How would you recreate the easy-going lifestyle of Cuba in an Australian café?
Coco Cubano’s founder Tony Melhem chose to channel the relaxed ambience, upbeat music and exotic drinks of the central American country for his Sydney-based café chain.
Think franchise, think identikit? Not at Coco Cubano, where Tony has aimed for an individualistic style that translates into custom-made armchairs, bar stools, quirky pendant lighting, and walls of family photos and images recording his trips to Cuba. And this spirit of individualism will continue as the chain grows. “A franchise has to retain the same look and feel but there is the opportunity to personalise stores with individually purchased items under guidelines,” says Tony. “The décor will be slightly different, we sprinkle vintage with new.”
It’s a venue appealing to customers dropping in for a late-night drink with friends, as a spot to unwind with a hot beverage, a place to enjoy a casual meal or snack. It’s a café where women can feel comfortable sipping a cocktail alone, and can meet up with other mums for a morning chat — kids in tow.
As a family man, this sense of an unhurried, easy-going atmosphere is just what Tony wanted to achieve. “It’s all about family. It’s a comfortable relaxed environment, a place you can call your own.”
The first outlet opened last year at Darlinghurst’s iconic Taylor Square, in a high-profile spot on this busy junction. Another corner site in Parramatta’s Church Street is the location for the most recently opened outlet.
Tony and his business partner Cameron Kenna are now ready to franchise the concept. Says Cameron, “We’ve signed up our first franchisee in Melbourne and are very close to securing our first franchise site.”
That the cafes are safe and secure eating and drinking venues with a comfortable vibe is a strong selling point, Cameron believes. “We want to target regional areas where there is no alternative to the country pub,” he says.
Support is on the menu
While the menu caters for breakfast through to midnight snacks, including tapas, chocolate, cocktails, steak sandwiches, Coco Cubano is licensed and serving alcohol is a substantial part of the business. “We have key accounts with major suppliers and can give franchisees guidance on ordering to get it right,” says Tony.
Franchisee support is core to the system, he says. “With franchises, it’s a real partnership. We want to support our network and our franchisees. If the business in your store is performing well, we’re doing well.”
Cameron adds “Half the battle is identifying the problems, and we can guide franchisees through these. We’ve learned what works, we’ve done the profit and loss, and the costs.”
The day’s trading is just the start of the work for many hospitality businesses, with admin demands keeping owners busy at night. However, technology will allow Coco Cubano franchisees to manage their figures and key data from mobile phone applications.
“Franchisees don’t get into franchising to be stuck in the back office,” says Tony. The two partners have backgrounds in accounts, pr, communications and business ownership. And with a background steeped in franchising (as a hospitality franchisee, chair of the franchisee forum for the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) and the FCA’s deputy chairman) Tony understands how hard it can be to build a business, and what support franchisees really need.
“If the franchisee wins we win too. We want to do this a bit differently.”