the first customer turns up until the fat lady sings,” according to Elton. The cafe is fully licensed and so extended hours and special functions are also envisaged. The first major attraction booked is an acoustic session with Paul Urbana Jones on October 16.

“It really is chaos at Kaos, but we will get to know you by name, we want you to treat it as your own space and you’ll likely to get hugs and kisses as well as good food and coffee,” Elton promises.