The Styx (Nelson)
The Styx Restaurant By The Sea is a Nelson institution and has a special place in my heart. It was established by chef Joe Horton and Tony Robertson in 2012, the same year that I moved to Nelson with my two children and started my own business.
Since then it’s been a dearly loved venue for special meals out and celebrations for my family. It was one of the first places we went for a takeaway treat of hot chips and a coffee in COVID times and my new husband and I had brunch there with family and friends the day after our wedding last year. It’s a place that’s borne witness to the full spectrum of our life experiences!
And that’s exactly the intention of Owners, Joe Horton and Dana Hanson. Joe says that meeting Dana is the best thing that’s happened to him. “Having the business has also helped give us the freedom to share time with our young children,” says Joe. “With no grandparents nearby it’s been great to split the maternity leave between us and enjoy our time with them.”
“Not having family in this country means that The Styx is our family,” says Dana. “It’d be wonderful if we could see our kids grow up learning the ins and out of running a business.”
Part of what makes The Styx so appealing (apart from the spectacular views over the Tasman Bay to the mountains) is that the staff and customer service are fantastic. You can tell somewhere is a good place to work when the staff stay, and even return, and that’s certainly the case at Styx.
“Half of the crew have been here eight years or more,” says Joe. “We’ve had more than 250 staff from 50 countries during the past 13 years. Working here works well for seasonal travellers as the summer months are also our peak time of the year.”
Dana herself was a on working holiday visa when she landed in Nelson and got a job at The Styx in 2014. Her arrival was timely as she was able to use her background in investment banking and finance to establish robust processes for the business. “It was a bit chaotic and Dana introduced great systems,” says Joe.
The couple have a highly functional division of responsibilities. With his background as a chef Joe was initially very busy in the kitchen. He still works with Dana on menus but has evolved to be less in the kitchen and more of an on-call resource for the myriad of tasks it takes to keep a business with a lot of moving parts operating efficiently. “This morning I was polishing floors!” Dana is the Managing Director of The Styx and spends her time working both out front and managing operations behind the scenes. She relies on her well-trained team of managers to help run the business when she is spending time with her family.
In a small town your network of local contacts is everything. Joe and Dana established close ties with the nearby Coastguard team from the beginning, and still go the extra mile to support their wonderful team of volunteers. Recently they delivered bacon butties (unasked for) to the team returning to base from a call out, which the Coastguard acknowledged in a story that ran in the local paper soon after.
They are also closely connected to Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures who moor their catamaran right next to the restaurant. “We were married on Adele Island in the Abel Tasman after sailing there on one of their catamaran, Te Harinui,” says Dana. “It was a magical day that we will remember forever.”
Running a busy cafe and restaurant doesn’t allow much time for reflection. It requires a clear focus on the present, especially during summer when the team swells to 27 staff.
“Most days it just feels like we spend all of our energy trying to keep The Styx running smoothly,” says Dana. “It doesn’t often feel like there is a moment to dream about The Styx and what it could be, only what it is. Yes, the problems that arise dictate our actions, but also the guests that dine with us and the team members that work with us all shape the future of The Styx.
“Not a day goes by that we don’t knock on wood or pinch ourselves that people still choose to spend their hard-earned money at our restaurant. We hope we can keep the food exciting, our team members motivated, and the restaurant running so that people keep coming back to us for years to come. It’s a lot of pressure to know that 27 families rely on a pay check from The Styx each week. Joe and I work hard every day to keep The Styx a success so that we can continue to pay wages.”
It helps to have a peer group of other hospitality business owners from around Nelson to debrief with and as support when all the everyday issues inevitably crop up.
“We would love to find another business partner with a passion for running a restaurant,” says Dana. “Someone who is prepared to work weekends and who can bring fresh ideas to The Styx.”
Joe and Dana are very grateful for the support they receive from locals and visitors alike, and allowing themselves a moment to look into the future they’re both very clear about their hopes for The Styx.
“I would simply hope that we remain a family-first, positive work environment for our team,” says Dana. “I look forward to seeing our team every day that I walk through the front door. They are my friends, my family, my team. I love hearing about their weekends, watching them grow with us and then travel the world. I love that they keep in touch and always come back to us for holidays, long weekends, or just to say hello. I love that we are a constant in their life. Not just a restaurant, but a rock of sorts, that anchors them to Nelson and will always be here for them to return to with open arms.”
“The older we get, the greater the age difference grows between me and my team members,” says Dana. “I hope that I can continue to connect with them all. The Styx has a power to bring people together and I hope it remains this way forever.”
