Well folks sorry I haven't had much to say recently - too busy opening and running my new cafe!
We're located at 31 South Crescent, Westgarth (all right... most folks cant find Westgarth on the map so try Northcote instead!), Victoria, 3070
We're right on the corner of Mason Street and South Crescent and located in a residential area opposite the train tracks on the Hurstbridge Train line - exactly half way in between Westgarth and Dennis Train Stations - or less than five minutes from the city by train so there's no excuses for not coming!
To cut a long story short we've been going gang busters - a few technical hitches and some staff training issues not withstanding!
Had a write up in The Age newspaper on Tuesday and business (which was busy to start off with) is up 30 per cent since then - with today (well... its yesterday already) being absolutely packed to the rafters!
Between 10.30 and 11.30am this (yesterday already!) morning 60pax (plus takeaways) walked through the door and we were slammed - so apologies to anyone who came and waited 20 minutes for their coffee - but it was the only time that folks waited so long all day!
I'll endeavour to get some pics up of the joint, and to draw your attention to the great publicity that we've had already - but I'm not making any promises just yet as to when - as most of the time I'm working my a*** off!
My wife says that she is officially a 'cafe widow' meaning that she hardly sees me any more... and the other day I heard one of my kids saying: "Mummy... who is that strange man sleeping in your bed?"
I hope for all our sakes that she was talking about me!
We went through 7kg of coffee yesterday - which is definitely a record, and we would have done more had we greater seating capacity
Speaking of which new banquette seating is on the way, which should dramatically increase the seating capacity, and we have front and rear courtyards to accommodate the 'rug rats' (children in Aussie parlance)
Free wireless internet is also up and running, and boy, oh boy - am I looking foprward to the evaporative cooling ducted aircon going in on Tuesday!
I've got a fab team of staff - in the kitchen and front of house - I feel truely blessed! ANd for some reason that includes a bunch of kiwis!
Not surprising really considering that I am an expat myself - and giving the average New Zealander's (well... I speak for Wellington really, not that other unspeakable city!) coffee credentials!
We're running with a custome build BFC Synchro - designed in Melbourne and built in Italy! The machine features masive oversised 600ml heat exchangers in the boiler dedicated to each group head, and 2ml flow restrictors at each heat exchanger - which slows the flow rate to the group head down to a trickle - producing amazing extended extractions: thin 30mls from 50secs with a 20sec pre-infusion and you are in the ballpark!
ANyway - the place is jumping, and I'm eating into my nap time (no NOT while I'm working! I tend to doo all my admin b/w one and three in the morning!) - so it's laters from me!
Will keep you postered!
CHeers, Askthecoffeeguy
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