Unifone Connecting the Best Pies in the World to the Internet
Mark Button is the publican at the Waipiata Country Hotel, a popular stop on the Central Otago Rail Trail which just so happens to be home to the best pies in the world. Recently recommended in MiNDFOOD magazine, Mark and the Waipiata Pie Co. are now making over 2000 pies a week and they now have about 16 different pie flavours including pumpkin, ricotta and spinach, wild venison and satay chicken. In 2019, they won the Eat.Taste.Central pie competition and since then, people have been coming from all over the country.
He’s kept pretty busy, with the Waipiata Country Hotel, Tussock Lodge Waipiata and The Waipiata Pie Co. Despite the recent Covid-19 lockdowns stopping Auckland visitors, business has been busy, with plenty of locals from Dunedin and Oamaru making the day trip out to cycle parts of the Rail Trail and try their classic country pub cuisine.
Mark has been a customer with Unifone from the early days, way back when it was Glenn and RiverNet. Unlike other providers, Glenn actually hopped in the car and came out to Waipiata to sort out a solution for Mark. Their previous internet had been pretty unreliable and so slow that they sometimes struggled to pay the wages.
Mark says, “It’s not the kind of service that you get from the big guys, with Unifone offering a personalised solution that’s not out of q box.”
Since then, Unifone has been involved in the rollout of internet infrastructure in the Maniototo with the Rural Broadband Initiative Round Two, and the technicians have regularly stayed at the Waipiata Country Hotel. In fact, the hotel was one of the first businesses to start trialling the new internet service which has been very reliable. It means over the years they’ve gotten to know the Unifone team and have a good relationship with them.
“It’s not like the other large telcos where you’re just a number,” says Mark.
He’s found it great to be able to deal with the same people all the time and from staying there, they get to know Mark’s system. If there are any changes to be made, it’s pretty straightforward. The reality for Mark and his businesses is that if the internet stops, it directly affects their business.
“With Unifone, if anything has gone awry, they fix it as quick as they can and unlike other providers, they’ll be at our doorstep. That’s why they’ve always dealt with Unifone and will always deal with them.”
We think you’ll love that Unifone is now sharing the secret spot of the world’s best pies with the world and with it being under two hours drive from Dunedin and Oamaru, it’s a great base to explore more of Central Otago and the rail trail. Particularly this summer season as more people are looking to explore their own great big backyard.
