Since then cross-continental bonds and life-long friendships have been forged as a stream of German backpackers and students make their way to the Bavarian cafe that has become a home away from home.

For owners Mark and Cathy Fren, the family vibe among the staff - who work alongside their own two children - has become as essential to their success as the heirloom recipes the restaurant is famous for.

"We are a big family, each of us is a family member - it feels like that to us here and it should be the same for the customers," said Lena, sponsored by Oma's as a permanent employee. "We are happy to give all the customers a feeling as if they are at home."

Fostering this environment is prized so highly by the Frens that on a recent vacation in Germany the family paid for a three-day reunion of their former employees at the Warsteiner Brewery near Dusseldorf in Central Germany, where Oma's beers are from.

Dennis and Thomas, the first non-blood relations to work at Oma's, were hired purely for their German looks. But it wasn't long before the Frens realised it was the Bavarian accents that won over the customers.

"People were coming in asking if I could speak Dutch and my German is no good at all, so it was good to have someone who could come in and converse with our German customers," Mark Fren said.

After Dennis came Vincent, who was followed by fellow Munich native and Newcastle Backpackers resident Heike, who then introduced Lena, and Lena brought her cousins who also did a six-month stint at the Watt Street restaurant.

Word spread to the mother country where Oma's is fast evolving into a destination in its own right.

Yona graduated from high school in Germany and set to work in Oma's kitchen.

"I finished school and ... I didn't want to start studying and my brother said 'we are leaving, just come over'. Two weeks later I started working here," Yona said.

Stephen, a mathematics student at the University of Newcastle, was invited to join the crew by David, a mate from his home university who recommended Stephen to the Frens at the reunion. A month into the job he has already roped-in a German neighbour.

"David told me it is the best job in Newcastle and I also think it is the best job," Stephen said.

Their comings and goings have created an Oma's community that the Frens say has built the character of the shop and is what attracts its customers.

At no time is it more important than during Oktoberfest, when the German staff, dressed in traditional costumes, add colour and fun to the festival of beer and food that has become a favourite in Newcastle.

Oma's Oktoberfest starts on September 19, in accordance with the traditional Munich Oktoberfest dates, and finishes on German Unity Day - October 3.

For three weeks the Bavarian kitchen will have musicians on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday lunches where prizes for best dressed and - if you are lucky - schnapps will be distributed.

Oma's evolved from a Newcastle Farmers Market stall started in 2009, where Cathy Fren sold shortbread biscuits, slices of cake, German sausages on rolls and pretzels as a weekend hobby.

It was so successful that the Frens opened the restaurant in 2011 during leave from their teaching jobs - and never looked back.

Oma's serves home-style meals from the Bavarian region based on Cathy's grandmother's (Oma) recipes.

After travelling the south coast on a budget for two months Lena could not believe it when on her first day the Frens told her she could choose whatever she pleased for lunch.

"I chose a sausage on the roll. It was amazing. It was just all the flavours - the German mustard, the German sausage. The sauerkraut. Everything together it was, oh my god, like I want to have this food everyday again," she said.

As well as being good for business the German workers have given Cathy - a former kindergarten teacher turned biscuiteer turned Oma's chef - the chance to indulge in her passion for teaching, and for mother henning.

"I love all the kids who come in," she said.

"I taught five-year-olds for 28 years ... and it's so nice now to be working with young adults and teaching them how to cook and boss them around."

The food has obvious pulling-power for the travelling Germans.

Home cooking aside, Cathy Fren believes the size of Newcastle appeals to her staff: "Germany is made up of little towns and a a lot of [backpackers] find Sydney too overwhelming and too busy. When they come to Newcastle it's more relaxed ... and the Germans absolutely love the summer and the beaches."

Lena agreed: "Most of the [German] people I meet stay in Newcastle for a long time, and they say it reminds them of their home town because it is a nice size. It's not too big and not too small."

And then there are the "friendly" and "easier to handle" Australian customers. Lena, who has worked in five-star hotels around Europe and restaurants in Germany, says there is a distinct difference.

"I think they are really friendly and nice to the waiters. In Germany they can be really grumpy," she said. "They are always happy to have a little bit of a chat, which is a bit unusual for German culture."

For Cathy the German reunion with her staff stretched the Oma's family even wider.

"They all wanted us to meet their families," she said.

"For me it was a real karma - I've always treated them like my own kids and family and their families couldn't do enough for us.

"Yona's mother said, 'I'm so happy you are such a beautiful mother and I know you are looking after her'. I'm her Australian mother."

Armed with a couple of new recipes from the extended family, new costumes from Germany and a couple of new staffers, the Frens are ready for the Oktoberfest fun to begin.