When Paul Wilkinson opened The Latin Shack Café, a colourful Colombian-inspired diner in the heart of Samford Valley in Queensland, he quickly became a hit with locals and tourists alike.
Bursting with personality, Paul’s menu is rich with Latino vibes, serving up brekkie enchiladas, zingy fish tacos, spicy chilli nachos and scrumptious Nutella empanadas, alongside traditional Aussie favourites, from avo toast to classic burgers with all the trimmings.
“It’s a vibrant hub offering more than just coffee and food. Inspired by Colombia, our cafe is a pop of colour, inviting you to relax and enjoy” he says.
The backstory
But beneath the bright exterior, the business was struggling. “We were facing a steep uphill battle,” says Paul. “Like many small cafés, we were getting deeper into debt, hit hard by a combination of rising supplier costs, higher wages and a noticeable drop in customer traffic due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.”
Paul found himself running his business ‘reactively’. With little time to take a step back and build a stronger, more structured business plan, Paul found it increasingly more difficult to tackle the issues his business was facing.
“We needed help to shift our mindset from ‘survival mode’ to ‘strategic thinking.’”
The wake-up call
“Operating in this climate has been incredibly challenging, and we knew we needed support to shift gears and survive, let alone grow.”
Paul recognised that beyond the passionate core at the heart of his business, there was the hard-knock reality. To keep his business afloat, he needed to be in complete control of his numbers. Unfortunately, a love of food and a desire to create a hub for community just wouldn’t be enough keep his doors open.
“That’s when we came across the Moreton Bay City Council’s initiative – the Master Your Food Business program. We’re so glad we did!”
Learn more about the Master your Food Business Program
Let’s focus on the following:
How did Master Your Food Business dish up the know-how Paul needed for a fresh start?
What was the strategy?
Moreton Bay City Council’s initiative, The Master Your Food Business program, is aimed at supporting small to medium-sized hopso owners to take more effective control of their business.
Crunch is part of this program and gives you access to insights from industry professionals, providing them with the tools and know-how to tackle challenges and develop practical strategies for future business transformation and growth.
“The fortnightly Q&A sessions, hosted live in the Crunch app, with a business coach were invaluable,” reflects Paul. “Just having access to someone who understood the industry and could look at our situation objectively was a huge help.”
What Paul implemented:
- Weekly tracking of COGs and labour as a % of sales.
- Restructured our menu to focus on high-margin, customer favourites.
- Introducing a digital loyalty system to increase repeat visits.
- Streamlined operations to reduce prep time and minimise waste.
- Invested in better team communication and culture.
What were the results?
“The Master Your Food Business program has been genuinely transformative for us.”
Looking back, Pauls reflects on how the program helped them significantly across multiple areas of his business, the biggest impact in three key areas, which are from the five pillars that Crunch focuses on:
Finance
Paul now has a much clearer understanding of his numbers. “Before, we were busy working in the business but didn’t have time (or the tools) to work on it.”
During the program Paul was given practical tools, such as templates and profit calculators to increase productivity and streamline his business.
“The short finance-focused courses gave us practical ways to track costs, calculate breakeven, and identify areas where we were bleeding money, particularly in cost of goods and staffing.”
Marketing
“We learnt how to better define and communicate our unique story,” says Paul. “As a Latin café in a regional area, we’ve now been able to attract customers who are looking for something different.”
The marketing masterclass helped Paul to find The Latin Shack Café’s true distinctive voice. He discovered effective techniques on how to tell his story with authenticity, showcasing the café’s vibrant Latino charm to spark attention and drive consistent custom.
“We learnt to refine our voice and build a simple but effective loyalty strategy, which is already showing results.”
Leadership & people
With insights from industry professionals, Paul was able to get a new perspective on ways to lead his team. He used this new knowledge to reshape staff roles, creating more efficient workflows and encouraging a positive, more productive working environment.
“We’ve since had honest conversations with staff, restructured roles and created a workplace culture focused on shared responsibility and sustainability,” says Paul.
What have we learnt?
Before joining the Master Your Food Business program, Paul’s focus was on getting customers through the door. He believed that dishing up a delicious food and providing a vibrant space for his diners would be the secret ingredients to achieve success.
But he soon realised that serving up a unique café concept wasn’t enough – he needed to turn his focus on the business, taking stock of strategy, crunching numbers and making sure he had a solid business model.
“The program helped us truly understand the importance of knowing our numbers. We always assumed more customers would fix everything, but the truth is, without clear financial oversight, no amount of foot traffic will save a broken model.”
Paul is already reaping the rewards of his investment, with significant improvements across the business, including:
- A 6% reduction in COGs through smarter buying and menu adjustments.
- A modest but noticeable increase in loyal customers.
- A transformative move from a loss-making position to a break-even point, aiming for profitability within the next quarter.
“We believe this is a brilliant initiative by Moreton Bay City Council and hope it continues to be funded,” says Paul. “It’s rare to find a program that’s this practical, relevant, and supportive, especially for small, independent food businesses like ours. We’re deeply grateful to have been part of this and encourage other small business owners to get involved.”
Key takeaways
Here are some of the program features that Paul felt offered the most impact to his business:
- Q&A sessions with a business coach, offering clarity and confidence in making decisions and implementing change.
- Finance templates and tools to gain control over COGs and labour percentages.
- Short courses on branding and customer engagement, offering practical, ‘no-fluff’ strategies to implement immediately.
- Real-world case studies, sharing common and relatable experiences to reassure business owners that hospo isn’t always easy and that they are NOT alone!
