In the past six years, restaurant owner Anthony Fernandes’s biggest challenge has been rising food costs.

January inflation figures show the price of poultry rose 9.3 per cent year over year, and sugar by 6.3 per cent, according to the consumer price index — part of an overall 1.6 per cent rise in food costs.

“When the price goes up, it is not easy for the owners to control the cost,” said the owner of the Chatterbox Café on Reid Street, Hamilton.

Just physically changing the price on the menu board would be a costly undertaking, he said, adding: “We cannot give up. We have to just sell food in the storm.”

Two weeks ago, he expanded his hours to include dinner service.

The restaurant on the outside of the Washington Mall is now open until 8pm.

Mr Fernandes said: “Staying open later was always the plan. I have enough staff now, so I said, ‘let me give it a try’.”

So far, word has been slow to get out with locals, but the eatery has attracted many tourists in the evenings. “They see the light on and come in,” Mr Fernandes said.

The menu is more down-home at night with pan-fried fish such as snapper being particularly popular. Other options are tacos with fries, chicken alfredo, platters and burgers, among other things.

One aspect of the business that is helping Mr Fernandes is catering for corporate businesses and events.

He has run the café at 7 Reid Street since 2017, and was hit hard by social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Instead of dialling back, he moved forward, adding a lunchtime Indian buffet and a soup and salad bar. Bonefish curry, vegetable samosas and coriander lamb curry are just a few of the choices in the Indian buffet.

• For more information about Chatterbox Café, seewww.chatterbox.cafe