Interview with Jessie Familetti from Café 655 – Dynamic Melbourne Cafe For Sale

It’s common knowledge that Melbourne has some of the best cafes in the world. Melbourne is blessed with a dynamic coffee culture as well with experienced hospitality entrepreneurs who that have made the landscape rich with business opportunities.

We continue our series on Australian buying opportunities by speaking to Jessie Familetti, who has recently put up her co-owned café, Café 655, up for sale. Café 655, located in West Melbourne, is a fantastic city fringe cafe in prime corner location, offering an escape from busy Spencer Street.

Edenexchange
Thanks for speaking with us Jessie. Firstly, what brought you into the business? Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Jessie
I come from a hospitality background. My father is a chef and I grew up in the industry. My husband worked as a cook prior to us meeting. He had also been self-employed in other business areas as well. When we met, we were thinking of things we could do together, and decided on a cafe. Our first business together was a café in Darwin. It went really well, and when we decided to sell and relocate to Melbourne, it was natural to go in on another café together.

Edenexchange
What were some of the challenges you faced to get the business to where it is today?

Jessie
When we bought the business 4 years ago, it had hardly any customers. We completely overhauled the appearance, the food and the coffee to create an inviting café with delicious food and coffee.

Edenexchange
What markets does Café 655 focus on? How has this evolved since you first began the company

Jessie
We are located in West Melbourne, which is quite a diverse area. We have customers from the many offices in the area stopping in for coffee and a quick bite. We have local residents enjoying a leisurely brunch. We also have plenty of walk-ins from passerby due to our location on busy Spencer Street, and our proximity to the North Melbourne train station. We have also focused effort on office catering, which has increased significantly over the years. We try to appeal to a broad range of people with our fresh, house made items.

Edenexchange
What stage of development is the business in? What are its key strengths?

Jessie
The business is quite profitable at the moment, with further room to grow. It includes prominent street frontage and is in a superb location to capture passerby. It’s in a fast growing area and we’ve built up a loyal customer base over the last 4 years. Apart from this, it has a good secure lease (New Lease for New owner 3x3x3) and an excellent commercial kitchen.

Edenexchange
Who would suit running this business?

Jessie
The café is currently run by 2 full time owners, and one part-time staff member. It would suit another owner operator, or could easily be run by a manager and staff. It could be maintained as the profitable café it is, or pushed even further by someone with motivation and new ideas.

Edenexchange
Given that the business is going so well, why are you selling now?

Jessie
I am American, and my husband is Australian. We have spent the last 10 years in Australia, and it’s now time for us to move to the USA to be closer to my family. We are planning on pursuing another business there.

Edenexchange
In your opinion, what makes a good café owner? What further opportunities are there for a new owner to grow Café 655?

Jessie
A good café owner needs to be friendly and open with all potential customers. They also need to be open to trying new ideas, and if they don’t work, coming up with something new!

As far as new opportunities, there is a huge potential to extend the hours on Saturday and open for Sunday trade, and to expand the catering clientele. Or, there is the option to make it only a Monday to Friday business, but possibly extend the hours until 5pm or later, as currently we are only open until 3pm. Also, with more staff, the café could handle larger amounts of customers at once.

Edenexchange
What’s the most interesting part of running Café 655? What should a new owner expect?

Jessie
The most interesting part is the diverse clientele that come through our doors every day. We meet people from all over, and not just from Australia. We get quite a few international tourists as well. We hear about all aspects of people’s lives, and get to know some of them quite well.

A new owner should expect a busy environment with friendly customers, giving the new owner a rewarding and profitable experience.

Contact Jessie or Craig on +613 9329 9932 for a confidential discussion about this opportunity

Please click here for a more detailed business snapshot of Café 655.